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Post by Maerin on Nov 8, 2011 21:36:22 GMT
Players,
Sorry, your GM got really busy this morning. In light of wanting Rolph to represent what he is doing more clearly (including posting dice rolls as appropriate) and not wanting the game posting to shift to the afternoon (which I can't do this week), I am waiting until tomorrow morning to post. You may all edit as you will between now and then.
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Post by Maerin on Nov 17, 2011 21:07:22 GMT
Players,
Just to help all three of you out a bit, here. I think all three of you do understand the principles challenging conversation with individual Herbalish at this point. However, remembering that understanding on a day-to-day basis is rather more difficult.
Remember that all three of you are talking to Herbalish, and you need to apply what you have already, previously learned about doing that (successfully, anyway). Straightforward, direct, and focused questions, queries, comments and statements are what will work. Not doing that tends to result in each of you effectively outsmarting yourself, leaving you run aground. That is a large part of the roleplaying challenge, as the past few months have demonstrated to you.
The Herbalish as a group are not stupid. In fact, a lot of them are quite cunning. However, the need to be direct with them in conversations leads many out there to conclude the Herbalish are "unsophisticated"...a prejudice which, however unconscious it might be, tends to translate in most peoples' minds into "stupid"... Having to approach conversations this way puts you all at a disadvantage. It's supposed to. Medwyn warned you about such challenges right from the very beginning.
Moreover, the wiser and/or savvier Herbalish are quite aware of their own natures. That is, of course, the reason that particular understanding and insight into Herbalish psychology I mentioned came to you all through past conversation with an Herbalish named Delin. Those so motivated are not likely to shy away from using their awareness of their own nature to their own advantage.
For Castiel and Rolph in particular, it's a reasonable bet that Ahruan is doing exactly that. Both of you should already realize Ahruan had to be persuaded to converse with you tonight (just as he clearly had deliberate reason to talk with Castiel the previous evening).
Maybe Ahruan was just too busy to voluntarily approach Castiel again, as Castiel invited him to do the previous evening. That is possible...but what are the odds for an adventure like this, right?
But maybe, just maybe, Ahruan had and still has reasons to specifically avoid conversation with all of you. After all, a honest man can still always manage to practice deception, merely by avoiding any circumstance where he is directly called upon to be honest. One such possibility is avoiding conversation at all; at least until the matter is put directly before him, as it likely was tonight under the auspices of you all gaining Aetos' assistance and intervention. If he was trying to evade the conversation, the direct approach by Aetos clearly defeated that tactic (and I suppose I need not hint more blatantly that this, indeed, was what was happening).
But losing a battle does not necessarily lose a war. There is still that basic nature of Herbalish that can be used as a shield to deflect blows without, again, being truly deceptive. And, as I pointed out above, the wise and the cunning are not going to be shy about the use of such tactical advantages. If you all had not learned how conversation is best approached with Herbalish before (why do you think I seeded that information in direct result to your past, successful skill checks?), you might completely fall victim to losing another battle (and, quite possibly, the entire war) without even realizing you were fighting in the first place.
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Post by Maerin on Nov 18, 2011 20:23:50 GMT
Players,
Your GM is having an insane day today, and it shows no signs of easing up. So I apologize, but there will be no update today. Feel free to edit your posts as you wish. I will post an update Monday morning as normal.
Sorry about that.
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Post by Maerin on Nov 23, 2011 17:46:51 GMT
Players,
I am giving you all today and tomorrow off. I know I do not customarily give "time off" for Thanksgiving, but I expect you all have better things to be doing the next couple days. :-)
I will post as normal Friday morning. You will need to then post as normal before Monday morning.
Happy Thanksgiving.
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Post by Maerin on Nov 26, 2011 7:21:09 GMT
Players,
My travel plans extended through today, and so I was not able to put an update up today as planned. I will make a post as normal Monday morning.
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Post by Maerin on Nov 28, 2011 20:18:35 GMT
Players,
Sorry, but no post today. Your GM is paying his dues for taking time off last week. Now I remember why I never take vacations...
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Post by Maerin on Dec 7, 2011 21:35:12 GMT
Players,
Sorry, but no post today. This work day just seriously got away from me, and I need to keep my posting times in the mornings for the rest of this week.
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Post by Maerin on Dec 8, 2011 18:13:52 GMT
Players,
Work is still tying up your GM this week. Sorry about that.
There's just a lot going on right now. This isn't where I wanted the game to lag, as we are fast coming up on the holidays. I will strive to get my post up tomorrow morning.
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Post by Maerin on Dec 10, 2011 8:23:08 GMT
Aaaaand that didn't happen today.
Thanks for paying attention. We'll try to be back next week.
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Post by Maerin on Dec 12, 2011 4:32:24 GMT
Players,
I am sorry to say I will be suspending the online game for the next few weeks. Real life was already becoming intrusive, and just became significantly more intrustive this evening. With the holidays impending, I must accept the verdict of the moment.
Check back here the first week in January. I will follow up with you all then.
Enjoy the next few weeks.
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Post by Maerin on Jan 4, 2012 13:51:51 GMT
Players,
I am discontinuing Bitter Winter Night.
There are a lot of reasons for doing that.
Some of those reasons are personal. I won't go into the details, but suffice to say that daily posting by your GM, at least to the level he prefers to write such posts, has become impossible for the immediate future.
The size and makeup of the current group of players is another large problem. Players that stepped away from the game this past year will not be returning any time soon, if ever. After a review of the game to this point in the past couple weeks, I realized adding new players now will just result in story confusion.
For those of you still checking and reading these boards, I appreciate your attention.
For all players, I thank you for the time and effort each of you put into the game.
Frank/Maerin
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