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Character and setting info: http://pastebin.com/u/MagicalPrincess
Archives (Episodes 1-59): http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Start+Over+Quest
Archives (Episodes 60+): http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Start+Over+Quest
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MagicalMarquise
Ask.fm: http://ask.fm/MagicalMarquise
Collection of character descriptions (WIP, courtesy of anon): http://pastebin.com/pzYffs0R
Collection of quest art (NSFW): http://imgur.com/a/2nEyB/layout/grid (NSFW)

>>236510
>Approach the centaur.
Didn't we tell Parvaneh about Ishtar already?

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>>236516
You did, but you're unaware of whether she needs any specific "help" or not.

Granted, she did mention something about not being interested but she wouldn't be the first NPC you meet who says something and then secretly wants something else.

Or maybe Bryld is just being a closet lewd again.

>>236510
>Approach the centaur.

>>236510
>Ignore the scene and try to track down Parvaneh starting from the tower.

You decide to approach the centaur. You reason that she must have at least a vague idea of where her fellows may live, if anything because, well, it never happened to you but if you knew another cambion and he was in Maner, you would damn well be motivated to know where he lives and what he does and where to find him.

Maybe? You don't quite have enough experience in this field to be sure, but it sounds reasonable.

The closer you get to the centaur the better you can see how radically different from Parvaneh she is: where one is sleek this one is bulky, and where one is lean this one is bulging thanks to the muscles that clearly lie underneath a thick skin covered by a thin layer of mottled white and brown fur. Her human part is likewise wide and somewhat thick, but nowhere near due to excessive fat.

Yet, she has a relatively soft face, quite rounded and with starking blue eyes, the colour of the sea when the sun starts setting, and even her eyebrows are blond. She arches them when she pre-emptively asks "May I help you?".

"Actually yes, we were looking for another centaur", you explain, "Her name's Parvaneh, she-".

"Ah, Parvy- I mean yes I know her", she smiled at first but then recollects herself. You have to tilt your head upwards to look at this centaur, she has the body of a draught horse meaning that her withers is about the same height as your shoulder, as opposed to nearly your hip as with Parvaneh's case. It's not like humans don't have size differences but this much is really impressive.

"Good", you smile, "I just assumed you would, I don't think there's many centaurs here in Maner".

"Oh there's two more actually", she points out with a gossip-loving tone, "A young ass and her grandfather. Er... I mean ass as in donkey", she immediately specifies, "Not in... You know".

"Yes, don't worry", so even they use normal animals as a reference. Figures, they are creatures of Gaia after all, even humans use them as reference for themselves, "We just need Parvaneh".

"Ah well, we actually live not far from the tower", she chuckles, "She said we could secure the room we needed there because most people wouldn't want to stay close to that thing. I guess magic users really ought to be trusted".

“Sorry for interrupting”, Bryld apologizes to the priests in the meantime, but they take it quite nicely and start illustrating the work they're doing out there. You can't quite follow the conversation as you're busy with the centaur but it sounds like it started with a “don't worry” and then a priest turned into a chatterbox.

“By the way, my name is Lileas”, the centaur then offers.

“Lillith”, you answer, “Pleasure to meet you”.

“Pleasure is mine. How did you get to know Parvaneh, if I may ask?”.

>”We hired her for an adventure”.
>”Just random chance”.
>”We were recommended by someone”.
>”Do you live together?”.
>”Are you an adventurer too?”.
>”I need to go. Sorry but it's urgent”.
>Other?

>>236540
>”Just random chance”.
>”We hired her for an adventure”.

>>236540
>”We hired her for an adventure”.
>”Are you an adventurer too?”.
Horsebutt~

>>236540
>”We hired her for an ~ADVENTURE~”.

>>236540
>”We hired her for an adventure”.

"Oh, we hired her for an Adventure", you announce, with a capital A for emphasis.

"An adventure?", her expression freezes for a moment, "Oh, so you're adventurers? Not that you don't look the part, I mean...", but she looks at you as if you absolutely did not look the part. She was clearly surprised.

