The Harbinger of Ferocity

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

The attack on the huntsman as he shifted into place on the other side of the trap threw him for a moment from his routine, as it came from behind. Instinctively, with barely contained restraint, he wheeled around and was set to strike back, only for the young priestess to be full of shock and apology, the poison making her woozy and clouded in thought. The reactionary measure and barely stayed swing of the sword's bite delayed him further, only to be struck by a stone cast by the kobolds. It really them more than anything that redirected the menacing ire but by now they were already prepared for a fight. Owing to this, the incoherent attack and lack of true surprise made the weapon far easier to avoid as the man closed the distance, putting himself among the scaly fiends.

What was not easier for them was that their slings were not nearly as useful in close combat and that they would need make a choice between them and their other weapons scattered about. Or better yet, if they fled. Brannor had no qualms about felling the leading edge of the two-handed blade down atop them if they so much as turned for a break and escape. They were not worth the consideration, not after all they had done in service to this dragon-queen and with the added misfortune that mercy was not the strongest of suits to test with the wilder.

Effects

Brannor closes the distance to the enemies, being on the other side of the trap, then makes an attack against one of the kobolds with his greatsword, rolling an 8 to hit. If an enemy provokes an attack of opportunity, he will take the attack against the first provoking target.

@Hekazu@Ryonara@Zverda@Lucius Cypher@Norschtalen

The Twenty-Fifth Hour

@Pyromaniacwolf

Still interested although I'm curious as to what the exact setting of the RP will be?

The exact setting will be determined by the players, depending upon what is done once the game is initiated. By virtue, this makes the start of the game extremely important and quickly sets the tone and direction. The two most major paths it can take is toward fantasy or science fiction but it may branch into other elements. That is purely up to the decisions and actions - or lack thereof - from the players.

And the way this has been described makes it seem as though all the players are in control of the same character, which is completely fine by me I just want to make sure My sleep deprived mind isn't reading it wrong.

You are correct, all players are in control of one singular character. There is only one main character. All other characters, if any, are under the assumption of the Game Master who controls them as individual entities. This is to prevent the narrative from splintering into a thousand directions when presented with what amounts to grand levels of free will, limited only by where one falls in posting order.

Part of me is liking the potential of this turning into a kind of weird meta horror where the character becomes aware they're being dragged around on different directions by different individual forces but I'm not sure that's exactly the desired theme here.

This outcome is entirely possible based upon decisions taken by the party. It is not out of the question that the character starts to realize they are being pulled in many directions. However, there is truly no telling or knowing just where the narrative may go.

The Twenty-Fifth Hour

The Twenty-Fifth Hour

---

Concept

The Twenty-Fifth Hour is conceptualized as a forum variant incarnation of classical text-based games, wherein the players offer very limited input via posts and the character in question, as described by the Game Master, responds to that input. Such a limited input would be no more than three mildly complex sentences that describe actions, reactions, dialogue both inner or outer and so forth. The intent is to create a dynamic and reactive experience where the players' choices matter more based on what few things they can manage with the character, rather than through their elaboration or length. Furthermore, in paying homage to these far more crude text-based games, the responses given by the Game Master are more elaborate and lengthy, so as to provide players with critical information, but not to exceed two complex paragraphs.

Continued, to foster a sense of urgency in posting, the most recent posting player in response to the Game Master's reply is the one who decides the next series of actions. However, once they have posted and the next reply sent, they may not again determine the events carried out; another player in the group must post before they may again. It remains despite this, a "first come, first served" mentality. The goal of the players is to create a unified narrative between them and guide the shared character to success. Because, keeping with older design philosophy, punishment and failure are real threats; failure means defeat and presumably death for the character in some cases. To help further incentivize players, all aspects of the character are driven by their decisions, the Game Master merely plays out the outcome of those decisions almost akin to an invisible driving mechanism for the narrative, rather than making them for the players.

