The Shattered City: OOC

[NeoTiamat]

All right, I'll take on Cerise in the main thread, then. You guys want to start, or should I?

(Also, hooray excellent art! )

We'll set the scene sometime in the nearby future. Just watch the thread in the meantime

[Nathan of the FoS]

CHATEAU MALCHANCE PART TWO, Captioned:

Lia: "The clock seems to have stopped...h'm...I wonder where the key is."
Tomas: "Whooooooops-ee-daisy!"
Nerit: "I refuse to speak until I have had my coffee."
Celeste: "Isn't it charming to be here at breakfast together! Such a slice of life, and so many persons of diverse backgrounds and modes of life gathered around the board! I'm so glad we are all enjoying this as a band of companions, united by our place of residence, and now, by common endeavor!"
Nicolas: "Dry, dash it, and the liquor store doesn't open 'til noon."
Kerrian: "Mmmf?"
Darius: "MINE!"
Cyrus: "MINE!!"
Agale: "You are all...weirdos."

[lostboy]

Hey anyone who wants to join Nicholas is perfectly welcome. He's probabley planning a menage-e-trois with the two young ladies right now, so I can't see how a lawyer and a nun would possibly cramp his style.....

[The Whistler]

Celeste: "Isn't it charming to be here at breakfast together! Such a slice of life, and so many persons of diverse backgrounds and modes of life gathered around the board! I'm so glad we are all enjoying this as a band of companions, united by our place of residence, and now, by common endeavor!"

I'm not writing as much of it as I did with Otto, but I *can* confirm that Celeste's internal monologue is nearly as long-winded as her external one.

[Nerit]

CHATEAU MALCHANCE PART TWO, Captioned:

Lia: "The clock seems to have stopped...h'm...I wonder where the key is."
Tomas: "Whooooooops-ee-daisy!"
Nerit: "I refuse to speak until I have had my coffee."
Celeste: "Isn't it charming to be here at breakfast together! Such a slice of life, and so many persons of diverse backgrounds and modes of life gathered around the board! I'm so glad we are all enjoying this as a band of companions, united by our place of residence, and now, by common endeavor!"
Nicolas: "Dry, dash it, and the liquor store doesn't open 'til noon."
Kerrian: "Mmmf?"
Darius: "MINE!"
Cyrus: "MINE!!"
Agale: "You are all...weirdos."

Au contraire, mon ami. Il est la théière, pas de café!

Boy did I bungle that. Let me try Latin!...

[NeoTiamat]

TREASURE!

I know this is what all of you have actually been waiting for. As before, everyone gets the following:

• One item of 10th level or lower
  100 gp worth of currency
  500 gp worth of residuum.

As always, just how you come into possession of this is up to you.

[Nerit]

I hope Celeste is all right with Nerit borrowing another dress? (They seem about the same size, anyway!)

[The Whistler]

Hey--your character's fictional wardrobe is my character's fictional wardrobe. Go ahead.

[DocBeard]

I guess I'll go on my little date. I'd be useless with Andre and all the wizard talk, now that I think about it.

[yalenusveler]

I believe I should like to have a chat with the thing that is imitating Captain Cedolin. Because really, what trouble could I get into with that?

[The Whistler]

"Bonjurno! Guten Abend, Salaam, Hola, Aloha, Nihao, and how are you?"

The thing I like about this is that it presumes the existence of around five or more non-canon domains, all of which Tomas has adventured through.

[DocBeard]

I always felt like Hawaiian would be good for a dialect of elven, but that is a flattering picture.

[lostboy]

Feedback!

Story & Plot - 2 RT
What you thought of the hook:

Well I like the esotericness of the icon storyline and also the mystery of what the hell is actually going on. It would have been easy to spill the beans on the whole ritual and plot, but leaving it all dangling just makes me intrigued. The tension and atmosphere is ramping up all the time and I for one have no clue as to where we are going.

