Mod questions! (and ongoing notes) [Chrysanthemum Petals in Rain]

Better mod summary now that I've actually written the full fleshed out mod.


Mod 2.1: A Timely Rescue


Setting: Scorpion lands


Blurb: Given a break from tax collecting, Otomo Fujiyari leaves you with a simple task. Will this straightforward assignment have the potential for great disaster?


Rank: Mid


Tags: RP/Investigation/Combat.
 
Timely Rescue


(Mod summary, all the penalties and bonuses listed here were all already mentioned in the mod)


You went to pick up a pretty little wagon, and investigating a missing peasant were attacked by ronin and what appeared to be clan samurai. A monk in town claimed that they were agents of a cult he was investigating. You took what evidence there was and reported the crime in Toshi Ranbo


(Glory gains / losses summary)


Fujiyari brags about your skill at retrieving pimped out rides, 1 glory for all


Individual glory gains:


Everyone in the tournament who beat a 20 : 1


Everyone in the tournament who beat a 40 : 1 more


Gregor for winning : 1 more


(Honor gains / losses summary)


Maro 1 : compassion for aiding a young boys dreams.


Others pending


Other rewards / penalties.


Seppun Shizue : fine painting. free raise to divination, +2 to social rolls when those involved have any artisan skill ranks.


Katsu : Lucky rat!


Shiori : A nice dice cup with an emblazoned "I donated to Hotei Seido and all I got was this dice cup."


Maro : 1 xp off a non clan kata.


All players gained 6 XP.
 
Internal conflict


(Mod summary, all the penalties and bonuses listed here were all already mentioned in the mod)


You were asked to investigate a theft, and through your diligence, managed to track down and apprehend the thief, Isawa Honmitsu. He was frustratingly non-cooperative regarding why the thievery took place, however. A variety of other strange coincidences were discovered in the course of your investigations.


(Glory gains / losses summary)


The village headman spoke highly of your efforts, so all players gained 1 pip of glory.


Other rewards / penalties.


None.


All players gained 6 XP.
 
And for accuracies sake, No the monk wasn't forced into retirement. I was adlibbing his dialogue at that point, I said it and realized it wasn't how the character was written up but didn't correct it since I didn't possibly see it mattering. It didn't come up until the end of the mod when we were already rushed and I didn't ret con it then, Consider it officially retconned. Also only one character even had that conversation with the monk, and it wasn't characters who brought it up in context, keep IC and OOC knowledge separate.
 
As frustrated as I am with the situation, I will try my best to avoid retaliating against this obvious slap on the wrist.


Let me make my OOC knowledge apparent. This monk is the hook for the rest of your campaign arc. OOC, I want to play the rest of your campaign arc. Unfortunately, I make decisions based on IC knowledge, or at least what I perceive as IC knowledge.


Let me make my IC knowledge apparent. When I'm asking the monk why his agenda should matter to my character, and all sorts of other discussions and things are going on, I have no idea what is being said to me specifically, what is being said to someone else in private, and what is being said in an open discussion. This was the situation at the end of the mod in question. Thus, from what I gathered, it seemed like the majority of the conversation was discussed in the open amongst the party members and the NPC and I made my decisions based on that assumption.


On a side note, my character would be even less trusting of the monk if he wasn't forced into retirement. If he was forced, there's all sorts of potential doubts. Maybe cultists involved with his superiors were trying to get him out of the way. If he was forced into retirement and not ready to give up his duties, he has plenty of motive to continue to try living like a samurai. However, someone who has willingly given up their life as a samurai and started living as a monk, but then still acting like a samurai and doing eccentric things such as leaving behind an origami calling card, that person raises severe doubts of his mental stability.
 
