Post by Kironome on Mar 2, 2012 12:23:26 GMT -7
Ok, so I'm going to explain here a few things that are going to run a little differently than the other game I ran. Based on how that one flowed and my experiences participating in other online play by post campaigns....i think these changes will be for the better 
. However, some of this will require you guys to do a little more "work" for each of your posts.
For the most part, posting should come naturally. And, when you're not in combat, actions and such are much more fluid. In cases such as these, there really wont be a format. In general you should write what you feel, think, say, do and then add the dice rolls to the bottom of the post as needed. Here's a quick example of non-combat posting:
Jorad walks quietly through the dimly lit hallways of the star destroyer. Based on what he saw, they had clearly seen some battle. Reflecting he wondered if he would ever see his family again. He knew going in that this might be a one way trip, but if he could trigger the self destruct sequence perhaps the republic could win this battle. As he walked, his eyes flicked from shadow to shadow trying to ensure that no one caught him off guard. I would really just like this to be done with. Its too quiet. He thought to himself. Then, stepping around the corner he ran directly into a small group of storm troopers, "Damn!" He exclaimed.
Move Silently: [dice=20+5]
Spot: [dice=20+3]
Ok, so to point out a few things. His thoughts are in italics, and all thoughts should be put in italics. Additionally, his dialogue was quotations. Please be sure to have all dialogue in quotes and if you'd like, you can bold the text to make it more visible. Then, he added the dice rolls needed at the end of his post. Attempting to be quiet as he moved, he needed to make a Move Silently Roll, and then because he was trying to see things that could be hidden in the shadows...he needed to roll a spot check.
Moving on. Things will get much more strict when in combat. First, I will put at the top of each of my posts, an updated Map (if needed) and the stats of the various enemies. For this example there are three storm troopers so I'll post something like this:
Enemy/ Location / Vitality / Wound / Defense / Fortitude / Reflex / Will / Damage Reduction /
Storm1 / J14 / 2 / 12 / 8 / 13 / 9 / 5 / 2
Storm2 / J17 / 2 / 12 / 12 / 12 / 11 / 7 / 2
Storm3 / K15 / 2 / 12 / 12 / 17 / 14 / 9 / 2
First and foremost you should write a breakdown of each of your actions. In a combat round you each get a movement action and a standard action (or two movements or two equivalent actions). Then, Directly after your actions, do your dice rolls.
So, that post should be started with this:
Movement: From I10 to I9, using wall as cover
Free Action: Draw Blaster (Quick Draw Feat)
Standard Action: Attack against Stormtrooper at J14, Hit with 9 dealing 2 damage. Stormtrooper isn't knocked out.
Attack Roll: [dice=20+5]
Damage Roll (If attack Hits): [dice=6][dice=6]
Now, you may be thinking....how will I know my dice results before I post? You wont....so go ahead and post your reply and then, looking at the dice results...go back and modify your post once you know what your numbers are.
Ok, now comes the " more work" part. Rather than have you guys always wait on me for the results of attacks and the like (AND so you can RP your results rather than me always doing it for you), you can compare your dice results to the stats I gave earlier.
Since Jorad attacked the trooper at J14 we’d look at his stats above. To see if he hit, Jorad would compare his attack roll to the trooper’s defense. If his roll is equal to or higher, then he hits. Jorad got a 9 for his attack roll and the troopers defense is 8, so he hits!
Now he needs to see how much damage he did. To do this he would look at the Troopers Vitality points and Wound points which are 2 and 12, respectively. When attacking and damaging an enemy you always decrease its vitality points first! When attacking Vitality you don't need to consider armor rating, so with Jorad’s 6 damage, he reduces the Trooper’s vitality to 0 and then moves on to see how much Wound damage he does (Leaving 4 point of damage to continue calculating with).
Wound damage is generally protected by armor, and each armor has a different armor rating and damage reduction. This storm trooper’s armor’s damage reduction is 2. So, in order to find out how much damage Jorad does, he has to subtract the damage reduction from his shots damage. Having already done 2 damage, Jorad’s shot has 4 damage left. We take that minus the damage reduction (4-2) to get the amount of Wound damage done, which is 2.
Now, because the trooper took wound damage there is a chance his becomes knocked out. In order to determine if the Trooper is knocked out, Jorad has to calculate the dice check needed for the stormtrooper to stay conscious and then compare it to the trooper's fortitude saving throw (or fortitude in that stats above). To find out the dice check, you always start with 5 (as stated in the rulebook) and then add the actual amount of wound damage taken. The trooper took 2 Wound damage after his armor’s damage reduction, so for this trooper the dice check is 5+2 = 7. Then, you compare that number to the Troopers fortitude. If the Dice check is above their fortitude they are knocked out! Sadly, 7< 13, so the trooper stays conscious.
Finally, go ahead and write about what happened!
Now, I still would like things to be narrative as the other post. What I dont want to see is, "Jorad shot his gun at a storm trooper"........write something that would be much more interesting for me and everyone else to read could be this:
Jorad's eyes widened as he rounded the corner. Involuntarily exclaiming, "SHIT," he ducked back around the corner. His years of handling weapons allowed him to quickly take his blaster pistol out of his holster and arm it all in one action. Hoping to dodge the stormtrooper's shots he peeked around the corner and loosed a few blaster bolts at the nearest one. Just one more setback, he thought, distressed. Luckily, his shots connected and Jorad's face brightened. He always enjoyed killing those dirty clones. Unfortunately, the armor seemed to absorb the brunt of the attack and he remained standing.
