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Tom Jode
United States
Pleasanton
California
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I have been wanting to try John Harper's well-loved Lady Blackbird (http://rpggeek.com/rpg/1869/lady-blackbird and get it free at http://www.onesevendesign.com/ladyblackbird/) and am wondering if anyone else out there would like to play as well.
Game Info
- I am hoping for a fun, pulpy romp style of play, and encourage plenty of world-building from the PCs.
- 3 to 5 players
- Roughly 1 major post per day progressing the main story line, but character sidebar discussions and conflict resolution can be higher frequency.
- We'll start out with the as-written adventure, but if there is interest from the players I'd be happy to continue on with the same characters but a new adventure.
If you are interested just post in this thread, and when we have a full complement of committed players we'll start up.
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Lawrence Barry
United States
Rochester Hills
Michigan
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
I would like to give this a go.
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George Carlin
United States
Virginia
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
I'm up for playing. Can definitely commit to at least one post a day. I'll read through the rules and am looking forward to it 
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Chris Fee
United States
Corning
New York
No fair! They're using brains against us! We removed our brains to make room for guns and explosives!
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
I've been interested in trying a PBF game and in trying Lady Blackbird. I will be most likely unable to log in for the President's day weekend, though, as I'll be sequestered with 20 other role-players for a weekend of gaming fun. If this is a problem, I understand.
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Bifford Van Bifford (Sam)
England
Semington
Wiltshire
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
that's some nice RPG games they have there! (follow the link bottom right to the main website). I especially like the look of Ghost/Echo and indeed, Lady Blackbird too.
Downloaded and added to my growing list of free RPGs to play at some point in the future! 
Good luck with the game!
Bifford
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Preston Thomas
United States
Phoenix
Arizona
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
I would love to join up if possible. This would be my first PbF RPG.
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Tom Jode
United States
Pleasanton
California
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
Thanks for all the great responses! I count four people who are interested. Sounds like we'll have a game for sure. I'll give this thread another 2 days to see if we can get a fifth player. After that I'll contact each of you individually for a confirmation that you are willing and able to commit, and then we'll get started.
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Sean Allen
United States
Turlock
California
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
I'm in, if there is still space for one more!
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A H
United States
Virginia
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
I'd be interested too if there's a spot for me.
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Tom Jode
United States
Pleasanton
California
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
I have contacted you each individually. I will wait 48 hours to receive confirmation responses. Assuming at least 4 players confirm we will get started on Wendesday.
Of course, if you all get back to me today then we can just start up tomorrow (Tuesday).
In the meantime, I would recommend that you read the first 2 pages of the games PDF at http://www.onesevendesign.com/ladyblackbird/ladyblackbird.pd.... Be sure to read the "Rules summary" at the bottom of any of the character sheets. You can also read the character sheets as well if you like. Reading the page about The Owl would also be useful.
Once we have a roster we will pick which pre-generated character we want to be, in the order that we responded to this thread. So be thinking about which character you would like to be. If you really don't have a preference, then you can simply let others pick their preferences and take whatever characters are unpicked. If for some reason we have fewer than five players than I will play the excess characters as NPCs, who will be available to aid and interact with you, but will rarely take any kind of initiative on their own.
Also note that Lady Blackbrid uses a specialized dice that only has 2 possible outcomes, +0 and +1. The rpggeek dice roller supports rolling such dice with a custom command. To do so, when making a post click the "roll" button in the post menu bar. In the little window that pops up, enter "#custom2{0;1}" (without quotes) in the "Roll" field. # should be the number of dice you are rolling. So for example, say you are up against an obstacle of difficulty 3, and you choose to roll 7 dice. You would enter a roll command of "7custom2{0;1}". Here is an example roll result: 7custom2{0;1} = (1 + 0 + 0 + 1 + 1 + 0 + 0) = 3
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Tom Jode
United States
Pleasanton
California
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
We have a quorum. In a few minutes I will create an in-character (IC) thread. This thread will remain to be used for out-of-character discussions and questions.
I am assuming at this point that everyone has read the rules and has a basic understanding of the rules and setting. In case the theme hasn't come through the game is styled along a Steampunk vein. It's definitely got some flavors of the TV programme "Firefly".
We’re mostly going to follow basic PbF etiquette. If this is your first PbF game, please take a look at this:
PLAY-By-FORUM (PbF) - FAQ & REFERENCE
How the game is played:
I will describe a scene and ask questions. These questions may be about character actions, feelings, or even be about the setting and NPC actions. This may be different from most role-playing games that you’re used to.
If a detail about the world is not established then you, as the player, may establish it. I may tell you the name of a guard, for example. But, if I don’t, you are free to come up with something. You even have some control over the guard’s background and motivation. Just don’t contradict anything that’s already established and don’t go overboard. If you provide a detail that goes against the theme or existing facts in the game I will strike it out.
