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A Sword Without a Hilt: A Song of Ice and Fire/D&D 3.5 Crossover

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As someone who hasn't engaged as much in recent months I will say that the quest for all its faults at times was a fun experience. I am frankly going to enjoy whatever new quest will be started. Despite the issues that we have had in this quest I think many of us will have good memories of it.

Edit: I will note that Ice Age Pathfinder sounds fun
 
Crake said:
Engagement is something that is better treated as a bonus, IMHO. Unless you just write for affirmation of quality, in which case I think you should have some CURRATED opinions, I.E dedicated Betas who specifically comb through everything and give a detailed breakdown of your work, since that's actually productive and might help you shift over from "writing for critique / response" and become more "writing for fun".

Because that sounds exhausting, and generally speaking even fanfiction won't have constant engagement unless things are actually happening, which means you have to put more energy into advancing the plot or generating new conflict.

Unless you're a SoL writer, in which case whatever engagement you get is never guaranteed, just like something meaningful occurring in the span of ten pages isn't guaranteed either. :V
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Basically.

Sometimes you have the more boring chapters that are necessary to do because they're used as a foundation for later things.

You're just not going to have much engagement on that, but you still need to write it if you want the payoff later on.
 
@DragonParadox

For what its worth from this long time lurker, sometime commenter. This quest was a like a rock or a constant on this site. Whenever I was having a bad day I knew that this quest was here for me to read and enjoy, the tale of Viserys and Co. While it will be sad to see it go, if you are not having fun with this and it has become almost like a job, then yes it is most definitely time to move on. I appreciate you DP for all the many hours of joy you brought to me over these last 5 years. So again thank you for all the time and energy you put into this.
 
No matter what happens after this, thank you so much DP! :)

Edit: Ice Age Pathfinder or the Roman Legion options are my fave.
 
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Here is what I have so far for write ups, hooks and all, this is all just brainstorming, critique and suggestions welcomed

Golden Dreams and Frozen Shores: As a child you would tell the most astonishing stories, of golden fields and hollow cliffs, of a land without hunger and without want, a land where winter no longer claims the young before the third breath. You do not remember your dreams these days, but you often wake up with tears upon your cheeks for the raiders had come and taken your sight and they had taken the light of your life, but you have been awoken to another life and another world
+Shaman (Start with magic)
+Dreams of Plenty (You see in your dreams a paradise for your people)
-Blind (You were blinded by a rival tribe in a raid)
-Pushed to the Edge (Your Tribe has been pushed to the edge of its range and to the edge of starvation many times over)

Those in the Dark: They say no one is a villain in their own tale, but you and all your kin were made for it. No power shaped you in its likeness, no kindly parent watched your first stumbling steps. You were made as a plague upon mankind as a test, unworthy to inherit the earth and pushed ever to the edges of the Empire of the Silver Flame. You are but kindling to them, yet in your midst there is one born with a strange spark, there is you who would turn the page and change the tale. Dare you make a liar of a hateful maker, in blood and in peace?
+Monstrous Humanoid (powerful and maybe even magical innate abilities)
+No Gods, no masters (You serve no power bright or dark, nor do you now owe tribute to any other tribe)
-Reviled by the Civilized Realms (you are pests at best and a religiously inflicted scourge at best to the Empire)
-Savage Past (no magic beyond any innate abilities to start with)

Lost Legion: You should have died in the depths of the Teutoburg Forest, betrayed and well snared but before the noose was drawn, before the red day dawned a great wind came upon you from the south and you were swept up in it, a great light and you were bathed in it... and thus you were elsewhere
+Discipline (you are the heirs of Rome that bestrode the world)
+Skilled Engineers (there are among your number those skilled in the building of roads and forts a well as the engines to tear them down)
-Unskilled in sorcery (it is hard to believe that magic even exists, much less that any of your number can wield it)
-Alien World (you know nothing about the realm you find youself in)
 
D King Hecht said:
@DragonParadox

For what its worth from this long time lurker, sometime commenter. This quest was a like a rock or a constant on this site. Whenever I was having a bad day I knew that this quest was here for me to read and enjoy, the tale of Viserys and Co. While it will be sad to see it go, if you are not having fun with this and it has become almost like a job, then yes it is most definitely time to move on. I appreciate you DP for all the many hours of joy you brought to me over these last 5 years. So again thank you for all the time and energy you put into this.
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Thanks, it really is nice to hear things like this.
 
