My Little Pony LXXXVI: Too Suggestive for Ponythread!

[DigoDragon]

I remember this. Though I don't actually remember any particulars, but I guess if you don't either then I can just do whatever. So, mushroom ponies!

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Mushroom mushroom... (you know the meme)

That's a really good piece! They have that creepy fey quality I see from films like Pan's Labyrinth. I approve!

If the group is going to be split ike that, other people are going to have start doing regular DMing too.

Fair enough. Then it seems that you'll have to make the call for them to stand up and start running some more sessions and adventures. Hopefully they're not all too timid to heed that call...

And if you think that's bad, remember that at once point, we were playing with eight characters at level 16-17...in 3.X.

Dang. o.o
My worst was 11 players in AD&D 2e. Lasted 2.5 sessions.

[Madcrafter]

Mushroom mushroom... (you know the meme)

That's a really good piece! They have that creepy fey quality I see from films like Pan's Labyrinth. I approve!

That is kind of what I was going for. It didn't make the cut, but I was thinking of putting them in a more Alice in Wonderland style garden too, instead of forest.


EDIT: Arghleblarg, my computer just restarted for updates with absolutely no warning... and I was in the middle of an installation too. Funnily enough the installer started right back up where it left off when I finally got back in.

Mushroom sized mushroom ponies, huh? That works.
You know what? I think you hit this one clear out of the park.

Five stars.

Hmm, well thanks.

[Trixie]

The spoilers continue!

Spoiler: S5 Concept Art

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Aren't these just OCs of the staff?

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That's not new, these are from S4 Trade Ya! episode.

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Chemical warfare (with Ipmareite) and malnourishment now canon?

But then again, these stupid MLP comics already made Holocaust jokes, sooo...

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That first photo of the concept art is truncated on the left. What are they hiding?

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Maybe 'aspect ratio'? :P

No, seriously, he just choose to catch new stuff on frame. If you look, intact RD is in last photo, normal.

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I really dig that they're going more off model with pony designs. The lessening feel of cookie cutter characters feels real nice to my artistic eyes.

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Huh?

Who? IMHO these are all cookie cutter old designs, from first season, even...

[DigoDragon]

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Huh?

Who? IMHO these are all cookie cutter old designs, from first season, even...

S5 Discussion

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It's subtle, but some of the designs have varying leg lengths and body shapes.

[Forum Explorer]

*sigh*

There are times...

So, a couple of weeks ago (week before I was out because of the panto), we had a couple show up (they'd been directed to us by someone, I think - thanks a fracking bunch, whoever that was); never played tabletop before (only CRPG). I'm not DMing, so I didn't really get a say (and you'd feel a bit guilty putting them off), and everyone else was "like sure, yeah!" especially since we had some players off and characters going spare. And they basically want to permently join in and said they'd quite like to have their now characters at some point.

"What's the problem, Bleakbane you miserable old toerag?" I hear you cry.

The problem is - we already have nine players (not including DM). And it is established that nine characters is about the absolute limit (actually about a character beyond it, in my opinion) you can sensibly play with. Now, at the moment, as we're playing 4E and the DM is able to adjust encounters per number of characters fairly easily (since that is one of the few advatnages of 4E outof-the-book) and we've re-invented the bioware party system whereby after a combat is over, anyone who's player isn't now there goes back to the camp. And we do have people only showing up more irregularly (there's a core of about five of us that show up every week, one nearly every week and the others as work shifts allow.)

Problem is, when we get back to Rise of the Runelords - you just can't do that. 3.X (especially 3.Aotrs) requires a LOT of preperation work. Moreover - as a DM, I'm just not prepared to do that; nor am I even going to ATTEMPT running with eleven character and players, not even with 25 year's experience and on my best day.

"Why don't you split the group up, then," I hear you ask. "Simple, tinhead!"

First - its mithril, not tin. And second, the problem with that is - at the moment we have exactly two DMs. For what would be twelve people. Me, and the chap running 4E currently. And I don't think either of us - especially me - fancy becoming permenant DM and doing it all the time, every week for the forseeable future. (Indeed, I can't, I generally need a run up of someone else's game to be able to set up my next one.)

(Not to mention it means doing that we're inevitably have to split up the core group of veterans that have been playing together for said 25 years.)