"It's okay, I know we don't look like much", you joke, "We're actually explorers, we received a charter from the marquise herself to explore the Shadow Marches".

"Oh. Oh", she looks relieved, "I'm glad, I heard it's quite dangerous up North, plenty of people went there to start a lumbering camp and...".

"I know", you anticipate. Neither of you wants to flat out say that they were slaughtered. You both know and there's no point in repeating it, "We don't plan to have any of that. As a matter of fact, I wanted to inform her that we won't be going North but we'll start exploring somewhere else. Likely to the West or East".

"Well well then!", she smiles brightly this time, "Good to know! She still hasn't told me anything about it, I assume it was recent?".

"Very recent, yes. She said she was going to prepare for the journey but then it occurred to me I should have warned her in case she needs to prepare... Differently", you're not really sure what sort of changes this might imply, and you're beginning to suspect Lileas doesn't either, but it's always better to look like you know what you're doing. Even when it's not strictly true. At least in these cases.

"Well well, very good then", she chuckles, "I can rest easy knowing you're just out exploring. Do be careful though, these lands are more treacherous than people give it credit for".

"They didn't look very treacherous to me, and I've been exploring for a bit already", you point out. Granted, you've mostly been lucky and in civil company, but still...

"Eh, I know, but people forget the Royal Army has already cleared most of the obstructions that were there", Lileas notes, "They marched before the colonists came, and only stopped to make camp here because it was the most easily defensible place... Meaning it's a lot harder for anyone to sneak past since there's practically no cover as far as the eye can see".

Makes sense. As a matter of fact, you could see Maner from quite far away, and only evaded it because you walked along the lake's coast, but as soon as the marquise will finish her mansion then even that part will be “covered”.

Then again, it seems like potentially hostile creatures are more interested in looking for trouble with those stationed in Maner than try to sneak past and wreak havoc elsewhere. Not that there's many places where to do that other than New Royo and, possibly, Reboldeux. But it's quite a long way to get there.

>”Do you live with Parvaneh?”.
>”What do you do here?”.
>”Are you an adventurer?”.
>”Thank you, but I need to go meet her now”.
>Other?

>>236572
>”Do you live with Parvaneh?”.

>>236572
>”Do you live with Parvaneh?”.
>”What do you do here?”.

>>236572
>”Do you live with Parvaneh?”.
>”Are you an adventurer?”.

"Do you live with Parvaneh?", you ask.

"Ah, yes. Yes we do, we just kind of have to stick together, you know? It's difficult to be all alone with nobody to- Well, I guess we both know what that means", she offers you a big smile. She is not completely wrong about that, except she has many, many more contacts with her own kind than you ever had. So yes, in the end you do know perfectly well what she means.

"You mentioned there were two more?", you then ask.

"Oh yes but, well, they're family, so I don't try to invade their privacy much, I mean I wouldn't want to drag them with us considering there's already precious little alone space. Besides, her grandfather is... Well, quite old", she sounds concerned for a moment, "And, well, she's doing her best and everything but he can't really work much, so I'd rather just support her enough to give her time to care for her relative".

You don't have grandparents. Or, rather, you certainly do from your father's side, but who knows where they are or wheter they are still alive or not... And besides, what would you do? Travel across half the world and pop out at someone's door just to say "Hi, I'm the half-demon granddaughter your son didn't even know about"?

Sounds a bit ridiculous. It might be worth it for the reaction alone but then again it might not actually be as fun as you're imagining it to be.

"Is that all? Just four centaurs in all of Maner?", you ask.

"Well, there's usually not many of us near human settlements, at least not big ones, because of... Anatomical difficulties. Houses and stuff are... You know", she fidgets, "Stairs in particular are quite problematic. And besides, even just ship travel is a pain for us, hence why I don't think many came to the Shadow Marches in the first place".

