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 What in the Nine Hells...chocobos, here?
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Rhezarnos
Learned Scribe

Malaysia
131 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2005 :  01:14:53  Show Profile  Visit Rhezarnos's Homepage Send Rhezarnos a Private Message  Reply with Quote  Delete Topic
The scenario I'm currently playing is set in a dungeon somewhere near Luskan. The DM, known for his...unique stories, suddenly puts us in a fight against a fighter that "dresses strangely, as if from another world. He has blond, spiked hair and weilds a huge blade" . Mr. DM didn't allow any conversation whatsoever with this "strange character" but instead straightaway we had to fight. We won, moved on to the next room where there were these "huge birds kept in cages". When one member of the party looked around, she saw a sign saying "don't release the chocobos!". Then half of the players (there were 6 of us) started to argue with the DM. The DM merely said that anything's possible. Now the game's been put off because of the disagreement between players and DM. Opinion and help please? I rather not waste time resetting the whole damned campaign. (And we later found out the guy we killed was Cloud from FF7)

Playing a winged dwarf with acrophobia is fun.

Wood Elf Ranger
Senior Scribe

USA
627 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2005 :  01:45:29  Show Profile  Visit Wood Elf Ranger's Homepage Send Wood Elf Ranger a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Why can't there be chocobos in Faerun? They would make cool mounts... though you will need a steady supply of gyshal greens...

Next thing you know your mage will be using a firaga ball...

(I'm actually getting some good ideas for my own homebrew world )

Really though as long as the DM has a really good story to explain (eventually) why and how chocobos came to be there then I don't see a problem at all with them. Actually its making me very interested, please keep us updated if he continues the campaign!

~Lee N.

"Breaktime yes?!.. Yes?.. Maybe?.. Noo, baaack to work.." -Grovel the Goblin from NWN: HotU
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Rhezarnos
Learned Scribe

Malaysia
131 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2005 :  02:16:07  Show Profile  Visit Rhezarnos's Homepage Send Rhezarnos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wood Elf Ranger

Really though as long as the DM has a really good story to explain (eventually) why and how chocobos came to be there then I don't see a problem at all with them. Actually its making me very interested, please keep us updated if he continues the campaign!



You think they'd (chocobos) make good steak? And I'll update you when (or if) we get started again. I'm seriously considering to have one as a mount if it does continue. They're faster than horses, rite?

Playing a winged dwarf with acrophobia is fun.
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36804 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2005 :  02:39:54  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I agree. If the DM can present a good reason for them to be there, then it works. If it was simply tossed in for the hey of it, then it is something that would detract from a game, and it's certainly something that would make me less interested in it.

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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore

United Kingdom
1176 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2005 :  02:54:22  Show Profile  Visit Kaladorm's Homepage Send Kaladorm a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Personally I think it detracts from the wonder of the realms, forcing the players to think outside of their character (i.e. makes them think about what FF7 lore they know rather than being involved in the world).
Also I'd feel like the DM wanted to play FF7 more than D&D but thats just my opinion.

Then again if it was some other type of strange creature that didn't exist in the realms before I'd be happy to see homebrewed monsters etc as long as they were there with good reason. The beauty is there is so much room for creativity.

When things are simply plucked from other similar games and placed into the world it just seems like there's no thought behind it, especially with the large audience the FF series gets. If you want to play FF then go do it, don't glue it onto an already rich and teeming world.
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader

USA
5517 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2005 :  03:27:12  Show Profile  Visit SiriusBlack's Homepage Send SiriusBlack a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

I agree. If the DM can present a good reason for them to be there, then it works.



I agree.

When DMing one time for a couple of players who ran very high level characters who had faced a great deal, I arranged for them to meet some Aliens (yes from the movie) in a ancient dungeon while on some quest. It was fun transfering the creature into 2nd edition rules and to see their faces when I hit play on my recorder to have an Alien come up on my TV behind them at the appropriate moment to show them what they were facing.

They at first were a bit shocked, but needless to say, they were confronted with something they had never faced before. And to give Tim & Ray credit (good gamers and sweet guys), they played their characters as if they knew nothing about the creatures including the acid for blood.
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Rhezarnos
Learned Scribe

Malaysia
131 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2005 :  03:37:18  Show Profile  Visit Rhezarnos's Homepage Send Rhezarnos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Kaladorm

Also I'd feel like the DM wanted to play FF7 more than D&D but thats just my opinion.



The thing is, the DM ain't such a huge fan of FF. We had other (weirder) things in our campagins before (starcraft, magic the gathering, killer bunnies, half life, dragonball) , but for some reason, this time it pissed the players (who have been playing the DM's previous campaigns) off.

Playing a winged dwarf with acrophobia is fun.
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36804 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2005 :  03:53:17  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack

quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

I agree. If the DM can present a good reason for them to be there, then it works.



I agree.

When DMing one time for a couple of players who ran very high level characters who had faced a great deal, I arranged for them to meet some Aliens (yes from the movie) in a ancient dungeon while on some quest. It was fun transfering the creature into 2nd edition rules and to see their faces when I hit play on my recorder to have an Alien come up on my TV behind them at the appropriate moment to show them what they were facing.

