The plan revised
Subject New plan
OOC: Does anyone get the idea that our fearless DM is trying to guide us in a different direction? I hate suggest that we may want to consider throwing away a voluminous 2 days of planning e-mails, but when I see comments such as there seem to be fewer goblins by the front gate, many of the tents seem empty toward the eastern gate, Rochelle is located in the eastern side of the shack, even I start to see a picture being drawn here. What if Mr. Ugly inside the shack is of substantially higher level than we think - he did cut a guardsman in half with one swing. Maybe we should ask Surin if he has a better idea of how to do this.
Just a thought.
From: Jake
Subject New plan
Wouldn't opening the gate be likely to attract attention though? And isn't the plan just for everybody to pile in the back way anyway?
I do want to give them more info, but I'm going to have to leave for work here in a minute, so it'll have to wait until tonight unfortunately. I may go ahead and come home early today, though, in which case I'll get some RPing in while everybody else is still at work.
From: Jake
Subject New plan
:) Heh, actually, he also just sent me an email mentioning how easy it would be for Surin to open the gate, so either he loves us and wants to protect us, or he hates us and has decided that he wants us all to die a horrible death at the hands of goblin hordes in order to get out of DMing any more. Somehow I'm betting on the former.
No time to write up a turn before work, but I'll be doing one (at least) tonight.
From: Kevin
Subject The DM
OOC: Knowing him the way that I do, I find it hard to believe that he really loves us and wants to protect us. However, he does want to continue to show off the world he created years ago, and if we all die here, he will not be able to do that. Which leaves us with a miserable choice - take his suggestions and continue to dance like a puppet at the end of his strings, or go on with our plans and meet a grisly death here in this camp. Boy, I love Monday mornings. Well, I guess we can play along with him a little while longer and then commit mass suicide when and where we choose.
From: Mark
Subject Goblins
Here is what the MM says about goblins. This is something that both rangers would know since golbins are thier favored enemy.
Being bullied by bigger, stronger creatures has taught goblins to exploit what few advantages they have: sheer numbers and malicious ingenuity. The concept of a fair fight is meaningless in their society. They favor ambushes, overwhelming odds, dirty tricks, and any other edge they can devise.
Goblins have a poor grasp of strategy and are cowardly by nature, tending to flee the field if a battle turns against them. With proper supervision, though, they can implement reasonably complex plans, and in such circumstances their numbers can be a deadly advantage.
The population of this goblin camp has been decimated. The grown male poplulation went from around 100-125 to under 30.(Now three less thanks to Surin).
However, the 1/2 orc was able to force his will on the entire male population.
From: Randy
Subject The DM
OOC: I really hate role playing based on what the DM tells me as a player rather than based on what my character knows and the attitude of my character. My inclination is to ignore everything the DM tells me. That being said, I don't really want to cause the death of all of our characters. Ran isn't dead set on killing the 1/2 orc anyway. I am really annoyed that we spent all that back and forth time emailing about the plan though. I probably won't cave in again.
From: Randy
Subject New plan
Ran speaks to Surin in hushed tones.
"What's changed Surin?"
From: Mark
Subject The DM
I am sorry if this is not going the way people had envisioned. I tried something that looks like it may not have worked out the way I had planned. I tried giving the player of several characters some information for them to share with the group, hoping that as a group it would all be put together. It didn't turn out that way.
I am new to this PBEM Dm'ing and will hopefully learn. Please bear with me.
From: Randy
Subject The DM
I'm mostly just poking fun, though I admit a little is my stubborn nature showing through.
You are doing fine as far as I am concerned. I am actually really enjoying the game so far and I really don't want us to get killed. I think that it seemed like some of the information I received was not stuff that Ran would have been aware of (ie the new map showing a clear path at the front entrance). If this had been conveyed in a different manner, such as somehow we sent one of the more intelligent birds to scout things out and it reported back, then Ran would have had that information to act on. Surin can now share that info with Ran and we can alter our plan accordingly. This is actually a good thing, imho, for roleplaying as we got ourselves into a bit of trouble and we now have the opportunity to possibly change tact.
I don't think there is any problem with the way things have worked out here and I probably spoke a little too quickly in my last email. I think we are all learning a little as we go.
From: Josh
Subject New plan
OOC: Alright, this is sort of my fault. You guys were all set on a good plan to get the girl and get out. I thought to myself "well Kal here is a newcomer, he's pretty green behind the ears, and this guy is an evil half-orc. Kal's gonna wanna kill him to prove himself."
