Table talk (Bibracte)

Winds of Mundane Silence knock out supernatural abilities? That is very interesting.

Think extremely carefully about what your asking for. If an AC is convenient for the PCs, it will be just as convenient for NPCs.

IMO, the duration of such a letter is in days, as in less than a week, and is probably held for the duration before given to the Redcap for delivery, destroying any utility for use as an AC.

I might even argue Hours duration once it leaves the location.

Having taken a long nap since, and re-read the description of Winds of the Mundane Silence, I'm leaning toward "no" now. The text says that it "blows the magic away from an area, cancelling the effects of any spell there." It then goes on to specifically affect Parma Magica, also. So it may well not have any effect on other Supernatural Abilities. It cancels any spell (including, I assume, spells cast with an item) if the level of Winds + stress die is at least twice the level of the spell being possibly affected. It does need to penetrate if there's an active spell on someone or something with Magic Resistance or Parma Magica, and Parma is dissipated if the roll penetrates and is twice Parma x 5. So, it looks like it only affects Spells and not other Supernatural Abilities (except for Parma, which has its own specific mechanic). It also doesn't say that it only affects hermetic magic or that it needs a different spell for other magical traditions, so I'd lean toward it affecting all spells regardless of source.

Only if you consider that the Aegis as either a PeVi-like "Dispelling" effect or a ReVi-like "suppressing" effect.
If it does keep persons under a magical effect at bay (like Parma would), then, there's no problem, since Parma does not count as an active magical effect (parma isn't resisted by MR).

Looking oh HoH: MC p22
The Magical effect is active only at the moment of transformation. Once this is done, there's no active magic. So I'd say it isn't affected.
On the other hand, active effects, like a spell to change yourself into something, would be affected.

For the purpose of dispelling supernatural abilities with WomS, though, I'd do as with Parma, and consider that lvl = Ability *5. (The doubling is, as far as I can tell, because you need to beat MR. Note that this doesn't factor in the Vim score, which is probably an error)

Exactly. You have the choice of either the harder WomS, or the easier "specific magic" spell.

This comment wasn't received with the jest that was, I am assuming and hoping, it was intended. It hit me not long after amul revisited his frustration with me. That wasn't sitting particularly well with me, either. I thought I had explained the five year thing pretty well. I see things getting done that players had set their goals for pretty early on in the saga. I'm addressing story flaws now, and most of them also tie into the overall saga arc.

So I'm going to address amul's frustration. I believe amul is frustrated because he's taken on the bulk of planning for the Tribunal (which is what his character was "hired" to do). He also wants some level guarantee that the things that have been done are going to lead to a successful Tribunal and has been asking me to adjudicate that.

The duties required of the Tribunal host are pretty clear and I already stated them once, and even when you guys started going off on a tangent, I adjusted your discussion a bit and tried to get you to focus on what was required. Above and beyond that is an exercise for the players, and it isn't my place to be involved.

Going back on qcipher's comment. Yeah, I do expect players to read something. I don't mind pointing the way now and again or even swinging the clue-by-four, but I really do expect players to read my posts. I like to think I do leave some nuggets of information in them.

I'm extending the break I've taken since Sunday. I'm going on vacation next week, I plan to unplug a fair bit, so I'm not sure if I will do any posting. I think you have enough to do as far as satisfying your characters' goals for the five year interim.

Also, I'd like you guys to really think about the Tournament; Alexei said he isn't going to participate because he's princeps during that season. I'm suggesting as SG that it doesn't make a lot of sense for the champion of a game to not participate. His participation in The Joust is a big reason why you guys won the Tournament in 1221, further, you're going to be handicapped by Falconball (it's unseemly to win at a game of your own design).

(I do not say any of this to rekindle the tension, but because it seems like both JL and I have been doing a bad job of understanding the other person's perspective.)

To be clear, my frustration does not come from the quantity of work or the lack of affirmation regarding that work. Rather, the frustration I've been expressing comes from the "deadline shift" for that project on me. When I joined the campaign, you guys had covered about 2 years of game time over a year of real-time, and when I suggested making Viscaria a hireling who was working on the tribunal for Mons Electi, that was the pacing that I was anticipating, and that was the prospect that enticed me to join the campaign.

