I won't lie, this level of minutiae seems odd to focus on when we've an adventure to start, but people like what they like!

Folks, we restart tomorrow and I still don't know who the 3rd helmsman is, or which shift the other player is taking.

This is my 3rd or 4th request for this information.

If the game is going to continue, we need to fly some. That requires helmsmen. I need to know who for encounters.

I shouldn't have to keep asking every few days.

I have nudged in-character but no one has said anything and made a decision. I'm fine with just saying that I'll take the shift and be done with it.

 Pretty much seems to be the captains decision to me, although in lieu of a firm decision, you can always take the qualified pilots and roll a dice to see which one is 'lucky' when something happens. ^_^

So, are we becoming a space food truck?

No. You're going on trip that will take more than a week. About 10 weeks each way, in fact.

Okay.  Gotcha.  We just supplied up.  I was a bit confused for a moment.

Please don't punch me in the face, lol.

Ok, Jed, I've updated your SOP to include now wearing armor. NEXT encounter you'll have it on.

Folks, you had 10 days for those sorts of updates. AFTER we're in round countdowns is too late to finally remember.

So, since neither Jed nor Callvyn have posted, this means they are not moving to man the ballista? I'm going to revise at bit.

In reply to Master Glass (msg # 902):

Jed doesn't know anything is happening. You haven't told him, yet. I suspect Xanadyr is waiting for notification, too

Callvyn was awake, but he hasn't posted. He may have decided he's likely working on the underdeck, in which case he's waiting as well.

You might consider telling folks that you're about to encounter something.

So I guess the whole yelling out to the crew was pointless, since no one can hear a thing from the main deck? And the sudden slow down doesn't make anyone awake want to listen? Fine, let's play that way.

 Even if we can, some of us are asleep and sort of need to be woken up... Which may take more than one round. ^_^
This message was last edited by the player at 01:22, Thu 05 Jan 2023.

Well, we HAVE been playing that way. This isn't the first time. You're shouting through a deck. It's not that big a stretch.

This issue has come up over and over, it shouldn't be news.

And the lack of inertia as you go from one speed to another isn't new either. You are in a bubble of your own gravity. There isn't any inertia in this case. Which we have also addressed before.

And THIS is why I'm about to give up on this game. half of you dont' pay attention or expect things to happen for you. It's frustrating as a DM.

OK, Xanadyr has left over the mix of OOC and IC and general tenor of the game, and I don't much blame him.

Tor, at least, now has a job. Pivot Helmsman.

A lot of break ups happen over the new year. Perhaps before continuing the encounter we should discuss commitment to the game if the DM is considering an ending.

I'm considering ending because of things like this encounter. No matter how often it's come up, no one ever wakes anyone for encounters, they think they can yell through floors, and all the other things that no one ever seems to do, then complains about not being done.

It's exhausting.

And posting that others are doing things they obviously aren't doing, or back dating changes to routines after a couple weeks of failing to send the updates in don't help.

And it's getting to some of the players, too:
Ayamba called for a new captain.
Tor is trying to organize things.
   Both failed.
Xanadyr just left when it became too much for him...and he just got here.

The same old issues keep coming up. Nothing changes or gets solved.

There is only so much I should do. I've done a fair bit more than that, just to get things moving.

My frustration levels with the current state of affairs is about to maximum. This is a new experience for me. I don't like it.

Well that's not good. We should all be here for enjoyment.

For my part I hope the game continues. I have felt engaged over the last 4 months and it is a novelty playing spelljammer. I just bought the rules for Christmas because of this game.

Setting aside the issue of waking people for encounters, I feel there are two things that have contributed to the situation. Both, I acknowledge are a nature of the game being aboard a ship in space. One: the need for a roster automatically splits the party and Two: the need for one player to act as captain and then be looked to for decision making all the time adds a lot of pressure. And I think part of the reason why some are getting more involved than others. The captain vote was a means to allow someone else to accept the role.

One possible solution for the roster is getting more NPC crew and having all the PCs on the same rotation for encounters.

As for waking the crew, and disrupting a long rest, yes we should really have some sort of standing order for that. Crew cannot wake the ship at every drop to tactical without an order from Captain or Helm. And I don't feel the crew should be woken until the situation is identified - unless that is what we are agreeing on. As for the means, we discussed alot, but never implemented anything. Again probably because everyone is waiting for a captain's decision. Which again I view as unnecessary pressure on Glass.

Ayamba is a barbarian that has made one attack roll with a ballista (and missed) and a halfling who nearly died after failing two dex saves with advantage (which is ridiculous). However this is the first game I check for posts when I see red so I am in.

 To be fair, Tor hasn't failed. He's just still in the process of getting things moving.

 He's updated his list once already by simple observation (his seeing people doing things means that he adds them to the list) and after a couple of encounters like this, when he's actually a part of the crew instead of a scrawny, dragon-rat tagalong they hired, he'll probably call for a vote to replace Glass as well.

 Either way, he'll definitely be writing more lists after he finds out how woefully underprepared everyone was for this. One - up by the Helm - is going to read:

IN THE EVENT OF CONTACT

The Helmsman will alert the on-duty crew verbally.

The officer on deck will verbally alert the off-duty crew who will move to their stations.

It is the duty of the officer on deck to decide whether to wake the sleeping crew (in the event of probable hostilities).

 And is probably going to get some more updates before long. ^_^

Regarding the bell idea - if people can't hear a yell, a bell will be even less likely. A gong maybe. You've also said in previous posts that people in one room can't hear people in another, no matter how loud the yell, even through a single door.

 Ships bells can get pretty loud, which is why they used them in real life. Not to mention 'drill a hole, tie a rope to the bell' is a pretty easy fix.

You and I may have different ideas of what an appropriate bell would be. Ever watch a western when the farm hands were called to eat? Those things are quite loud.

And shouting from one room to another usually involves 2 doors. A bell will awaken someone, per Xanathar's. That's not through a door or wall, however. Per me, it will awaken anyone with a PP of 15 or higher (Xanathar's uses this number for normal speech to prevent sleep (without the door in the way)). Banging on the door is required for those with lower Passive Perception (ie: deeper sleepers). or opening it and ringing the bell. Same effect.

Again, this has been covered more than once, I believe, if not quite in this detail. I'm not making these numbers up, folks, I'm reading the rules and applying them. And adjusting for the intended muffling effect of walls and doors.

And yet, it keeps coming up. I keep having to go over it. This is part of my frustration with things.

I was merely going posting Jediah's thought process, is all.

In reply to Jediah Deimos (msg # 915):

Yes. And I wish folks would quit doing that. No one can read your minds. Post what you are doing, by all means, but your thoughts are your own, unless you're a ThriKeen and want to force them on everyone.

From what I tally, we have 800 (4 chests) + 396 (6 barrels) + under 200 (galley) days of food left. We need 1200 days for the trip. We can spare a fair amount, correct?