Character tracking
I will have a post at the beginning of the in-character thread to keep track of conditions, XP, buyoffs, etc. I will update it every time I make a main story post to reflect any actions you have taken since my last update. Please double-check to make sure it is accurate. Also, if I ever don't give you XP for some action and you feel you should have received it, please message me directly, rather than post in the out-of-character thread.
Posting frequency
I will try to have one major story post each (which will be denoted as such at the top of the post) and every day, but this will occasionally lapse into a 2-day gap between story posts if I have to go out of town for a day or am otherwise occupied.
After I post a "major story post" each of you can post with what actions you wish to perform. This should stay small, on the order of something your character could do in a small period of time. If we are in the middle of fleeing a "sinking" ship, then an appropriate action would be "I peek around the corner, and seeing no guards motion to the crew and we rush into the next corridor." You can flush out your post with some exposition detailing what you see, how it makes your character feel, your body language, and any information your character would verbally relate to the other characters.
Posting comes on a first-come first-serve basis, in the sense that if after a major story post Kale says that around the corner she sees no guards, Cyrus can't afterward post that there is in fact a guard around the corner. However, Cyrus could subtly change the flavor of what Kale said, such as "as we approach the end of the next hallway klaxon's start going off. 'Oh crap, we've tripped an alarm' says Cyrus. 'Naomi, you ready to do some bruisen'?'".
This should mean that there is a major action in the story once per day, and you each contribute directly toward that story once per day. If some of you are itching for higher-frequency interaction, you are free to do so, but not if it has a direct effect on the unfolding story, as it is unfair to other players who are not able to post with such high frequency. Things like carrying out some role-playing, or developing strategies (in-character) are both welcome and encouraged.
Finally, if I post a major story post, and all 5 of you respond to it within a few hours, I may go ahead and make another major story post that day. However, I want to stress that you should NEVER feel obligated to post more than once per day. If you have already posted on a given day, no one will be angry if you don't check the thread again until the next day.
Dice pools
If you want to risk a die from your pool, please declare it before you roll. More specifically, when are rolling for a conflict, please specify exactly what trait, what tags, and how many pool dice you are using. As the Lady Blackbird rules state, the total number of dice you roll for a conflict are:
1 + 1(from trait) + 1 per tag in that trait + pool dice
This game allows a player to "support" another player. This can be hard to do in a play-by-forum environment. I haven't seen a good mechanic to facilitate "supporting" a player in a way that doesn't slow down the game. Here is what I would like to try. At any time you can post a message (in character) saying whom you'd like to help, and for what general actions you'd like to help them. For example, if Kale said "I'd like to help Snargle with any tricky piloting by adding extra fuel to the Owl's engines for that extra boost of speed." Then, if at some point in the near future Snargle wants to try to do some tricky flying, he can remind us of Kale's assistance and add the extra die from Kale's pool to assist his roll.
Refreshment scenes
You may ask for refreshment scenes in the in-character thread, but I the text should be grayed out like this:
I would like a refreshment scene with Snargle.
If you do not know how to do this let me know. When the story allows, I will indicate that you may begin a refreshment scene. Nominally we will have several characters performing their refreshment scenes at the same time, perhaps even in multiple "cliques". At that point the main story will take a break for a few days while you guys role-play through your refreshment scene. When everyone feels like they are done with their refreshment scene we will resume the main story line.
Some formatting issues
Character actions should be in the third person. So “Cyrus takes out his pistol” and not “I take out my pistol."
Closing notes
If you have any questions about ANYTHING, whether it be mechanics of the game, how to role-play in a way that is conducive to fun, technical questions on how to use the RPGGeek web site (for dice rolls, text formatting, etc). PLEASE ASK in the out-of-character thread (which is the thread you are reading right now). I am by no means an expert in any of these areas, but I bet as a group we can come to a satisfactory answer.
I am looking forward to playing this great game with all of you. Please note that myself and at least one of the players will be out of town for the presidents day weekend. For me it will be the days February 16-19. That would be a great time to have a refreshment scene, perhaps going over some backstory on how characters met.
The Players
Here is our starting roster:
Lawrence Barry
United States
Rochester Hills
Michigan
George Carlin
United States
Virginia
Chris Fee
United States
Corning
New York
No fair! They're using brains against us! We removed our brains to make room for guns and explosives!
Preston Thomas
United States
Phoenix
Arizona
Sean Allen
United States
Turlock
California
You guys are listed in the order in which you asked to be in this game. This is also the order we will use to select characters. So Quest22, you have first dibs. What character would you like to play? If you don't have a preference, just say "Random", which would be nice to poor anthropos95 since he has last pick. cardician, once Quest22 calls a character, you are next up and so let us know who you'd like to play. And so on until you all have a character. Once everyone has a character, you have permission to post in the in-character thread.