However I did find the journey a tad torturous, we did seem to be being led round by the nose and flitting form one thing to another. I mean one minute we are looking for missing priests, the next we are investigating the ship, taking down a cultist, and then it’s off to tackle the icon stealers. It all felt a little haphazard, we never really tidied up any of the loose ends, and in each case it was one single DM planted clue that gave us any idea where to go next. Overall I guess I felt a little unsatisfied with it, I like the direction and atmosphere, and I dig the suspense, but we need to finish some things off occasionally.

...the pace:

Overall not bad, there were a few lag points (no doubt due to real life issues), but it kept up a decent pace and each scene pretty much had enough interest to keep things lively. If I had to pick holes however I’d say I got a little tired of the pc’s doing something and then having to meet an npc and explain what we just did. I realise we are acting as investigators but having to recount our actions all the time is pretty dull (despite the Marquis being the creepiest fruit eater in the world).

...the direction:

Not sure how this is different from the hook, but let’s say I liked it *shrugs helplessly*

...the cutscenes:

The newspapers are excellent, more please.

...the surprising and/or shiny spectacles:

Nice graphic descriptions of the murder of Latour and attempt on Cedolin. I also liked the Cedolin coming back out of the mirror idea, very creepy.

...the NPCs, their involvement and their characterizations (etc):

In a word awesome. Unlike at the start of EoA I know who they all are and have seen enough to at least have an inkling of their characters. Some work more for me than others, but none let the side down. If you made me choose I’d say I particularly like the Marquis and Cerise right now but even Latour had his moments…

Combat - 2 RT
What you thought of the pace of the first combat:

Pretty well paced, not too long to get dull, but also long enough to exhaust a lot of the powers people have, therefore making it potentially deadly.

...of the difficulty:

Tough but just about survivable, a nasty start to the campaign combat-wise. The turrets seemed to be pretty hard to hit and were fairly lethal in their own right, add to that the nasty powers Cedolin had, I’m surprised only Kerrian went to minus hp. However it did feel satisfying when all is done and dusted and that for me is the mark of a good combat.

...of the tactics and strategies involved:

Yeah I for one spent too much time trying to take down a turret when really the issue was Cedolin, once we all got together and focussed on him it went a lot better.

I think it’s obvious we suck against enemies if we split up and the way this map worked made that even more obvious.

Finally I’d say this was my first ever 4e combat and I got a bit overexcited and used up both my dailies and an action point (probably unnecessarily), so I’ll be a bit more cautious as we go on, and hopefully roll better dice to hit people…. I also realised that being a Leader type isn’t about dumping damage on things, it’s really about keeping everyone else alive and organising the battlefield. I had read this of course but I had to forcibly remind myself of that rather than reaching for the highest damage power I had all the time.

What you thought of the pace of the second combat:

This did border on the long side, it definitely felt like we had the potential to lose, but there was an element of doing the same round after round for a while there, I’m glad it finished when it did even if the result was anticlimactic.

However nice setting, interesting terrain and a cool theme, this one would have made a great movie scene, and I’m really really proud of that map, (although what happened to breaking up the ice?).

...of the difficulty:

This was probably a notch too difficult, the terrain was tough on some people and although that was an effect on both us and them it was an extra problem we didn’t need. In fact if the Dm’s hadn’t given us a break I don’t suspect we could have won that one.

I also (as in the obelisks fight in EoA) absolutely detest having tonnes of status effects thrown at me, especially the same ones round after round, we did throw them back a lot as well but I did start to feel that perhaps that’s *all* 4e combat is about..(which is a crit on the system not the DM’s).

On the whole I think you could have had half the amount of cultists and it would have been about right. Although had we all rolled better dice it might have been more even.

...of the tactics and strategies involved:

I do totally agree with Cronax’s idea of focussing fire, but I’m not sure it helped too much in this particular instance, the weird and the Dr didn’t have many area effect attacks so there was only 2 pc’s they could target each round. By focussing on them we gave free rein to the 6 cultists with nasty ranged attacks to dump on us consistently, and apart from Lia and Agale we didn’t seem to have too much in the way of artillery to return fire with.

