From: Naron (naron_at_bigpond.net.au)
Date: Mon Feb 24 2003 - 12:43:02 GMT
Welcome all to the new Earthdawn PBeM group.
This email will cover a couple of things. The first is the rules and expectations of the game. Secondly is a brief description of how you all know each other and a bit on Bush Namur itself. As soon as I have finished transferring the map from paper to computer I will include bits and pieces of Bush Namur on the website for free access.
I do not use message boards to run my campaign as I find them awkward and not 100% reliable. The posts will come out to you as a group email. If you intend on doing something that all of the party will be aware of make sure you utilise the reply to all option on your mail. If you want to ask me a specific question just reply to me. If you want to ask one of your fellow party members something quietly forward your message to them but make sure you include me on the email. I guarantee we will get a few hiccups to start with but you will soon get into the rythm of it all.
The game is set well before the assassination of King Valurus III for those familiar with the meta-plot timeline and we will be using second edition rules. The year is 1506 TH for those that are sticklers for dates!
The following are my expectations of this game. They are slightly different to the ones listed on the website as I want to run this game a little faster.
1. Timing: The first rule and the most important. To make sure that PBeM games run smoothly, it is essential that they keep moving and you know when to expect the rounds to come out. The game rounds will be bi-weekly, the posts will come out on Sunday and Wednesday (Australian time GMT +10.00). You have until Midnight of the day prior to the post (i.e. Saturday for the Sunday post and Tuesday for the Wednesday post) to make your replies. It is important to note that there are no exceptions to this rule. If your round is not sent in by that time I will NPC your character for the round based on what I know of the character.
2. Format of messages: It is easier if the messages that are sent are of a standard format. This way anyone they are addressed to know exactly what is happening. You should always write your rounds from your characters perspective, that is no statistics (E.G. "Athissis turns with a steely glare in his eye he levels his staff at the Jehuthra. With a thought, he watches the cold black fire lick along its shaft "This is the last time you ruin my meditation.." He mutters as he lunges at his foes" Sounds a lot better than I use my Staff with fire attack whilst cursing them for ruining my meditation.). This way the game can continue "in character". There are times that you will need to name what you are trying to describe. If you cannot see a way around this then do so by adding <> around the talent or statistic (E.G. "Carag reacts like lightning, his toes not quite touching the ground <air dance> he moves to the body of his fallen comrade and draws the attention of the wolf to scare him from the body <frighten animal servant>") And lastly, if you want to do other things in the round (as they will all last at least a few combat rounds) then you can put dependant information within {} to show this (E.G. "Klim swoops down on the Horror <Down Strike> wielding the famed blade purifier with a look of hatred in his eyes "This is for Lachlan" he screams. {If I kill the horror I will return to my companions and help them with the Cadaver Men, if I am being beaten badly I use Graceful Exit and flee to Enlisle in the hope he will protect me.})
3. The GM's word is final: The GM is the final arbiter of all your actions. I collate all of your actions and put them all into one narrative which forms part of the next round. I roll all dice and decide the outcomes of all your actions that are put to me as well as the actions of any players that miss the cut off. Once the round comes out, anything it is final. After the round is out you may certainly send me questions about the round but it will remain unchanged, it is best to just ask for further info. It is also OK to send e-mail to your party companions as long as they remain in character and you would have the time to do so in the given situation. You should also cc the GM any of these e-mails.
4. The round e-mail: The e-mail that comes out is set to a standard that should surround the discussion via e-mails over the week. Its summary line will look like "Earthdawn PBeM MC 1.0" Where Earthdawn is the name of the game, PBeM is play by e-mail, MC is th identifying adventure code and the 1.0 will denote what chapter you are in and what round (before and after the dot respectively E.G. the second round in chapter 1 will appear as 1.1). This allows you to store the e-mail and read it in a logical format. If you ask me a question that results in a minor update it will come out as "Earthdawn PBeM MC 1.0.1" etc. The main e-mail is sent and then anything that is specific to a character will come out. These will appear as "Earthdawn PBeM MC 1.0 Carag" where Carag is the character name. These posts will include information that only your character or a couple of characters know. If you do not receive a message titled like this does not mean that you are missing out on anything. It may just mean that there is no extra info to be had. They will only come out if there is specific information known to one character.
