# Forum > Play-by-Post Games > Finding Players (Recruitment) > Out-of-Character >  Knee breaker OOC thread

## WarHunter

To follow up with the inquire knee beaker name was Tjallen's idea also he stated in the recruitment thread that he was the leader, no one else claimed the role so unless you want to contest the leadership of the kneebreakers from him it is what it is. Unless he dies or something. I will run the out of party dynamics, quests, bounties, politics, socializing, challenges, encounters, etc. Since no one besides him had the knee breaker in his background I thought obviously recruitment of the new members was the obvious starting stop for the campaign.

If the leader was more of manager type that didn't go do the work I would agree that the leader should be a NPC but since they will be leading I felt it was fine for the leader to be a player.

----------


## Tjallen

And if you DO want to challenge for leadership, let's work something out, cuz Dead-Ear is a coward at heart and has atrocious people skills.

----------


## MikelaC1

Posting to start subscription and Cowndenbeath really isnt interested in being a leader, following orders suits him fine.

----------


## WarHunter

Leader of a guild is more likely to be targeted for ransoms, skaven fit into smaller bags then minotaurs- less suspicious.

----------


## ~Corvus~

> And if you DO want to challenge for leadership, let's work something out, cuz Dead-Ear is a coward at heart and has atrocious people skills.


I think what he's trying to say is sure, Dead-ear  can speak but it's got plenty of room for needing help

----------


## Tjallen

Don't you worry, Dead-Ear is a master of booby traps. Everything may be trapped. That chest? A chest in a different room? The hidden chest? His own chest? All potentially booby trapped.
Capture at your own risk.

----------


## ~Corvus~

:Biggrin:  :Amused: 
The button on the chest? Trapped.
The trip-wire? Trapped.

----------


## Tjallen

This message? Trapped. Roll a ref save.

----------


## MikelaC1

The trap trapped....no save

----------


## WarHunter

If anyone wants to bluff or roll local knowledge for the people Battlebriar mentioned

----------


## Tjallen

Knowledge local! (1d20+17)[*25*]

----------


## ~Corvus~

> If anyone wants to bluff or roll local knowledge for the people Battlebriar mentioned


The plant cannot it was mulching

----------


## WarHunter

Sorry I forgot to exclude the plant from rolling on its on inquiry

----------


## ~Corvus~

Well if a 25 doesn't get us anything...

----------


## WarHunter

> Knowledge local! [roll0]


25 gets you the name of the kingdom-Olufaedel Kingdom, king Davis IV is the current ruler. The kingdom has mixed populace but the housing district is pretty segregated. More monsterous races generally need a badge showing sponsorship from a guild to walk around freely. Not all places can accommodate varying sizes (possibly on purpose, doors being more short or narrow, week chairs, etc).

----------


## ~Corvus~

> 25 gets you the name of the kingdom-Olufaedel Kingdom, king Davis IV is the current ruler. The kingdom has mixed populace but the housing district is pretty segregated. More monsterous races generally need a badge showing sponsorship from a guild to walk around freely. Not all places can accommodate varying sizes (possibly on purpose, doors being more short or narrow, week chairs, etc).


My dude, a 25 is a pretty darn good check.

----------


## MikelaC1

I want to say that before running off to the "arena", that was background fluff for Cowdenbeath, I dont even know if WarHunter approves that it really did happen

----------


## ~Corvus~

> I want to say that before running off to the "arena", that was background fluff for Cowdenbeath, I dont even know if WarHunter approves that it really did happen


It seems like you're still in this mindset of Warhunter being the provider and spinner of all of our story. What is the role of a backstory for a game? It certainly provides an idea of and measure for _trajectory_for the character, and in most circumstances, there should be just enough backstory for that "Aha!" moment for oneself. But I also think Backstory should supply ideas for a DM to work with so that they can then pull on those very threads later on when they want to create story conflict or create internal tension. Let bring in an example of this:



> "Ah yes-yes, used to work near arena, smuggled in poison, roach paste in food very popular. 
> Had monopoly before closed, good-fun times. 
> Family lives there, have place-nest, can go-see if sell-ledger still exists.
> [...]
> But, must be careful, family finds out poor *Dead-Ear* around, will be dangerous. Much-many siblings, make heart melt. Even after replace-eat heart to escape feeling."


*Tjallen* created story for his character that hadn't existed before he wrote it. There's a deeper purpose than just humorously mad ravings. It establishes the following:*Dead-Ear* may be tangentially responsible for some ills that befell Cowdenbreath and also othersHe has a network as a supplier/designer for illicit goodsHe has a loving family in OlufadelHis character struggles with concepts of love

Only a terrible DM would look at all of these things--in a Forum game no less--and then say "Actually, nope! None of those things that you generated have either bearing or use in the game I've 100% created, by myself, for you to sandbox in."

Look at what *Tjallen* created opportunities for: Possible interpersonal conflict for later. A reason to generate some shady characters. A family for dead-ear to either avoid or, even more hilariously, run into. All of these threads can be directly used to interact with his character, and even more importantly, can be used to influence or PROD the character into action!

To just pull the plug on these opportunities to improvise story would be to kill the idea of collaborative storytelling. We'd be characters in a story we have no stake in, and why would that be fun?