I'd follow along, this quest is a testament to your sheer staying powerr and from hells heart show that you can do other things than dnd perfectly well! Lead and I shall follow! Bonus points if Azel goes because I've always admired your policy and infra ideas and I've used them in my own campaigns! :V
 
DragonParadox said:
Lost Legion: You should have died in the depths of the Teutoburg Forest, betrayed and well snared but before the noose was drawn, before the red day dawned a great wind came upon you from the south and you were swept up in it, a great light and you were bathed in it... and thus you were elsewhere
+Discipline (you are the heirs of Rome that bestrode the world)
+Skilled Engineers (there are among your number those skilled in the building of roads and forts a well as the engines to tear them down)
-Unskilled in sorcery (it is hard to believe that magic even exists, much less that any of your number can wield it)
-Alien World (you know nothing about the realm you find youself in)
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This is really the only one that interests me, for no other reason than the fact that I don't really have any interest in primitive tribal characters.
 
Acolyte said:
I am pretty sure Roman's believed in magic. So I think this would be a wierd description of their lack of knowledge.

But this would be my favored quest.
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Well kind of, they were superstitious as hell, but by the late republic actually taking the Roman Gods seriously was not really as common as it had been, particularly among the elites. There is a reason why everything from worship of Isis to that of Mithras found fertile ground in the Empire.
 
I'll be sad to see this go but if it's time then it's time and it truly has been a great read @DragonParadox.

Out of curiosity what species are the monstrous humanoids?

And slight nitpick here but I think that the lost legion thing was Harry Turtledove not Jim Butcher as I can't find any such works from Jim while Harry has the Videssos cycle, is that the one you meant?
 
ContemplateLife said:
I'd follow along, this quest is a testament to your sheer staying powerr and from hells heart show that you can do other things than dnd perfectly well! Lead and I shall follow! Bonus points if Azel goes because I've always admired your policy and infra ideas and I've used them in my own campaigns! :V
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I don't think so. After all, the point is to finally break the wheel.
 
The Lost Legion quest does seem like the best, even though it pains me to play as a non-mage in a magical setting.
Is it a character-scale quest, or would we run the Legion as a whole?

I'm honestly quite sad to see this quest end. I've been hoping for ages that we'd move towards more timeskips and big conflicts, but apparently not.
Could we at least have some good long-term epilogues? Maybe some medium-term stuff, some long-term stuff, and some hints to how our Empire will eventually fall?
 
Just wanted to say thank you for this quest that I have beer reading daily for years now. I have mostly followed for the story and the world building. One of my favourite moments of fiction on this site is still the first trip to hellven. Will definitely check out whatever you do next.
 
Farewell to A Sword Without A Hilt. Over 5 years is amazing as the lifespan of a quest. It built a vivid world that I could easily imagine in my head and I can't wait to see whatever epilogue/s you wrap this up with DP, whether a summary of the various apocalypses or the Imperial God face stomping the Illithids or just an 'the adventure continues' moment we leave the Companions on.
 
Well...

While I can very well see why this is coming to an end (and I want to say, probably not for sure because I've seen this), the thing I regret is not participating more.

Well, not regret, I mean, I couldn't quite help it, being so horrendously busy as I have been these past two years.

But I would have definitely paricipated more in the quest had I the time to do so...

Hmm, it makes me think... what if the lack of engagement comes from the playerbase actually growing up and getting jobs and responsibilities?

It means that now we got more money and if DP was evil, he could pull a Disney move and start ASWaH again, and we would pay for it
 
Tomcost said:
Well...

While I can very well see why this is coming to an end (and I want to say, probably not for sure because I've seen this), the thing I regret is not participating more.

Well, not regret, I mean, I couldn't quite help it, being so horrendously busy as I have been these past two years.

But I would have definitely paricipated more in the quest had I the time to do so...

Hmm, it makes me think... what if the lack of engagement comes from the playerbase actually growing up and getting jobs and responsibilities?

It means that now we got more money and if DP was evil, he could pull a Disney move and start ASWaH again, and we would pay for it
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G.R.R. Martin and/or HBO might object to him monetizing fanfiction. Even if it's actually longer than the source material.
Wait.
OMG.
What if G.R.R. Martin was on SV and read this?! And even commented on it?! That would be awesome!!!
 
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TonedMite said:
Aww man… 😔
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Hey at least he's only personally opposed to fanfics because he thinks they weaken the copyright and act as a crutch to writers (note he's only opposed to them and he's not trying to stop anyone), rather then going pants on head stupid and trying to get rid of the fan community like GW currently is.
 
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