TRPG General Chat

Shalvenay

00:08

hey there @GreySage

and @Anaphory too

Adeptus

00:42

@Miniman Betamax, of course

Shalvenay

hey there @Adeptus

Adeptus

00:58

hey

Shalvenay

how're things going? also hey again @nitsua60

Adeptus

OK on the RPG front. Had the first "proper" session of the new campaign on the weekend. We had a shorter session than planned, due to some of the players being late, and we have two paranoid/obsessive type characters in the party, so things took a bit longer than expected. But they still got one combat, and a little exploration.

Hopefully their paranoia will help them avoid the potentially deadly traps that they'll find next session...

Shalvenay

01:17

alright here I suppose

Shalvenay

01:27

looking for a bit of help formulating a potential mainsite question though @Adeptus

and hey yet again @nitsua60

Shalvenay

01:47

hey there @Emrakul, what's up?

Shalvenay

02:46

hey there @ThomasWard

Thomas Ward

Greetings.

Shalvenay

how're things going?

and hey again @Emrakul

Adeptus

@Shalvenay what's the (potential) question?

Shalvenay

@Adeptus ah. "how can one make a 'search-for-a-character-to-perform-a-specific-job' scene responsible to player decisions (i.e. not railroaded)?"

basically, the campaign ideas based off the dungeon I'm working on have the strong potential to include a scene where the party goes to hire a lawyer on behalf of some friendly NPCs, and I don't want it to be something where the party just stumbles upon one somewhere who agrees to take the case and that's that

err responsive, not responsible

hey @Magician

Magician

03:18

Hello

Shalvenay

how're things going?

Magician

Not too bad. Working on my board game. So close, yet so far.

Shalvenay

ah. looking for some help with question workshopping here...

Magician

Well, to answer the question I'd say offer them a choice of several (three) NPCs, with fairly obvious advantages and drawbacks.

Joel Harmon

@Shalvenay Why? That is, the party needs a lawyer. Why not just walk to the nearest sizable town and find the ink-and-quill sign that says "barrister" underneath it? Is there an underlying story, verisimilitude, or gameplay reason not to just do that?

Shalvenay

03:34

@JoelHarmon basically, it feels like I'd just be presenting them a NPC on a platter then -- and that seems anathema to the general theme I have going so far

@JoelHarmon it's also a case of "who they pick could matter greatly down the road in terms of effectiveness of representation + any potential collusion issues"

Joel Harmon

two reactions to that first statement: first, a "this is too easy" vibe can help put PCs and players on edge; second, easy to find does not mean easy to hire. Perhaps the only lawyer in town was already hired by the opposition, demands outrageous fees (or, better, favors), or refuses on some other grounds

Shalvenay

@JoelHarmon those are all good points re: complications in lawyer-selection (although the party does have the option of going without one if they feel they can handle it themselves)

Joel Harmon

ok, time for me to head out. Talk to you later.

Shalvenay

cya

nitsua60

04:38

@Shalvenay hiya. First thoughts: in-game, they've got to be in a place that would have a bunch of choices. Like, a dozen (or more) different lawyers. And they've got to have some way(s) of gaining information--reliable or otherwise--about them, so that they can make a decision about the "kind" of lawyer they want to get. Out-of-game: the players need to know that this is something important, and which will have long-lasting effects, and that's why you're devoting 'screen-time' to it.

(Implicit in the in-game advice is that you have to prep a dozen different lawyers, and their relationships to the larger plot, knowing full-well that eleven will never be called upon.)

(Implicit in the out-of-game advice is the assumption that your players are looking for the sort of game that's as much--if not more--exploration, info gathering, puzzling things out, and social interactions as it is hack-'n'-slash.)

nitsua60

04:57

VtC system needed

SevenSidedDie

05:24

Putting all our questions that start with “So” into context:

Discourse marker

A discourse marker is a word or phrase that plays a role in managing the flow and structure of discourse. Since their main function is at the level of discourse (sequences of utterances) rather than at the level of utterances or sentences, discourse markers are relatively syntax-independent and usually do not change the truth conditional meaning of the sentence. Examples of discourse markers include the particles "oh", "well", "now", "then", "you know", and "I mean", and the 'discourse connectives', "so", "because", "and", "but", and "or". == Definition == In Practical English Usage, Michael Swan...

trogdor

06:01

so,... so starting out a sentence is a Discourse marker?

Anne Aunyme

08:40

@doppelgreener I was thinking about the fee they take on each sale.

doppelgreener

09:02

@AnneAunyme oh right, i was thinking only of the costs involved before you start making sales

@SevenSidedDie oooooo. Didn't know there was a word for this.

BESW

@doppelgreener So, actually, then. Because, well, you know.

@SevenSidedDie I knowed it was a snake afore I put it in my pocket.

(Looking at the ensuing conversations, I suspect the primary underlying motive was the concern that the remaining comments made the original poster look foolish. No amount of explaining can change that, and I'm not sure any assurances that it's not the case would have assuaged their sense of Someone Thinks I'm Wrong On The Internet.)

3

@PaulF [wave] What's new?

doppelgreener