Oh, and a minor note. I have been calling you by your usernames. If you would prefer to be called by your listed in-real-life name please let me know. And if you prefer a nickname (such as "Larry" instead of "Lawrence") let me know.
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Lawrence Barry
United States
Rochester Hills
Michigan
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
Please call me Larry.
I would like to play Kale.
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George Carlin
United States
Virginia
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
I'd like to play Cyrus. However, I'll be nice and if Sean/anthropos95 gets stuck with a character he doesn't want then I'll take whatever is left over.
On another note, I have no idea what refreshing scenes are and I didn't see it anywhere in the rulebook you provided. Could have missed it but I didn't notice it. So if it's not too much to ask I'd love a little info on them at some point (no hurry).
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Sean Allen
United States
Turlock
California
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
cardician wrote: I'd like to play Cyrus. However, I'll be nice and if Sean/anthropos95 gets stuck with a character he doesn't want then I'll take whatever is left over.
Don't worry about me, I'm okay playing any character (though I do have a soft spot for goblins).
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Tom Jode
United States
Pleasanton
California
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
The game rules are given on the bottom half of each of the player sheets. Refreshment scenes are the last section in those rules. Here is the game text regarding refreshment scenes, and I'll follow it up with some clarification:
Quote: You can refresh your pool back to 7 dice by having a refreshment scene
with another character. You may also remove a condition or regain the
use of a Secret, depending on the details of the scene. A refreshment
scene is a good time to ask questions (in character) so the other player
can show off aspects of his or her PC—“Why did you choose this
life?”—“What do you think of the Lady?”—“Why did you take this
job?” etc. Refreshment scenes can be flashbacks, too.
So as we play the game, you will want to perform actions that will require you to use dice from your pool. While you will regain some dice due to leveling, or as a gift from the GM for doing something awesome, in general you will lose pool dice far faster than you gain them. This is intentional. It is a mechanism designed to encourage role playing and story generation amongst the characters.
How does a refreshment scene work? Mechanically its very simple. You request a refreshment scene with a given character (or with multiple characters), telling me the topic of the conversation you would like to have with them. I will contact that character and confirm that they want to enter a refreshment scene with you regarding that topic. The two (or more) of you then have a bit of back and forth either discussing some event that just happened in the game (discussion is done in character), or you go through some back story. An example could be Cyrus and Kale having a discussion about Natasha, with Kale trying to convince Cyrus that they should dump her out a window and make a run for it, with Cyrus holding firm that they have a code of honor to deliver her safely to her destination (hitting his key of hidden longing). Another example of a refreshment scene could be Naomi and Natasha sitting at a bar talking about the good old days before they were on the run, and giving some backstory about just who that prince was that the Lady was engaged to, and why they had to run away from them. It is certainly possible to have a refreshment scene with all characters. For example, perhaps you will safely escape the Hand of Sorrow and be comfortably relaxing on the Owl. Then the whole group can have a refreshment scene together talking about the events that just transpired, and what they should do next, with your typical bickering, sniping, and teasing =)
In general, the story of Lady Blackbird is intentionally very sparse. Refreshment scenes are periods of no in-game action where characters cooperatively develop a significant aspect of either the games backstory, or their characters personality. There are no official rules on how long or detailed a refreshment scene should be. How we will play it is you will tell me the topic of the refreshment scene you wish to have (such as: "How Snargle met Cyrus"), and assuming you discuss that topic (in other words, we find out just how Snargle met Cyrus) and its done in-character and in a conversation (no monologues here) then the refreshment scene will be "fulfilled".
Once you have completed a refreshment scene your pool dice go back up to 7. Furthermore, any secrets that are related become usable once more. An example of how to refresh a secret. Cyrus has the "Secret of Warpblood". If Cyrus were to briefly discuss how he got Warpblood then that would refresh his "Secret of Warpblood" making it available to use again.
Since it can be hard to incorporate every secret into a refreshment scene, once in awhile I will simply tell everyone that due to natural rest and relaxation one secret of your choice is refreshed.
As a small note, I mentioned that monologues don't count towards refreshment scenes. That said, monologues providing back story about your character, or just discussing your characters mood and intent, are greatly encouraged, and can happen at any time, not just during refreshment scenes. And if the monologue happens to be particularly well done, I may throw a free pool die your way.
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George Carlin
United States
Virginia
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
Ah, right, so I did read that. But your explanation was much more helpful, thanks. This is a new RPG to me and I'm just not very familiar with how it all works. It's definitely a bit different than any others I've played. I'll give it my best though.
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Tom Jode
United States
Pleasanton
California
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
No troubles cardician (George?). The game is loose and freeform. It is much more focused on the "role-playing" than on the "roll-playing" if you get my meaning.