It’s tough to draw too much more on tactics as several of us had abysmal dice rolling adventures which severely hampered what we could do. But I would say we need to stock some more healing potions between us all, I can’t get too much more in the way of healing abilities, so if everyone has some healing stuff it makes life easier.

Also again the sticking together more seems to be a good idea.
It’s also painfully obvious to me that 4E isn’t designed to be played over the net. There are too many things you can do that depend on knowing what other pc’s are planning to do or what their powers involve. Both Whistler and I had opportunities to do forced movement but with no idea what everyone else was planning or could do, I don’t think either of us made the most of it, which sort of negates the impact of forced movement as an effect. Maybe we need to have more chatter on the OOC about tactics but I can’t see that really solving it, as each PC has so many options, and frankly I don’t want to spend hours talking mechanics.

General - 2 RT
What you enjoyed:

The story with the suspense, atmosphere, creepy locations and pacing – its pretty good overall so far.

The characters – both pc’s and npc’s are a joy to deal with and sometimes simply to just sit back and watch, not a damp squib anywhere. There is a good deal more theatrics in the characters this time and it means they all shine, heavens know how the Dm’s keep track of them all.

The little nods to EoA – just fun.

Having a PC I really enjoy playing, Nicholas is so much more fun than Khalil was and although he might seem shallow he’s got many more dimensions than Sascha could ever dream of. I went for a relatively simple character concept and I think it’s paid off so far.

What you want to see improved (and how):

The chain of events that leads to the goal, I think I’d like a little more deduction involved and less blatant clue planting. By all means have npc’s correct us if we go off at a tangent though.

More conclusions to things. Not everything, its fine for there to be a bigger picture, ongoing themes and keeping stuff back, but actually giving some explanation occasionally on a few aspects would be a good thing.

Combat – can we go back to 2nd Ed please? (kidding), nah I just need to get more familiar with 4E and hopefully I’ll get to enjoy it more as we go on.

Any other comments:
I want all of the above to be read in the light of how much work the DM’s put into the game, and that fact that overall it’s simply awesome. I’m nitpicking here really, and a lot of my issues are me not really ether grasping or digging 4E. I can whine about this and that but it doesn’t change the fact we have a full immersive version of RL to play in, and the Shattered city is really beginning to blossom in terms of story. I don’t get to play tabletop and prior to finding the Frat and EoA I hadn’t even looked at an RPG for 10 years or more, so being part of this game is a big deal to me and I’m really not being a suck-up when I say to Neo and Isy I can’t thank you enough for putting this show together, I’m having a blast….

I also want to congratulate everyone on their posting, I mean take a step back and look how much work goes into pretty much each and every post, it almost feels like being in a play rather than a game. The characterisations, dialogue and humour are all simply exquisite at times, and it challenges me to push myself when I post, so thanks everyone.

[DocBeard]

Story & Plot - 2 RT
What you thought of the hook: The Icon specifically was a nice use of an artifact, though it was a bit wasted being in a box the whole time. Maybe it'll be used later and this was building up to that. Discovering the conspiracy against the icon was a nice little mystery, and it felt good to actually solve something, though what this cult has to do with the larger plot against Port a Lucine remains to be seen.

...the pace: Lots of moving around, going, "Gasp!", running into investigative walls, and then two big fights at the end. I'll cover the combat below, but can you see how this is a bit imbalanced? If the city really is on the verge of rioting, the occasional scrape in the city streets might be the dash of action that would make the whole thing come down a little smoother. It would also be a good way to show us the culture of the city through its criminal element. But that's just speculation on my part. lostboy's comments are solid, though I personally enjoyed the near-skill-challenge of convincing the Marquis of what's going on.

...the direction: Being deputized gives the Chateau Crew the direction we've needed since the start, and it was done very elegantly, so well done there. Things should move much more naturally now that we have someone to report to. I get the feeling that this was the plan all along; don't be so worried by the player grumbling to be afraid to just up and tell us, "We know, its a feature, not a bug, shut up and we'll get there sooner.". Sometimes that's all people need to hear.

...the cutscenes: Fun. I like the newspapers, and I dig that the PCs can expand the setting themselves too. Makes the whole thing feel more interactive.

