DM Nagging: It's pretty much my job

[Anastasia]

FROM THIS POINT ON, ALL NEW GAME RELATED DISCUSSION CAN GO ON THAT GAME'S DISCUSSION BOARD.

Feel free to copy/quote anything you need for those replies. Balmuria talk will remain here.

https://www.soulriders.net/forum/index.php/topic,104462.msg1196193.html

[Anastasia]

DM notes posted in each topic for own organization on return.

On a related aspect, I may revise some node goals to refresh them on return. I'll cross that bridge when we get there.

[Anastasia]

Let's do some support work.

Oberuth reaches level 36.

- Fighter 36 and Dwarven Defender 26.
- Maximum hit points per hit die for a total of 35 hit points and a grand total of 1240 hit points.
- +1 BAB for a total of 36.
- Gains impossible strike.
- No change to saves.
- Skills go up as normal.
- His feats are Great Ability(Dexterity)(36) and Penetrate Damage Reduction(Cold Iron). The dex boost is so he can get improved combat reflexes soon.

[Anastasia]

As far as B6 is going? I feel better towards it. Absence and the heart, you know? This time away from B6's workload has done me a lot of good to recharge my batteries. The real question is that when we do return to this, how should this game be ran and engaged with? I'm not sure as of now but I'll let you all know as I work through this.

No matter what this a story I want to finish. Everyone involved has poured thousands of hours of work into this setting, and more than anything else, it deserves a genuine ending. The question is how to get there.

[Anastasia]

Okay, so now that you all have some more hands on experience, what do you all think of the Balmuria jumpchain?

[Ebiris]

My thoughts on it were pretty fully formed so I don't have much else to add. Could work out a build for Samantha but since we're not going to be jumping there it'd just fill me with a feeling of missing out.

[Anastasia]

My thoughts on it were pretty fully formed so I don't have much else to add. Could work out a build for Samantha but since we're not going to be jumping there it'd just fill me with a feeling of missing out.

That's not 100% true. From the relevant topic:

Jumps I won't consider:

For now, none. This is just in case I need it.

Jumps I won't send you to anytime soon:

Balmuria: Part of this game's reason to exist is as a break from B6, so this would be highly counter productive. I'd also rather not have D&D stuff and class levels be a big early influence on all of you, purely for the sake of variety. This jump could happen later but not right now.

[Iron Dragoon]

I think it'd be okay, and I think the build I had would be at least 80% the same.

[Anastasia]

Monthly update: Feeling further refreshed, the main question is how to finish this properly and what I can manage to finish myself. I'm still debating that.

[Anastasia]

The question is how to continue B6.

It's not a question of if, I do want to conclude this game. The only question is how. The underlying problem is that the B6 I imagined doesn't line up with the health or energy level of the DM. Any single node could be focused on to be the meat of an entire game by itself. Running 4 or 5 at once might've been possible for me in my better days, but those days are past so we have to work with what have.

I trimmed content to try and keep B6 going, but as it worked out that wasn't enough. To continue this game a more radical restructure would be required. It's likely to involve a lot of prep as well as more rails to move the plot along. Faster level ups as well, keep the pace moving to get to the end of this.

I also want to get it done before things get too stale in our minds, so I'm tentatively planning to resume B6 either when the Ranma 1/2 jump finishes OR once we reach 2022. This is still tentative, but information decay in our minds is a concern and I'd rather avoid that setting in too deeply. Jumpchain Adventures will be paused to finish this.

It also involves focusing on a smaller cast and narrowing down who you focus on. This isn't to eliminate any NPCs or characters, but a simple acknowledgement that as it stands now I need to focus to get this game done. So here's my first draft of plans for this.

1. Focus on the four nodes. I haven't asked Yuth officially yet, but I deeply doubt he'll be up for picking up Tryll. I have something planned out for that so it won't be a concern. (Yuth if you see this and I'm wrong, now's the time to speak up.)

2. Focus on the PC in the node as well as 1-2 NPCs each. Probably 2. The others won't vanish but those will be the focus of most events and the others will be in a more supporting role. They'll often be doing things that need to be done but not necessarily on screen.

3. Focus on tightly wound plot adventures that often have nodes working together. This reduces DM overhead a lot as well. PCs will PC as they will so obviously I'm sure I'll get surprises, but the idea is to keep the plot on the forefront now.

4. After every adventure set for all the nodes - preferably coordinated timewise but that's always tricky - see if level ups are appropriate.

As for NPCs who will likely get DMside focus and be relevant?

Oberuth comes to mind right away, as he's Sylian's gambit in this entire mess. Whatever he's becoming, it seems entirely focused on whatever perceived necessity Sylian sees in his efforts in the anti-Ao conspiracy. He doesn't always see the most screen time, but he's still (at least technically) mortal in most ways that matter. That also makes him valuable to do certain things that are difficult for all of you after apotheosis or for political reasons.

Antenora's likely tangled into this as well. Her early success to become One considerably affected the game. It's been stated (by Asmodeus or Zaphkiel, I forget which off the top of my head) that the fragments of the Incarnation of Law hope that by doing the nigh impossible twice (her alignment change, her apotheosis) that she can manage is a third and final time when it matters against Shar or Ao.

Sylvie's likely with a role here as well due to everything she went through. She's less directly needed as others, her story came to its conclusion previously, but it's worth mentioning.

This is a first draft as well as a way to air out my own thoughts. Feedback's welcome along with suggestions.

[Ebiris]

Yeah information decay is a problem. There was a bunch of stuff at the end of B1 that basically got forgotten and never applied in B6 even if it perhaps should have. I'd be fine with pruning Sylica back to just having Anty as the sole active/relevant NPC.

The big problem is we're not set up to handle Shar and doing so is a lot of levels and divine ranks away. Even if we gained one a month, that's still a lot of game to close the gap.

[Anastasia]

Yeah information decay is a problem. There was a bunch of stuff at the end of B1 that basically got forgotten and never applied in B6 even if it perhaps should have. I'd be fine with pruning Sylica back to just having Anty as the sole active/relevant NPC.

The big problem is we're not set up to handle Shar and doing so is a lot of levels and divine ranks away. Even if we gained one a month, that's still a lot of game to close the gap.

Yeah, basically. I needed the time off but I don't want it go past half a year away for exactly that reason.

Shar is a problem but we'll work on and with it as we can. I'm still getting ducks in a row about how I want to sort this out, but that is a concern I identified as well.

[Nephrite]

I have no objections to the idea to pair things down like this - is there anything else that can be done to help? I know I always say I'd make spells and usually never deliver on that, but if that's something that would help I could just brainstorm a bunch up - but if it ends up just being more work for you to course correct them into usability then I don't want to just make things worse.

[Anastasia]

Spells are always good, yes. Go for it. I may have more requests in the future.

[Iron Dragoon]

Sounds good to me. Restructuring to continue and more focused gameplay is perfectly fine with me and something I agreed with. I believe I often asked you in PM how my various adventures were advancing the Shar fight so I could keep myself focused, so narrowing down on that is something I support.