ext year’s structures:
Well, this is a bit orc-ward. I promised to tell you all stuff about next year and then forgot to write anything. Now I have a bunch of you pestering me for updates� �sigh�.. Some things will be run differently this year for a variety of reasons. Who knows how it�ll go.
We try things, sometimes they even work.
Interactives
Main thing you should know about right away is we�re going to need a hand running interactives, with a few volunteers each week. Ideally different people each time so everyone can get a good mix of charactering and monstering, but I�m not going to force people to monster. To trick your meat-computers into deciding to do this, monstering interactives will reward either 3 monster xp or full character xp (player’s choice) as well as a �monstering mystery box�, containing an unknown mix of rewards including (but not limited to) plot drops, IC items, eldritch lore, lollies, and [REDACTED]. All stuff you might find IC while doing whatever it is you miss the interactive for.
Last year’s ref team did a good job reducing amount of out-of-bar interactive stuff. Partially due to the above, and other reasons too, we�ll be trying to keep things in the bar (or whatever room you IC use) as much as possible. We won�t run plot that needs you to run off, though I have no doubt you players will do something every week that makes you all run out anyway.
Similarly if the IC room has a ley nexus then we�ll strive to not set off 30ft radius nukes, so that you all can actually stay and watch the cool ritual happen.
Adventures
Largely unchanged in uptime. We�ll be using last year’s commission and writing sheet, though with some minor changes. This year (and especially during early 1st term) we�ll be strict on encounter statting and loot, and provide assistance on this. For this reason, adventure writers will be required to submit their adventures by midnight Thursday, so that it can be checked over by the ref team in time for Saturday. If it�s not in by the time I go to proof read, then procedural generation and my stubbornness will ensure we have something for Saturday.
Gateways no longer exists, so we�ll be returning to travel time. Ref team plot will focus largely on local area, but getting to and from the adventure is a factor to be considered. You should bear this in mind when commissioning something far away. Hopefully by the end of August I�ll have a travel time map ready for you to know what to expect.
Downtimes and Misc
Yes that�s right, we are moving to a web-form so that computers can make our lives easier and one day steal ref jobs. You can find the prototype format here. DO NOT SUBMIT DOWNTIMES YET as this is not the final version. Take a look, do a practice run, give feedback and we�ll settle on a final version for 1st term by early September.
Consumable resources (ingredients, mana, etc) will be refreshing per charactered event this year, at the start of each event you character. This will mostly only influence adventures, and statting will be done with this change in mind. If you want to drop buffs and potions on a character going to an event you aren�t attending, you will be limited to whatever resources you had left at the end of the previous event you attended. Not sure if this is a change, or just re-stating and enforcing old policy. Worth saying in either case.
We could do with character info by the end of the month, including: Skills, Item codes, Unique effects, Knowledge Briefs received, Lammies owed, Plot owed (anything not a, lammy you’ve been told you’d get, but haven’t received yet), Character backstories, Theme music (1 track per character). If you don�t tell us you have it, we won�t do anything with it.
Geomancy ritual power levels might shift, as I can�t guarantee ruling the same way as previous refs. You are IC aware of this as �normal changes in power due to passage of time over last few summer months�.
3YGB is canon. When term starts the event will have not yet ended. More info to follow closer to term.
More information will follow, including anything our new overlord may have forgotten – he’s got an awful lot to do! If you have questions or specific complaints, then please email the ref account. If you think you’re going to hate everything… hey, wait until terms starts, when you’ve had time to lick it and test the taste.