[OOC] The Broken Bottle Tavern

[Ghostwheel]

Maybe you could be attacked by bandits in town and we could come save you, and then out of thankfulness you'll pledge your services to help us on whatever task we have? :-P

[Actana]

Right, so, I was wondering a few things this morning, and figured I'd post a few thoughts. None of this is meant as an attack, but I won't shy away from what I feel is important. Just a little constructive criticism, I hope you understand.

First of all, I find it strange that you give us time to prepare, and then with two posts move the game forward. Even further, you then go to state that one character is starving, which is a direct result of you not giving everyone the chance to get supplies. Nevermind the fact that I generally dislike the sort of encumbrance/rations/ammunition nitpicking, I find this situation fairly awkward. I figure your reasoning was that nobody was going to post and if they were going to they would have already, but that's hardly fair in this sort of situation, and PbP is slow in any case. I can't recall you giving us a statement of "post every X interval or I will move the game forward without you" (if you have, I just can't remember), which makes it a bit more unfair for the players. Even further, everyone else has rations, but apparently nobody is sharing anything?

Second, I personally don't like it when the GM assumes things of the PCs and dictates their actions. Our characters are pretty much the only things we have control over, and when a GM starts controlling them, it rubs me the wrong way. Even if it's a minor thing like "[Lyssa] glares at the driver before getting in side" I find bad, because it immediately assumes control over the PC and dictates their personality in a way they might not act, which I see as a problem. A minor thing like that could have been left to the PC (I know Ghostwheel enough that if he figured the act of boarding the coach would be even moderately significant to the character, he would write something about it), or just left out completely by the GM, because it hardly matters to the story at hand, only to the PC's personality which should be in the hands of the players.

My third and final point is probably one that you merely overlooked and forgot about as a GM, but I still find it relevant. At the lawyer's, Providence asked a question. A very reasonable one about law enforcement and how they should be able to take care of it. He even repeated that he was waiting for an answer to it. Personally, I agreed to the question as a player, but since it was already asked I didn't repeat it. You never really addressed the question, even though you did say "The gnome shrugs at your questions". The sort of "I don't know the answer to any of your questions" feels rather awkward in the eyes of a player, as we might as well have been completely silent. A good way to avoid that would have been to acknowledge the question in speech, but still give an indefinite "I don't know" answer. Makes asking questions feel more relevant and satisfactory.


That's all from me. Again, I don't mean this as an attack or insult. I just felt the need to point things out that I would like to see addressed and improved upon. Nobody's a perfect GM, and there's always room for some constructive feedback (at least I hope this feels constructive).

[mightymconeshot]

Don't worry, Lightened I got your entrance covered.

First of all, I find it strange that you give us time to prepare, and then with two posts move the game forward. Even further, you then go to state that one character is starving, which is a direct result of you not giving everyone the chance to get supplies. Nevermind the fact that I generally dislike the sort of encumbrance/rations/ammunition nitpicking, I find this situation fairly awkward. I figure your reasoning was that nobody was going to post and if they were going to they would have already, but that's hardly fair in this sort of situation, and PbP is slow in any case. I can't recall you giving us a statement of "post every X interval or I will move the game forward without you" (if you have, I just can't remember), which makes it a bit more unfair for the players. Even further, everyone else has rations, but apparently nobody is sharing anything?

I did give a time when I was going to post again. I need to move things forward so that the 4th player, Lightened, can join the group. If a character has made a post by then, they have made some sort of preparations, like the horse and carriage. If they have not, their character and them felt they were ready for the open road in any case.

That is a thing with PbP. I will move the plot forward as needed to keep the game from stalling. This also runs into your next one. I will take control of characters, dictate minor actions like that. I will not make a major decision using a character, unless that player is unable to reach the game for some reason. And even then if it is possible for the other characters decide, they will. It is quite common for DMs on this site to express small actions, otherwise there is no interaction. I feel it would be quite normal from what I have seen is for Lyssa to glare at the carriage driver for being late. She has expressed nothing silent contempt for anyone who is less then equal to her standards, and she raised in a noble bearing.

My third and final point is probably one that you merely overlooked and forgot about as a GM, but I still find it relevant. At the lawyer's, Providence asked a question. A very reasonable one about law enforcement and how they should be able to take care of it. He even repeated that he was waiting for an answer to it. Personally, I agreed to the question as a player, but since it was already asked I didn't repeat it. You never really addressed the question, even though you did say "The gnome shrugs at your questions". The sort of "I don't know the answer to any of your questions" feels rather awkward in the eyes of a player, as we might as well have been completely silent. A good way to avoid that would have been to acknowledge the question in speech, but still give an indefinite "I don't know" answer. Makes asking questions feel more relevant and satisfactory.

Well he does not know. He has never been to the town, has not talked to the professor in over 15 years, and has left his office/city once in about 10 years.He got one letter about 5 months ago from the professor I am now in this village. He does not have an infinite sort of knowledge. He did acknowledge the question, and he answered your question. And then he went on to explain why he did not know anything. He went out of his way and did a little research between sending out the call for you to gather and you gathering, and that was to point you in the right direction.