Dice The Redux of the Tale of a Falling Empire - OOC

[Chowlett]

Her unofficial-but-poorly-secret position is as an investigator for the benefit of the Dragon-Blooded court; so she'll be interested in people whose influence is big enough to leak in. Practically, I guess that means the Patrician class, and wealthy sections of the Merchant class.

Coincidentally, those are also the ranks most likely to cause suffering to the lower classes (beyond that which is expected in the Perfected Hierarchy), which fits with her personal interpretation of her job.

 

[jaydude]

Her unofficial-but-poorly-secret position is as an investigator for the benefit of the Dragon-Blooded court; so she'll be interested in people whose influence is big enough to leak in. Practically, I guess that means the Patrician class, and wealthy sections of the Merchant class.

Coincidentally, those are also the ranks most likely to cause suffering to the lower classes (beyond that which is expected in the Perfected Hierarchy), which fits with her personal interpretation of her job.

Okay. So In terms of criminals, I'm thinking people like assassins, forgers, information brokers, and anyone else whose services an unscrupulous noble might want to make use of.

 

[WlfSamurai]

I like where this is going, but I’m not holding up the rest, am I? I’m fine hand-waving some of this and/or making a zoomed out roll or something.

Let me know what works best. Don’t want to keep people from playing.

 

[D. Rex]

Not holding me up! As a body guard I have lot of time to stand around and pick my nose anyway.

 

[jaydude]

I like where this is going, but I’m not holding up the rest, am I? I’m fine hand-waving some of this and/or making a zoomed out roll or something.

Let me know what works best. Don’t want to keep people from playing.

Personally, I don't mind as long as none of the other players do.

Also, with regards to Kandara's criminal element, I'm honestly a bit mindful about how much I want to develop it. Besides concerns about being able to make it make sense, I also don't know how much organized crime Kitava would tolerate within her satrapy.

 

[Random Word]

It doesn't matter how much organized crime Kitava will tolerate - she's only just arrived today and if there's more than she tolerates that's just another problem for her to solve. Which really means make other PCs solve. In Ferala's case, the solution is probably to tell them to pipe down and stop drawing attention to themselves, and if they don't, make examples of those least loyal to her.

 

[Chowlett]

No problems with the delay here. S'good background.

 

[jaydude]

WlfSamurai
You've already spent a Merit on getting Contacts with the criminal world. Do you want this moment between Taeran and the woman in black to be her obtaining those benefits in-universe? Or something else?

 

[WlfSamurai]

WlfSamurai
You've already spent a Merit on getting Contacts with the criminal world. Do you want this moment between Taeran and the woman in black to be her obtaining those benefits in-universe? Or something else?

If you’re okay with that, yeah! That would be great.

 

[jaydude]

If you’re okay with that, yeah! That would be great.

Okay. In that case, I'm gonna go ahead and skip to the next scene once I get home from work.

 

[WlfSamurai]

Yeah, I’d like to have Taeran basically start building contacts and a network. She’d meet with this woman in a neutral place and exchange money for info, etc.

 

[jaydude]

Chowlett D. Rex Random Word Rykon WlfSamurai

Yeah, I’d like to have Taeran basically start building contacts and a network. She’d meet with this woman in a neutral place and exchange money for info, etc.

I was thinking more about skipping to the inaugural dinner, where I can get the rest of the PCs involved with the game again, and start introducing some more of the NPC's. Though after thinking about it a bit more, I'm not sure how much stuff everyone besides Kitava would have to do during a fancy dinner.

 

[Random Word]

Yeah, we're a pretty disparate group and despite officially being a unified administration, we don't have a lot tying us together at the moment. Maybe a crisis of some kind that forces the whole administration to work together to solve it?

Everything is about goals ultimately, and parties are a place where you can accomplish a certain class of goals. Making impressions, overhearing gossip; making political manoeuvres, alliances, and deals; assassinating, poisoning, or embarrassing enemies, etc. We don't really have any cohesive goals yet, though, and without objectives those activities are hard to plan.

As for Kitava's personal goals, she really cares about making a good impression here, especially on the Cathak heir, but that doesn't necessarily mean it warrants a scene in the story. She's a Sorceress, and has a lot of anxiety about what a devastating blow that's been to her social status in the Realm. Part of her is trying to accumulate power fast enough to outrun the stigma, like Mnemon has. Her other personal goal is making sure her term as Satrap isn't just successful, but spectacularly so. She desperately wants to return to the Blessed Isle in triumph, having turned her exile into an opportunity to demonstrate her utility to the Empress and her family. As a secondary goal, she wants to make sure Taeran comes out of this looking good as well, even if only by association with her reflected glory.

 

[jaydude]

Yeah, we're a pretty disparate group and despite officially being a unified administration, we don't have a lot tying us together at the moment. Maybe a crisis of some kind that forces the whole administration to work together to solve it?

Everything is about goals ultimately, and parties are a place where you can accomplish a certain class of goals. Making impressions, overhearing gossip; making political manoeuvres, alliances, and deals; assassinating, poisoning, or embarrassing enemies, etc. We don't really have any cohesive goals yet, though, and without objectives those activities are hard to plan.

