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[Ultimate_Trainer]

"I'd rather risk my legs being broken rather than let the water eat me alive" I say before heading towards the window. Slowly checking to see if its safe to drop down outside.

I don't have to actually jump right?

 

[Tubobutts]

"Well said."

I take a grappling hook and rope out of my adventurer's kit and secure it on the window ledge.

"I'll go first to make sure it's safe. Serrick can always throw the hook down then fly down to us."

Would climbing be strength based? If so my roll is (5+1)+2=8

 

[Jintor]

I don't have to actually jump right?

Deker had to at least do a Defy Danger + DEX, but it's conceivable that others could, for instance, carry you down, or aid helping you down the wall or something.

Would climbing be strength based? If so my roll is (5+1)+2=8

Depends, are you punching the wall? I think given what you've described it's most likely DEX as above, giving you a 7 - no real difference. Let me resolve some actions... oh, and mark off a use of Adventurer Gear on your char sheet

 

[Tubobutts]

Climbing in D&D is usually strength so I figured it would be the same. Want me to reroll or just count that roll as a 7?

Just saw your edit.

 

[Jintor]

Well, it won't make any difference given your DEX/STR bonuses, but describe how exactly you're climbing the wall and that would determine it I suppose.

If it's STR, I'd say Thrakdur probably has poor technique.

 

[Tubobutts]

Well, it won't make any difference given your DEX/STR bonuses, but describe how exactly you're climbing the wall and that would determine it I suppose.

If it's STR, I'd say Thrakdur probably has poor technique.

Well Thrakdur is no V-Bomb when it comes to climbing, but who is?

Making sure the rope is secure, I grab hold of it and slowly lower myself out the window. There is not much climbing done in the steppes, but inexperience is no excuse for cowardice. Muscles straining to keep my grip, I slowly "walk" down the wall.

I realize this makes no mechanical difference, but eh.

 

[Jintor]

"I'd rather risk my legs being broken rather than let the water eat me alive" I say before heading towards the window. Slowly checking to see if its safe to drop down outside.

It's a second-story height; even in your current condition you could conceivably climb down, if you took your time. Shattered glass and the chance your legs could crumple dissuade you from simply leaping out into the void.

You also see two figures now hurrying towards where you know the first floor entrance to be. What do you do?

Making sure the rope is secure, I grab hold of it and slowly lower myself out the window. There is not much climbing done in the steppes, but inexperience is no excuse for cowardice. Muscles straining to keep my grip, I slowly "walk" down the wall.

As you safely approach the bottom, aches shooting up and down your body, you can hear two figures dashing from the street to where you are - one of them shouts your name. You can either drop the last few feet to turn and immediately confront these newcomers, taking the impact in your knees (I won't make you roll damage, but you won't be able to use your legs too strenuously for a little bit) or safely descend but not have your axe in-hand by the time they reach you. What do you do?

---

Deker, knowing of the acidity required by Xingese aquafauna, the second you smashed the glass you scrambled up onto a table. The guards, lacking your foresight, curse and swear as the water stings skin and irritates eyes. As beached Koi and Fugu flop around on the floor, however, Zhao's somewhat unreasonable terror of the water's marginally uncomfortable acidity flood your mind. Two guards are approaching you (one with Sitar in hand). Defy Danger WIS to keep your cool in the face of Zhao's fears, and What do you do?

 

[justjim89]

I wait my turn like a polite thief as Thrakdur and Ein descend from the window, though the rushing water gives me unpleasant memories of my time aboard the prison ship and my subsequent swim away. I nervously wipe my bloodied finger on my cloak and watch as my companions escape.

"Do take your time, Ein. It's not like any of the rest of us are injured" I jest, showing my wounded finger.

When it comes my time, my roll for climbing down is (4+5)+2=11

 

[Tubobutts]

As you safely approach the bottom, aches shooting up and down your body, you can hear two figures dashing from the street to where you are - one of them shouts your name. You can either drop the last few feet to turn and immediately confront these newcomers, taking the impact in your knees (I won't make you roll damage, but you won't be able to use your legs too strenuously for a little bit) or safely descend but not have your axe in-hand by the time they reach you. What do you do?

I'll go with the second option. I think I might need to use my legs strenuously pretty soon. Plus they know my name so they obviously must be friendly, right?

I hear two people approaching, and grit my teeth as I descend the last few feet. Safely on the ground, I turn and realize I misjudged either their speed or their distance - they're upon me before I can draw a weapon.