Also, don't let this freak you out. Its a lot to take in and consider for each post, but it'll go faster the more times you post. And, especially for the first several posts, if you miss something or do something wrong or need help / more explanation, don't worry. We're all learning, and I'll be glad to help
[rand=59144246438518174795519870240241310477792588062584016679039457812905]
. However, some of this will require you guys to do a little more "work" for each of your posts.For the most part, posting should come naturally. And, when you're not in combat, actions and such are much more fluid. In cases such as these, there really wont be a format. In general you should write what you feel, think, say, do and then add the dice rolls to the bottom of the post as needed. Here's a quick example of non-combat posting:
Jorad walks quietly through the dimly lit hallways of the star destroyer. Based on what he saw, they had clearly seen some battle. Reflecting he wondered if he would ever see his family again. He knew going in that this might be a one way trip, but if he could trigger the self destruct sequence perhaps the republic could win this battle. As he walked, his eyes flicked from shadow to shadow trying to ensure that no one caught him off guard. I would really just like this to be done with. Its too quiet. He thought to himself. Then, stepping around the corner he ran directly into a small group of storm troopers, "Damn!" He exclaimed.
Move Silently: [dice=20+5]
Spot: [dice=20+3]
Ok, so to point out a few things. His thoughts are in italics, and all thoughts should be put in italics. Additionally, his dialogue was quotations. Please be sure to have all dialogue in quotes and if you'd like, you can bold the text to make it more visible. Then, he added the dice rolls needed at the end of his post. Attempting to be quiet as he moved, he needed to make a Move Silently Roll, and then because he was trying to see things that could be hidden in the shadows...he needed to roll a spot check.
Moving on. Things will get much more strict when in combat. First, I will put at the top of each of my posts, an updated Map (if needed) and the stats of the various enemies. For this example there are three storm troopers so I'll post something like this:
Enemy/ Location / Vitality / Wound / Defense / Fortitude / Reflex / Will / Damage Reduction /
Storm1 / J14 / 2 / 12 / 8 / 13 / 9 / 5 / 2
Storm2 / J17 / 2 / 12 / 12 / 12 / 11 / 7 / 2
Storm3 / K15 / 2 / 12 / 12 / 17 / 14 / 9 / 2
First and foremost you should write a breakdown of each of your actions. In a combat round you each get a movement action and a standard action (or two movements or two equivalent actions). Then, Directly after your actions, do your dice rolls.
So, that post should be started with this:
Movement: From I10 to I9, using wall as cover
Free Action: Draw Blaster (Quick Draw Feat)
Standard Action: Attack against Stormtrooper at J14, Hit with 9 dealing 2 damage. Stormtrooper isn't knocked out.
Attack Roll: [dice=20+5]
Damage Roll (If attack Hits): [dice=6][dice=6]
Now, you may be thinking....how will I know my dice results before I post? You wont....so go ahead and post your reply and then, looking at the dice results...go back and modify your post once you know what your numbers are.
Ok, now comes the " more work" part. Rather than have you guys always wait on me for the results of attacks and the like (AND so you can RP your results rather than me always doing it for you), you can compare your dice results to the stats I gave earlier.
Since Jorad attacked the trooper at J14 we’d look at his stats above. To see if he hit, Jorad would compare his attack roll to the trooper’s defense. If his roll is equal to or higher, then he hits. Jorad got a 9 for his attack roll and the troopers defense is 8, so he hits!
Now he needs to see how much damage he did. To do this he would look at the Troopers Vitality points and Wound points which are 2 and 12, respectively. When attacking and damaging an enemy you always decrease its vitality points first! When attacking Vitality you don't need to consider armor rating, so with Jorad’s 6 damage, he reduces the Trooper’s vitality to 0 and then moves on to see how much Wound damage he does (Leaving 4 point of damage to continue calculating with).
Wound damage is generally protected by armor, and each armor has a different armor rating and damage reduction. This storm trooper’s armor’s damage reduction is 2. So, in order to find out how much damage Jorad does, he has to subtract the damage reduction from his shots damage. Having already done 2 damage, Jorad’s shot has 4 damage left. We take that minus the damage reduction (4-2) to get the amount of Wound damage done, which is 2.
Now, because the trooper took wound damage there is a chance his becomes knocked out. In order to determine if the Trooper is knocked out, Jorad has to calculate the dice check needed for the stormtrooper to stay conscious and then compare it to the trooper's fortitude saving throw (or fortitude in that stats above). To find out the dice check, you always start with 5 (as stated in the rulebook) and then add the actual amount of wound damage taken. The trooper took 2 Wound damage after his armor’s damage reduction, so for this trooper the dice check is 5+2 = 7. Then, you compare that number to the Troopers fortitude. If the Dice check is above their fortitude they are knocked out! Sadly, 7< 13, so the trooper stays conscious.
Finally, go ahead and write about what happened!
Now, I still would like things to be narrative as the other post. What I dont want to see is, "Jorad shot his gun at a storm trooper"........write something that would be much more interesting for me and everyone else to read could be this:
Jorad's eyes widened as he rounded the corner. Involuntarily exclaiming, "SHIT," he ducked back around the corner. His years of handling weapons allowed him to quickly take his blaster pistol out of his holster and arm it all in one action. Hoping to dodge the stormtrooper's shots he peeked around the corner and loosed a few blaster bolts at the nearest one. Just one more setback, he thought, distressed. Luckily, his shots connected and Jorad's face brightened. He always enjoyed killing those dirty clones. Unfortunately, the armor seemed to absorb the brunt of the attack and he remained standing.
Also, don't let this freak you out. Its a lot to take in and consider for each post, but it'll go faster the more times you post. And, especially for the first several posts, if you miss something or do something wrong or need help / more explanation, don't worry. We're all learning, and I'll be glad to help
[rand=59144246438518174795519870240241310477792588062584016679039457812905]