OOC: Building the Tribunal Field

[amul]

@Jonathan.Link

@amul

If you're going to say that 1222 is completely over, then why hasn't the year's worth of effort trading in 1222 been resolved yet? I posted the compiled list in January, and then reposted in this thread at the end of May. I realize that there's going to be some overlap with the stuff we get from Confluensis, but trade is a form of politics.

Can you indicate that post?

It's this entire thread, Jonathan. After hearing nothing in response to the list we generated collectively in the IC Tribunal Prep thread for six months, I collated the complete list, and then made separate posts with the design of the suggested spells, all of which was culled from the Tribunal Prep IC thread, in an effort to reduce your workload. After not hearing any response from you for nearly a month, I once again posted a request with link in this thread, and then continued to prod you at intervals about it.

The only post I recall is something about trading with Phoenix, but it was OOC, and to my recollection Viscaria hasn't done anything IC to facilitate that trade. If there's something else, you can be sure that it has fallen off my radar, or it was discussed OOC and I didn't have a clear consensus from the players that was the direction desired.

This is extremely frustrating to me. I feel like I have done everything I can while still being polite about bringing this list to your attention. It is part of the reason why I post so rarely, because this list still hasn't been addressed in half a year and it is critical to my character's plans.

As far as doing it in character goes, you've been running a campaign where discussing an intention is usually the only thing you need to do to indicate that you want to begin that intention. Our PCs came up with a list of the sorts of spells we needed and then designed example versions that might be available for sale. I stated under seasonal activities thread that I was going to spend the year sending out inquiries about this list. I have repeatedly asked you for updates about it, especially when you started saying that we were closing 1222, to which you responded, "Oh, get the stuff from Confluensis first." If you wanted me to do it in character, then this was not clear to me until now, at which point you are saying that it is too late to go back.

I posted that in seasonal activities and didn't write any letters out to specific magi because at that point, I was still pretty new to the campaign and wasn't sure how much emphasis you wanted to place on it.

Your point about trade being a form of politics is correct, but I'm not sure where you're going with it. The reason 1222 is shut down is that I don't want to do any other stories for 1222. If you want to clarify a list of things you want in 1222 and how long you want them for, what you're willing to trade for them, we'll resolve it that way. If you want to go to Confluensis, it's waiting until 1223.

You indicated during the 1221 tribunal threads that the stuff at Confluensis wasn't valuable to Le Maison, and that they didn't use any of it. As lab texts for closely related items aren't useful, and lab texts for closely related spells are only useful if you memorize them first (and I don't know if I have time to memorize them), the only real value I perceive in going to Confluensis is the RP value (which is why I suggested that Renauld go and then Viscaria also stop by, and am now trying to double-down on this suggestion).

And to be perfectly, repetitively clear on this point, we developed a list and asked for it back in January and have been updating and maintaining it while waiting for you to respond.

At this point in the game, we've already written out our plans from now until Tribunal, so much of the "fluff RP" stuff I had included in that list is no longer relevant, and the resources that might have been valuable now have to be shoe-horned into existing plans that are pretty full: things like journals of magi who have attended previous tribunals (which, by the by, would have given Viscaria the excuse to go snooping for clues to her mother); books on roman city design; books on Normandy Tribunal Lore; on running a Tribunal; etc, etc

Lab Texts only need to be "borrowed" for the season I'd be using them (as laid out on the spreadsheet), but I assume we have to buy copies outright.

What we need now is a summation of what the RP experience of interacting with the other covenants was during 1222, so that we can continue to build on that during this period.

@amul

Things like acquiring mundane books on architecture from Valnastium indicate that we want to maintain ties to Andru after Apollodorus's death. The way in which the various other covenants respond to our trade requests (not just for lab texts, but also for the various mundane labors and furniture on that list) would indicate their awareness of and response to the attack on Mons Electi. Not to mention that we're going to have opinions about the other covenants based on what sort of gifts they donate to the A&S competition, and how they react to our other trade efforts.

Of course they are aware of the response and attack on Mons Electi; this is the reason Laetitia was invited to take Apollodorus's chair in Valnastium. A&S competition? I'm lost on that one. Again, if you want something from Andru, you need to ask for it, somehow... I don't recall a letter or anything being written to ask for something.

I don't know what this thing with a chair in Valnastium is.

A&S competition - the Exhibition Hall will prominently display the finest works of each participating covenant's mundane craftsmen and covenfolk. Prizes are to be awarded, but we haven't figured out what or how they're acquired. I indicated in the compiled list that we'd go looking into it.

The example of Valnastium is a bit misleading, because I, the player, only discovered that Valnastium has a huge mundane library earlier this week. I didn't ask Andru directly, because I didn't know Andru would have anything of particular value. Instead I stated that I sent out general feelers, in an effort to learn who would have what.

@amul

As far as getting Renauld to Confluensis, do you need me to start a chapter where Theraphosa asks him to make that journey in Viscaria's place? It'd be cool to have other PCs in Confluensis when Lapis Crudis shows up, and once we have that list (and Fiona's trip to Durenmar is resolved), we'll have many reasons to interact with other covenants.

I need at least the player's agreement that he'll do the story. He's a Lone Redcap and has been for some time, you have to appeal to something other than his duty to the Order. He has a huge gaping need that needs to be addressed before too much longer, and that's all I'm going to say about that. I'm perhaps speaking for jebrick here, but that's the way I see it. Almost any other redcap you can ask and get them to do it out of a sense of duty (and a modest payment), but strangely since summer 1222 they've been less available to Mons Electi.

Can you explain to me why we can't use the same non-linear storytelling approach here that we've been using elsewhere? We have a chapter begun where Renaud is being propositioned by the PCs, and we have a player who wishes to use that character as a companion. Can we not assume some common ground will be found?

To make an observation: this covenant is run like a poorly managed volunteer organization where most of the volunteers do one of three things: over-promise and under-deliver, pay attention to only their particular area of interest, treat it as a social club. Perhaps this is by design, and when I say design, I say that this was a possible outcome of setting the covenant up the way I did...

This observation would be more cutting to me if I had not spent the 6-7 months waiting for you to respond to my efforts to begin diplomatic efforts with covenants for trade. You may recall that I specifically objected to doing a five year jump because I wanted my character to be pursuing the Tribunal project in detail. You've created a massive political plotline and are having us montage through it.