IsabellaRose

Is someone watching?

Guilty. I had a friend who was... well, she said Wiccan, but I don't really think she was in practice, at least not in any appreciable way other than "a certain gothic witch look" and some books about witchcraft on her shelf. But she did know some actual, practicing Wiccans, and the bonfires on the equinoxes were particularly enjoyable celebrations. The next person loves Christmas and the whole Christmas season, even if no one quite knows the reason.

Kill, as a mercy.

This time of year I just get down. I know there are "family history" reasons and whatnot, but you'd think with all the time between then and now, I'd be able to move past it and find a way to enjoy the holidays. To be fair, I do enjoy them, in my own way. The idea of the "Christmas spirit", the season of giving, when friends and families come together, gifts are given, food is shared, people feel oddly more charitable toward each other than usual, or perhaps just stop to think about it or act on it more... this should be my kind of holiday season. Instead I find myself sitting by the window, looking out at the cold and snow, sipping coffee, as an an overwhelming sense of melancholy settles over me like an unwanted, too-heavy, weighted blanket... pressing down, making everything more difficult and the world feel hopeless. I cry for no discernable reason. I just sit here and cry. It's stupid and frustrating, but there it is. Every year, the same thing.

fresh bread

Is it your tongue?

I think we're just waiting on @WickedCadrach to do Step 7 before we move on.

I love it! Anything that promotes dramatic interactions!

Okay, thanks for the clarification. Everything looks good except for the two items below: 1. You were correct - Connecting Edmund > Blue Hour Lady does indeed make her a Relationship. The arrow on the miro board went the other way, so I assumed you had used this as the arrow from any circle to another square. The direction of the connection makes a difference. NPC > PC is just a link, the NPC doesn't even get added to the PC's sheet. PC > NPC is a Resource if it's just one PC linked. Two or more PC's linked to an NPC turns them into a Relationship. 2. The Railroad > Silver Mines connection seems like the same thing that I said to Chiyako above. When you created the Railroad location, you already specified that Edmund uses the railroad to move his silver from the mines. So the relationship you specified here seems redundant and a wasted possibility. You're missing out on the option to make a fun romantic triangle, rivalry, or some other interesting dynamic. Use other peoples' NPCs. Link them to each other in interesting ways. It's a lot more fun for everyone when all the NPCs and Locations are interconnected instead of just connecting your own locations and NPCs to each other.

Alicia is all set. However, given the relationship you originally setup with Gwenael, I think the link you specified in this step is unneeded. His feelings toward her are implied in the initial step, so this feels redundant. I'd strongly suggest making a different connection. It could be between Gwenael and another PC or NPC (tying your NPCs to others will make them more important and connected to the overall story), or between another NPC and Alicia, or whatever, but I think you're missing out on the option to make a fun romantic triangle, rivalry, or some other interesting dynamic.

I can't tell since you didn't write down the steps you took. It looks like you connected The Blue Hour Lady > occasional allies > Edmund. This would make her a resource on your sheet instead of a relationship, and you would need to add two specialties for her. I don't see where you did this step: "Draw an arrow from your square to an existing circle (NEW Relationship) or diamond (NEW Location)." It looks like you stepped Passion up to d10. I didn't see where you did "Add or step up a Distinction or Ability." I didn't see where you did "Step up a Relationship or Location tied to your practice."

You hit it exactly right! And, yes, Adelaide should be on the map. I'm not sure why she's not, tbh.

Kojo is all set!

Millie is all set for Step 7!

Why am I currently in love with Emily in Paris?

That is correct. Edmund already had TIAL-V as a d8 Resource, so he'll change it to a d8 Relationship with TIAL-V.

Oh, and so everyone knows, the pharmacy and Mr. Kay have been left in play, and Ramona has been left on the steps in the beginning of the "My Copies of Steampunk Characters" thread so we know where we left off with character creation. That way if Dreams can join us later, we'll know where we left off with her character creation and Mr. Kay and the pharmacy will be established in town as her base of operations.

