Seems we have turned Belly-Up!

[Pale Rider]

With the lack of posting evident I am going to finish this mission off this weekend. Hopefully, we can get a new campaign going that will see action.

[Quicksilver]

oorah!

[Nick]

Awesome!

//N

[Quicksilver]

Ready for deployment.

[Pale Rider]

Roger that!

[Pale Rider]

Roger that!

[Corporal Hicks]

I will be here as long as the game is

[maxvale76]

I'm in.

[Corporal Hicks]

We need a time limit for every turn. Maximum of 72 hours. If the new turn is not posted in that time we have some form of fail-safe. The campaign has a start date and an end date. That is the only solution that I believe in. If nobody posts in time than we all lose a turn.

Also you could allow me as LT to govern the actions of any inactive player at the end of 72 hours.

The game is dying. Now is our chance.

-Hicks

[maxvale76]

I'm cool with that....3 days to respond, if not, either the CO/NCO acts for you or the GM does.

[Quicksilver]

Makes sense - you're assumed to follow the orders up the chain of command, of the GM moves you along to maintain the story.

I recommend, really, Pale Rider think about how often he'd like to post. If we know the storyteller is going to "advance the plot" every given period of time, then the story keeps moving and I think we're less likely to see this state of ping-pong-until-it-fall-off-then-turn method. I was in a game where the GM posted every Monday afternoon and that ticked on pretty well for almost 2 years on a board that regularly sees only 3-6 month runs.

[Pale Rider]

I can post as frequently as needed. I suppose I was hoping for the glory days of the board where it seems like someone was posting every 30 minutes (probably not but felt like it).
I can go with 72 or I can make it every Sunday is roll over day since it is the first of the week.

I have a few questions:
1. Is there enough Action to keep players actively involved.
2. Do we need to take a break from me as GM and try someone different.
3. Is there a reason why most folks have refrained from adding Kakao Chat? It allows for a more intimate touch and a quicker turn around to responses by me because it buzzes me immediately. We could also use Messenger for Facebook if it would be preferable.
4. Looks like we only have 3 committed to moving forward. Do we desire to play with this small of a group and do we want to continue as the Easy Eights or do we play the Devil Dawgs which was a Special Forces Unit and run some campaigns with them until we get up our numbers to return to the Eights?

Respectfully,

Charles H. Tucker
PS. I hate leaving stories unfinished. So at some point I will try to write a conclusion to the current mission. But I need to know who intends to continue on so I know who to kill and who not to kill.

[- JR -]

In terms of general barriers to participation... Speaking personally, at times I have a hard time following what's going on. I'll sign in to post, sift through a sea of replies, and end up deciding to sit tight until some more context clues present themselves. It is, of course, counterproductive, and something I could and should work through, but it's definitely a recurring snag for me.

In terms of the broader future of the game, it's clear that you're doing something right, given that a lot of us are still here after 10+ years. I wouldn't vote for a change of GM unless you actively feel you need a break (which would be a legitimate request!), or unless we've got someone chomping at the bit to try their hand at a campaign.

I haven't been as engaged as I should be, and I apologize; it's not fair to any of you, especially the GM. We've all got real life issues going on, but by throwing our hat in we've also made a commitment to each other, something I'll try harder to keep in mind.

I would encourage everyone who doesn't have Kakao to give it a try. I was resistant to the idea at first but it has been tremendously helpful.

[Pale Rider]

Thank you for your reply, J. R.

[Quicksilver]

This post was longer at first, but really, it all comes down to seconding what JR said. In my experience here, we do really well during the totally-unstructured time (like getting set up around the base) and really tight action (like the shoot-out in the kitchen). It's the in-between when we're scouting a ridge or clearing a hallway that things get a little wonky (particularly for the feeling of asynchronous characters) and at least I end up in the position of not being really sure how much I should actually do in a post. (i.e. should I go tree-to tree to the top of the ridge and look out, or should I just move up to the next tree and see if anyone says anything?)

As for question #4, a few people might pop in when the mission its self is announced, but it might indeed make more sense to start at least the next arc as a Special Forces team.

Also, I've gone ahead an downloaded Kakao, but I normally tried to avoid chat in relation to board RPs, because of program bloat, but also because I always feel like I miss more when there's a chat involved. I'm guessing others are probably the same way. (or similar).