"I guess", you think something's missing from what she just said, but you're interrupted by the sound of hooves in rapid movement, and turn just in time to see the familiar shape of Parvaneh, starry cloak fluttering in the wind, a hand on her hat whose wide brim flaps mightily, and then she brakes forcefully and yet with equine grace, going from breakneck speed to a halt in a few metres.

"I cannot hide my surprise at seeing you there, Lillith", she offers you a mysterious smile, and then a nod of acknowledgement, "Lileas, I see you're helping out".

"You didn't tell me you were going on an adventure", she playfully protests.

"Ha ha, my dear, it has been a call as sudden as the Sirocco... Fear not, it hasn't swept me away before I could say goodbye", she even makes a strange bow, like she was going to kiss her hand or something. But doesn't.

She sure knows how to show off, though.

>”Parvaneh, we won't be going North, it's far too dangerous”.
>”Parvaneh is it true you live with Lileas?”.
>”I'll leave the two of you alone then, I need to warn the others too”.
>Other?

>>236603
>”Parvaneh, we won't be going North, it's far too dangerous”.

>>236603
>”Parvaneh, we won't be going North, it's far too dangerous”.
>”Parvaneh is it true you live with Lileas?”.

>>236603
>”Parvaneh is it true you live with Lileas?”.
I want to go north

"We were thinking of not going North", you explain, "We've been told the soldiers are preparing a punitive force to hunt kobolds there and it's far too dangerous for us, we're just there to explore".

"I understand", she tips her hat, the licks of flame in her eyes turning blue, "It is indeed wiser to take the safe route when you see a storm coming your way. Although I believe we could handle ourselves, the nature of our operation shall have us avoid unnecessary conflict".

"I'm glad you understand", you smile.

"I'm glad too. Don't go get me worried", Lileas sighs, crossing her arms, "I want to go to sleep knowing you'll come back some day".

"Ah, such is the ephemeral life we magic users live", Parvaneh chuckles, "One day you might wake up and no longer know what you are".

"That's a bit excessive isn't it?", you wonder, "I mean I'm travelling with one and she looks... Fine, all considered". It's Tahenohan you're talking about, after all, but you have to concede that it's her being a half-elf that makes her the oddest, rather than her being a necromancer. Although the two combined do make a very particular effect.

"The more powerful a magic user is, the greater the mutations brought by the Ether", Parvaneh explains, "Most only receive one major, visible mutation, but the few that rise above such already small amount of gifted individuals can turn into... Veritable oddities".

On one side, now you're kind of curious to see one of such "oddities". On the other, you're not sure you're prepared.

"So, you live with Lileas?", you then ask for a change of pace.

"Ah yes, we do share everything. Meaning an abode, a hearth and some warmth at night. Even though the night really is warm already in these lands, isn't it?".

"Y-yes, it is", Lileas makes an awkward smile, "Now stop going around saying strange things already, people will misunderstand".

“What's there to misunderstand?”, Parvaneh blinks, and a brief awkward silence follows, “Ah nevermind. It is a pity we will not be travelling North, perhaps we will explore once the area will be safer? I have heard strange tales about some brave scouts and would like to check them myself”.

“Such as?”, you wonder.

“Large beasts, strange markings on the ground, mysterious stone temples that predate our first colonies, and cobwebs large enough to trap a buffalo”.

“Yikes!”, Lileas nearly jump, “Those things exist?”.

“Stranger things still exist”, Parvaneh smiles.

“Be careful then! If it's large enough to trap a buffalo it's large enough to trap you too!”, Lileas insists, “Don't become spider food!”.

Bryld hasn't heard any of that, fortunately, as she's busy trying to stand the incessant chatterbox that is one of the priests of Gaia. She gives you a glance that begs for mercy.

>”Cobwebs that large? What could make them?”.
>”Thank you but we need to go now”.
>”Other?

>>236648
>”Thank you but we need to go now”.

>>236648
>”Thank you but we need to go now”.

>>236648
>”Cobwebs that large? What could make them?”.
Sorry Bryld.

"Thank you, but we need to go right now", you excuse yourself, especially to serve Bryld from the excessive chattering of someone who wanted to teach her everything regarding agriculture in one single neverending sentence without ever drawing breath.