If anyone else has a question on a mechanic or rule in the game please feel free to ask. I am not an oracle, but I have given the game a fair bit of thought, and if nothing else can be an arbiter and make a decision on how we will interpret a rule. In my opinion, the best interpretation of any rule or mechanic is the one which increases the median "fun-ness" of the group.
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Chris Fee
United States
Corning
New York
No fair! They're using brains against us! We removed our brains to make room for guns and explosives!
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
I'll play Naomi. Looking forward to it.
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Sean Allen
United States
Turlock
California
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
Preston, disregard my earlier comment about my love of goblins. Choose the PC that you would enjoy playing the most (I think we are down to Snargle and Natasha).
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Preston Thomas
United States
Phoenix
Arizona
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
I will go with Natasha. Should be interesting!
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Sean Allen
United States
Turlock
California
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
Snargle it is!
Feel free to call me Sean.
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George Carlin
United States
Virginia
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
Cool, since we've all selected and the initial story threads have been posted, I assume we can start posting ourselves? I've been toying over ideas...
In fact I have a few questions regarding my first posting. First, I've got some of it up but before I finished it I wanted to clarify a few things. If any of what I have is overstepping or going to far, please let me know so I can reign it back. It just seemed this system heavily favored the players fleshing things out, which is quite odd and different to me.
Anyway, my questions are one, what kind of things would they find by running the ship's registry over the wireless? I'm not entirely sure where to take this. At first I was thinking along the lines of some illicit cargo, other than the Lady, but that doesn't seem like the sort of thing that would pop up when running the registry, which I'm imagining sort of relates to a copy running a cars VIN through his records. So could the ship itself be stolen or there are wanted notices on it or something along those lines? Need a little push here if you don't mind
The other thing is, the Imperials are like a military of some sort right? Basically I'm not even sure if some of what I've written makes sense about Hollas and Cyrus having enlisted together and such. It just reads to me like the Imperials are the in charge people and a military of some sort.
Finally, we're all on the Sorrow right? Not actually on the Owl anymore?
Sorry for my endless questions, like I said this system and giving the players so much freedom is new to me and I feel like a fish outta water
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Tom Jode
United States
Pleasanton
California
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
This post is in response to George's questions.
Quote: what kind of things would they find by running the ship's registry over the wireless?
I must emphasize that this is entirely up to you. So keep in mind you are a disgraced imperial. You now run a ship under a (presumably?) false name, and carry illicit cargo from time to time. Also, "running your registry" is indeed like a cop running your license plate number and your cars VIN through a database and seeing what crimes you or the car have been in. So perhaps Vance has been in some bar fights. That would come up but wouldn't raise any eyebrows. Perhaps they will find that you have been caught with illicit cargo. They might do a more thorough inspection of your ship in that case. Perhaps they find you have smuggled people before. They might take a very close look at the people that are with you in that case. If Cyrus Vance is your real name, then perhaps it will be easily recognized as the name of a disgraced ex-imperial, and they will take some... extra care to ensure you are uncomfortable. Or perhaps Cyrus is a fake name, but there is some hint in your file that indicates who you really are. Perhaps Hollas knew you very well, and will recognize some previous exploit of yours as something that only his old nemesis from the days at the academy will do, and he decides to come downstairs to visit you in person...
Quote: The other thing is, the Imperials are like a military of some sort right?
That is correct. The void is partially controlled by the imperials, which is governed by nobels (is there a King and Queen, a council, or what? That's up to you) and their might is enforced by the Imperials, which has both a navy/airforce (same thing in the void) and foot soldiers.
Quote: Finally, we're all on the Sorrow right? Not actually on the Owl anymore?
Yes. The Owl was captured by the hand of sorrow. Perhaps it is now "tethered" to the Hand of Sorrow. Or perhaps it was pulled into a cargo bay of some sort. Keep in mind the Hand of Sorrow is huge and the Owl is tiny. It's sort of like a houseboat being captured by a US aircraft carrier.
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Tom Jode
United States
Pleasanton
California
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
Oh, and a note for everyone. Editing posts you make in-character is fine if its to fix typos, grammar, or you got a small fact slightly wrong. Please refrain from making more major edits without consulting me first. People will take your posts as canon, and to retroactively change the story can be both disorienting and rude to the other players, as well as me as the GM.
George, you have permission to edit that first in-character post of yours based on the guidance I gave in my last post in this thread. If you are going to make any edits, please do so as soon as possible.
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Tom Jode
United States
Pleasanton
California
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Re: Lady Blackbird PbF
Quote: Cool, since we've all selected and the initial story threads have been posted, I assume we can start posting ourselves? I've been toying over ideas...
Correct. The gates are open. Everyone feel free to post in the in-character thread, according to the guidelines I have laid out in this thread.
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Posted Sat Feb 4, 2012 11:32 pm
