Not at all. I'm happy to see other people involved. And I like the navigation aid on each page.
Okay, the names currently on the wiki are all entered into the alphabetical list. People should feel free to add any names they notice are missing.
Also, expect me to introduce grogs named Quinten, Umar, and Zebulon at my earliest opportunity. (We have no entries for Q, U, and Z.)
(moving this to General Discussion, so as not to disrupt the flow of the story in War in the Roses (spring 1237) more than necessary).
I say this with the caveat that I've never actually used the Group Combat rules (that I can recall). But isn't the point of using Group Combat is that the members of the group don't get individual actions when they're in combat? My understanding is that he leader or vanguard rolls the Attack and Defense (using his stats), and hits as many times as there are Members. For example, for Roberto's group, Marko would roll (or someone for him) an Attack and Defense roll, and would inflict that many wounds on the other group, divided as evenly among the group as possible (with the Vanguard taking at least as many as everyone else).
Yes, but their scores (attk, Def, soak and damage) need to be within +/-5 of each other, which certainly does not apply to casting pillum of fire.
The rules seem to assume that groups mostly consist of grogs (where actions are concerned). With companions and magi operating independently. Companions and magi can still make use of group of grogs, however, by using the Defender rules. A group of grogs can defend, e.g., a companion and the companion and the grogs may attack whomever they like (either the same target or a different target in reach): but the companion cannot be injured while his defenders still live and breathe.
Why is it so many other have such trouble with Group Combat and Fast Cast spells?
Roberto is part of a Group, and the group acts on Init 7. I an voluntarilly holding my action to avoid confusion.
However, Roberto has Fast-Cast a spell, which has nothing to do with his Group. He and his group still have an action coming. Fast Casting a spell has nothing to do with it. That counts as an extra action. I can do it again, and again & again, if my Fast Cast Speed roll continues to beat an 11. And I can take my normal action in addition to that.
In theory, I could have taken normal action first, and something happens after that inspires a fast cast. And I luck out and succeed a FC roll 3 times in a row. Those are retroactively resolved before the normal action is applied.
When and how could this theoretical situation arise?
Say we are fighting an enemy wizard and his grogs. His Init is low, I attack first. He can FC a spont to mess up my attack, I can FC to counter it, he FCs to counter my counter, etceteras.
A: Because the rules are savagely unclear.
David Chart once said:
You once said:
Then why can Roberto fast-cast an offensive spell (you were casting a fire attacking spell from memory?) at the beginning as fast cast? He is not reacting to anything additional from when combat was initiated.
The rules are quite clear that you can only Fast Cast in response to some sort of action (an attack or surprise in the book). The "intent" of the rules to not allow someone to Fast Cast and cast a normal spell in the round though...appears nowhere in the text. Like, it's not even suggested in any meaningful capacity that this was the intention.
If that was the intention, it's a tremendous oversight. So large an oversight, in fact, it should have been in the errata. It isn't.
So as far as my interpretation goes, you get your standard action as normal. And in response to a deadly situation (someone trying to stab you), or unforeseen occurrence (e.g. rock slide) you can attempt to Fast Cast a spell to deal with the problem. You need to roll to ensure you're fast enough for your Fast Cast to go off before the triggering event; there's an ease factor to beat. If you succeed on the ease factor roll, you can fast cast again in response to something else later in the round (with a hefty cumulative -6 penalty).
If you fail the ease factor, you don't fast cast successfully (whatever's trying to get you, gets you before you can cast), can't attempt to fast cast again during this round and need to wait for your next proper action to do something else.
Fair enough, happy to use whatever rules are agreed.
The comment about "why is this so confusing" miffed me as I've seen many posts about this with debate between experienced players, and I've tried to explain this multiple times in my own groups. When meta-magic and group combat rules are added, a worked example in RAW would have helped. It's probably just that it's Monday morning too.
Actually, I wasn't even talking about Roberto fast-casting a spell (which, honestly, I hadn't noticed).
I was specifically talking about "Which means Petrus and Acutus may still act this round." The Group Combat rules indicate to me that if a combatant is part of the group, they don't take individual actions for as long as they're part of the group, but instead use the Group Damage rules instead.
If this is incorrect, and that members of a group can take individual actions and attack/defend as part of a group, that should be clear. As Ironboundtome said, the Group Combat rules are somewhat vague in some rather critical areas.
And I'd rather not get into a discussion about fast-casting, because that's not germane to the discussion at hand.
It is good to have a Fast Cast discussion. And better here than in story. As fot that story, the point is moot and nothing needs to be changed.
Anyway...
If my bemoaning that this makes everyone confused "miffs" you, I apologize. But get used to it. I am really talented at angering people and usually my response to that is a suggestion to have thicker skin.
I bemoan it because it seems so very simple and straight forward and obvious to me. Yet so very many people get confused by it, I wanna bang my head against the wall sometimes!
In truth, there was no real hope or intent to take the beast out. I simply noticed a paralysis of indecision, so I took an action to get things moving again.
If there needs to be an in-game inspiration for Roberto to Fast Cast, a "reaction", it is that I saw some creature run past me headed for Fleur and Pete imobilized with indecision (for a week) so Roberto tried to take it out before it got to her.
It was a Formulaic Spell, Mastery 4, with Fast Cast as one of my picks.
I also wanted to show, by example, that Confidence can be spent on Initiative.
Anyway, I don't want to cast another spell. Not at all! I do deserve an action this round at Init 7, but as I said I am willing to hold off. Let other people get their shots in.
All I wanted to do is get the story moving so that eventually maybe a week or two, Roberto can one day get a turn to act.
So really there is no issue. Just whomever is playing Petrus need to wake up and take their turn. Then the others. Click & move people 
Having had the fast cast discussion with Marko before, be aware that while in some areas he is normally easy going, this subject is the exception. This is a subject where Marko seems unwilling to give, despite so many disagreeing with him.
I'll have a read through the campaign magic rules again. I'm ok with whatever way the saga wants to run it. If my apprentice ever gets to casting violent ribbons of incandescent fire I'm sure I'll enjoy it regardless.
Edit: in fact I get the sense that it's very similar to how I thought it worked in a blog post a few years back.
can you tell me where this is, because this is the part I could not find.
The Fast Casting rules detail a scenario where you can act outside the regular turn-order (i.e. you can fast cast in response to some attack or surprise). The rules make no mention of replacing - or being instead of - the other situations where you can take action (at the start of your turn, etc).
In other words, fast casting and regular actions aren't called out as being mutually exclusive. So there's nothing to stop you from taking your normal turn, and then fast casting if you encounter a situation that makes you eligible to fast cast.
Cannonball understands what I am trying t communicate
JL, this isn't even one of my tricky Fast Cast uses. This was very straightforward and regular with no expected results.
Marko, I'll agree to disagree about fast cast. I find the use referenced here to be beyond RAW. No, the point I was trying to make is that you have an interpretation and don't really stray from that interpretation.
Your syntax went wobbly. Either auto-correct mangled you or I am missing something.
Yeah edited it
Hurm. Seems pretty straightforward raw to me. I have a normal action, and in reaction to a situation, I fast cast a spell (for cosmetic fluff). What is abnormal about that?
Mind you, that situation has passed and worked out fine. There are no revisions or changes desired. In this discussion, I am just trying to lay some groundwork for the future.