"Certainly. We will see you soon, to prepare for the journey all together", Parvaneh answers, tipping her hat and doing that horse curtsey of hers.

"Take care!", Lileas simply says with a wave of her hand.

You grab Bryld and snatch her away from the evil claws of a the excessively talkative priest, and hurry to put as much distance as possible, just in case he wanted to chase you. Of course he does not, but you can never be sure.

"Thank Iria you saved me I thought my ears were going to rot", Bryld sighs, looking quite worn out after a few minutes of mere talk.

"Seems like you have a knack for attracting annoying individuals", you smile.

"It must be the face. Luna always said I have the face of someone who listens to people, but when all kinds of people come to me and start telling me about... I just don't care", she sighs again, venting frustration, "I don't care. I'm sorry, it may be interesting or important, but I just can't be arsed".

"No, I understand", you chuckle, "By the way I bet you didn't hear a thing of what we were talking about".

"I tried to distract myself by eavesdropping but I'm afraid I missed almost everything. Was anything the matter?", she tiredly asks.

"Well it seems like huge cobwebs were spotted in the jungle to the North".

Bryld pauses, immediately snaps out of her state and looks up at you, "... Do you think it could be...?".

"It's possible".

"Damn", she mutters, frowning as she stares down at the tall grass in front of her feet as you keep moving across the outskirts of Maner, where it's easy to move around and also to breathe, "That place's dangerous. Do you think- Do you think she's safe?".

"I can only hope she is", you admit, "I don't even know how old these reports are".

“That's not good”, and Bryld looks back where you came from, but immediately gives up the idea, “Perhaps we should ask for more details. Doesn't the royal army have scouts? If they're amassing a punitive force I think some are already at work there, they might have more up to date information”.

“Assuming they won't hunt her down”, you reason. You don't think they will, it would make sense to just focus on one group of hostiles at a time, especially if the missing arachne isn't looking for trouble. But what do you know, misunderstanding and accidents happen, especially when nerves are tense.

Or maybe you're just overthinking.

>”I don't want to lead our party in such a dangerous zone. We're still not going North”.
>”I can't risk losing her, I promised her friends. We're going North”.
>”Let's ask Cassilda and see if she has any information”.
>”Let's ask Cassilda if she can look for her”.
>”Let's ask my father if he can keep an eye out for her”.
>Other?

>>236730
>”Let's ask Cassilda and see if she has any information”.
Oh boy

>>236730
>”Let's ask Cassilda and see if she has any information”.

>>236730
>”Let's ask Cassilda and see if she has any information”.
>”Let's ask my father if he can keep an eye out for her”.

"We have to go ask Cassilda and see if she has any information", you tell Bryld, "We can't afford to risk her life, but at the same time we'll just lose ours if we rush in there to try and save her".

"I know", Bryld agrees, "Even if we brought people who can fight with us, we two cannot, and I wouldn't want this to be holding the rest back. Besides, if it depended on me, I wouldn't want them to risk their lives at all, if possible".

"I don't want anyone to get hurt or even die either. That's why I want to ask Cassilda, she has more experience and especially soldiers under her command. I'm sure she'll figure something out". Determined, you stride confidently towards the military part of the camp so you can save someone's life.

You feel a sudden surge of warmth within yourself, likely from the awareness, and ensuing self-satisfaction, that you're doing something good for someone else. Ishtar must be proud of you right now.

Unsurprisingly, none of the soldiers stops you. Just like the first time. You're certain most of them assume you either know someone or are someone's relative. Or, possibly, since you're so easy to notice and difficult to forget, they remember about you from your past visit from Cassilda and assume that if you were let in and out before, you're cool.

You find Cassilda in the same place where you found her before, laughing as she chats with someone, a man with one of those faces that would make you immediately assume he's some kind of riff-raff dealing in skullduggery. You couldn't hear what they were talking about as he immediately stares and becomes much more guarded as soon as you pop out.