They at first were a bit shocked, but needless to say, they were confronted with something they had never faced before. And to give Tim & Ray credit (good gamers and sweet guys), they played their characters as if they knew nothing about the creatures including the acid for blood.



I actually had a similar idea, once... But it was using a different type of critter.

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Mareka
Learned Scribe

Canada
125 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2005 :  03:55:30  Show Profile  Visit Mareka's Homepage Send Mareka a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Did the other campaigns make sense? No one ever complained? Did they just grow weary of it this time, maybe?

I'm all for using other settings, especially in the Realms where there are so many portals to everywhere, but if it's done all the time, it would get old.
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader

USA
5517 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2005 :  04:25:57  Show Profile  Visit SiriusBlack's Homepage Send SiriusBlack a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I actually had a similar idea, once... But it was using a different type of critter.



Great minds...
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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore

USA
1291 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2005 :  06:50:30  Show Profile  Visit Gray Richardson's Homepage Send Gray Richardson a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Faerun is like a sieve it has so many holes to everywhere else. From Faerun you can get to Mulanspace, Greyhawk, Krynn, even Earth, Sigil and a myriad other worlds.

I see no reason at all that there could not be links to the world of Vanadel.

If the DM explains it and crafts a good story, then I would think you should give him some slack and enjoy the game.

But maybe his execution was poor. If it is not working for you the best thing to do is have a discussion with the DM.
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2005 :  08:40:55  Show Profile Send The Sage a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Gray Richardson

Faerun is like a sieve it has so many holes to everywhere else.
I couldn't have said that better myself .

And, I tend to agree with the feeling regarding the inclusion of chocobos in the Realms. A creative plot and its wonderful execution shouldn't stand in the way of including non-traditional RPG elements into a campaign setting simply because they are not RPG ELEMENTS.

While I've never done this myself, I have considered using chocobos in the Realms... having them possibly occupy the southern reaches of the Shaar in small herds with wemics as their shepards. But until I've fully crafted a justification for their inclusion, I'm not about to throw them into the mixing pot that is the world of Toril.

And simply because I'm curious, Rhezarnos, are you using any other elements from the FF games in your FR campaign?

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Edited by - The Sage on 25 Mar 2005 08:42:23
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore

Australia
6666 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2005 :  10:18:02  Show Profile Send George Krashos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
If you didn't know them as 'chocobos' and the creatures had simply been described to you, it's likely you wouldn't have had a problem or posted here. You activated your own disbelief - not the DM.

-- George Krashos



"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36804 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2005 :  11:20:47  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos

If you didn't know them as 'chocobos' and the creatures had simply been described to you, it's likely you wouldn't have had a problem or posted here. You activated your own disbelief - not the DM.

-- George Krashos






Actually, Krash, that failing is the DM's. Read the earlier post -- a sign clearly identified the critters as chocobos. It's up to the DM to describe what the players see and encounter.

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Rhezarnos
Learned Scribe

Malaysia
131 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2005 :  14:00:58  Show Profile  Visit Rhezarnos's Homepage Send Rhezarnos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage

And simply because I'm curious, Rhezarnos, are you using any other elements from the FF games in your FR campaign?



Well, we met this female cleric of Lathander called Aeris, helped this drunk weapon master who calls himself Auron, and finally, we killed Cloud before the chocobo incident. The meetings with Auron and Aeris weren't much of a problem to the rest of the players, 'cos DM said he ran out of names (yea, rite).

Playing a winged dwarf with acrophobia is fun.
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Rhezarnos
Learned Scribe

Malaysia
131 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2005 :  14:12:14  Show Profile  Visit Rhezarnos's Homepage Send Rhezarnos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Mareka

Did the other campaigns make sense? No one ever complained? Did they just grow weary of it this time, maybe?



Yea, he always managed to make sense of things and EVERYONE enjoyed it. The one with the Starcraft universe tied into it were the best (personally). That campaign killed of two characters because of their stupidity (a good thing), saw a battle between illithids and Starcraft's Protoss (psionics vs psionics), and one of the party members (me) got away with an 'alien' armor. Pity I'm not allowed to use it though. DM's not sure how to 'convert' it to D&D rules.

Playing a winged dwarf with acrophobia is fun.
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Lady Kazandra
Senior Scribe

Australia
921 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2005 :  16:30:28  Show Profile  Visit Lady Kazandra's Homepage Send Lady Kazandra a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Illithids versus Protoss . . .

Now that is a duel I'd like to hear more about.

"Once upon a time the plural of 'wizard' was 'war'." -- The Last Continent, by Terry Pratchett
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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore

USA
1291 Posts

Posted - 25 Mar 2005 :  17:54:12  Show Profile  Visit Gray Richardson's Homepage Send Gray Richardson a Private Message  Reply with Quote
By the way, there is a Chocobo-like creature in the Realms.

The Axe Beak is a 7' tall flightless bird that resembles a chocobo. They are carnivorous and hunt in packs. They were in the 1E Monster Manual, and I think they were in Forgotten Realms Monstrous Compendium 3.