 

[Jintor]

Bareth limps up to you, finger waggling fiercely, blustering like crazy. "Thrakdur! You thrice-damned horse-eating mongrel! What the hell happened back there? I thought we had an understanding!" He waves his fist under your nose. Behind him, the man in patchwork has his hand by his belt, though you can't quite see what he's grasping. What the hell is Bareth referring to? and What do you do?

Ein hasn't begun descending yet, so Waymore goes first. Does anyone want to roll aid to help Ein get down, by the way?

Waymore, you land cat-footed behind Thrakdur, who is arguing with the still-wincing merchant; the man in patchwork watches you closely, but makes no move of his own. What do you do?

 

[Bowlie]

Since I'll be the last one descending, I may as well firm my grip on the rope to ensure nothing goes wrong while Ein is going down.

I aid him, rolling (6 + 3) + 1 = 10

 

[Tubobutts]

Bareth limps up to you, finger waggling fiercely, blustering like crazy. "Thrakdur! You thrice-damned horse-eating mongrel! What the hell happened back there? I thought we had an understanding!" He waves his fist under your nose. Behind him, the man in patchwork has his hand by his belt, though you can't quite see what he's grasping. What the hell is Bareth referring to? and What do you do?

I came along to help Waymore, I didn't expect Bareth to be there, but perhaps he assumed that since he had paid me to stand around and look tough last week when he was trying to "persuade" the sausage in a bun seller to not annoy people in front of his fireworks shop, I was still under his employ.

"Your business dealings aren't my concern. If you wanted my protection this time, you should have paid for it."

I look at the patchwork man, "Your friend is making me nervous Bareth, why is he hiding behind you?"

 

[Ultimate_Trainer]

You also see two figures now hurrying towards where you know the first floor entrance to be. What do you do?

As soon as I see them, I sigh.

"Well they can't beat down a badly beaten man. Might as well try to talk to them."

I start to climb down the rope following Thrakdur.

I roll a 5 + 6 + (2) +1= 14 for my climb roll

 

[justjim89]

Waymore, you land cat-footed behind Thrakdur, who is arguing with the still-wincing merchant; the man in patchwork watches you closely, but makes no move of his own. What do you do?

I lean in towards Thrakdur and whisper, "I don't like the look of this guy, I recognize a fellow dweller of the underbelly of society when I see one. I feel like we're on the verge of getting wrapped up in the middle of something here." I keep a close eye on the patchwork fellow, under my cloak I palm the grip of my shortsword.

 

[Jintor]

Bareth looks scornful as Ein clambers easily to the ground. "Perhaps they pay by the day in the outlands, Steppelander, but you weren't getting a week's wages just to keep Disembowel-Myself-Honourably Dǐ Blà out-"

A hand grasps his shoulders and the man in patchwork steps forward. "We're wasting time, my friend," says the man, smiling easily at Thrakdur and nodding cordially to Ein and Waymore, as if they hadn't just clambered out of a broken window and as if screams and shouting weren't still happening behind them. In the flickering gaslight of the street, his features remain hidden in the shadow of his hood. "Tell me, travellers, does the master of the Golden Koi remain within?"

Waymore, you notice his hand has pulled away from his belt at the sight of you, and is now making a complicated series of slight motions that, due to the positioning of his hand, only you can see - Thieves' Cant. It's difficult to read right now, but you can make out the following signs:

Spoiler

job - permission - granted (to me)

. What do you do?

 

[sproutella]

---

Deker, knowing of the acidity required by Xingese aquafauna, the second you smashed the glass you scrambled up onto a table. The guards, lacking your foresight, curse and swear as the water stings skin and irritates eyes. As beached Koi and Fugu flop around on the floor, however, Zhao's somewhat unreasonable terror of the water's marginally uncomfortable acidity flood your mind. Two guards are approaching you (one with Sitar in hand). Defy Danger WIS to keep your cool in the face of Zhao's fears, and What do you do?

DD+wis 4+1+1=6. +1xp
It starts as a vague apprehension, but soon images flood into my mind. Plunging into the dark water with a sealed suit and glass mask. The looming stalks of vaces, every pound we bring up one less day we have to do this. Xia near me, sawing his way through the base, the blade getting caught, him struggling to free it, jerking it free, but hacking deeply into his arm, the stream of blood, the muffled screams which turn to something worse, straining to carry him to the surface, him going limp in my arms.