Most of the ending discussion was OOC, at least from my opinion. He did like three things IC, which was stuff like "gives you the notebook." "Explains what he thinks is happening." You are welcome to doubt him IC, but I'm just pointing out for your write up, he never said he was a 'hero' and he wasn't forced into retirement. You said you want to play the arc, so I've been trying to give you IC reasons to follow the arc or to be interested (Hence why I kept asking, why your character doesn't seem interested so I can try to provide him IC motivation), and you yelled at me for rail roading you. I've been trying incredibly hard to not just do the same thing 90% of HOR mods do which is 'You're doing this because NPCSTATUS5 says you do, suck it noobs.' Which is the way rokugan normally operates the rails, because I think it can be fun to do something different (Spiders Lair).


That's why I'm trying to clarify your write up, because he wasn't forced into retirement, and he never called himself a scorpion of great importance.


Also OOC he wasn't/didn't have to be the hook for the arc. I had even odds on you guys letting him get killed in which case you get stuck with default rokugan yuriki to clueless magistrate syndrome.
 
rcuhljr said:
You said you want to play the arc, so I've been trying to give you IC reasons to follow the arc or to be interested (Hence why I kept asking, why your character doesn't seem interested so I can try to provide him IC motivation)...
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My response at the time of the mod to "why does this not interest your character" was that there was no tangible reason why it should. I tried to clarify what bugged me about the monk in the write up, and apparently I hit on all the wrong points. During the mod, the biggest (and only ones IC) arguments to why I should be interested were "Oh no, threat to the empire" and "he's an honorable monk." Neither of which were substantial to convince my character. This is why I got frustrated.

rcuhljr said:
...and you yelled at me for rail roading you.
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Yeah... my bad. Add this apology on the list right next to the apology to Ben about chewing him out for playing Bayushi Soh.


If every person jumped on the band wagon to fix every issue that someone called a threat to the empire, we'd be running around like chickens with heads cut off. Thus, its the duty of people with authority (magistrates) to deem if these are actual threats. As for the fact that "he's an honorable monk," I (Scott Ward, not Asako Gregor) could tell you (Rob Uhl) a whole bunch of stuff very honestly and sincerely which I fully believe are true. I also like to think that I'm generally an "honorable" person. However, 99% of those things I told you, you would not accept due to your perception of the world and the subject of what I would say.


The same is the case regarding Irozu and Gregor. Gregor's perception of Irozu, based on his eccentric actions such as appearing suddenly in the cave, stealing from dead samurai, leaving behind a calling card, and saying _nothing_ to any characters in all the time before our lives were at stake, leads him to not be able to accept the words Irozu is reciting, despite the monk's sincere communication and honorable nature.
 
Thus, its the duty of people with authority (magistrates)
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This is why I had the magistrates task the Seppun with investigating. It gives you an IC reason to at least help out, it still leaves you guys somewhat autonomous control for your actions (so you can chose if/how/where to pursue things). It also prevents status bombing which the GM's decided we didn't want occuring as much in this game by not full out promoting a player to EM.


All I'm saying is you are welcome to doubt his testimony, and you don't need to trust everything people tell you even if they believe it, but you still got attacked by several samurai in a cave for reasons you'll need to decide you can accept.
 
It was brought up numerous times during the rabble at the end of the mod. The magistrates involved in investigating prior crimes that Irozu thinks are connected to the cult did not believe the monk's claims. Is this knowledge that I have IC or not?


If not, then did Irozu make mention of prior crimes at all? If he did, why were these not investigate fully and found to be connected? If he did not, he has no grounds to be making any claims of conspiracy, as there are no events to connect.


If I do have knowledge of magistrates involvement in prior crimes IC, that is the point I was trying to make about it being the responsibility of the magistrates, who apparently saw the crimes and deemed the "threat to the empire" as unfounded. As for being "attacked by several samurai in a cave," this event was delivered to the magistrates, whose duty it is to investigate. Thus, that situation is no longer my concern. However, the one piece of information that I know I do not have IC is that the people Seppun Shizue talked to thought that the monk's claims were silly. I do know that she was tasked in pursuing the investigation. I do know that I am neither duty nor honor-bound to help in a matter that is not my concern when I still have my duties to my clan and family. IC, those are much more important to pursue, even during the "down time" between direct tasks from my lords.
 