As imagined, the game leans conceptually toward a more mature take on its elements and is intended to be played seriously. There is an underlying sense of something strange involved, as one would suspect when the narrative is initially vary malleable and only further evolves as players refine it by their choices, thus horror could be considered an undertone but not the focus. No less, because it generates dynamically, there is no real prediction what other genre it will branch into or borrow from; all the Game Master can do is interpret the inputs of the players and attempt to use context to guide the narrative. This further adds incentive for players to try to be cohesive and collaborate to build a narrative, as incompatible elements amount to a waste of time and thus a turn.

The game is not intended for more than five players, with two at minimum preferred in order to alternate. It is not intended for parties who have no interest in potentially mature themes, i.e., descriptive violence. There is no element in its intended concept to appeal to all individuals; this topic's "game" is for a niche audience and is meant to play differently. It is strictly meant to be an elaboration of text-based adventure games of old in a slightly different medium and with a group playing a singular character.

Sample

"I stop where I am and decide to hide in the bushes. I then check my inventory for binoculars, hoping I have a pair. From there, I look at the strange tree and investigate it, watching it for a few minutes."

Player

"You rummage through your crude hiking pack, hoping that you might have something of use. Fortunately, fate would have it that your binoculars made it through the events that led you here, still functional as they had been, albeit slightly worse for wear. Despite their damage, upon adjusting them to your eyes in the dying light of the evening, they reveal that the strange tree on the horizon was worthy of being suspicious of. Odd, filament like sprigs hang from its branches, reminding you of a weeping willow, although the uncharacteristic grey bark of the tree and its ominous cracked wood suggests there is more to it."

"You notice, as you hide in the undergrowth, that there are no sounds of birds. This wasn't the case earlier and now the lack of any animals around you at all is mildly disquieting. It becomes evident the longer you observe your surroundings over your period of concealment that something is terribly wrong but you cannot quite put your finger on it. Whatever it is, the uncanny circumstance is foreboding and troubling internally. With this in mind, you return your attention to the unsettling, pale tree as it remains still in the silent forest."

Game Master

Expectations

The expectations are exceedingly simple. The Game Master has the final say on any event and the parties involved, both in the meta and the game itself. Players who become inactive will be discredited and eschewed from the game, as will invalid entries, such as those by non-sanctioned parties or players in any violation of rules associated with the forum by their proposed action. Posts should come daily by at least one member, so long as they are not determining the actions twice; any period of delay more than a few days will result in the game automatically progressing as if the character's decision was to do nothing.

Questions

Interested parties that wish to know about any further details not outlined in this post may pose their comments, concerns, and questions to follow. Responses to these will appear in this section for further use in a typical "Question and Answer" format to serve as a registry for potentially other interested parties and or readers. Please check this section before posing any remarks. If a response from the Game Master is unclear, despite the message already being included here, please specify the issue taken.

Questions and Answers

Still interested although I'm curious as to what the exact setting of the RP will be?

The exact setting will be determined by the players, depending upon what is done once the game is initiated. By virtue, this makes the start of the game extremely important and quickly sets the tone and direction. The two most major paths it can take is toward fantasy or science fiction but it may branch into other elements. That is purely up to the decisions and actions - or lack thereof - from the players.

And the way this has been described makes it seem as though all the players are in control of the same character, which is completely fine by me I just want to make sure My sleep deprived mind isn't reading it wrong.

You are correct, all players are in control of one singular character. There is only one main character. All other characters, if any, are under the assumption of the Game Master who controls them as individual entities. This is to prevent the narrative from splintering into a thousand directions when presented with what amounts to grand levels of free will, limited only by where one falls in posting order.

Part of me is liking the potential of this turning into a kind of weird meta horror where the character becomes aware they're being dragged around on different directions by different individual forces but I'm not sure that's exactly the desired theme here.

This outcome is entirely possible based upon decisions taken by the party. It is not out of the question that the character starts to realize they are being pulled in many directions. However, there is truly no telling or knowing just where the narrative may go.

Mentions

The following are persons who previously voiced interest. If you are receiving this notice, please respond with a confirmation of continued interest or a declaration of abstaining upon knowing more: @DocRock, @Polybius, @Pyromaniacwolf.