Then I see the guards closing in, readying to grab me. I try my best to put space between me and them, but the shock of the foreign memories weighs on me.

I call out to Zhao's over the link: calm your mind, you can get through this (I say to him as much as me). Also, what is Bareth paying you to do here?

this is meant to be poorly/awkwardly done I think

 

[Bowlie]

I loose the hook from the wooden beam and get ready to throw it at the street when... I see two shady men confronting everyone. Trouble?

"Well, now that I'm alone this is easier." I drop my belt beside the hook and quickly project a serpent eagle in my mind.
Wild Essence, 2d6+WIS. 3 + 4 + 2 = 9

 

[justjim89]

Waymore, you notice his hand has pulled away from his belt at the sight of you, and is now making a complicated series of slight motions that, due to the positioning of his hand, only you can see - Thieves' Cant. It's difficult to read right now, but you can make out the following signs:

Spoiler

job - permission - granted (to me)

. What do you do?

Keeping my hand at my side, I gesture back in my admittedly rough Thieves' Cant: job (mine) - failed - office cleaned out - dirty guards in attempt to throw him off the trail.

Having never gotten along well with the Thieves' Guild, I'm not well-versed in all their customs. I have, however, learned enough of their hand signals and scratch marks to communicate or understand. If the guild is after the ring, too, then Liana may have hired multiple people for the same objective. Bad move, and one that could get somebody killed. Especially for a ring like this. I need to get this damn thing back to her and out of my hands, the sooner the better.

 

[Jintor]

Roll defy danger + int, please

 

[Jintor]

I loose the hook from the wooden beam and get ready to throw it at the street when... I see two shady men confronting everyone. Trouble?

"Well, now that I'm alone this is easier." I drop my belt beside the hook and quickly project a serpent eagle in my mind.
Wild Essence, 2d6+WIS. 3 + 4 + 2 = 9

You gain 1 hold and take the skin of a serpent eagle and gain the following moves: majestic maneuvers, bolt from the blue, and venomous claws. And you can fly, obviously.

 

[justjim89]

Roll defy danger + int, please

My roll was (5+4)-1=8

 

[Tubobutts]

How aware are we of what is going on with Deken? Can we see into the first floor of the tea house from here?

To the patchwork man I say:
"I didn't notice."

 

[Jintor]

DD+wis 4+1+1=6. +1xp
It starts as a vague apprehension, but soon images flood into my mind. Plunging into the dark water with a sealed suit and glass mask. The looming stalks of vaces, every pound we bring up one less day we have to do this. Xia near me, sawing his way through the base, the blade getting caught, him struggling to free it, jerking it free, but hacking deeply into his arm, the stream of blood, the muffled screams which turn to something worse, straining to carry him to the surface, him going limp in my arms.

Then I see the guards closing in, readying to grab me. I try my best to put space between me and them, but the shock of the foreign memories weighs on me.

I call out to Zhao's over the link: calm your mind, you can get through this (I say to him as much as me). Also, what is Bareth paying you to do here?

Weight and pressure hold you still; the darkness before you murky-green and filled with horrors. Drops of water sting your skin where your suit's containment fails. Light sparkling above but always so, so far away, heavy in its freedom and frightening in its distance. A paper red packet; you grip it, the gesture appreciated. Words whispered in your ear; the Golden Koi's master, to be taken away. To be drowned? Or was that I? The Vasces bleeds yellow-green, in the darkness, in the water, thick globules of its sap bubbling lazily to the surface. A pretext. A brawl. A fight. The water. The blood.

The images rush through your head, and Zhao collapses to the floor, blood dripping from his nose, and screams in agony.

Deker, take d6 damage from psychic backlash as Zhao's fears and terrors overwhelm you. By the time you regain control of yourself, one guard is reaching for your arms to restrain you while the other is standing over you, looking read to brain you with the sitar if required. What do you do?

How aware are we of what is going on with Deken? Can we see into the first floor of the tea house from here?

To the patchwork man I say:
"I didn't notice."

Keeping my hand at my side, I gesture back in my admittedly rough Thieves' Cant: job (mine) - failed - office cleaned out - dirty guards in attempt to throw him off the trail.

Having never gotten along well with the Thieves' Guild, I'm not well-versed in all their customs. I have, however, learned enough of their hand signals and scratch marks to communicate or understand. If the guild is after the ring, too, then Liana may have hired multiple people for the same objective. Bad move, and one that could get somebody killed. Especially for a ring like this. I need to get this damn thing back to her and out of my hands, the sooner the better.