The magistrates involved in investigating prior crimes that Irozu thinks are connected to the cult did not believe the monk's claims.
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The crimes had already been 'solved' by the time Irozu could say anything. He's not left this shrine in a year or two, he's doing his investigating 3rd or 4th hand looking for patterns in unexplained/suspicious deaths of people in positions of power and their replacements. As it stands he's trying to gather enough proof that someone would take an investigation seriously. Sending an anonymous note to a magistrate that the case he resolved last week might have been wrong, would have the results you'd expect.

If not, then did Irozu make mention of prior crimes at all? If not, then did Irozu make mention of prior crimes at all?
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All crimes he mentioned are ones he's put together through supposition. Jeff gets promoted to magistrate of a backwater after his boss drowns. 4 months later his rival for a diplomat post dies in a hunting accident. Is he really lucky or does the fact that Jeff once met with people Irozu thinks are part of the cult indicate something more. The only thing he's had good first hand evidence of is the attack in the cave. This is why he was cool with the seppun taking the book and reporting it to the magistrates, perhaps the book is enough evidence to tip things in your favor.


You are welcome to choose to go back to your lands and do whatever else you think you are duty bound to do, but the Seppun has been assigned to look into this matter of why you guys were attacked in the cave. The OOC knowledge of man not taking Jessie seriously is probably something she doesn't even know with an awareness roll of 8. And it prevented you guys from getting stuck with EM#47, until you find enough evidence that she actually gets yuriki'd.
 
Also the monks only purpose OOC for the arc is to prevent you guys from having to take the ciphers emphasis or getting statusowned by a superior. You aren't likely to see him other then occasional notes from here on out.
 
rcuhljr said:
Also the monks only purpose OOC for the arc is to prevent you guys from having to take the ciphers emphasis or getting statusowned by a superior. You aren't likely to see him other then occasional notes from here on out.
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Oh, I'm taking that damn emphasis just you wait and see!
 
You're more then welcome to, I just don't want to to make people spend EXP solely for meta reasons, especially since I'd then be forced to hand wave the rolls because if you missed one 'oh well, we lose.' and you'd have bought a skill just so I can say "You find out blah A B and C over your weeks study." it seemed just as easy and more interesting to throw in a weird but entertaining monk. (hai2u fuguki; I figured since the majority of HoR forgave him for extreme blasphemies against the empire and the celestial order that Irozu would get some more slack cut :P )
 
rcuhljr said:
You're more then welcome to, I just don't want to to make people spend EXP solely for meta reasons, especially since I'd then be forced to hand wave the rolls because if you missed one 'oh well, we lose.' and you'd have bought a skill just so I can say "You find out blah A B and C over your weeks study." it seemed just as easy and more interesting to throw in a weird but entertaining monk. (hai2u fuguki; I figured since the majority of HoR forgave him for extreme blasphemies against the empire and the celestial order that Irozu would get some more slack cut :P )
Click to expand...
Made one terrible mistake.


Fuguki was funny. Humour salves all wounds.
 
rcuhljr said:
The magistrates involved in investigating prior crimes that Irozu thinks are connected to the cult did not believe the monk's claims.
Click to expand...
The crimes had already been 'solved' by the time Irozu could say anything. He's not left this shrine in a year or two, he's doing his investigating 3rd or 4th hand looking for patterns in unexplained/suspicious deaths of people in positions of power and their replacements. As it stands he's trying to gather enough proof that someone would take an investigation seriously. Sending an anonymous note to a magistrate that the case he resolved last week might have been wrong, would have the results you'd expect.
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This is a pretty big road block for my character. The previous crimes were solved, by the word of the magistrates who investigated them. I have 0 reasons to believe the monks claims over the words of magistrates in regard those crimes. In fact, I would strongly doubt my own honor if I were to impose myself over the judgments of those to whom the duty fell. A samurai's word is far greater than a monk's word, and clan samurai should not impose themselves into others' affairs.