Give Me Your Favorite Quote(s).

"When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport; when a tiger wants to murder him he calls it ferocity."

George Bernard Shaw

Post a random fact about yourself.

I have just now come to the realization the sheer irony of my giving "Likes" in reply with a thumbs up icon as something that specifically and notably lacks thumbs. Given that I as well am not polydactyl, an exception to the rule but something felids are known for, this only makes it more entertaining. Yet, in hindsight for some unknown reason this register took until now to strike me, although on other services and in other mediums that use the icon I had thought of from the moment I arrived.

On the more related note of temperature, I am strongly biased toward the cold, although warm ambient sunlight to bask in is a particular favorite. Natural cold endurance and resistance is a wonderful perk of resilience to have, barring any place known for heat and humidity.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Assuming the enemy is unaware and that the group intends to more or less pounce with the element of surprise, is it reasonable to assume those jumping the gap - as they are coordinating it to do so - receive that as their surprise round and combat proceeds with them on the other side from there, @Hekazu? As well, Brannor has a 9 for the initiative check.

Let's Talk: Why Can't We Be Friends?

There, now that is an actual element of discussion, thank you, @GingerBoi123. The first sentence is entirely true, yes, but from thereon out it appears the distinction was somewhat lost. As a preface, blacklisting and banning people was common on old forums throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s and I in no way specifically attributed this one; I can speak not at all to anything that happened here until some five years ago and would be wrong to pretend to know anything of it because the staff do not discuss it and one of the core ideas of the Roleplayer Guild as is that we expressly do not use it. On every other forum I had ever been to prior, this process of elimination was exceedingly common, and I am of the opinion, not the action, that is not an incorrect stance to take. It returns to a matter of culture as well, as the forum itself, in its base of users, do not exemplify this ideology; some still keep the concept of blacklists, most do not. The consequences are minimal for the proposed issues and generally neither are addressed, one because the community opts not to as a societal standard, the other because the ethos of operation.

With moderation, my emphasis, especially from my angle as a moderator is that it is absolutely crucial that moderators do exactly that, moderate. I entirely support the idea, enough that I pursue it relentlessly because I value the concept of an environment without these problems or at least that which can be realistically attained. If I did not, I would have surrendered my station. However, I am not so blind as to see some of the benefits, as well as pitfalls, of the older system I described. In today's age I do not reckon that as much would be successful and it would be a paradigm shift for the standards set out. On the Roleplayer Guild, people have tremendously more liberties in the community than I have seen elsewhere and there is really little to no actual ostracization of those who deviate from the straight and narrow. This is inherently a good thing, just that not all souls appreciate its graciousness to noble ends.

Let's Talk: Why Can't We Be Friends?

I could swear I addressed this exact element in it, but more importantly let me clarify that I do not think it to be, as said "a bit of a dick for it", rather I find that behavior terribly out of lane. If one is going to bother making a criticism, I would propose it begins with actually analyzing and critiquing it rather than stating what amounts to, "Too long, didn't read. Couldn't bother to because it's 'boring'." as some sort of profound proclamation, @GingerBoi123.

Let's Talk: Why Can't We Be Friends?

I can well see how one would go about resorting to calling it "vaguely dancing" and failing to outline any actual content then if they totally neglected to read it because it was deemed too large and wordy. An opinion to note but to be perfectly fair, @GingerBoi123, I was never quite so concerned with anyone else's. I might add, as an addendum, that I wholly look forward to whatever contributions you intend with the discussion.

Let's Talk: Why Can't We Be Friends?

To label it as some sort of simple question is an error in itself, @GingerBoi123. Even in the described attributes and conversation I outlined, I in no way cornered the entire matter of misbehaving persons in any way. At most I specified some key fundamentals of it and what can be done about them. There existed far more I considered but left out for the time being. Do not worry, more might be yet to follow, and there is no need to feel "toxic" unless one feels as though some errors described might apply to them.