Kasimir

Had to close the tab, that is one sweet pen. Pocket pen?

Referring to today since you're presumably referring to today's train, but sure. The irony of players talking about their Elim play as I presumably will also have to do at some point and have done previously is that you need to consider them a reliable source of testimony to begin with. You see the problem I would hope. Already said: quiet, RPful game. I busted my back trying to do my share of the carry in MR53 and LG79. I'm having a chill game. You're just going to have to learn to read me when I apply about maybe 30% effort to a game, I'm not sorry

I'm going to drop the RP for the moment to try to take advantage of the fact I have Internet for a bit. Highlighting that these reads are defeasible/will probably adjusted as and when I have the bandwidth to take a closer look. Light Village with Soy Sauce: Himalaya Rock Salted Village: Plain Porridge: Crackers with Tabasco: A Little Nandos: Burn a prayer glyph for me to the Internet gods y'all. I don't want to have to ask for a pinch-hitter or get filter-killed. Chantara is the other real vote option for me now, and since I don't know if I will be back in time (please pray for my Internet!), here we go. Not fond of Elk dodging the question but what can you do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[OOC: Are you frickin' serious I was the first Elk vote >> I'm considering now though as Elk is not a top suspicion but I did want to hear from him; less sure if Elk is the person I am most suspicious of and most want to die today. As I noted in my single post today, I am more suspicious of Chantara. I also continue to have negative gut reads on Esooa and recently a bit on Squirrel. Fair warning I may ask for a pinch-hitter/disappear. My Internet is now crapping out, I have windows of connection and then zilch otherwise, I've spent the entire morning/last night trying to troubleshoot and it's frustrating af.]

I did offer not to play for a reason I feel I'm not really the kind of player you need in this game.

It was a quiet night. Airam primed Kion and kept Kion near, and slept lightly but nothing disturbed him. The way Airam saw it, sleeping with a loaded crossbow wasn't all that safe, but so was lying there waiting for a Ministry agent to off him in his sleep. Or one of Tellam's. At least Arenta had the decency to leave him alone, for all she insisted on squeezing him dry with her claims of rent owed. As he locked up the store and headed out to get his morning baywrap, all Airam heard was whispering. People had been scared, he realised. People had wondered if someone else was going to die. No one had, but Airam supposed that if people had been safe, and had not told the entire slums where they slept—he revised that belief a few moments later when the baker told him that Stuart Sampson [OOC: Mat] had been sighted running through the slums screaming that Scorched [OOC: TUO] was likely skaa, rather than a Ministry agent. The more Airam heard, the more tenuous it sounded: only if Van wasn't Ministry, because Van had gone around telling half the slums where he slept, why someone would do this Airam didn't know, unless it was part of a ploy or a gambit to elicit information. It wasn't Van's first run, Airam knew that much. [OOC: Dalinar's SE contemporaries with Steel, played Steel's Princess Bride game IIRC, and was an Elim in AG3. Whatever it is, new player weirdness isn't featuring into this.] And then it turned out that Leek [OOC: Elk] had been going all around the slums as well, telling everyone he knew where everyone was. He grunted sourly as he bought a hot tea as well. That was the one thing you could count on, in the slums. Information travelling faster than Arenta's exorbitant rents. Everyone liked to roll the dice. Still, Airam supposed he thought maybe the Ministry wasn't into guessing. Maybe they'd considered the likelihood that people were lying, or had changed their location. Or maybe someone in that entire tangled mess with Van and Leek was working for the Ministry, and figured the slums'd come down on them like a load of bricks if they killed another skaa. Or it could be a risk-averse group of Ministry agents. Or maybe they had tried and they had failed. 'Course, that meant they were going to be more desperate, then. Airam wasn't sure he liked that idea. Thing was, Airam didn't like the sound of that Tara girl. [OOC: Chantara] Eron and Ill Way [OOC: Archer and Illwei] had flagged out Tara's behaviour from the previous day, and the more Airam thought about it, the more Airam agreed. Ill Way hadn't been especially aggressive. In that light, Tara claiming that Ill Way was likely a Ministry agent for aggressively defending herself just seemed like someone reaching to try to see if they could rub some suspicion onto Ill Way, see what stuck. Maybe someone was coaching Tara too, telling her where to stick the knife. 'Course, that would be someone on the Ministry end. What interested Airam just as much though was Ill Way's sudden retraction; Ill Way suddenly changing views at the drop of a hat and thinking maybe Tara wasn't all that suspicious after all. But Airam thought about it and he didn't think Tara and Ill Way were both working for the Ministry. Either way you cut it, Ill Way had no reason to finger Tara and then no reason to back off just as fast. Wasn't really her style. [OOC: Illwei has no reason to both immediately sus a new player teammate this hard, and no reason to back off after C1.] 'Course, Ill Way wasn't the most predictable skaa in the slums, but even so. There was Steel, too. Izi [OOC: Tani] was an easy pick, a safe one, and Airam didn't really like it. Thing was, Arenta didn't stand for laggards in her tenemants. If Izi wasn't paying the rent, she'd be out on her ear by nightfall. So what was the point, really? [OOC: There's an inactivity filter, and it's two cycles. Tani will be removed by D3 if she doesn't post. Now if she does lurk, that's a different issue, but there's no reason to worry too much about her for the moment if she's scheduled to be hit by the filter. Agree with Archer on this.] Either way, it was still morning, if a little later in the day than Airam'd meant to get up, and he thought that if there was anyone here he'd side-eye, it was probably Leek. Sure, both a Ministry agent and skaa had reason to collect information, but the way Airam saw it, it wasn't just about collecting information, but what you'd planned to do with it. Looked like Van was trying to exculpate a few players, which seemed a bit of a skaa thing to do, though it was thin gruel. Stuart probably wasn't in cahoots with Van either: the speed with which he'd run screaming through the slums seemed to imply he was a skaa who'd gotten a bit over-excited and lost his head. So the real question was Leek. Leek'd been fishing around. What did he have to show for it? What were his plans? [OOC: So I'd be tempted to lean Village on Archer for helpfulness but Archer is one case I'd always asterisk because Archer has deepwolf tendencies, or as OOG!Eiwlil said forever ago, effortposting never clears Archer And opsec means operational security, so PM safety but also thread safety seriously guys am I the only one who didn't tell the entire bloody Village where I am? No real opinion on TJ for now.]