As for Kitava's personal goals, she really cares about making a good impression here, especially on the Cathak heir, but that doesn't necessarily mean it warrants a scene in the story. She's a Sorceress, and has a lot of anxiety about what a devastating blow that's been to her social status in the Realm. Part of her is trying to accumulate power fast enough to outrun the stigma, like Mnemon has. Her other personal goal is making sure her term as Satrap isn't just successful, but spectacularly so. She desperately wants to return to the Blessed Isle in triumph, having turned her exile into an opportunity to demonstrate her utility to the Empress and her family. As a secondary goal, she wants to make sure Taeran comes out of this looking good as well, even if only by association with her reflected glory.

I am planning to have a crisis of that nature take place after the timeskip, when the Empress has gone and everything's starting to go to shit. I suppose I could have something take place in our current timeline, but I can't really think of much besides the Silver Pact, and there's only so much they can threaten the Realm while it's unified.

 

[WlfSamurai]

Chowlett D. Rex Random Word Rykon WlfSamurai


I was thinking more about skipping to the inaugural dinner, where I can get the rest of the PCs involved with the game again, and start introducing some more of the NPC's. Though after thinking about it a bit more, I'm not sure how much stuff everyone besides Kitava would have to do during a fancy dinner.

Could be a cool character scene to explore relationships. Taeran would attend to honor her sister.

Yeah, we're a pretty disparate group and despite officially being a unified administration, we don't have a lot tying us together at the moment. Maybe a crisis of some kind that forces the whole administration to work together to solve it?

Everything is about goals ultimately, and parties are a place where you can accomplish a certain class of goals. Making impressions, overhearing gossip; making political manoeuvres, alliances, and deals; assassinating, poisoning, or embarrassing enemies, etc. We don't really have any cohesive goals yet, though, and without objectives those activities are hard to plan.

As for Kitava's personal goals, she really cares about making a good impression here, especially on the Cathak heir, but that doesn't necessarily mean it warrants a scene in the story. She's a Sorceress, and has a lot of anxiety about what a devastating blow that's been to her social status in the Realm. Part of her is trying to accumulate power fast enough to outrun the stigma, like Mnemon has. Her other personal goal is making sure her term as Satrap isn't just successful, but spectacularly so. She desperately wants to return to the Blessed Isle in triumph, having turned her exile into an opportunity to demonstrate her utility to the Empress and her family. As a secondary goal, she wants to make sure Taeran comes out of this looking good as well, even if only by association with her reflected glory.

I am planning to have a crisis of that nature take place after the timeskip, when the Empress has gone and everything's starting to go to shit. I suppose I could have something take place in our current timeline, but I can't really think of much besides the Silver Pact, and there's only so much they can threaten the Realm while it's unified.

Yeah, I really like the idea that we zoom out and move time forward. Kitava is more than capable of getting/doing everything she wants with the current balance. Especially with her Charms and Sorcery. And all of us supporting her will also see that whatever she wants will happen as well.

So, now we have our status quo. Now, like you both said, what tips that status quo and takes it out of our control?

Looking forward to seeing what you do with it.

 

[Random Word]

[Valina gains a Minor Intimacy of Respect towards Kitava.]

How many net successes over Resolve is that for spending on influence/read intentions/persuades etc?

 

[jaydude]

How many net successes over Resolve is that for spending on influence/read intentions/persuades etc?

Valina has a Resolve of 4, so Kitava gets 6 Threshold Successes.

 

[jaydude]

If there's nothing else anyone wants to do here, I'm gonna skip to the start of the hunt for Steelscale.

 

[Chowlett]

After that complete failure to win friends, I'm happy to pass.

 

[Random Word]

Would you like Kitava to assist your roll to give you more dice? You also have two more dice from stunting - they vanish at the end of the scene if you pocket them, so might as well spend away.

 

[jaydude]

Aye, go ahead if you want to do that.

Also, just a quick update Random Word , but at the moment I am currently working out the details of Kitava's Ventures (Prerequisites, obstacles and so on). I will have to leave in half an hour for a dentist's appointment however.

 

[Chowlett]

Would you like Kitava to assist your roll to give you more dice? You also have two more dice from stunting - they vanish at the end of the scene if you pocket them, so might as well spend away.

Thanks for the reminder, I shall spend the dice. I was going to decline Kitava's help, as she'd been cut out of the conversation; but rereading your post I see that (ever the opportunist) she's happy to use Ferala as a proxy to get into Valina's graces.

 

[jaydude]

Thanks for the reminder, I shall spend the dice. I was going to decline Kitava's help, as she'd been cut out of the conversation; but rereading your post I see that (ever the opportunist) she's happy to use Ferala as a proxy to get into Valina's graces.

Oh, I didn't mean to cut Kitava out of the conversation. She's more than welcome to join in; Valina's earlier apologetic look was more "sorry, but as important as you are, I'm not going to direct all of my focus on you, at least for the moment."

 

[WlfSamurai]

I'm good to move on whenever.

 

[WlfSamurai]

Also, banked stunt dice go away at the end of the session, not scene, right?