So, it means that:

a) People are going to have start sharing characters - which is fine if they don't show up on the same day, but when the inevitable happens and everyone shows up at once... (We've already had two players sharing a character for RotRL, so we had eight instead of nine characters, but one said players said he'd really like his own at some point.)

b) Someone else (or rather two someone elses) are gong to have to set up and regular DMs if the group is split up. (And not just the "I'll run a short Marvel Adventures thing at some point"). And that causes its own problems, since again, it early has to fall the regular players...

c) We have to turn people away.

None of the above is very satisfactory solution.



And I am the only one who is concerned about any of this, apparently.



I deliberatley left well alone last week, because of the panto¹; it was entirely possible the two new ones would not show back up again; we've had that before, so you never know. (But they did, and they sem quite keen.) But I foolishly thought that, when/if they did, y'know, someone other than me might have broached the issue last week or this week. But of freaking course not. I don't think any of them think about it after they leave the door.

So it's going to be left to bloody me again, isn't it? Likely, to not only kickstart the debate - which I shall have to do tomorrow - but to decide the solution as well, like as not, in the end.



Even hilariously exploding Undead with Solar Wrath + Turn Undead was only a fleeting glory. So you lot get to have me vent...



¹I had - VERY unusually, at least two as-close-to-as-I-get-to anxiety dreams during meditation about it. (Though I suspect that to be from a combination of this, panto, convention weekend after next I still have to finish preparing for, organising the next day RPG for Easter (and trying to get answers out of them is like getting blood out of a stone these days), WRITING the next day RPG for Easter all at once hasn't helped, so it's likely that was just the proxy for the combination of the other stresses because it's the one I have least control over.)

Ouch. Also I'm kinda envious. I've never had a group so willing to play, and never more then 5 people.

Anyways would this work?

You get a new DM, but you both play in the same universe. That way characters can meet up and swap between adventures (say you've got a guild or something. At 11 characters, that's mostly true). You'd need to coordinate with the other DM a little (so it stays the same universe), but it may also help ease the burden on both DMs, by allowing you both to lean on each other when it comes to worldbuilding and using each other's characters and the like.

[DigoDragon]

Gravity Falls Intro Ponified.

Goggles + Pony =

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A Wee Bit Too Honest?

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Serve the public trust
Protect the innocent
Uphold the law

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[Trixie]

S5 Discussion

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It's subtle, but some of the designs have varying leg lengths and body shapes.

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Are you sure about that?

I looked again, hard, and all I see is differences made by the fact photo was captured at angle and possibly optical illusion caused by different mane styles. Of course, it's impossible to say with any certainty without HD source leaking, but I'd bet its at best just perspective.

Speaking of S5, list of writers given on panel:

Writers:
Meghan McCarthy
M.A. Larson
G.M. Berrow (new, writes a Pinkie Pie episode, writer of some of the licensed novels)
Amy Keating Rogers
Cindy Morrow
Dave Polsky
Josh Haber
Natasha Levinger
Scott Sonneborn
Noelle Benvenuti
Neal Dusedau (new, previously worked on Johnny Test and Fish Hooks)
Nick Confalone (new, writing Pinkie Pie Family episode, previously worked on Johnny Test and Fish Hooks)
Joanna Lewis (new, previously worked on TUFF Puppy)
Kristine Songco (new, previously worked on Mighty B, Fanboy and Chum Chum, and TUFF Puppy)

Hmm, Cadance backstory now 100% show canon?

[zimmerwald1915]

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Are you sure about that?

I looked again, hard, and all I see is differences made by the fact photo was captured at angle and possibly optical illusion caused by different mane styles. Of course, it's impossible to say with any certainty without HD source leaking, but I'd bet its at best just perspective.

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The earth pony stallion with the bushy mane and tail, third from the left on the top row, has a shorter muzzle and thicker neck than either the stallion directly to the right of him, or the blue stallion, second from the left on the bottom row. The unicorn mare with the purple hat, fifth from the left on the top row, uses a model proportioned much like Fleur's, Luna's, and Cadance's, but shrunk down to typical pony height. The orange earth pony stallion in the baseball cap and the blue pegasus stallion with the cloud-like mane, third and fifth from the left respectively, reuse Trenderhoof's and Cheese Sandwich's long-legged models (which are different from one another; Trenderhoof's barrel is both squarer and bulkier). Orange uses Trenderhoof's model and Blue uses Cheese's.

Of these the only one I think is actually new is Mister Third from the Left on the Top Row, and that's the one against which your "illusion" objection actually carries the most weight, but if I'm right, that's four ponies who don't use the Season One body models.

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Hmm, Cadance backstory now 100% show canon?

