[OOC] [Mage: the Awakening 2E] The Supernal Suburbia

[Second Chances]

So in the category of hilarious typos, I had my Wisdom at 2 instead of my Gnosis XD

[DrSteve]

I'm trying to setup a comic relief scene where at least some of the group all go to get fast food for breakfast while Morganna has peirce deception active. She's going to look at the food, and tell everyone to trash it and go to whole foods. If we work the short term aspirations right, we could stack up a quick three beats for an XP as the characters play off each other. If everyone got an XP,, if we wanted to do themed cabal, the characters could talk about it over breakfast and we'd all have enough to buy one dot in it.

[squidheadjax]

I am in the ER so not likely to post for the next day or so.

[squidheadjax]

I'm trying to setup a comic relief scene where at least some of the group all go to get fast food for breakfast while Morganna has peirce deception active. She's going to look at the food, and tell everyone to trash it and go to whole foods. If we work the short term aspirations right, we could stack up a quick three beats for an XP as the characters play off each other. If everyone got an XP,, if we wanted to do themed cabal, the characters could talk about it over breakfast and we'd all have enough to buy one dot in it.

This is a good idea tho.

[DArchon5]

I'm up for it.

Sort of conflicted on how to start, with Exceptional Luck or Divination...

I want to go with Divination, since Fatewise can just reflexively cast Exceptional Luck later on. But asking questions might slow us down...

I guess I'll just put Advanced Duration on it and ask questions as we go along.

[rwknoll]

Actually, that does raise a question... which of the characters in the first post would we already know? I'm keeping track of what the Heir knows versus what I know.

Also, last change before we get rolling, I'm going to swap the Ghost Summons rote for Speak With Dead (but keep the rote's name the same).

Great question. You would probably have very brief, passing exposure to almost all of the Pentacle mages. But for most of them, it would be to the extent that you saw them in a crowd, and maybe your Order mentor did a very quick introduction in person with you after the meeting.

If they're in your Order, you can assume that you have had an interaction in person at an Order gathering, probably around the time of your initiation. I'm ok with you picking for yourself which characters you would have met and which you wouldn't have.

Cleaned up the character sheet. Bi wasn't in the original concept but when I saw it on the cut and paste I thought it interesting enough to leave it.

I'm honestly drawing a blank. I would expect that the most interesting options would be either in the former Hierarch cabal or the new hierarchs' cabal. I mean I have the basic concept as Obrimos who crafts items and is tied with Arthurian myth and is a take on the Lady of the Lake. Honestly, I have the character filed as develop as needed.

No worries, I'll just brainstorm some options. She won't be a part of those specific cabals because of story reasons and ST discretion, but I'll try to create a group of like-minded NPC mages who would work well with her.

[rwknoll]

I'm trying to setup a comic relief scene where at least some of the group all go to get fast food for breakfast while Morganna has peirce deception active. She's going to look at the food, and tell everyone to trash it and go to whole foods. If we work the short term aspirations right, we could stack up a quick three beats for an XP as the characters play off each other. If everyone got an XP,, if we wanted to do themed cabal, the characters could talk about it over breakfast and we'd all have enough to buy one dot in it.

Feel free to create space for comic relief and for the group to get together. I'm happy to let you all take the lead on roleplay and to sit back and see how you interact with each other. Just a reminder though, each character can only earn 1 Beat from aspirations per scene. Also, each character earns and uses Beats and Arcane Beats independently, so creating a space for multiple characters to earn their aspiration for "get to know the cabal" is very altruistic of you, but Morganna will only get a maximum of 1 Beat from that.

I am in the ER so not likely to post for the next day or so.

Oh no! So sorry to hear that. Hope you are doing ok.

I'm up for it.

Sort of conflicted on how to start, with Exceptional Luck or Divination...

I want to go with Divination, since Fatewise can just reflexively cast Exceptional Luck later on. But asking questions might slow us down...

I guess I'll just put Advanced Duration on it and ask questions as we go along.

Don't worry about questions slowing us down. I'll try to keep up the pace and help you out by responding to you as soon as I have time. And the other PCs can do other things while waiting on my response to Divination, etc.

[Second Chances]

FYI, I'm going to try and get a post up before the weekend, but we just went into lockdown again, so I'm a bit preoccupied.

In the department of causing drama though, I already caused a Dramatic Failure trying to cast Inward Outward Eye as part of my prep XD

[rwknoll]

FYI, I'm going to try and get a post up before the weekend, but we just went into lockdown again, so I'm a bit preoccupied.