5. Combat: Combat is the greatest threat to the continuity of a PBeM game. It has the capacity to slow things down significantly. For that reason it is important to keep the game going during these times. To do that, I intend to run at least three rounds of combat in each round that involves combat. This should move things ahead quickly enough to keep the game going. It should also be short enough for you to consider what you will do for the duration.
6. Conversation: If a round looks to involve talking to NPC's, try to list the questions you wish to ask and your actions based off the answers (E.G. Enlisle asks the Scorcher "Was it your band who killed my sister?" {If they answer yes I upturn the table and draw my Life Drainer sword calling out "Then it is your blood I bathe in tonight!" If not ask the next question.). I do not intend to run conversation through the week in character, the results of your questions will be seen in the write up of next weeks round.
7. Initiative: Should two characters have actions that are the same and cannot be performed simultaneously, I will judge who gets to do it first based off the characters statistics
Should you have any questions about the above expectations email me.
Bush Namur: This is a village formed of 300 villagers. They emerged from their Kaer 18 years previous to the current date at the urging of the Village leader, a witch (female wizard) by the name of Sara Mayfler. The Kaer residents soon found a well protected spot on the side of a cliff face in the Thunder Mountains that gave the best climate to build a spider farm. The Kaer residents mainly farmed a rare spider silk garnered from a breed of giant spiders, that was strong and resiliant to the elements whilst cool to wear. It makes fine armour and was a commodity well sought after before the scourge. Within a couple of years after opening the first merchant caravan (a family of elves) began taking the material to Markets of surrounding towns. It was not long before the material made its way to the markets of Bartertown, Travar, Kratas and Vivane itself. Merchants began to flood to the small village.
In fear of their lives and the effect should a horror be bought into the town, the council closed its walls for a year, eventually reopening for a week once a year where merchants can travel and purchase the material so highly sought after in a great celebration. During that time the villages adepts are well prepared and vigilant for horror marks, the ritual of welcome strongly enforced. The secrets of Bush Namur are well protected and only the local merchants know of the origin of the silk so well sought after in the lands of Barsaive.
The community of Bush Namur is made up of all races except that of Obsidimen. The most populous are humans and dwarves through to only a handful of trolls and windlings. There has only ever been one outsider family welcomed to live in the village of Bush Namur, a troubador who won the hearts of the citizenry. Many have left the village in search of greater things but all swear to keep the secrets of their home village out of respect for the support and friendships they leave behind. Many of those that leave, return years later to spend their last years with friends and family.
Of your characters.....
Kaleb Ironbeard is a dwarf weaponsmith who forms one of two forges in the village. He works for his Uncle Ogrid a master weaponsmith. The forge specialises in armour made from the spiderweb and also many of the weapons for the village. Their weapons are purchased mainly by locals with merchants paying more attention to the other forge in town for export who make more ornate but less practical weaponry. You all know of Kaleb and his family and more than likely have been served by him or shared an ale in one of the local Inns at some stage.
Temorya is a young Windling who has recently finished learning the arts of the elements. He works with farming groups in the old Kaer renovating it for expanding the spider farms located in the old Kaer. There are only two windling families living in Bush Namur and all are well known, including Temorya.
Angavorn is a human lad that has spent some time working in the village watch. he was spotted by one of the seargents who had the skills of an adept and trained Angavorn to become a true Warrior. He has served on only one "Merchant Week" and saw a little action fighting off the remanants of an Ork Scorcher band that attacked and almost completely wiped out the cavalryman unit of Bush Namur.
Shalandra is the only surviving cavalrywoman that was attacked by the scorchers. She and her warhorse were rescued by the guard, the young female elf found clutching her commanders lance in an unconscious embrace on the back of her mount (Shalamar). It was one of her first engagements since becoming a cavalryman and she spent a considerable amount of time recovering, leaving her one of only 4 cavalryman left to defend the village.
Pean is a mysterious elf. He is the son of the first elven family that began a merchant company from the village. Expected to take over the reigns of the company, Pean disappeared on one of the merchants trips. His father would not indulge anyone of what happened and 7 years later Pean returned at the gates. Some swore he was horror touched but for five years he has run a business in the village, returning the integrity of ruined goods for merchants and also acting as a physician at times of need (indeed helping Shalandra back to full health). To those in the know, Pean practices the art of nethermancy to keep Bush Namur safe and the spirits of the region appeased.
So, there you have it. The game will begin on Wednesday night. I hope you are looking forward to it as much as I am!
Regards
Mark
If you are into role-playing, check out http://users.bigpond.net.au/naron/
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