Ask the GM

[Saibankan]

How are handled purchases of things that are not rare but likely too expensive to be handwaved? Like, a rectangle of ten per one feet of silk (it's for a scarf).

I just try to work out what's similarish. With strife we've got enough bookeeping going one without digging into the dirty topic of money XD

I'd probably call this a bu.

[Shika Nesshin]

How are you doing, running so large a game solo?

[Saibankan]

How are you doing, running so large a game solo?

Took some strife this morning from discord chat.


I should probably post a reminder here that this is my first attempt to bring 5e to pbp format, and that 4e has a decade of multiple gms hammering the rules from tabletop into forum shape and mostly succeeding. That's why player feedback is so vitally important I'm willing to make some small adjustments in game. (Like with the geisha house), and other core things I'm not gonna touch while the game is running (Not that they might not need a rethink for future games, but because it's unfair to set terms of a game, and then massively change them during play. Like that guy who half teaches you the rules only to go halfway through, "Oh yeah, there's this other rule I didn't mention that is like half the game!")

Player feedback in game, as questions, as suggestions, as game data in seeing how these event designs stand up to 30+ players being thrown at them and post game suggestions are all really important if we're gonna do another game.

I realize that not everyone wants to do that. Some people just wanna yell "X sucks and I'm never playing 5e again because it's sucks!" and stomp off to do something they enjoy more. That's gonna happen. The odds of pleasing 30+ people who are mostly anonymous to me are about the same as hitting TN 5 on a single ring die. (Not impossible, but highly unlikely and full of strife).

But you all have brought a wonderful depth to the game, even if you stop playing before you even get to the end of this post. I really want to keep as many of you as possible in future games. So, if you can, instead of just saying "X blows/is broken/is a stupid thing...." please add to the end of that, "And here's what I suggest to make it better for future games...." Because this never was/will be a solo creative endeavor by me. It happens and improves because of you all.

Alright, think I recovered 3 strife there.


TL:DR: I am not compromised, and will keep going

[Seppun Yuzu]

Game is really cool and I am enjoying learning the new mechanics (new for me). Kudos for the amazing work.

[Kuni Yasu]

Yeah, events are an artificial kind of construct that allows for a certain kind of structure that works well in PbP. But, it's not how you tend to use the mechanics at the table, so the game designers never playtested them that way. The learning curve is real. I'm enjoying watching things shake out in a relatively low stakes game that's been a lot of fun so far.

[Agasha Inoshishi]

I'm enjoying watching things shake out in a relatively low stakes game that's been a lot of fun so far.

Seconded! Everyone is lovely and Sai, you’re rocking. Thanks for the scene earlier!

[Shiba Raizo]

Discord is the devil.

It is Written. It is Known.

[Asahina Soyokaze]

How are you doing, running so large a game solo?

Took some strife this morning from discord chat.


I should probably post a reminder here that this is my first attempt to bring 5e to pbp format, and that 4e has a decade of multiple gms hammering the rules from tabletop into forum shape and mostly succeeding. That's why player feedback is so vitally important I'm willing to make some small adjustments in game. (Like with the geisha house), and other core things I'm not gonna touch while the game is running (Not that they might not need a rethink for future games, but because it's unfair to set terms of a game, and then massively change them during play. Like that guy who half teaches you the rules only to go halfway through, "Oh yeah, there's this other rule I didn't mention that is like half the game!")

Player feedback in game, as questions, as suggestions, as game data in seeing how these event designs stand up to 30+ players being thrown at them and post game suggestions are all really important if we're gonna do another game.

I realize that not everyone wants to do that. Some people just wanna yell "X sucks and I'm never playing 5e again because it's sucks!" and stomp off to do something they enjoy more. That's gonna happen. The odds of pleasing 30+ people who are mostly anonymous to me are about the same as hitting TN 5 on a single ring die. (Not impossible, but highly unlikely and full of strife).

But you all have brought a wonderful depth to the game, even if you stop playing before you even get to the end of this post. I really want to keep as many of you as possible in future games. So, if you can, instead of just saying "X blows/is broken/is a stupid thing...." please add to the end of that, "And here's what I suggest to make it better for future games...." Because this never was/will be a solo creative endeavor by me. It happens and improves because of you all.

Alright, think I recovered 3 strife there.


TL:DR: I am not compromised, and will keep going

Hey man, don't take discords bitching too seriously, were all just kids waiting for a chance to show off at the talent show. 99% of the complaints are with ffg dice system not being easily gamed. I'm having a blast and I think everyone else is also. You're doing great.

[Usogawa Emiko]

Making a public veiled callout post isn't really cool, but as you've asked for feedback as well:

Strife mechanic. Yes, you didn't design it, and you're running the first pbp game on 5th ed. However, a session on a pbp is 9 real life days, and in here over the course of 3 in character days and 27-36 timeslots. You can only 'heal' strife via opportunies in events/agenda rolls, but events are designed that you could end up doing 5+ rolls and strife is incredibly incredibly easy to mount up. The 'reset to 50%' next timeslot is cool, yet how does catching your breath allow you to recover, yet sleeping for 3 consective timeslots not recover any at all?

The 'passion' way of resetting is a forced way to make people interact with the game in a different manner to balance a bookkeeping exercise, and is only valid if the passion is something that can be easily fit into a thread - otherwise players have to on purpose not interact to use a timeslot and recover...only to potentially have to roll and undo all that in the next available timeslot.

Please consider easier ways to recover strife, as it's an awful mechanic. Or, consider events in the future with a cap on rolls, or an extra method of recovering strife, because if you make events that need a lot of rolls you force players who have bad luck on rolls to have to go through the rest of their day compromising how they play not because they suffered an injury, but because RNG decided kemari was so severe that they collapsed.

[Moto Mitsuki]

Shenanigans.