OoG during Pirates

That changes things if you have an inside track. My experience was competing against late teens to early 20s as a 35 year old. Kept up with the young bucks, though. You can call me anytime, as always.

Excellent, I'll give you a call tonight.

The Illinois Supreme Court just reversed unanimously and remanded back to The Appellate Court to review the case applying the Significant Role standard of Proximate Cause as liability. This means they agreed with my Standard of Law and set it as precedent. They are opting to give the Appellate Court a chance to weigh the Lower Court's Summary Judgement in light of that standard. It isn't a direct win, but a step in the right direction.

navyik wrote:The Illinois Supreme Court just reversed unanimously and remanded back to The Appellate Court to review the case applying the Significant Role standard of Proximate Cause as liability.  This means they agreed with my Standard of Law and set it as precedent.  They are opting to give the Appellate Court a chance to weigh the Lower Court's Summary Judgement in light of that standard.  It isn't a direct win, but a step in the right direction.

Good stuff!!!! Not only for you but the people of an entire state. Thinking about the implications - how many lives this may touch, over time, giving better protection and more accurate justice? Mysterious ways, brother. Mysterious ways.

Good to hear Alan!

Robyo wrote:So, what's everyone been playing these days? (besides 5e online, or course)


I'm still been enjoying 5e. It's a solid system, if somewhat basic. Been running the Curse of Strahd module and it's been smooth. Saturday night game, the party is up to 8 PCs! I think that's a maxed out number, LOL.

Also been running Starfinder in a homebrew campaign. The system plays kind of like a Pathfinder 1.5, except it's elves in spaaace, of course. Seems like every PCs got a blaster or ranged weapon of some kind. The base classes run how you might expect, with the Mechanic as a stand out in cool options.

Both fun games!

I have an itch to run a "classic era" sci-fi game using the "Savage Worlds" system. It would aim to nail the feel of original Star Trek, Lost In Space, and similar properties.

Would also really like to give "Iron Kingdoms" a try for the next round of fantasy play. The character class customization is really cool, and it combines fantasy w/ tech, in a rule set that nests with an ecosystem of tabletop wargames.

Both are available for group use on the google drive. If you do not have the link, email or message me - won't post it publicly as anyone could click in.

I feel some sort of responsibility to take a turn in the barrel as well, but don't want to commit to a full campaign. I've been wondering if some sort of rotating gm by scenario game could be played where everyone has a character term that sits out once in a while while their respective player runs the scenario at hand. A job board in town kind of thing.

Any thoughts on that?

Chris is doing a knockout job, but I am sure he would like to play as well.

Joe, running an encounter or two would work well as an intro.


I like the rotating GM idea, and have had a few ideas on how something like might work to tell a larger story. I'll try to sketch them up soon.

I'll always play but my days as a GM are over. No interest and I hate trying to come up with ideas (and I'm just not that good at it)

whit10 wrote:I'll always play but my days as a GM are over.  No interest and I hate trying to come up with ideas (and I'm just not that good at it)

Josh (Not trying to convince you to DM against your will, but just to say) - I really enjoyed your "old-school world of darkness" material, just so you know.

Thanks... under these rules, it would be easier to run, I think. But I honestly don't have the time for a while either.

whit10 wrote:Thanks... under these rules, it would be easier to run, I think. But I honestly don't have the time for a while either.

All good - as I said, thought you should know! Give yourself some credit where it is due, ya know?

I do enjoy GMing but i would also like to play. I totally support a rotating GM system, if we established a few agreements up front for flow.

For example, something like the pirate boat world would work as the next GM can go anywhere. Or something set in a huge Waterdeep-scale city. Basically something that can build upon story ideas or go off in a different direction. I am fine if someone wants a turn at the wheel next in pirates. I am also cool with imagining a new multi-gm world.

Da Bears!

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2019/02/10/nfl-rams-super-bowl-sean-mcvay-patriots-bears-defense/amp/

Awesome news, Alan! That is a real change to the law. I hope it helps you directly as well

I hope the idea of getting to play again was serious. I have been brainstorming some character ideas and I have narrowed it down to a fighter, barbarian, ranger, cleric, sorcerer or warlock. whew

Yeah, I'd like for you to be able to play as well if I can help it. Again, I've got so little free time that I doubt I'd be able to commit to a full campaign, but would be okay with doing my part in a team effort of rotating scenarios

would you want to rotate within the pirate setting or come up with something new?