Mark sent me and email essentially saying "An attack is probably a bad idea", i replied that I was just roleplaying, and that I figured you guys would dismiss my not-so-great idea, and that Kal would accept the will of the party.
Instead, all you bloodthirsty mongrels jumped on my half-cocked plan. :-D
BTW: I agree with Randy. I think we should throw ourselves at the half-orc out of principle. :)
From: Josh
Subject The DM
I've only been here for a week or two mark, but I'm having a ball.
From: Mark
Subject The DM
I have enjoyed it as well.
Ignore the half orc's voice. He spoke to God's mechanic a week or two and the mechaninc talked too much.
For you new guys, Kevin is my brother and I like to torment him. My 13 y/o son is my game mechanic. I come up with the ideas and he works out the details. He loves being a rules geek and it gives him something to do in his spare time. However, he occasionally works for Kevin on the weekends and has a hard time keeping his mouth closed about my plans. :)
From: Kevin
Subject The DM
What Mark fails to mention is that he is my evil twin brother "Skippy", who has been tormenting me since we were conceived. You guys think you have it bad, you try spending 19 years with this guy as a roommate. You are lucky I am as sane as I am. I mean, I did found the Ted Bundy fan club - I can't understand why it isn't growing faster.
I guess I just never thought of trying to sneak into an armed camp to recover a kidnapping victim.
From: Jake
Subject The DM
OOC: Yeah, I prefer to play based on what the character knows, and what the character would do too. The act of really getting into the character and having them do things that surprise you is one of the cooler aspects of playing a RPG, for me. I'm actually kind of inclined to go ahead with our plans, and if we die we die, but I can completely understand if the rest of the party feels differently.
From: Jake
Subject The DM
Seriously Mark, it's no problem. DMing a PBEM game is a fairly daunting task--I discovered that when I was putting together my defunct (for the moment) game, and I can only imagine that there would have been further lessons in that down the road for me.
From: Kevin
Subject New plan
Here's an idea - lets let Surin propose his new plan, see what we all think, and if we decide to, we can still go with our original plan. Who's to say that we will not survive with what we have planned.
Quoting a favorite movie "Do you want to live forever?".
From: Jake
Subject New plan
His voice pitched low, Surin replies. "I'm not so sure we picked the best spot to come in--looks like most of the goblins are camped down there. We make any noise coming through--and believe me, this lot's all manner of brave, but they ain't terribly sneaky, so you can bet there'll be noise--we'll get swarmed, like as not. I'm thinkin' it might be a better bet to come in by the front gate.
I could definitely take out one of the guards, but I'm a bit worried that the other one'll see his friend drop. Might be we could have an archer or two--three maybe, to be on the safe side--waiting to pick the other one off before he can sound the alarm. 'Fore we get started on the guards, though, I reckon I should check the tents in this area. Most of 'em are empty, but it might be a good idea to clear he rest," he gulps at the euphamism, sickened for a moment before the halfling ring glints in his mind's eye.
"So, I take care of anybody in the tents, then we take care of the guards together? Without the guards to man it the gate'll be a cinch to open. "
From: Randy
Subject New plan
"Sounds good. Cai, Bel, and I will be at the ready to take out the other guard once we see the first one fall. I hate to change plans at the last minute, but you are the only one who has seen the layout. Once the second guard falls, the rest of the plan will go ahead. Salix, Kal, and I will go in, rescue Rochelle, and dispatch the 1/2 orc (OOC: Ran will stick to this part of the plan if the others don't object). We will then leave the way we came in."
From: Jason
Subject New plan
Cai smiles inwardly at the chance to take out a hated enemy, but forces herself to speak up. She whispers "While I'm more than willing to take out the other goblin, it occurs to me that our arrows are not as... precise... as our friend Surin. What I mean to say is, while I have no doubt as to our ability to kill this goblin, there exists a reasonable possibility of him crying out and alerting the rest if we shoot him. Might it not be better to have Fal put them to sleep? If he puts them both to sleep, Surin can simply let us in. If one falls asleep, he can take care of the other, and if neither falls, well we haven't lost much. We can still try shooting it.
"In case we do have to shoot the one, however, how will we know at what time we should fire?"
From: Jake
Subject New plan
"Now that's a good idea Cai. I was a little worried about him getting a chance to shout before he was finished. Sounds like a little magic'll be just the thing. How long'll they stay out, d'you reckon? And how asleep will they be? Don't want to have them wake up just as we're leaving."