Moreover, I have not been asking you, JL, to adjudicate the long term success of the Tribunal plans. I have been asking you to fault-check my thinking (eg, "Is this a logical reaction to what's happening, or have I been reading things wrong?"), and I have been asking you to adjudicate the acquisition of resources to begin working on the project before you started roleplaying the Kind Word and Crowbar thread.

At this point, I think my frustration comes more from the lack of a clear understanding between you (JL) and I about what the expectations are regarding how to play this 5 year segment of time. I have had to plan Viscaria's actions around a goal which I thought I understood, but feel like JL has given me frequent hints that I have misunderstood the goal, without clarifying how. I have had to plan V's actions around the assumption of resources which I have repeatedly asked for but have yet to receive. I have to roleplay nearly all of the current "active story period" without knowing what sort of impact the 1st season will have on her (mind you, I'm not suggesting there's anything wrong with this last point, I am just saying it adds to my stress).

After the discussion this weekend, I would have said that I felt much closer to that understanding than before, but seeing that JL is still frustrated, now I am worried that I am continuing to misunderstand him.

The pacing is completely immaterial to your character to doing the work necessary for the Tribunal. Stories are about slice of life and addressing story flaws and other things that characters find necessary. Stories focusing on acquiring resources can be undertaken, once you (as in the players) determine what those resources are. I'm not going to decide that. The five year jump is a tool for me to focus on the story flaws, address the progression of time necessary to get to the Tribunal and Grand Tribunals. It was never my intention to "rob" the players of being able to do something. If you think I need to provide a story to account for a necessary resource, I can do it, you can write it up, and I can review/approve or we can handwave it.

Again, fault checking for what I've read through... I don't think that's up to me over and above what I have done. An example of that fault checking is the nixing of trying to add different contests to the Tournament.

Play it as you need to play it. I book ended your stories for a reason. I don't think I've given frequent hints, I think I've given sufficient guidance based on what I see the character having done. She didn't read the book, Fiona did. And I did say, early on what was required to all the players, but in a very basic manner. Let me ask a question that might open this up. How do you think the world will respond to your hosting duties?

I'd like a complete and concise list that simply summarizes what the covenant[1] needs. I don't want to read through several posts of discussion and get turned around and then misunderstand what was asked for. And as to stress, I think some of that is necessary for a good game/story. It may not feel good, but I think I can make the resolution payoff, that's up to me. Was PB stressed over the Duncan story? Don't know, but I hope so. qcipher about Alexei and his giant problem?

Saying some of this stuff out of character doesn't really let me get as good a payoff as if it were done within the story. Perhaps I haven't been repeating myself enough, and as time has passed certain things were forgotten. As far as I can tell, the requirements appear to have been met. Everything else is up to you guys. Again it's the how and why that makes it interesting, and in this instance, the players are responsible for the how and why, and I'm responsible for the reaction. This is actually a reversal of the standard story/game process. Welcome to the world of an SG (which I know you were), you're stressed out wondering if the players are going to think your stories are any good.

[1]The covenant, as in all the players coming to an agreement that yes, this is what we want. Then who's going to ask for it, and some nominal description of how they think they are going to acquire it.

Well, I have no clue if Isen is suited to this or not, but he can do it. Actually...
To hell with it. I don't like the publicity, and am ill-suited to this.
But if you're not gonna represent Mons Electi, someone ought to do it. And if I may, I think that Fiona would be awesome in the Joust, too

On an unrelated subject, watched the Dark Knight Rises. Some slow moments, some things I didn't like much, but otherwise, and globally, a fine and moving... well, movie. I have just one beef with it. Why, oh, why, did he have to go and pick Marion "Deep One" Cotillard? :unamused:

Which is why she's been trying to learn to ride and get something horse-like done before the next Tribunal.

Well...one of the things I think we should do at this point is have Alexei be 'talked into' competing in the joust. He felt that it wouldn't be proper, but the fact is he'd definitely want to compete and defend his title.