...the surprising and/or shiny spectacles: Celodin's possession caught me legitimately off guard, and I was impressed by his entrance. It was nice seeing a noble who seems legitimately interested in keeping the country going instead of running it into the ground.

...the NPCs, their involvement and their characterizations (etc): I covered much of this above, but having to deal with the NPCs one at a time instead of all at once and being on the offensive really fixed up my grouses from last chapter. Having more time to do side rp and follow up rp helps as well.

Combat - 2 RT
What you thought of the pace of the first combat: I'll cover most of this in difficulty; the mirror effect was cool, but the turrets were kind of overkill. You could've compressed them into one or two mobile turrets that would've gotten the same effect with it being much less of a pain in the rear. Being able to capture Celodin was nice, even if it will probably bite us in the ass.

...of the difficulty: This is what you guys do for our first combat with new characters? For some people, their first use of the system as a whole? Like, I readily admit in Chapter 1 we turned down potential combat opportunities because of that darn "Do the right thing." bug that's still in many PCs's systems. But, snap, a warm up round with some minion pirates would have done the job. This would have been a fantastic climax of the chapter showdown, but as a middle piece and a first combat it suffers.

...of the tactics and strategies involved: In this case the brutal tactics were a good reminder that if we do not work together we will die. Kerrian falling the way he did made Tomas's IC arguments way better than he could. Catching us off guard was jarring at first, but ultimately I think made us a stronger team. It wasn't how I would have done it, but it was a really fun encounter and seems to have done what you fellas wanted it to do.

What you thought of the pace of the second combat: A bit jagged; another artillery heavy encounter over one giant trap was a heck of a situation to throw us in. Ultimately you had to show us a little mercy, but I think that it moved smoothly enough. We got pinned down, which is why the middle felt lagged. I consider it a learning experience, personally.

...of the difficulty: Two big targets and six turrets. If the cultists had to get up a bit closer to use those tentacles and other tricks, it would have felt a lot less like you guys tacked on a ranged section just because y'all know we're weak against artillery. The water weird was an odd choice, considering who was involved; shaughan or other watery humanoids might have felt more thematic. On the other hand the Water Weird was awesome to fight, I had a ton of fun taking on a big monster with Tomas again. While I believe for the most part the PCs made this encounter as hard as it was, I do maintain that if we're going to just have encounters this difficult for combat, we need better treasure rates to compensate. If you guys are seriously worried about us all pooling our cash and buying something stupid, just don't sell it to us. You know how hard it must be to buy property in the city right now?

...of the tactics and strategies involved: The NPCs felt a little lifeless here, except for Poincare. The cultists sort of felt like brainwashed victims; the blood draining ritual particularly sticks in my mind. Their thinking, "Get Celeste!" instead of, "Get the witch!" or "Get the giant Hazlani with the flaming sword!" seemed a bit odd, but at the same time the difficulty of this encounter was entirely our fault. I should've yelled straight out, "Squishy classes STAY BACK."-not that it would have necessarily been listened to, but it would've made me feel better to have tried.

General - 2 RT
What you enjoyed: Everything. I mean there was stuff to complain about but if this wasn't an amazing game, I wouldn't be playing. Please don't think that, at least on my part, I'm hating the experience and staying aboard out of spite.

What you want to see improved (and how): More jink, less question marks. That's about all I can think of right now, and that's mostly vanity speaking. I did tell Neo that I think a secondary or tertiary villain who is more obvious than our shadowy mastermind would be a good way for us to vent our hate while still being in a fog, but that's just an idle thought.

Any other comments: How do power checks work in 4e? I'd almost make them work like a double edged boon ala DMG2.

[lostboy]

Three parts surprise, two parts horror, and a smidgen of eye-rolling exasperation battled for dominance of his cognitive function.

Seems like people are starting to get who my PC is.....

I suspect the exasperation will up its percentage as we move through the books, probabley at the expense of the suprise. Im fairly sure Nicholas will still ahve the ability to inspire horror with his perfromances though.