The patchwork man frowns. "We'd best find for ourselves, Bareth. Come," he says, and strides past you all. As he passes through a pool of light, you see that he is a man of swarthy complexion, with a scraggly beard and matted hair; then he enters the front door of the Golden Koi, Bareth limping after him.

Waymore, you notice the following subtle hand signs as he moves:

Spoiler

understood - who authorised? - cross-purposes - consequences

.

As they enter, there is an agonised scream from within.

What do you do?

 

[Tubobutts]

"If the wizard isn't out here, he might be what's causing all the excitement back in the Koi. If he's still in there he'll need our help."

I take out my axe and start to walk back towards the tea house.

 

[Bowlie]

You gain 1 hold and take the skin of a serpent eagle and gain the following moves: majestic maneuvers, bolt from the blue, and venomous claws. And you can fly, obviously.

I grab my belt and the hook with each one of my claws and jump to the sky, dropping them shortly afterwards on the house's entrance. I take my time trying to scout the nearby streets but fail miserably, thinking I should have changed into an owl this time.

After that I decide it's time to join them and fly low, almost grazing the cobblestones, until I reach the entrance again, where those two men are passing through.

I change back (the sound of my bones creaking and my organs being pushed around are louder when the form is not a mammal), grab both the belt and the hook and give the latter to Thrakdur, who's almost here.

"Who're they?"

 

[Tubobutts]

Although I had seen the holy men of the steppe change their skin many times, it is not something one gets used to. I try hard not to avert my eyes as Serrick shifts in front of me.

"Bareth, the merchant who was thrown out of the tea house. He and his friend are looking for something inside the Koi, they asked if the owner was still inside."

As he hands me the grappling hook I add:
"We still haven't seen Deken, I'm going back in to look for him. Will you follow me Serrick?"

 

[sproutella]

The images rush through your head, and Zhao collapses to the floor, blood dripping from his nose, and screams in agony.

Deker, take d6 damage from psychic backlash as Zhao's fears and terrors overwhelm you. By the time you regain control of yourself, one guard is reaching for your arms to restrain you while the other is standing over you, looking read to brain you with the sitar if required. What do you do?

Zhao crumbles to the floor and the roar of psychic feedback of his memories roll toward me. Using Spell Defense to break Telepathy. I attempt to slam shut the gate into Zhao's mind, but without the focus key I used to originally join our minds I can't close the gate quite quickly enough and the wave of energy bursts through violently, sending me reeling. 6-1=5 psychic damage.

Eyeing the two guards ready to restrain me, I utter a short curse (the non-magical kind). I don't have time to retie an invisibility lariat, so I must subsist with re-enchanting the one I already tied (never a plan A move).

Cast Spell: Invisibility 3+3+2=8, disturb fabric of reality; -1 ongoing to cast a spell until I prepare spells again. Thinking that the reality disturbance manifests as patches of invisibilit, or other visual distortions forming nearby, but that's your call.

With the spell cast I attempt to move out of the immediate vicinity of the guardsmen, toward the door if possible.

 

[Jintor]

With the spell cast I attempt to move out of the immediate vicinity of the guardsmen, toward the door if possible.

Before the guards can lay hands on you you shimmer and vanish; the guard grasps at you nonetheless but you twist deftly out of the way. The hastily-reactivated spell is leaking - one fish disappears, then another. A table. As Zhao whimpers on the ground and the others gape at this sudden sorcery, you make a break for the door.

Two men are entering as you reach it; they stand agape at the utterly bizarre scene within. They are blocking the doorway, but not deliberately so. One is the merchant Bareth, the other unknown to you. What do you do?

 

[sproutella]

Lowrering a shoulder, I charge right through the gap between them.

 

[Jintor]

Waymore, Serrick, Thrakdur, Ein, you see Bareth and the man in patchwork part the curtains of the entrance and enter before stopping dead in their tracks, then being bowled over by some invisible force. The curtains part as Deker, flickering madly in and out of invisibility, comes to a halt before you.

A moment in time - a split second to decide. The guards have lost track of you all; the other two newcomers are on the floor. Waymore has the ring, and you are (finally!) all together once more. What do you do?