I think that's the first major question to answer

Between open water battles, island exploration, pirate and monster bounties, etc, there is plenty of fat to chew with the pirates. Wouldn't want to ruin any narrative direction you've got going, although even if you ran for afull year, how 'big picture' would it really be anyways?,

I appreciate the thought, Joe, but honestly I have viewed this as a sandbox anyways.  Wherever the party wants to sail is where we go next.  In my head, I thought the party was going to go to the dwarven Caliphate to search for clues to the lost city of Frostheim.  Then, you decided to stop at a volcanic island, lol.  So now you are saving an island goddess from a hungry fire god.  (which is just a play on Hawaiian mythology anyways)


Narratively, the main themes are that the Gods are heavily involved and present - think Greek Mythology.  They talk to the players and intervene regularly - think Elyssess with Renda, the Fire god Charr, the island goddess Amona Ahna, etc.  This could be expanded or ignored.

Sacrifice has emerged as a theme, though I didn't plan that.  Matt started it when he picked up the old storyline from the orc tribal backstory.  Crispy is continuing it by using himself as bait and sacrificing himself (potentially) to allow the rest of the party to succeed on the current map.  This could be expanded or ignored.




the party will certainly +1up here shortly to 10 and the story will resolve after this fight (which should be almost over)

the party is a little low on magic items, though another grab bag is coming

the party does each (except Rob) have or will soon have a "boon" reward that isn't an item:

Renda - Dark Blessing if he uses a bonus action to eat a fallen enemy
Hawkes - familiar, pseudodragon stats for Unfeathers (given his roleplaying attention to the neurotic bird)
Sam - animal companion, 3-YOR, the depressed ancient Shield Guardian (finding the old remote (shield amulet) and in-game experimenting)
Crispy and Sjon - pending chapter resolution

Sam and Hawkes should really be controlling them, within the parameters of a companion and familiar, though both have their personalities which the GM could run or I could continue, since it is really just game flavor



Alan, Josh, Matt and Rob have all run stuff on the forum in the past.  They may not have the time\interest currently, but we could even rotate things as simple as 1 fight or 1 small chapter.  The crew can always run into another ship or a sea monster or an island or a port or.....

I do really like the characterizations and roleplaying in this party, so I would be happy to join the crew.  Players can even change their characters easily enough whenever we hit a port

I would be happy to run a side trip, but I can only use my phone to post. Last time I required tech support which may be a drain on someone else in and of itself.

navyik wrote:I would be happy to run a side trip, but I can only use my phone to post.  Last time I required tech support which may be a drain on someone else in and of itself.

I am always happy to help with map updates, no worries

I’d take a turn at running something but y’all would have to deal with me knocking 20 years of rust from my DM skills.

Whitey wrote:I’d take a turn at running something but y’all would have to deal with me knocking 20 years of rust from my DM skills.

last time you GM'd you killed my panther-druid-shapeshifter thing in Rockford. Clubbed to death like a seal by an Ogre....

Aww. Poor kitty...

I am probably asking for it again, but I am tinkering with a front-line melee aggro magnet. Not just a damage sponge, but someone that can keep aggro by being a threat and use some taunt\debuff\crowd control kinda things to control flow on the field. This is a highly mobile, lightly armored group, so a nice melee tank should fill a gap, not that you guys have suffered without one, lol

mtn dwarf Fighter Battlemaster - polearm+sentinel, tunnel fighter, type thing

Tiefling Paladin of Ancients for control spells and self heals, shield master, protection style

1/2 orc bear-barb\champion crit cruncher, grt wpn master

human Hexblade\Paladin - Vader-style build w fear, control, damage



crunchity, crunch, crunch.....

Nice build ideas, Chris.

Think it would be great to get some new DMs in the mix. There a couple of ways we might approach a "round robin".

1) Roll with a single party/game and swap out a character now and then as the GM changes - "job board" style as Joe mentioned.

2) Create a setting and story "event" and focus on various "episodes" - for example, if WW2 was a setting, episodes may include -

Air combat in the Battle of Britain
OSS operations in France
Partisans in Yugoslavia
Tank battles at Kursk
D-Day
Search and rescue for downed pilots in China

Each GM would choose & run their own episodes. Characters would/could change for each episode, or could be revisited and developed. All of the episodes would combine to tell the larger story of the "event".

For a fantasy or sci-fi "event" - a civil war in the empire, an infernal invasion, a mysterious plague, an uprising, etc. Depending on the story being told, characters could be of any level, and we could even jump between systems if we needed to. All a GM has to do is make certain that the episode supports the overall story, and they can tell whatever tale they like.

3 builds up in very rough form

https://lodgestgaming.forumotion.com/t414-chris-play-builds#22578


I have a similar Ancient paladin in my tabletop game with the boys, so I will probably pick one of these 3 after consideration for adding to the pirate game

I hate the Patriots, so this doesn't come without any bias

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/22/sports/robert-kraft-prostitution-arrest.html

yeah, I hope he goes down hard on this one. I'd love to see the Patriots fall apart in the coming years (though I doubt it)

whit10 wrote:yeah, I hope he goes down hard on this one.  I'd love to see the Patriots fall apart in the coming years (though I doubt it)

as soon as they put McDaniels in charge, which will coincide with Brady's retirement... down the drain they go

One can only hope!