"Oh? Oh look who came back!", Cassilda waves as she turns to look at you. She then says something in a much lower voice at the man, who cackles and then walks away as she points at his back with a smile, "Remember our wager!".

Feeling it's safe to approach right now, you get closer to the canid from Amatsu, who turns on the spot, still sitting on the table, and smiles broadly as her fluffy tails waggle idly about, "Did you miss me so hard you couldn't help but come back to visit me?".

"I have a favour to ask", you cut to the chase.

"That's gonna cost you", she smiles without even blinking.

Well, great.

“I heard reports of huge cobwebs in the Northern jungle”, you begin, “I suspect they belong to an arachne. I need to make sure she's still alive and that she remains in that state”.

“An arachne, eh?”, Cassilda rubs her chin, “Not impossible. You seem awfully well-informed, or are you just guessing? How did you get into this predicament anyways? To ask someone to save an arachne's life?”.

>”I am a cleric of Ishtar and she is under my protection”.
>”I know her friends and I promised to bring her back alive”.
>”I am making sure our relationships with the friendly monsters stay friendly”.
>”I cannot reveal this information yet”.
>”I have my reasons”.
>Other?

>>236816
>”I know her friends and I promised to bring her back alive”.
Might as well volunteer this.

>>236816
>”I am making sure our relationships with the friendly monsters stay friendly”.

"I know her friends and I promised to bring her back alive", you begin, "Because I have taken it as my responsibility to make sure our relationship with monsters who are friendly to us remain friendly".

"Oh really? I thought you were just a no-name explorer with no experience under her belt and no special qualities to speak of", she smiles sheepishly, with an interesting spark in her eyes, "Did you perhaps hide something from me?".

"No".

"I will find out, you know".

"This is my request", you insist.

She stares at you for a little longer, gives Bryld a glance, then stares back at you, and smiles, "You are asking me to reroute a part of the Royal Army's efforts to save the life of a monster that is supposedly friendly... Because you claim she is".

"That is... A way to put it", you concede.

"You do know these soldiers belong to the King of Rune and are his standing army. They are not, as you should know, your personal toys, nor your own mercenaries", she points out again, still smiling.

"I am aware of that, I was just ask-".

"And you know that, should this request be the cause of death amongst their ranks, people will come for you and ask just what possessed you to be this silly, and not as nicely as I am right now?".

You stop for a moment. You have to consider it might have not been tremendously wise to ask her. The soldiers are, in fact, not your responsibility, but... "You have enough enemies to take care of already, I am trying to bring friends instead, is that not a risk worth running?".

"Ah, but the choice on whether to take it or not is not yours, it is mine", and she kicks her legs in the air, staying on the edge of the table, looking up at you with a foxy expression.

Several moments of silence follow, until it gets awkward, and then it lasts some more. Bryld is holding your hand tight, making the toughest expression she is capable of.

“I will consider your report”, she agrees, “I will try to scout any area with huge cobwebs in an attempt to make contact with this allegedly friendly monster. Shall it prove to actually be friendly, I will definitely make an effort to bring her back safe and sound”.

“Thank you”, you announce, even though you wonder just what kind of impact an arachne would have in Maner. Centaurs are a thing, one of them is even helping out with farming and it's true that away from the cities they are relatively well-known and, most importantly, peaceful and often easily accepted. But centaurs are good for a lot of things, especially farm work.

What are arachne good for? Silk? But at what cost? Besides, there's people who are afraid of spiders that are much smaller than your own hand, they would have a seizure if they just saw an arachne.

“But, as I said, this will cost you”. Cassilda reminds you, and smiles, crossing her arms. “Are you willing to pay?”.

“What's the price?”, you ask.

“How about leading the monster brigade?”.

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And this is it for Episode 63!

Sorry for the early stop, but I had things to take care of before and I have other things to take care of still.

However, I'll be around the computer, which is good because there's an issue I would like to address.

I couldn't help but notice my threads have grown increasingly... Anemic. We barely hit 30 posts this time. It's not something new, it hasn't suddenly happened because of the /qst/ change, but it got really bad right now.