I don't know if there are any domesticated varieties, but it wouldn't surprise me.

So there is at least a precedent for it in the Realms.
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Rhezarnos
Learned Scribe

Malaysia
131 Posts

Posted - 26 Mar 2005 :  02:51:40  Show Profile  Visit Rhezarnos's Homepage Send Rhezarnos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Lady Kazandra

Illithids versus Protoss . . .

Now that is a duel I'd like to hear more about.




Zealots versus the illithids' slaves, dragoon against giants and minataurs, templars exchanging psi-storms for mind blasts against illithids... Both sides lost in the end; the Zerg interrupted and almost wiped out both sides.

We lost a party member because he got caught in the middle of a Psi Storm, hit twice by an illithid's mind blast, then finally got impaled by a Lurker...he even with the multiple saving rolls the DM gave him, he died. All because he wanted to retrieve his mace.

Playing a winged dwarf with acrophobia is fun.
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Melfius
Senior Scribe

USA
516 Posts

Posted - 26 Mar 2005 :  03:35:55  Show Profile  Visit Melfius's Homepage Send Melfius a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Not to seem totally clueless, but what is a chocobos?

Melfius, Pixie-Priest of Puck - Head Chef, The Faerie Kitchen, Candlekeep Inn
"What's in his pockets, besides me?"
Read a tale of my earlier days! - Happiness Comes in Small Packages
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Rhezarnos
Learned Scribe

Malaysia
131 Posts

Posted - 26 Mar 2005 :  03:41:14  Show Profile  Visit Rhezarnos's Homepage Send Rhezarnos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Melfius

Not to seem totally clueless, but what is a chocobos?



a chocobo is a big flightless bird from the Final Fantasy universe. Friendly(?), agile, quick and usually used for mounts. They even have a theme song...

Playing a winged dwarf with acrophobia is fun.
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader

USA
5517 Posts

Posted - 26 Mar 2005 :  05:06:57  Show Profile  Visit SiriusBlack's Homepage Send SiriusBlack a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Rhezarnos
a chocobo is a big flightless bird from the Final Fantasy universe. Friendly(?), agile, quick and usually used for mounts. They even have a theme song...



Big birds with their own theme song? How very Broadway.
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore

Australia
6666 Posts

Posted - 26 Mar 2005 :  07:55:44  Show Profile Send George Krashos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Actually, Krash, that failing is the DM's. Read the earlier post -- a sign clearly identified the critters as chocobos. It's up to the DM to describe what the players see and encounter.



I wasn't clear in my post - what I meant was that the players were using out of character knowledge when making their assessment of the 'chocobo scenario'. The PCs shouldn't be able to say: "Chocobos? There aren't any chocobos in Luskan!". The PCs shouldn't even know what a chocobo is, and reading a sign with the name on it doesn't tell them that either.

-- George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 26 Mar 2005 :  15:39:19  Show Profile Send The Sage a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Rhezarnos

quote:
Originally posted by Lady Kazandra

Illithids versus Protoss . . .

Now that is a duel I'd like to hear more about.




Zealots versus the illithids' slaves, dragoon against giants and minataurs, templars exchanging psi-storms for mind blasts against illithids... Both sides lost in the end; the Zerg interrupted and almost wiped out both sides.

We lost a party member because he got caught in the middle of a Psi Storm, hit twice by an illithid's mind blast, then finally got impaled by a Lurker...he even with the multiple saving rolls the DM gave him, he died. All because he wanted to retrieve his mace.

Oh, now you've got her started .

She'll be on and on now about her own conversions of protoss into 2e stats... .

Candlekeep Forums Moderator

Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com
-- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct

Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)

"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood

Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage

Edited by - The Sage on 26 Mar 2005 15:40:29
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36804 Posts

Posted - 26 Mar 2005 :  16:45:59  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos

quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Actually, Krash, that failing is the DM's. Read the earlier post -- a sign clearly identified the critters as chocobos. It's up to the DM to describe what the players see and encounter.



I wasn't clear in my post - what I meant was that the players were using out of character knowledge when making their assessment of the 'chocobo scenario'. The PCs shouldn't be able to say: "Chocobos? There aren't any chocobos in Luskan!". The PCs shouldn't even know what a chocobo is, and reading a sign with the name on it doesn't tell them that either.

-- George Krashos




Well, I can partially agree with you. Sure, the characters won't know what those critters are -- but the players know what their characters saw, and what they saw is ruining the disbelief of the players. So I put it back on the DM, here. If that sign hadn't been there, or if he'd named them something else, it would have been a lot less of an issue.

Candlekeep Forums Moderator

Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com
-- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct

I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!
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Rhezarnos
Learned Scribe

Malaysia
131 Posts

Posted - 28 Mar 2005 :  02:02:46  Show Profile  Visit Rhezarnos's Homepage Send Rhezarnos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
The matter is finally settled. DM's gonna restart the WHOLE damned campaign...

Just great...*sigh*

Anyways, thanks for the feedback from all of you.

Playing a winged dwarf with acrophobia is fun.
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