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Not necessarily. A writer can be employed and either choose not to bring or be forbidden from bringing certain of their ideas on board.

Not that I wouldn't welcome putting the Cadance backstory discussion to rest.

EDIT: me and tags, old story, yadda yadda

[Excession]

We do have SEVERAL healers (like, half the characters), and are EXTREMELY good at teamwork. Enough that the DM has had to find out the fan-post MM3 upgrade for the module AND come to a gentleman's agreement for us to attempt at least four combats before we rest to stop use steamrollering through every encounter... (And we get through a combat in about a session, give or take, which is about two hours...)

Below is the sort of Elite Artillery I was talking about. With nine players, you could use 4 or 5 of these. 3 with some infantry (soldier) or close air (skirmisher) support might be more reasonable. I do tend to over-estimate enemies though.

Spoiler: Mobile Heavy Gun

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Mobile Heavy Gun, Level 13 Elite Artillery
Large construct, XP 1600
HP 196; AC 27; Fortitude 26; Reflex 24; Will 23
Speed 8

Traits
Stealth Field: The gun has partial concealment from creatures more than 3 squares away from it.

Standard Actions
(MBA) Kick: 1 or 2 creatures in Melee 2; +18 vs. AC; 3d8+4 lightning damage
(RBA) Shoot: one creature in Ranged 20; +20 vs. AC; 3d10+6 damage
Rapid Fire: the gun uses Shoot twice.

Basically, this is a Yaun-ti Malison Sharp-Eye from Monster Vault, upgraded to Elite using the standard formula: twice the hit points and give it a double attack. I even removed secondary poison attack (which applies save-ends daze) because I couldn't work out how to fluff it and it seems a bit OP. This isn't exactly what I used against my players, but it's close, and it was rather effective.

And if you think that's bad, remember that at once point, we were playing with eight characters at level 16-17...in 3.X.

How often did some people not get a turn because the casters had wiped everything?

[Fable Wright]

Seriously though, DMing isn't that hard, and someone else in that group needs to do it for a change.

DMing itself isn't hard for small parties. I'm currently co-DMing for a party of 7-8 in Pathfinder right now, and the other DM is... seriously struggling to keep the party focused, deliver plot hooks, and keep the world fleshed out enough to make it interesting. The real problem is the prep work, though. The co-DM and I had at least 12-14 hours of meetings over the two weeks preceding the second session to try and flesh out the world, hooks, and actors, and we didn't even get around to statting up the combat encounters yet. For 3.X and derivative systems, DMing can be a lot of work that not everyone can invest into.

[SiuiS]

I have decides that I will need a new face. Or, several new faces.

Since I am so very, uh, stochastic in my personal presentation, I'll just have little face icons next to my word spaces so ponies know which weird headspace I am in at any given moment!

... I just need to categorize said headspaces <~<"

[Aotrs Commander]

Ouch. Also I'm kinda envious. I've never had a group so willing to play, and never more then 5 people.

Anyways would this work?

You get a new DM, but you both play in the same universe. That way characters can meet up and swap between adventures (say you've got a guild or something. At 11 characters, that's mostly true). You'd need to coordinate with the other DM a little (so it stays the same universe), but it may also help ease the burden on both DMs, by allowing you both to lean on each other when it comes to worldbuilding and using each other's characters and the like.

Not really, no, since a) it would require us to be running the same system, let alone in the same world, b) it would require us to not be running modules/adventure paths, which we two current DMs do because neither of us has the time to attempt doing otherwise (and believe me, world-building is EVEN MORE work; when I'm running my own day quests, it takes me usually as much time again to write it as to play.)

Below is the sort of Elite Artillery I was talking about. With nine players, you could use 4 or 5 of these. 3 with some infantry (soldier) or close air (skirmisher) support might be more reasonable. I do tend to over-estimate enemies though.

Spoiler: Mobile Heavy Gun

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Mobile Heavy Gun, Level 13 Elite Artillery
Large construct, XP 1600
HP 196; AC 27; Fortitude 26; Reflex 24; Will 23
Speed 8

Traits
Stealth Field: The gun has partial concealment from creatures more than 3 squares away from it.

Standard Actions
(MBA) Kick: 1 or 2 creatures in Melee 2; +18 vs. AC; 3d8+4 lightning damage
(RBA) Shoot: one creature in Ranged 20; +20 vs. AC; 3d10+6 damage
Rapid Fire: the gun uses Shoot twice.