In the department of causing drama though, I already caused a Dramatic Failure trying to cast Inward Outward Eye as part of my prep XD

Stay safe and healthy! Hope you are doing ok. And a dramatic failure is a great way to start. Get those Arcane Beats in!

[squidheadjax]

Oh no! So sorry to hear that. Hope you are doing ok.

Thanks, I'm doing better now.

[DrSteve]

It's been a day. I'm trying to kick the tires on the new system a little bit. I could have sworn somewhere (may WoD core) there is an example of players bouncing off each other with roleplay to generate beats. Anyway, not a big deal. I'll see if I can find the rules in the morning. Morganna will pickup the dry cleaning after picking up Lynx on the way to the meeting.

[rwknoll]

It's been a day. I'm trying to kick the tires on the new system a little bit. I could have sworn somewhere (may WoD core) there is an example of players bouncing off each other with roleplay to generate beats. Anyway, not a big deal. I'll see if I can find the rules in the morning. Morganna will pickup the dry cleaning after picking up Lynx on the way to the meeting.

There is totally a learning curve to any RPG system, and even I had to review a bunch of basic rules as I started preparing my replies to everyone this week! But more importantly, I want this game to be fun for everyone and I want you to enjoy playing. So if you have a concern or don’t agree with a decision I make as a ST, please let me know.

I know there is an example of a dynamic role play system for hunting and feeding in Vampire: the Requiem that lets players temporarily take on roles of NPCs and earn Beats for interacting in cool ways. I can’t remember if there is a similar system introduced in the core CoD rule book. Maybe something with investigations? But regardless, that kind of optional system is really hard to use in a PBP game. There is also an optional system on p. 84 of the Mage 2E core book that includes Group Beats and shared experience, which might be what you were remembering. However, I don’t like the system and prefer not to use it.



I am not stingy on awarding Beats because when I’m a player, I love buying new stuff. I also love how CoD rewards players for being creative and taking setbacks or making sacrifices to introduce conflict. But if you and the other players could earn 5 or more Beats each just by grabbing breakfast before the actual scene begins, as a Storyteller, that isn’t very fun or interesting to me. Now, if you go out for breakfast, encounter a Mystery, maybe get in a turf war with a werewolf or accidentally provoke a massive Paradox that causes breaking points for the Sleepers at the restaurant, that’s a different story.

The rules for Beats and Arcane Beats are on p. 81-83 in the Mage core book. Let me know if you have more questions about them and I’d be glad to help clarify the rules or discuss any concerns you might have.

[squidheadjax]

Hmm. I'd read Supernal Vision as acting more as a standing perceptual buff, like Pierce Deception, since the description talks about the target of the spell being able to observe things, and being able to ask new questions across multiple turns, rather than the spell being cast on the object of inquiry.

That makes it kinda like a full-spectrum active Mage Sight (like the full-spectrum counterspell at Prime 2), but there are tradeoffs. It requires a full action of focus on something, so she'd need to have a reason to look at something already, and it can be slow if she needs to search quickly. Also it can't investigate Mysteries, and takes up a spell maintenance slot.

[rwknoll]

Hmm. I'd read Supernal Vision as acting more as a standing perceptual buff, like Pierce Deception, since the description talks about the target of the spell being able to observe things, and being able to ask new questions across multiple turns, rather than the spell being cast on the object of inquiry.

That makes it kinda like a full-spectrum active Mage Sight (like the full-spectrum counterspell at Prime 2), but there are tradeoffs. It requires a full action of focus on something, so she'd need to have a reason to look at something already, and it can be slow if she needs to search quickly. Also it can't investigate Mysteries, and takes up a spell maintenance slot.

Yep, I just reread the spell and you are right. I missed a part in the description about studying again over multiple turns. Sorry about that!

[DArchon5]

Don't worry about questions slowing us down. I'll try to keep up the pace and help you out by responding to you as soon as I have time. And the other PCs can do other things while waiting on my response to Divination, etc.

Alright, sorry for taking so long to post. I'll get something up in a few hours.

If you manage to respond before then, does Cadance or her Cabalmates have Time 5 by any chance? because Divination is a Rote and I kinda want to evoke someone else's Nimbus bleeding into the spell as Rene casts it and having the strings of fate around her be strummed and play a portenteous melody is something I want to write now.