----------


## Tjallen

It's all in good fun. After all, if it turns out none of it fits, our dear GM can always throw in a million roadblocks so the goal ends up being GETTING to the arena. Guards, adventurers hunting the monsters, rivals, former victims, jaded nobles, random sane people that don't want monsters around, SIN's kin, YOUR kin looking to rescue the worthy warrior from new perceived chains, the mages back to finish off a loose end, any paladin in a mile radius that sense the evil, clerics and casters out to put down the necromancer. Or the tax man. Cause there is no way Dead-Ear pays all his taxes before leaving an area, that would be wise and show longterm planning.
So many options.
Or just the headless horseman poking in for the hell of it, WarHunter feels like the kind of person that would appreciate Dullahans.

----------


## WarHunter

Haha, correction it's dead ear not dead eye, that's a mix of his 2 skaven characters.

If your backstory doesn't have anymore to it than what I can read on your sheet, I will gladly fill in the missing parts to the arena but if you have details of it I am more than appreciative if you sent it or posted it here so I can incorporate it.
 If anyone's background info become relevant, that's not a nice word ...um bring to a head? Active topic and/or destination/ setting of the campaign I will due my best to incorporate your details (less work for me)

----------


## ~Corvus~

> If anyone's background info become relevant, [...] I will due my best to incorporate your details (less work for me)


Absolutely. To add to that, we as players exist at odds with our characters.

----------


## ~Corvus~

> Haha, correction it's dead ear not dead eye, that's a mix of his 2 skaven characters.


That was Tjallens own misquote

----------


## WarHunter

What/who is dead ear's contact at the arena?

----------


## ~Corvus~

> What/who is dead ear's contact at the arena?


Why dont you tell us  :Small Amused:

----------


## WarHunter

Because it's dead ears contact so I thought he would know

----------


## Tjallen

A half-orc named Dragni, Dead-Ear may or may not have bailed on a gang war because she missed a payment, something about a brother dying, but he wasn't paying attention.
Might be angry about it, might have learned to pay on time.

----------


## Doxkid

wtf, we have an OoC thread? Since when?

----------


## WarHunter

Since my 3rd post? MikelaC1 what city is the Arena in?

----------


## MikelaC1

How about Keltor? In my world, Keltor was pretty much a wild west adventuring town that would tolerate gladiator games.

----------


## ~Corvus~

What an excellent name! Sounds wild west-y.

----------


## WarHunter

Good to know thanks

----------


## Tjallen

Dead-Ear is also ready to move to the city.

----------


## WarHunter

MikelaC1 how long had it been since your character was in Keltor? Apologies is I spelled name wrong

----------


## MikelaC1

So do we just study the pictures for some time and then move into the group making spot checks? I dont want to get ahead of the game in that regard as a minotaur walking into a merchant caravan might create a bit of a scene.

----------


## Tjallen

You certainly have the option of making a good impression by doing so? :P

----------


## ~Corvus~

> You certainly have the option of making a good impression by doing so? :P


Those drawings look less like humanoids than humanoids do! What lies about their form!!  :Small Big Grin:

----------


## WarHunter

Going to have to figure out what happened to the caravan after all those attacks, never giving you guys a ride to your destination again ridiculous forged wanted posters move.

----------


## Doxkid

If they don't want to do the time they shouldn't let themselves get framed for the crime.

----------


## Tjallen

The heck do you mean forged wanted posters? Those are genuine. And my brother in christ it is your game if you didn't want them to look like the ones in the poster just, you know, don't have them be the most suspicious people to ever walk the planet xD

----------


## Doxkid

*Player*
*Character*
*Track 1*
*Track 2*
*Alignment*
*Roles*

MikelaC1
Cowdenbeath
Minotaur 4/Creature of Legend 2
Barbarian 6
Chaotic Neutral
tank, melee striker, limited tracker

Doxkid
Sin
savage Rakshasa Akchazar 6
Dread Necro 6
Neutral Evil
Necromancer (Summoner, Healer, Mage)

Tjallen
Dead-Ear
Eshin agent 6
Warlock Engineer 6
CE // NE
Stealth, subduing // Grapple, Paralyzing, summons

Corvus
Thorn
savage Battlebriar
Incarnate 6
Neutral Evil
Scout, Striker, Skills



Reposting sheets so we have easy access.

----------


## MikelaC1

what happened on my gore attack on the horse? I find the resolution of this battle results to be rather vague.

----------


## ~Corvus~

It seems they just...exploded a vast sum of wealth?

----------


## WarHunter

> what happened on my gore attack on the horse? I find the resolution of this battle results to be rather vague.


Sorry the horse took the damage but it didn't kill it, was just surprised that anyone targeted the wagon's horse power. Sorry a lot of things happened at once so I resolved it the fastest way.

----------


## Doxkid

Flubbed in the IC thread. Redoing my attack roll here: 
(1d20+10)[*19*]

----------


## MikelaC1

Im sorry but this game is a bit too sandboxy in terms of resolution of things and bit too slow moving for my taste. Im going to bow out now

----------


## ~Corvus~

It's moving pretty slowly...

----------