I know there's still a few anons that are interested in this quest but it's getting hard to even reach three replies, which was usually the bare minimum I would wait before starting to write something.

To those that are still there: what's disappointing you? Is it the sluggish pace? Has the novelty completely run out? Is the theme less interesting? Too much padding? Too many characters? Don't be afraid to speak up.

>>236940
The ability to stand in one location and explore all conversation options is great for character development, sure. But it really slows down the pacing.

That for running. Sorry I missed some votes, I got busy and couldn'the keep an eye here.

>>236940
Thanks for running!

>>236940
Well, I'd say those of us who are here are the ones least likely to have complaints, no?

I'd say that perhaps there's some character bloat, but on the other hand seeing Lillith interact with new people is fun for me. I don't really know what might be the cause of lower turnout. I still think it might be related to qst though - thr first threads here were good but then it tapered off, which might indicate there's a decent bit of player turnover and qst simply isn't providing new anons to replace the tg ones that have fallen off since.

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>>236964
It might also be that most people who come on /qst/ that are "new" might find themselves a little taken aback by long-running quests that already have 50+ episodes behind them. After all, even if there's archives and everything, it is a lot less immediate to get into something, especially if you're new to the whole questing thing.

I don't know, it feels like it might be playing a part to me. Not that my quest was ever popular or anything, but between the new board and that (and the fact it's slow paced as a frozen slug) I get the feeling it might be behind the quite low posting rate.

I mean I know /qst/ is scarcely populated, but quests like, say, the Legend of Peter Titmouse, which started on /qst/, does have players. So does Banished Quest, which is about 200 episodes in, even though it moved to /qst/.

I don't know, I don't think it's fair to just blame the board.

>>236997
I feel like the current pace would be suitable if you could get live answers like in a live game of D&D, but it's less suitable for quests?
Albeit that's just my opinion, so perhaps less verbose and dragged out conversations?

>>236940
I think the lack of a proper OP might have helped in keep numbers low back then. I know at least one of us hated/hates /qst/, but I don't know if they're around or not.

Make an experiment and run on /tg/ again, see if old players turn up again.

That said, I think the rest is simply due the quest's genre. Pure SoL is not...very appreciated. At least here, people tend to read quests for the adventure/action/fantasy/escapism. SO is...it has adventure and action, but the adventure took a long time to start and it wasn't very emotional. The slow pace is probably what hurts it the most, despite being one of the charmer aspects of quest.

Add the irregular scheduling to that, and you have terrible combination. We've spent sessions only talking to a couple of people; that's a turn off to most people.

Peter Titmouse and Banished are different kinds of quests and the QMs already had a huge following, like Exalted Quest. Barring a drastic move to another site, like SB/SV, they can survive very well. They may also have people obsessed or too autistic for their own good, incapable of leaving them.

>>236997
True, but I think it can vary from quest to quest.

I too have seen a few quests get lots of activity over here, but all have been either new for this board or really big already like Banished. None of the other smaller quests I read have made the jump so I don't really have a good point of comparison for this one.

Honestly while I still love the quest it might just be as simple as a slow-paced mostly SOL quest like this that only runs for ~4 hours a week at a pretty bad time (not getting many murricans) just can't survive here. Hopefully I'm wrong.

I remember someone once criticized the quest for not being very driving, character wise. That it filed to show the characters motivations or impulses. I'mean not sure what they meant at all, I think it was about their reasons/need to...do thing?

There is no need to give lots of interaction with random people, like that minotaur. The characterization was nice, but we spent a lot of time on something that wasn't very useful or terribly interesting. The interactions are strong, but some times too much for its own good.

It's our fault too. Do we really need to exhaust every dialogue options with everyone? I like them, I admit I've done this repeated times, but maybe I should stop. It's also ok to just write some things without asking us to vote on them; like the cobweb option this thread.

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First of all: thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate it.