...and with Edmund complete, we're moving on to Step 7 - Modus Operandi. Remember that priority from the previous step? Well this step tells us how you pursue that goal. Make sure to note that during the map step, when you draw an arrow from your square to another circle, that Extra will become a Relationship for anyone connected from their square to that NPC. It doesn't add the person as a Relationship if the NPC is connected to your square from their square, only if you're connected to them from your square. But when someone connects to your NPC, they're going to step up to a Relationship if they were previously a Resource. Currently, NPCs that should be Relationships for anyone connected to them are: TIAL-V, Jack Bennett, and Kirsa Autenrieth. Make sure to update your sheets accordingly.

After careful consideration, Dreams has been dropped from the campaign. I'm sorry to see her go, and I'll be wishing I got to see that pherosol in action for the rest of the game. Thanks for playing along, Dreams! We'll miss you and I hope to get to play with you in a different game in the future! To complete Step 6 I think we just need @MagnificentBastard's steps. Also, I've included the bits people will want to re-visit below. Chiyako gets to Draw an arrow back to a lead square, and AsBloodTurnsEverCold and WickedCadrach both get to step up a Relationship. The original steps performed are listed below. @Chiyako: Draw an arrow back to a Lead square: Jack Bennett > has something of a crush on > Ramona Hart @AsBloodTurnsEverCold: Step up a Relationship, Asset, or Resource: Ramona to d6 @WickedCadrach: Step up a Relationship: Ramona Hart up to d6

My bad. Then I guess we're just waiting for you to finish it. :) For connections, they're purely one-sided. Make the connection you want to make and go from there. The only time I'd say we need to check is if someone puts down that they own something and then someone else puts that they hold the deed to it. Check then, yes. But if you just want to make your own one-sided connection to a thing or person, do so with no need to check. That's the fun of this game. It's a messy web of interconnectedness. The pharmacy is a real pharmacy, as far as we know the only one in town. That was established in an earlier post. For historical reference there's this tidbit: "It was extremely easy to get drugs, including potent and addictive narcotics, from a pharmacy in the 1880s. There were virtually no federal regulations governing the contents or sale of most medicines, and no prescriptions were required for common items that contained ingredients such as opium, morphine, heroin, and cocaine. Drugs that today are strictly controlled substances could be purchased over the counter without any doctor's authorization. These substances were available not only in pharmacies (also called apothecaries or drug stores) but also in general stores and could even be ordered through the mail. Patent medicines (concoctions with high levels of alcohol and narcotics, which were often advertised as "cure-alls" for various ailments) were an affordable and easily accessible alternative to consulting a doctor, who was often expensive or difficult to reach in rural areas. Opium, morphine, and laudanum (opium dissolved in alcohol) were common ingredients, used to treat pain, sleeplessness, coughs, diarrhea, and "nervous disorders". Cocaine, touted as a safe stimulant, was an ingredient in various tonics, toothache drops, and even early versions of Coca-Cola. Products could contain alcohol (sometimes up to 16%), cannabis, chloroform, and even toxic substances like mercury and arsenic, which were used to treat conditions like syphilis. Many morphine- and alcohol-laden remedies were marketed for use in infants and children to calm fussiness or relieve colic." So it looks like you can get damn near anything from your local apothecary in the 1880s, if that helps you form your connection.

Okay, so we're just waiting for @MagnificentBastard to begin Step 6, and @DreamsnThings to complete Step 5 and begin Step 6. There are only 3 more steps after 6... I'm hoping that we can get them all done so we can start playing in the new year, but I know the holidays are a timing/scheduling nightmare for online roleplays, so we'll see...

THE CHALLENGE We're going straight into our holiday season challenge! Write anything inspired by the season and/or seasonal celebrations. You've got 3 weeks! Deadline Midnight (EST) Saturday 20 Dec, 2025 Limits 1 entry per person keep it around 2,000 words, no penalty for going a little over but remember, everyone has to read these to vote Prizes 1st Place: 4,000 EcchiCredits 2nd Place: 2,000 EcchiCredits 3rd Place: 1,000 EcchiCredits

Nope. I write characters in fictious settings. This isn't cybersex for me. I don't want to see your nekkie bits. Sadly, like Pixel said above, I've seen some shit, though not here, thankfully.

Correct - SFX are unlocked at d4, d8, and d12 ranks. No worries! Millie is all caught up!

Alicia is all set!