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

[Random Word]

You're all in my retinue, so I brought you all here for a reason and it wasn't because I picked your name out of a hat. Either I trust you implicitly (through blood like WlfSamurai or experience like attending primary or secondary school together), your reputation is so impressive/your family bribed me with something to make it worth taking a risk on you, or you've been forced upon me, probably for political reasons. (Because my family owes your family? Because your family owes mine?)

We do need an army person. Someone has to be commander of the garrison. We could probably use a monk, though the Satrap is quite heretical. As with any good Ragara, she believes pacts with demons and dark forces are a perfectly reasonable way to get ahead in life.

 

[D. Rex]

Always looking for relationships/connections. I‘d like to be Random Word ’s sibling, but am open to have a connection with any/everyone else.

Cool beans! I think being the sibling to a satrap will be a cool idea. What kind of connection can one have with a ninja?

You're all in my retinue, so I brought you all here for a reason and it wasn't because I picked your name out of a hat. Either I trust you implicitly (through blood like WlfSamurai or experience like attending primary or secondary school together), your reputation is so impressive/your family bribed me with something to make it worth taking a risk on you, or you've been forced upon me, probablfor political reasons. (Because my family owes your family? Because your family owes mine?)

Marry me, nee-san!

Jk

I smell some opportunity. Want me to be an friendly or a thorn forced into your side?

 

[Random Word]

We'll have more drama and room for character growth if you're a thorn, so I prefer that.

 

[WlfSamurai]

Cool beans! I think being the sibling to a satrap will be a cool idea. What kind of connection can one have with a ninja?






Marry me, nee-san!

Jk

I smell some opportunity. Want me to be an friendly or a thorn forced into your side?

Maybe we went through school together? Maybe you got my name to help you out of a problem? Or vise versa? I think we can decide when our characters are less nebulous, too.

 

[D. Rex]

We'll have more drama and room for character growth if you're a thorn, so I prefer that.

I'll be Thorniest thorn then. I do live me some drama and char growth.

So what can we do to make things hard for the satrap?

Somebody forced onto her fits the bill. Since she can't just get rid of them.

 

[D. Rex]

Maybe we went through school together? Maybe you got my name to help you out of a problem? Or vise versa? I think we can decide when our characters are less nebulous, too.

Perhaps. But it might be pretty funny if my character is q serious thorn to the satrap, but gets along really well with her sister. Could add an extra layer of frustration to Randoms char. Unless you'd like me to be a thorn for you as well.

 

[Chowlett]

You're all in my retinue, so I brought you all here for a reason and it wasn't because I picked your name out of a hat. Either I trust you implicitly (through blood like WlfSamurai or experience like attending primary or secondary school together), your reputation is so impressive/your family bribed me with something to make it worth taking a risk on you, or you've been forced upon me, probably for political reasons. (Because my family owes your family? Because your family owes mine?)

We do need an army person. Someone has to be commander of the garrison. We could probably use a monk, though the Satrap is quite heretical. As with any good Ragara, she believes pacts with demons and dark forces are a perfectly reasonable way to get ahead in life.

Maybe you don't know why I've been foisted on you, because I appear to be incompetent at my official "job" (whatever that is - something insignificant like clerking); but that's because you haven't been told that that's just a cover, and I'm more directly a bodyguard / investigator of shady things than you realise.

I'm definitely leaning less Sherlock (sudden leaps of insight) and more the "knock on the doors, ask everyone all the questions, until the right answer becomes inevitable" type.

Was leaning Martial Arts, possibly Snake or Water Dragon Style, but could be talked out of it.

Edit: Presumably we'd likely all be the same house, if we're all the same Satrap's retinue?

 

[Random Word]

Everyone in the group has an important role in the administration, but you can totally be incompetent at your official job and actually be secret police. We'll have two spies, but one is more assassin-y and the other investigate-y. Then the amusing question becomes: What important job are you incompetent at, and thus what gaping hole does the administration have?

Usually roles are things like commander of the garrison, spymaster, treasurer, diplomat, Immaculate monk, sorcerer, etc.

 

[D. Rex]

Random Word
What do you think about a really annoying body guard?

Or do you think something more politically or challengingly annoying would be better to make things hard for her?

 

[Chowlett]

Everyone in the group has an important role in the administration, but you can totally be incompetent at your official job and actually be secret police. We'll have two spies, but one is more assassin-y and the other investigate-y. Then the amusing question becomes: What important job are you incompetent at, and thus what gaping hole does the administration have?

Usually roles are things like commander of the garrison, spymaster, treasurer, diplomat, Immaculate monk, sorcerer, etc.

Oh, that's a genius question. I suggest I wait and see what other roles the rest of the circle are filling?

 

[Random Word]

A really annoying bodyguard is hilarious, but unlikely. My family isn't trying to get me killed, after all, so if you're an annoying bodyguard we're probably blood relatives who drive each other up the wall. The classic thorn is the garrison commander, who by Realm tradition is appointed from another House to counterbalance the power of the Satrap and ensure loyalty to the Realm. If you aren't the garrison commander, and you aren't a relative, the question becomes what did your family hope to accomplish by forcing you on me, and what role will let you best do that?

 

[D. Rex]

Oh, that's a genius question. I suggest I wait and see what other roles the rest of the circle are filling?

What about personal assistant? Like a kind of secretarial position. Would be close to that satrap, but scatterbrained enough to not be seen as a threatening. People might even see you as easy to take advantage of. As well you could use the position to get close to almost anyone.