V would be on that team. Shall we start a thread where we hold an intervention over dinner?

After "drinking from the fire hose" at work the last two weeks, I'm trying to catch up in Ars. Anything I need to know right now that is not in a thread just for Korvin?

Yes, and no. IMO, everything that's in play is in the realm of the players and their interactions. You guys can interact, or you can rely on me to provide all the interaction. I have the sense that much (too much) is reliant on me.
There's the discussion of the Tribunal (is everyone signed off on what's to be done?), Viscaria's ascension to a full member rather than a peregrinator. I'm sure there's plenty to do that is inter-character and can build a richer story filling in the gaps for a five year period. I'm responding on my phone and on vacation, and am mostly unplugged from this saga for the week, if something urgently needs my attention (before next Monday/Tuesday) PM me and I'll respond as soon as I have time. I'll pick up my stories starting sometime next week.

Net casting spider: making me even more terrified of my own PC.

bbc.co.uk/nature/18990161

Next Wednesday the 8th, I am leaving for Texas, and not back home until the night of the 20th. Flying into Houston, staying there for a couple of days, driving up to Austin for the next week, back to Houston probably Sunday the 19th.

Also, this Saturday I will be away all day. Going to New York to see the Mariners (riding a six-game winning streak, yay!) play the Damn Yankees at Mos Eisley Stadium.

So, little progressed on the Tribunal, or at least I can't determine if everyone is signed off and ready to go on it. We have a bit of time before things get underway, since I have yet to complete Viscaria's story which amul thinks will color how things progress for his five years. As that story progresses, I'd like to see the plans your characters have take a firmer shape...as in implemented.

Stated or obvious (to me) goals for the Tribunal period
Fiona has the Giant Summit she wants, if she wants it then, she can probably set it up to happen after the tournament, perhaps even creating housing of sufficient size for them to use. Then contacting all the giants, which she has started doing.
I had thought that Korvin would be interested in trying to control or manage the Hermetic Fair that coincides with Tribunal and Tournament, given his lineage and the fractures within his House. He doesn't have to, but it's definitely possible with a Redcap and a Magical Mercere.
Alexei wants to show of the grogs, how is he organizing them? I've never been 100% clear as to how the grogs have been trained and prepared to work as a unit. It's a stated goal for Alexei to compete in a Flambeau Tournament, having a healthy cadre of grogs is part and parcel of that, and is ostensibly his stated responsibility. Also, there is the Melee part of the Tournament, which is an event for grogs or at least the non magically inclined.
Viscaria is building everything...but is what she is building meeting with everyone's approval. Do the magi of Mons Electi attempt to micromanage her or set things up just so, to their prefrences?
Isen is doing...what? I'm sure it's not a lot given The Fixer's time/posting constraints.

How do the magi expect to avail themselves of their guests during this time? How are the staff going to be trained and selected (consider that there are a lot of magi for them to become annoyed with, and new magi means becoming used to the Gift is out, as it is becoming used to a specific magus or maga). How are magi goign to come and go? How are the players going to keep other magi from going over to visit the castle when there is going to be a nice fancy bridge for them to walk across? (I'm assuming the placement of the Hermes Portal was going to be done somewhere within the Tribunal village... Yeah, that last one is a bit of a hint, but I think that it is necessary to outline that potential logistics problem, and then other problems are for you, the players to identify and solve.

There's all sorts of things that are to be done around Mons Electi, too. I've purposely ignored developing the covenant, because I wanted the players to do this. Things will eventually start breaking down, because the rotating princeps thing was never designed to work over the long term. I already exploited the lack of a security plan and watch detail once. Finances are something I can touch on, and so on and so forth...

Melanie, you've got some RL competition...
A marathon is just a training exercise for him...

"Oh, it is on!" :smiley:

How does the fair normally run? I doubt I can control it as the Senior Redcap in the Tribunal would run it and he and I do not seem to be on the best terms.

I am going to send out some letters to Gifted Mercere to try to get some of them to come.