 

[justjim89]

Waymore, Serrick, Thrakdur, Ein, you see Bareth and the man in patchwork part the curtains of the entrance and enter before stopping dead in their tracks, then being bowled over by some invisible force. The curtains part as Deker, flickering madly in and out of invisibility, comes to a halt before you.

A moment in time - a split second to decide. The guards have lost track of you all; the other two newcomers are on the floor. Waymore has the ring, and you are (finally!) all together once more. What do you do?

I lean in towards the group and say in a low voice, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I have what I came for. We best make ourselves scarce. The patchwork fellow is from the Theives' Guild, and those dogs have a pesky habit of not letting go of a scent once they have it. Not to mention the trouble with the guards.

I point towards a darkened back alley across the street, "We can lose any pursuers through there."

 

[Tubobutts]

I nod at Waymore.

"After you."

 

[Bowlie]

"Well, seems like I don't need to follow you after all. We'll talk later; let's go."

 

[sproutella]

"If we don't mind the Koi having a new owner tomorrow I'm all for leaving the premises," I say as I allow my Invisibility enchantment to fall apart.

 

[Jintor]

We'll wait on Ein before I move

 

[Ultimate_Trainer]

"Im alright with that. Anywhere is fine but here. I need to fix myself up as soon as possible"

I begin to head towards the alley.

 

[Bowlie]

Everyone, just want to let you know that I'm going to the beach tomorrow (8 hours from now), and I'm planning to stay one week there.

I've heard the signal's weak, so I'll try to check this thread everyday but if I'm not posting here that's the reason.

 

[Jintor]

As you all disappear into the byzantine alleyways and passageways that make up the rest of the docks quarter, you hear the sounds of a window breaking, and a short, stifled scream, as if - for example - someone had just been flung, rather unkindly, out a window.

Thus ends Episode One. Let's do some quick housekeeping and then I want to talk OOC about how you guys feel the game is going so far.

• Everyone gains +1 XP for having learned something new and important about the world (pretty much everything)
• Take a look at your bonds. If you feel like a bond has changed or been resolved in some fashion, post about it, delete the bond, and gain +1XP. (Max 1 bond)
• If you feel like your character has learned something about another character, you may write 1 new bond. (Includes characters you already have a bond with so long as it doesn't overlap on the previous bond).
• If you feel like you've taken a step towards your character's Drive in some way, post about it and gain +1 XP.
• If you haven't already, gain +1XP for each 6 or less you've rolled (I think that's Deker only).

If you level up, shout it out and I'll walk you through the procedures. Oh, and Ein, you've left your sitar behind.

---

We're going to break for a little bit as I figure out what exactly to do next with all the story threads you guys have given me, but now's the time for input. What's good? What's bad? How are you feeling about the game so far? What would you like to see or follow up next?

So I think we're doing okay from my perspective but I made a few mistakes setting up which could've led to a tighter game. To be perfectly frank, I probably should've started you guys playing Dungeon World in an actual Dungeon; it's kind of what the setting is built for, and it would've let you get more utility out of your powers and whatnot since you wouldn't have to worry so much about collateral damage or secondary goals or whatever to start off with; we could've built from there into larger things. I should also have been probably more straightforwardly adversarial and perhaps given you a larger goal from the outset to direct your energies more, but it seemed to work out okay.

I'm very happy with your creativity and willingness to do interesting things with the world. Vaces' Herb and the merchant Bareth in particular I think will probably come up again later, and the idea that Xingchu has a weirdly acidic bay is this really cool idea I wouldn't have thought up myself. I realise I'm probably going slightly overboard with the asian flavour but, to be frank, it's the kind of fantasy world I'm more interested in right now so I hope you'll roll with me on this one.

In terms of playing the game, it sounds like you've all got the hang of things pretty well. I do want to point out a few things in the service of getting a smoother running game:

• Ask forgiveness, not permission. Because of the time difference between our postings, it's going to be easier if you just "Do the thing" rather than asking "Is there X and Y? I'd like to Do The Thing". I'll pick you up if I have any issues with it. For instance, there was a lot of asking me about room layouts, whether or not things were possible to see, etc. My policy here is that it's too slow to worry about these things if you have to ask me for permission or clarification each time. Just do the thing and let me worry about the rest. If you need clarification, make assumptions and I'll tell you if the assumptions are wrong or not later.
• When you wait for me to make a move, I'm going to make a move. In a real-time environment, the GM doesn't only make moves whenever you fail a roll, but also when the conversation naturally flows to let the GM 'speak' so to say. If your character doesn't do anything in PbP or waits or prepares (without doing an Aid roll) or whatever, it's roughly the same as - if this were a more clear-cut turn based game - letting me make whatever move I want. To put it another way: you should always be doing something interesting, instead of setting yourself up for me to do something. Because if you give me the onus, I can make it as easy or as hard for you as I want, and I'm not always going to pull my punches.