[OOC: I'm not saying Steel was on the table, I'm asking you why you feel that way. I know Steel is on your Elim reads but Steel was easily the weakest of your Elim reads if I'm interpreting your chart right, so why opt for Steel over TUO or Mint, who are closer to Az, your - at that point - strongest suspicion?]

[OOC: ?]

[OOC: I think you mean an unholy combination of, sir K so I'd RP more but it's my weekend and I'm trying to get more Pathfinder: Wrath in and also avoid another Illweicident. Fortunately, rollover is at 6AM for me so I should be able to make the switch in ample time. So apologies Squirrel but my bandwidth is low right now. I'd put my vote on Esooa for reasons of dealing with Eiwlil-type players, but I'm not really comfortable with D1-ing a new player. I'm going with Mint I guess - more or less just an uneasy gut right now. G'night y'all.]

Airam kept sanding down the surface of the table he was working on. It was repetitive work, and soon his mind drifted. Stuart Sampson [OOC: Mat] had apparently been putting out feelers, suggesting Scorched [OOC: TUO] worked for the Ministry. Airam figured both of them would sell their own mothers out to the Steel Ministry—this was just the kind of world they lived in, these days—but Stuart, according to the rumour-mill, had a reason for doing so. He was testing something. Question was, what was it? Airam kept on sanding the wood. Nothing good, he'd wager. [OOC: This one's Airam, not me. He's a grouchy old dude.] Edited to add: [OOC: We're yet to hear from @Tani and @Dalinar Kholin.]

[OOC: Because of course no one would ever lie in this game and Evil Kohga!Eiwlil certainly never lied in LG78. Okay then. Eiwlil Esooa.]

Lord Ruler save him, it was one of those. If there was something Airam hated, it was people who came into his shop, looked around, and didn't buy a thing. Worse, they only wanted to talk gossip. Sometimes, they did stupid things like break his stools in the bargain. 'Course, sometimes it was on purpose. Tellam's rusher, mot named Pheila. Liked to break things, figuring that it'd coax them into paying more money. Fool of a girl. If the boxings weren't there, they weren't. Being squeezed between the Lord Ruler's tax collectors, Arenta, and Tellam's lot was one hell of an existence. He glared at the interloper. "Listen, I'm a working craftsman here. If you aren't here to buy something, get! Ministry agents are all and very well but talk on the likes of those scum ain't going to make me a living!" [OOC: Eiwlil @|TJ| you'll have to forgive me for disrespecting you like this but I can always find you again ] Edited to add: For clarity's sake, TJ.