>I feel like the current pace would be suitable if you could get live answers like in a live game of D&D, but it's less suitable for quests?
>Albeit that's just my opinion, so perhaps less verbose and dragged out conversations?

You might be right. I'm probably just running this quest as if it was a live game. I mean the tabletop games I run are always quite heavy in both socializing and investigation and, when possible, game lore. But I might be going overboard in a quest.

I guess after two years I still didn't "get" being a QM.

>I think the lack of a proper OP might have helped in keep numbers low back then.

Ahahah, I'm sorry. I know you're right, I probably mentioned this already but I didn't exactly come... Prepared to QMing. It was a silly impulse and then I just... Followed.

>Make an experiment and run on /tg/ again, see if old players turn up again.

I actually don't want to do that. I mean there are understandable reasons for which the split shouldn't have happened, but after seeing some nice fresh air and some quests actually taking up speed from /qst/ proper (not to mention others making the transition just fine) I don't think /qst/ was a mistake. And pandering to people that stop following things they like as "protest" is really not my cup of tea.

I'm sorry but unless /qst/ is closed I won't go back to running on /tg/, I think it's silly to think that quests are a /tg/ exclusive anyways.

>
That said, I think the rest is simply due the quest's genre. Pure SoL is not...very appreciated. At least here, people tend to read quests for the adventure/action/fantasy/escapism. SO is...it has adventure and action, but the adventure took a long time to start and it wasn't very emotional. The slow pace is probably what hurts it the most, despite being one of the charmer aspects of quest.

That's what I thought. I fear this is the main reason of the quest's dwindling numbers.

>Add the irregular scheduling to that, and you have terrible combination. We've spent sessions only talking to a couple of people; that's a turn off to most people.

Unfortunately I can't help that. The time I have to run is limited and subject to change, sometimes even sudden.

>Honestly while I still love the quest it might just be as simple as a slow-paced mostly SOL quest like this that only runs for ~4 hours a week at a pretty bad time (not getting many murricans) just can't survive here. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Slow-paced SOL with little sex seems to already gather little interest, and unfortunately about 4 hours a week is as high as I can go. The "pretty bad time" is all I have, too.

>I remember someone once criticized the quest for not being very driving, character wise. That it filed to show the characters motivations or impulses. I'mean not sure what they meant at all, I think it was about their reasons/need to...do thing?

Ouch, this actually hurts, I thought it was the one thing I got right.

>>237048
It's a point. Like, I really liked out talk with the Minotaur, or the short QnA we had with the Centaurs this thread. But when those things mean we can't do or talk to anyone/thing else for the week they just get really slow. If we were spending a small amount of our time on that and most with our party, on adventures, or solving problems then there would be no problem but when it's taking up 50 - 100% of our time things kinda grind to a halt.

>>237058
Since /qst/ is slow as fuck you can just update whenever through week.

>>237058
>Ouch, this actually hurts, I thought it was the one thing I got right.
I dunno exactly what that anon meant, but I kinda see it? I think you do great characters in general, in that they have personality and their own voices, they bounce off each-other well, they're easy to care about and get invested in. I really enjoy most of your characters and I definitely think Lillith for example is nicely developed overall.

However, what I feel like the point they might be making is, because this quest is set up as kind of a sandbox, our party is just kinda drifting around doing odd jobs, and you really never get the sense that Lillith or Tahe have goals, particularly in the short term. When I think of them I don't think 'they want to do X'. We know Lillith wants to improve monster relations and such, but it rarely feels like that interest impacts her decisions much, nor does it feel like she has any concrete idea or plan for accomplishing that beyond 'travel around and help people/monsters when I meet them'. Even then, she doesn't come off as terribly worried about it in general. The whole quest is very lackadaisical in that manner, since it's slice of life, and that's gonna be a turn-off to some.

>>237058
>Ouch, this actually hurts, I thought it was the one thing I got right.
I'm equally confused by that anon. Maybe it's because the quest feels rather comfy since really early? Lillith's need to "start over" was somewhat fulfilled once she got the charter in rebolololux. Then we spent a year to find out that nope, she was scammed and need to do it all over again.