Basically, this is a Yaun-ti Malison Sharp-Eye from Monster Vault, upgraded to Elite using the standard formula: twice the hit points and give it a double attack. I even removed secondary poison attack (which applies save-ends daze) because I couldn't work out how to fluff it and it seems a bit OP. This isn't exactly what I used against my players, but it's close, and it was rather effective.

We're level 11 currently, but with another couple of levels...

As that's just dealing damage and it doesn't have any status effects, it'd probably be not much worse than the sort of thing we've been dealing with.

Though again, module - the DM is using a fan source to upgrade the monsters therein because he doesn't have time or inclination (or practicality, given variable party size) to be able to make his own.

How often did some people not get a turn because the casters had wiped everything?

Never.

Seriously.

This is 3.Aotrs, for one, which means a) noncasters have gotten a boost and most importanly b) anything the PCs can do, the monsters can and will do right back, especially since this was a convcerted Night Below and NPC clerics were plentiful (and EVERYTHING that can have it loads Dispel Magic). Combined arms opposition is standard. The Defiant template is also A Thing, which means that any boss monsters worth their salt are going to shake off any status or combat ending nondamage attacks the first (and potentially more times), unless you save it for a finishing blow.

The largest threat was the Rogue/Ninja/Invisible Blade/Swordsage - since thre advanture saw fit to hand out Wings of Flying in the second encounter. A flying, invisible Sneak Attacker who by the end was using two weapons, and dealing up to about 12D6 damage per attack with four or five attacks and, if you could even take a swipe at him, had an AC of "ahaha, no, DM." Abd because he was invisible because ninja, it wasn't even easy to him with spells. (I killed him once with Heart Ripper, though...)

[b_jonas]

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I'm pretty sure all the rainbow dash's are just their basic model, that they use for comparisons and scale.

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And to make it look cooler. Any concept art is 20% cooler if Rainbow Dash is in it. (Or 10% cooler when his head is cut off.)

[Trixie]

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The earth pony stallion with the bushy mane and tail, third from the left on the top row, has a shorter muzzle and thicker neck than either the stallion directly to the right of him, or the blue stallion, second from the left on the bottom row. The unicorn mare with the purple hat, fifth from the left on the top row, uses a model proportioned much like Fleur's, Luna's, and Cadance's, but shrunk down to typical pony height. The orange earth pony stallion in the baseball cap and the blue pegasus stallion with the cloud-like mane, third and fifth from the left respectively, reuse Trenderhoof's and Cheese Sandwich's long-legged models (which are different from one another; Trenderhoof's barrel is both squarer and bulkier). Orange uses Trenderhoof's model and Blue uses Cheese's.

Of these the only one I think is actually new is Mister Third from the Left on the Top Row, and that's the one against which your "illusion" objection actually carries the most weight, but if I'm right, that's four ponies who don't use the Season One body models.

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Muzzle/neck one - IMO optical illusion due to clothes, body hair, and perspective. 'Fleur' I think is just optical illusion, seeing she is next to bulkier male models, also being farthest from camera. Two stallions at the bottom from what I see have Carrot Cake's body (the only difference being lack of underbite) and are identical down to visual error due to picture's blurriness/compression artifacts. I am not saying they're 200% pixel perfect copies, but honestly see nothing that would conclusively show that they're not ctrl+c ponies, even after measuring a few of the details you mentioned.

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Not necessarily. A writer can be employed and either choose not to bring or be forbidden from bringing certain of their ideas on board.

Not that I wouldn't welcome putting the Cadance backstory discussion to rest.

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I really don't see guest writer doing huge changes to major MLP character without someone at least looking at her script and okaying it. Especially seeing she is the one who introduced the whole 'Pinkie has 3 sisters' thing months before Maud showed up. It's IMHO much more likely they just liked her work and introduced her as new writer.

And her AJ book has a few passages on her parents. Dun dun dun?

[MLai]

Concept art...

The body types definitely look different to me...

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• The Fleur pony isn't an exact duplicate of Fleur. She's got the legs but her trunk is less curvy.
• The clowny-looking pegasus is definitely new. He looks taller than Mr. Cake.
• The Mr. Cake analog is just a modification of Mr. Cake or the Flim Flams though, yeah.

[DigoDragon]

For 3.X and derivative systems, DMing can be a lot of work that not everyone can invest into.

For most games really. I've run lots of systems and the biggest package of work to do is not system specific-- it's the story and characters you gotta bring to life. DMing can sometimes be a thankless job too, which is something that I notice turns away potential new game masters. :c

But it's only sometimes! DMs can have lots of fun too.