A knock on the shop door. Airam hadn't heard that voice before, liked to think he had a decent memory for names. Hadn't forgotten Glim, even after all these years. "If you're one of Tellam's, you can sod right off!" Airam shouted. "And if you're with Arenta, then I got a staff with your name on it!" And if that interloper was with the Steel Ministry... Airam's hand drifted under the counter. That was what Kion was for. [OOC: Will edit for justification later...]

Ministry agents in the slums. Airam glanced warily at the door to his shop. As far as he was concerned, life only ever gave you awful choices, like which leaky tenement you were going to rent, or whether debt collectors went for your storefront or beat you up. So of course the Steel Ministry would send some of its thugs here as well. 'Parently, Arenta'd run into one of them, and as much as Airam was also hiding from Arenta, on account of the fact she kept insisting he'd owed her rent for his last shop and had him evicted, blatant nonsense that, he'd borrowed to pay Wirum off, and that old bastard was holding that against Airam, too. Speaking of which, he hadn't seen—he grimaced, what a name, likely a ganger—Hollaback Atcha [OOC= TJ] around lately. Some of the other skaa'd been talking about not letting people know where you lived, at least not right now. Lord Ruler, Airam had thought that was obvious. He wouldn't even trust Tellam's crew with his location. Figured they'd start breaking his chairs again and telling him he owed them protection money. Protection money Airam's shiny arse—he knew a shakedown when he saw one. Figured that other skaa preferred beating down other skaa to striking a blow against the establishment, too. Truth was, Airam wasn't sure if he'd trust others with where he slept either. Sure, maybe, but old habits died hard and part him'd come from where you slept with an eye open and a knife under your pillow. He liked the idea just about as much as he liked his fellow skaa—great abstract concept, best kept at an arm's length. [OOC: I know what this game is designed for but yeah my gut hates this, I'm the opsec dude I don't know if I can bring myself to follow through!]

>>

K.

I don't use that function, and it's not designed for people with accents that aren't American.

Good match Noodlers and Diamine really are value-for-money!

Extra time would be good. I could use the recovery time. I seem to have sprained/fractured my right wrist and I'm right hand dominant. Don't know if quiet-RPful is on the cards for me but quiet is very likely because typing left-handed is bothersome Please be understanding if there are no longposts from me.

I'm tired and trying to go hardcore analysis for two games simultaneously at lylo was nearly the end of me. It's Araris's 100th game though, and I've wanted to get the quiet, RPful game thing down for once. For once. I was so storming close in LG73 too. Even if Araris thinks (and is not wrong) that I will likely end up doing a spreadsheet at some point. Ah, well. Wyrm is gonna roll his eyes at me for not staying away but this game does look like it could use some more players. I cannot guarantee high activity but I can guarantee at least one post a turn. I can't promise to be the sort of player this game needs - I'm a bit too hung up on opsec so @Araris Valerian, let me know if you think this makes me a bad fit, and I'll step back. Signing up for this one as Airam, a quiet skaa carpenter trying to survive the latest shakedowns from the local thieving crews. The brutal murders have him on edge and he's half convinced someone is trying to send him a message! Also Araris, does this mean we're spending this game at the mercy of Arenta?

Hmm. In theory I could, but I'm a bit hesitant because it's an another body snatching anon game and right after LG79 too. Plus, I've GMed two games recently. Pass this time I think.

Dark Blue Forest looks really good The fact they even blue the nib is amazing. The habit is definitely a thing. Jinhao Shark? No worries, this thread has essentially become random drop-in anyway

Due to circumstances largely out of my control and a windfall - may be getting a Nakaya soon. If I do, it'll be the last major acquisition I make, I think. I'm currently very happy with the pens I do have, and I feel that anything else would be extra. The Nakaya I might be able to get will likely be quite significant to me if they're doing the design I'm interested in, so there's that too

Ash in MR52, or:

On the smokeform thoughts, I feel like that might work if you had a probabilistic conversion system, which might shift the intent of the mechanic a little. The idea here would be that putting on a form of power endangers you. Some, like Eshonai, don stormform to protect their people, but it's the good intentions lead to Braize sort of thing. Maybe lean into the 'Villagers would want smokeform' thought: if conversion were probabilistic, Villagers might want to grab smokeform (or scholars research it) to gamble they can catch an Elim before they convert. Idea would be you have a certain probability x of converting when you first attune smokeform and it increases with every turn you remain in it.