Finally, I think I'm going to take some time and transfer your character sheets into a googledocs format that you guys and I can edit, so I can mod your character sheets as we go, because keeping track of HP / inventory is tiring on my end without direct access.

---

By the way, conversations are proving exceedingly irritating to do PbP, especially with multiple participants. So it may be that for things that aren't explicitly part of a scene (Waymore handing in the ring, Ein getting back his sitar/obtaining a new instrument, whatever) we can just do a general outline or montage of things so we can get back to proper gameplay more quickly.

 

[Bowlie]

As a first experience, I found this super fun. It's a little hard for me to articulate my thoughts in a second language, making this also an exercise.
Looking back at the previous posts, I can see that I'm getting used to describing my actions (I think I used three different verbs to Serrick's shapeshifting ability, and god knows how many ways to say "I rolled 6 and 5") and interacting with the world, as well as losing fear and letting my imagination run free.

Maybe it would be better to start in a tight environment (you'd know, you've done this before), but I got really excited when you said back then that we would help you build this world, and we did that when the game started by answering your initial questions. I'd be more apprehensive falling into a world that I knew absolutely nothing about.

I don't mind the asian aspects of this setting at all; it wouldn't be as evocative if it were your normal middle-age european fantasy. (̶T̶h̶e̶r̶e̶'̶s̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶I̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶u̶n̶d̶e̶r̶s̶t̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶a̶y̶ ̶b̶e̶f̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶b̶e̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶i̶m̶p̶o̶r̶t̶a̶n̶t̶:̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶"̶h̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶b̶i̶n̶d̶i̶n̶g̶s̶"̶ ̶u̶s̶e̶d̶ ̶b̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶g̶u̶a̶r̶d̶s̶?̶ ̶V̶i̶s̶u̶a̶l̶l̶y̶,̶ ̶I̶ ̶m̶e̶a̶n̶.̶ ̶N̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶s̶a̶w̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶e̶a̶r̶c̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶i̶m̶a̶g̶e̶s̶ ̶g̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g&#822̶

As for the points you mentioned, they'd sure make the game run smoother. I'll keep those in my mind! (I'll admit that when Serrick changed into an eagle I was waiting for your next post to see whether the patchwork man would harm them and then decide if I'd claw his face )

 

[Jintor]

I was imagining something like strips of cloth or silk used to tie around one's hands - I don't think they use handcuffs yet.

/edit i also probably overprepared with the bonds stuff tbh, working it out in game is more fun

 

[Tubobutts]

I enjoyed what we've done so far. I'll try to be more proactive with stuff in the future, I'm new to both dungeon world and PbP so I'm still getting a feeling for what I can/should do. I also should probably try to do a better job of describing my actions. I don't know if everyone would agree, but a tighter/more straightforward focus would be easier for me. Like when the goal for my character became to help Waymore get the ring, I knew what to do.

I've got no problem with it being Asian themed - my character fits into that as well. Also I appreciate you picking up the Dibbler reference.

 

[Bowlie]

I enjoyed what we've done so far. I'll try to be more proactive with stuff in the future, I'm new to both dungeon world and PbP so I'm still getting a feeling for what I can/should do. I also should probably try to do a better job of describing my actions. I don't know if everyone would agree, but a tighter/more straightforward focus would be easier for me. Like when the goal for my character became to help Waymore get the ring, I knew what to do.

Now that we've started, I'd be more at ease too with something tighter; I was just anxious at the beginning and needed to create something of my own, like a comfort zone.

 

[Jintor]

By the way, Waymore, are you getting paid or is your entire crew getting paid? Or did you think the profit from this job was enough to pay off the whole crew? Or is this some favour they owe you?

 

[sproutella]

Yeah conversations could definitely be difficult in this medium. Especially when one person is interacting, it's awkward to step in. It's the most obvious place I get worried about stepping on someone's toes.

With regards to the world building, I really enjoyed bouncing off each other, the prompts were great at getting us going.