I have decides that I will need a new face. Or, several new faces.

You mean like that one creature in Avatar?

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*Shudder* Creepy thing.

The largest threat was the Rogue/Ninja/Invisible Blade/Swordsage - since thre advanture saw fit to hand out Wings of Flying in the second encounter. A flying, invisible Sneak Attacker who by the end was using two weapons, and dealing up to about 12D6 damage per attack with four or five attacks and, if you could even take a swipe at him, had an AC of "ahaha, no, DM."

My old group used to call invisible flying sneak attack types 'Captain Airbiscuit'. I don't remember how that originated, but it was a thing.

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And her AJ book has a few passages on her parents. Dun dun dun?

Oooh...

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The AJ book eh? I think I'll have to find a copy of that. My daughter has been slowly collecting them, and then i'll read 'em after she does. I'm sure she won't mind getting the AJ one.

[Trixie]

So, I looked at pony toys today and something hit me. Remember fanon idea that Princess Skyla is daughter of Cadance and Shining, based on her colors?

Well, take a look at these two:

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Now tell me, who of the major characters is purple/pink?

Then think who has two of the other colors featured here.

...was Hasbro trolling everyone with plot points of two future seasons and EG movies hidden in plain sight?

[DigoDragon]

So, I looked at pony toys today and something hit me. Remember fanon idea that Princess Skyla is daughter of Cadance and Shining, based on her colors?

Well, take a look at these two:

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...was Hasbro trolling everyone with plot points of two future seasons and EG movies hidden in plain sight?

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Either that or someone in marketing got a hold of a Pony OC generator and thought "I can make alicorns too!!"

[Rater202]

Mr. Qordeth has his new Pony/Dresden crossover up.

[SiuiS]

You mean like that one creature in Avatar?

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*Shudder* Creepy thing.

Perhaps! Though I avoid segmented bodies. If I'm gonna be a serpent it's the full scales muscular undulations or bust! Centipede form is just bleh. :-/

[Rater202]

Perhaps! Though I avoid segmented bodies. If I'm gonna be a serpent it's the full scales muscular undulations or bust! Centipede form is just bleh. :-/

You're no fun.

[DigoDragon]

Perhaps! Though I avoid segmented bodies. If I'm gonna be a serpent it's the full scales muscular undulations or bust!

You got it! [/Homestar]

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Preview on Sombra's FIENDship is Magic comic.

[Aotrs Commander]

Preview on Sombra's FIENDship is Magic comic.

Didn't even know that was going to be A Thing. Added that straight to my subscription list, fortunately in plenty of time.

[DigoDragon]

Didn't even know that was going to be A Thing. Added that straight to my subscription list, fortunately in plenty of time.

Yeah, added it to my wish list. I certainly would love more Sombra. :D


Until then... nightmares!

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[SiuiS]

You got it! [/Homestar]

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Preview on Sombra's FIENDship is Magic comic.

1) score! Man, petering out on my ending for the buck: legacy game is one of my background regrets. If nothing else, Knives was crazy hella fun.

2) PFFFFFHAHAHAHAHAHahahahahahahaha!

[otakuryoga]

Yeah, added it to my wish list. I certainly would love more Sombra. :D


Until then... nightmares!

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that was awesomesauce

[DigoDragon]

Man, petering out on my ending for the buck: legacy game is one of my background regrets. If nothing else, Knives was crazy hella fun.

Knives was a lot of fun!! It was hilarious that you ended up with nearly every knife/sword item in the deck.

that was awesomesauce

I can't wait to see more of this. Seems like a series. :D

[Aotrs Commander]

Uurgh. Waaay too many Starwing record sheets, rules revisions and other meandering done, but it needed to be sorted to try at play-testing all the gubbins tomorrow. But even MY skull hurts after all that...

[Beacon of Chaos]

1) score! Man, petering out on my ending for the buck: legacy game is one of my background regrets. If nothing else, Knives was crazy hella fun.

Knives was a lot of fun!! It was hilarious that you ended up with nearly every knife/sword item in the deck.

I regret never running the sequel. I got the expansion and then never did anything with it. Never seemed like the right time, and then I forgot about it . Shame, 'cos it was pretty fun. We had some brilliant characters.

Maybe after Cats I'll start it.

[SiuiS]

Reminds me. Was there anything official on the rpg? Or was it just 'we stopped, sorry'?