I'll never get it. Some of these guys have more money than you could possibly spend and they do the dumbest stuff. Busted at a rub and tug. Hah, loser.

It is embarrassing but otherwise a financial blip on the radar for people of that "class". Next to nothing will happen to him and it will be out of the news/meme cycle in a week.

uh, sorry Matt but you're probably wrong about that. The owners of the NFL have pretty stringent rules they have to follow. There could be some serious consequences regarding his ownership of the team. We'll see

The NFL owners could actually force him to sell the team if he is convicted.
The team wont be penalized like when they were caught cheating.
Kraft could be fined by the NFL, which is more likely, and a wrist slap.

Its the "human trafficking" charges that are serious, not the solicitation for prostitution. The later is nothing, agreed.

My 2 c

yeah, the team probably won't suffer much but he could easily be forced out due to the Human Trafficking charge.

Maybe we'll luck out and Bill will say "shit, I'm already the best coach in NFL history (arguably), maybe I should retire"

Didn't read the story behind it - agree that the trafficking charges are serious and will likely have consequences - as an "example". Still won't change his financial status, he'll be out of white-collar prison in no time.

whit10 wrote:yeah, I hope he goes down hard on this one.

I don't think he was the one who went down...

seems like this guy could easily afford regular trips to Reno or Vancouver...

Well done Alan!

Nobody ever said that rich people are any smarter than the rest of us. Just because he could afford a $10,000 a hour call girl doesn't mean that has the "thrill" he was looking for.

Matt.... love you bro but "lighten up Francis"... rich people have always done this shit. Doesn't change the fact that now they get caught and there are consequences. To say nothing of what it does to his reputation (and the fact that he was one of the few supporters of Commissioner Goodell)

hey,

Alan sent me a message tonight that he has a new phone but can't seem to reset or sign into the site. Anyone know what to tell him? (he said he let Chris and Matt know as well).

I never bother with my phone and this site, so I have no idea what the issue might be.

whit10 wrote:That is fantastic for magic items

the loot is a bit Monty Haul, but after reading through the treasure section more, it seemed like the party was very low for being 9th going on 10th level, so I doubled it to compensate for the lack of starting magic items


the other main rewards have been, and continue to be, the Boons from the Gods for roleplaying:


Renda - Elyss-yss dark blessing

Hawkes - Unfeather, pseudodragon familiar

Crispy - Heart of Fire

Sjon - needs to visit with Ahmona Ahna


**     **
Sam - 3-YOR (though I know dealing with a companion can be a pain, so I am happy to substitute that boon for something more user-friendly)

Josh - let me know if you want to keep 3-YOR and deal with a companion or substitute it

yeah, let's discuss that one...

what do you think an adequate replacement would be? I had thought about a Familiar when it was apparent that Sam got more spells for going up a level (did that happen BTW?)

I'm open to suggestions...

whit10 wrote:yeah, let's discuss that one...

what do you think an adequate replacement would be?  I had thought about a Familiar when it was apparent that Sam got more spells for going up a level (did that happen BTW?)

I'm open to suggestions...

yes, everyone goes up to 10th level, which you can do at anytime, though the encounter still has a bit of roleplaying left


to be fair, nobody else got a choice in the matter

I do have something else in mind for Sam that fits his dedication to the shadows and efforts he has made throughout the adventure

so you have to take it or leave, sight unseen, pardon the stealth pun

lol... a pun worthy of Matt.

Ok, no problem. Let's just go with whatever your idea is

whit10 wrote:lol... a pun worthy of Matt.

Ok, no problem.  Let's just go with whatever your idea is

Shadow Step

When you are in dim light or darkness, you can use a bonus action to expend one spell slot to teleport up to 30 feet (per spell level) to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in dim light or darkness. You then have advantage on the first melee attack you make before the end of the turn.

oh hells yeah. That's awesome!

whit10 wrote:oh hells yeah.  That's awesome!

oh, good! I am glad you like it. I was worried that it might be too limiting, given the wording

Chris wrote:

Shadow Step

When you are in dim light or darkness, you can use a bonus action to expend one spell slot to teleport up to 30 feet (per spell level) to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in dim light or darkness. You then have advantage on the first melee attack you make before the end of the turn.

it is basically a misty step, but you can only use it when you would normally be able to hide, basically enough shadows to step into and out of

oh yeah, that's just about perfect. He doesn't use that many spells most of the time anyway

the Shadow Monk can use it freely, but that is a 6th level ability for them, so I wanted it to cost a resource, but I figured spell slots were better than just saying once per day or something