 

[D. Rex]

A really annoying bodyguard is hilarious, but unlikely. My family isn't trying to get me killed, after all, so if you're an annoying bodyguard we're probably blood relatives who drive each other up the wall. The classic thorn is the garrison commander, who by Realm tradition is appointed from another House to counterbalance the power of the Satrap and ensure loyalty to the Realm. If you aren't the garrison commander, and you aren't a relative, the question becomes what did your family hope the accomplish by forcing you on me, and what roll will let you best do that?

Well annoying doesn't mean ineffective. Could be really good, but the two just REALLY don't get along. So you have someone who calls out all your bad ideas, or gives you snark, or argues with you about everything... and they never leave your side. Never. Can't even take a bath in peace. Sort of bodyguard/unaskedfor advisor.


Disagreeable realm garrison is another good idea!

As would reluctant fiance. Or cousin/sibling you never got along with.



Also! Doesn't always have to be a bribe. Could always be favors. Or something your betters thought is a good idea. Or even a punishment to you for some reason.

 

[D. Rex]

Random Word

For example. You always kept pushing bodyguards away, but it lead to an assassination attempt on you that was just barely unsuccessful.

So your family set you up with the most stubborn bodyguard they could find that they trusted to keep you alive and essentially chained them too you to make sure it never happened again.

 

[Rykon]

So far, for the Satrap's court, I see a spy, an inquisition, and a bodyguard. Which position would you rather a player fill more? I could go with a martial artist-diplomat or a commander.

I'm not interested in playing a practicing immaculate monk, so I guess of the mentioned options that's my thoughts so far. I'll be back home soon, so hopefully I'll be able to get some decisions settled then.

 

[WlfSamurai]

So far, for the Satrap's court, I see a spy, an inquisition, and a bodyguard. Which position would you rather a player fill more? I could go with a martial artist-diplomat or a commander.

I'm not interested in playing a practicing immaculate monk, so I guess of the mentioned options that's my thoughts so far. I'll be back home soon, so hopefully I'll be able to get some decisions settled then.

I’m okay going commander of you want the spy/assassin role.

 

[Rykon]

I’m okay going commander of you want the spy/assassin role.

I'm not too worried about it, I can make nearly any "role" work. I just haven't had the time to delve into Essence's charm lists yet to see if anything really inspires me as far as builds and characters go.

Y'all play what you want to play, I'm really just fishing for a spark to help guide my search and narrow down some reading.

 

[Random Word]

I treat the Essence Charm lists as inspiration and guidelines. They're definitely not an end all be all complete set. I'm going to have to propose a few custom Charms to jaydude - there isn't really any direct support for Air Aspect Administrative Genius, but I'm happy to make some.

 

[D. Rex]

An administrative genius. That's right.

A good way to begin the annoyance is someone who has no care for all those little ceremonies and perfections. Someone with no care for administration. Leaves crumbs on her desk. Messes up her stacks of papers. Plays with ornamental trinkets and breaks them.

A low-born dragon blooded, maybe? Adopted perhaps. Didn't grow with the fancy ways of the Dynast. How viable would that be, you think?

 

[Rykon]

Tentative update, I may lean more toward the first iteration of Manato. A sorcerer musician with a combat familiar, Aspect TBD still.

 

[Chowlett]

I'm doggedly ploughing through it (yes, "ploughing". Hi from the UK!). I see they've divorced Withering attacks from Initiative order, which is sad - it now raises a different stat called Power, while Initiative remains fixedish.

I'm not quite sure how the initial Join Battle roll works, though.

Roll for Join Battle (Appropriate Attribute + Appropriate Ability) to determine whether the players’ characters or the Storyteller characters goes first. Any character from the winning side may act first. Whomever goes first then decides who acts next. Players can choose to go next after another player character, but important Storyteller characters may have the ability to interrupt player order to take their action. Players may nominate Storyteller characters to act next, if this would be an interesting or tactical choice. Whichever side acted first continues to act first for the duration of the combat.

So, who rolls to determine the relative order of their whole side? And isn't it massively overpowered to have all of one side act first, then the other? I think I remain to be convinced that simplification actually works.

 

[WlfSamurai]

I treat the Essence Charm lists as inspiration and guidelines. They're definitely not an end all be all complete set. I'm going to have to propose a few custom Charms to jaydude - there isn't really any direct support for Air Aspect Administrative Genius, but I'm happy to make some.

I haven’t gotten a chance too delve to heavy into the manuscript. Is it more of a hole, like a piece missing? Or is it because the Charms are meant to be way more generalized?

Edit: added reply to show what I was replying to. LOL.

 

[WlfSamurai]

FYI, think I’m going back to Air. Just makes more sense for an spy/assassin.

 

[D. Rex]

I'm now swaying to fire or earth for a bodyguard. Need to decide if I want a close range tank or deft ranged. I wonder if I can get away with both if I can build a ranged weapon suitable for melee.

 

[WlfSamurai]

I'm doggedly ploughing through it (yes, "ploughing". Hi from the UK!). I see they've divorced Withering attacks from Initiative order, which is sad - it now raises a different stat called Power, while Initiative remains fixedish.

I'm not quite sure how the initial Join Battle roll works, though.

So, who rolls to determine the relative order of their whole side? And isn't it massively overpowered to have all of one side act first, then the other? I think I remain to be convinced that simplification actually works.

I assume it’s meant to be more nebulous/narrative and less tactical combat system. At least, that’s how it feels. It works well in other narrativeheavy games, but they’re also intended be more conversational and collaborative than typical Exalted. And nothing in the manuscript seems to support it being like newer narrative games.

But narrative-heavy style can also be a challenge on PbP since there should be a conversation invoked.