rcuhljr said:
If not, then did Irozu make mention of prior crimes at all? If not, then did Irozu make mention of prior crimes at all?
Click to expand...
All crimes he mentioned are ones he's put together through supposition. Jeff gets promoted to magistrate of a backwater after his boss drowns. 4 months later his rival for a diplomat post dies in a hunting accident. Is he really lucky or does the fact that Jeff once met with people Irozu thinks are part of the cult indicate something more. The only thing he's had good first hand evidence of is the attack in the cave. This is why he was cool with the seppun taking the book and reporting it to the magistrates, perhaps the book is enough evidence to tip things in your favor.


You are welcome to choose to go back to your lands and do whatever else you think you are duty bound to do, but the Seppun has been assigned to look into this matter of why you guys were attacked in the cave. The OOC knowledge of man not taking Jessie seriously is probably something she doesn't even know with an awareness roll of 8. And it prevented you guys from getting stuck with EM#47, until you find enough evidence that she actually gets yuriki'd.
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Emphasis on "but the Seppun has been assigned to look into this matter of why you guys were attacked in the cave."


Now things are relevant to my characters interests. The necessity of reporting the incident to the authorities was completed, making it no longer my responsibility. However, if asked to help investigate that specific event, Gregor would not object. Immediately investigating that event as part of the overall doomsday conspiracy the monk was proclaiming would make him disapprove of the motives and think the investigation to be a waste of time.
 
Don't get me wrong. Rokugani Law and tradition is dumb. I'm just trying to follow it as I perceive Gregor would.


OOC: I'd have jumped on this conspiracy bandwagon with minimal objection.
 
And more power to you for playing your character the way you think he would act, I'm just used to every HoR investigation mod ever where the players universally agree "Those magistrates are dumb, we'll solve this ourselves."
 
rcuhljr said:
And more power to you for playing your character the way you think he would act, I'm just used to every HoR investigation mod ever where the players universally agree "Those magistrates are dumb, we'll solve this ourselves."
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In those situations, the decision was made by the players that the magistrates are dumb. In this case, we have the word of a very eccentric, steals-from-dead-samurai monk that the magistrates are dumb.
 
I was replying directly to

I would strongly doubt my own honor if I were to impose myself over the judgments of those to whom the duty fell.
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not to whether you trust the monk in this situation. Plenty of groups have killed magistrates even though they were correct. And I apologize for having the monk find and bring the book for you, it was midnight and I wanted to speed things along. I should have taken the entire wrap up from the end of combat to the forums.
 
rcuhljr said:
I was replying directly to
I would strongly doubt my own honor if I were to impose myself over the judgments of those to whom the duty fell.
Click to expand...
not to whether you trust the monk in this situation. Plenty of groups have killed magistrates even though they were correct. ...
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Again, in those situations, it was a disagreement with what the magistrates claimed and what the players themselves perceived and/or claimed. The specifics in this situation would be that, by following this monk's claim to the conspiracy and its involvement in those prior cases, I would be imposing myself over the judgments of the people in proper authority. I would be making this imposition based on the monk's word. So, whether or not I trust the monk in this situation is a very important matter.
 
Sorry then, I was reading that sentence as a separate thought from the whole monk issue, as in a blanket "I would never doubt a magistrate."
 
Disturbing Surprise


(Mod summary, all the penalties and bonuses listed here were all already mentioned in the mod)


Pending


(Glory gains / losses summary)


No glory gain


Individual glory gains:


1 for tournament winners (Agasha, Shizue, Gregor, Katsu)


(Honor gains / losses summary)


Maro 1 : aiding the Lion and stating that he was pulling blows as soon as it became clear that the Ronin thought you maho tsukai.


Other rewards / penalties.


Maro : Purchasing a painting.


Might be missing some, jog my memory if so.


All players gained 6 XP.
 
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