Now, this
>“How about leading the monster brigade?”.
This is cool. If it's what I'm thinking it is, this is great, both plot and character wise! A random no name from bumfuck takes a risky choice and after some time, is put in the command of a military unit. I'm delighted by this progression.

The problem is that it took two whole years to get here. Most quests do that in a few months.

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>>237063
I know, I'm just insisting on treating this like a weekly tabletop RPG session when it's obviously not. I could try to fix that part but then again, I'm wondering if it isn't too late for that.

>>237067
I don't think that will get me any new players or make participating easier. I'm afraid it will just get a lot more confusing and spread out than it already is.

I'll try to see what I can do and maybe run a few more times, but this is starting to feel like therapeutic futility.

>>237106
Oh, that makes it clearer, then.

Yes, I've been quite bad at that. Again, because I started on a whim, completely unprepared, and I set up a laid-back sandbox SoL with no real purpose in the first place.

Thinking back, it was entirely my fault.

>>237113
I thank you for the encouragement, but I also see the underlying problem. I'm not sure I can fix after two years (or rather, I could, but I don't think it will get me any new blood in), which is what's mainly discouraging me.

It's not that I won't try, but it's such a drastic pace I'm wondering if it's worth trying to salvage this quest at all or just... I don't know, it feels like this thing would be a better fit for fanfiction.net or something.

Sometimes I think I might need to Start Over too.

>>237139
Awww, cheer up MP.

If it's still not working after a few more threads, there's nothing wrong with calling it quits if that's how you feel about it. Giving it a decent (if necessarily open-ended) end is better than trailing off until it's unceremoniously dropped. That said, I do indeed worry that you're not gonna have much luck with ANY quest, however good, if you're stuck running for these four hours a week only. But I'd love to see you try with something else too.

>>237152
I know, I'm just a bit down for finishing a run after just 30 replies. I was used to thinking of 100 as my target, you can see why I'm getting the idea that things aren't working out.

I never wanted to go big and break out with 200 followers, daily threads, and all archived threads painted yellow. I don't have that much ego, but I get the feeling that even people who liked my quest are getting bored. And the worst part is: I understand them.

Unfortunately, due to what basically amounts to no planning and no experience on my part, I have set up this quest to be something that would be a tiny niche at best and a waste of effort at worst. I'm glad you're getting excited about the monster brigade but the problem is: it's likely not going to be what you're hoping it is.

This is because I wanted to keep things SoL from the perspective of a protagonist with little actual power. It was about personal growth and realization in an opportunity-rich environment and a zany world, I can't suddenly turn Lillith into a japanese VN protagonist for no reason, I feel it would be a severe betrayal of the quest itself.

I COULD try running something else, still 4 hours a week because unfortunately that's all I can manage (and as you very well know, I sometimes can't have even that). I could MAYBE try to find a day in which I can run for longer but I can't assure anything.

Maybe I could try and put Start Over aside for a moment in favour of this experiment, but I don't want to make the same mistake: I'll have to actually and seriously prepare, this time.

Which means it won't be, like, next week of course. Start Over will run for at least two more episodes before I make any final choices, I don't want to be too influenced by my own mood.

I might also post something about this on twitter later, or tomorrow.

>>237178
I'll hope things improve over the next few threads then. Take care MP.

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>>237188
Thank you! I hope I'll see you there.

>>237178
I will be there and supporting you when you make a decision.

>it's likely not going to be what you're hoping it is.
Aww. Still, it feels like more adventure is excitement is coming.
Going north would do that too.

>SoL from the perspective of a protagonist with little actual power. It was about personal growth and realization in an opportunity-rich environment and a zany world
I understand this goal and can respect it. The problem is that it's not feeling like it payed out much; mostly because of the snail pace. It's hard to count your victories when there are months between them.

>tfw you complained about /qst/ but you show up anyway because you love the quest.

Sorry for missing MP....

>>237178
I used to happily participate but now I have a job and you always run during working hours. Or at 4 am.