 

[justjim89]

By the way, Waymore, are you getting paid or is your entire crew getting paid? Or did you think the profit from this job was enough to pay off the whole crew? Or is this some favour they owe you?

I took the job on my own, but the rest of the crew certainly played a part in the heist. I suppose it's only fair to share the payment. Forty percent of it will go to me, and the other sixty percent can be split among the rest of my compatriots.

I've had a lot of fun with this, as well, although it still seems like we're in a feeling out process in terms of interacting with one another. I think it'll come easier in time, especially as we get to know each other's characters and style. Certain parts of this kinda felt like each of us running a separate campaign simultaneously, but I think that's just a natural byproduct of no one wanting to step on anyone's toes. It's bound to get more natural in time.

In terms of worldbuilding, I like how it's kind of unfolded organically with each of our individual contributions helping to flesh things out combined with your prompts. I think we ought to have a session where we hash out exactly how we all got together and met before the tea house, and what are goals are as a group. I'm eager to keep playing and see where things go. We already have a fair amount of story hooks to build off of.

 

[Jintor]

Do you guys want examples for how the bonds could change, for this first time around? I'll get around to the char sheets tomorrow methinks.

 

[Tubobutts]

I wouldn't mind examples. I tried to use my bonds as a guide to how I played, but I don't feel like any of them were changed or resolved in a way that would make them no longer apply, if that's the metric used. My bond with Waymore for example, in my head my reason for going to the tea house was that I probably couldn't stop him from going so I might as well go along as backup. I don't think anything happened that would change that, things didn't go so well that I would think he wouldn't need my protection in the future or so bad that I would be like "Fuck you, I'm not helping you anymore." Same thing with Serrick and Ein. I think Serrick is a cool guy who is good at fighting and he turned into a bear and messed up some guards. I like Ein, but I think he's weak, I started to fight as soon as they grabbed him and he probably suffered the most from the fight.

So yeah, examples would be very helpful to me, as something to measure against. I'm sure it's ultimately subjective, but guidelines are useful. The way I'm looking at it the bonds I have were reinforced more than resolved or changed.

 

[sproutella]

With regard to bonds I want to spell out the backstory of them more, I don't know if any have evolved yet based on the little interaction I've had so far.

I'll try and post some ideas I had for what the bond statements specifically referred to.

 

[Jintor]

Honestly, I feel like the default bonds Dungeon World provides are a bit too established for new players. We might want to fiddle with them a bit before we move on.

 

[Jintor]

Ok, I wrote up some google docs character sheets. I'm going to PM you all and if you send back your google account I'll lock it and allow edits on that basis; for the moment it's anyone can edit but I'm not going to put the char sheets up publically.

/edit I've also added your bonds to the OP. Take a look and see if you want to change anything. If you want to reword an existing bond in such a way that it's easier to resolve during play, I'll let you do that for free.

For an example, let me quote a few posts from a PbP I often look to for inspiration:

((Bond-wise, I think Piotr and Cyrus had a few moments throughout that suited the bond I tossed out back when he first joined us. I also think Lilliastre is continuing to grow on Cyrus, perhaps changing that bond a little further. "Though his powers are beyond my grasp, Lilliastre can be trusted." That might or might not merit a further XP; I'll leave it up to you.))

- "I'm not sure if Cyrus is very courageous or barking mad. I should take care not let his death wish become my own. "
- "Sebatian's shapeshifting is very useful. I should learn more about him and his methods."

((Piotr is starting to see the uses and the enjoyment in Lilliastres company, even though their views might differ, but that bond doesn't seem like it should be done just yet. I'd update Cyrus to: Cyrus is a shining example of a faithful of Ao, I should strive to be more like him.

Resolved Bond: "Piotr smells more like prey than a hunter" evolves to "Piotr has the potential for strength if learns to let go of civilization's comforts" due to how the cleric stood tall against our enemies but spent just as much time worrying, making small complaints and eating. (+1)

Now, being honest, we didn't actually do a lot this episode, but I think there might be room here and there to hone in on your bonds. Or if you want to elaborate on them backstorywise, now's the time while I try and figure out where to go from here. Oh, and don't forget you can straight up write a new bond, though I won't let you have more than 5 at a time for housekeeping reasons.

By the way, Waymore gains an extra 1 xp for getting the ring without being detected (fulfilling his drive), even if his friends caused a ruckus in the front.

Also, in the TV show that is DungeonGAF, what was that Episode title?