With me it asks if I would like to join as observer, GM or players 2,3,4,5
I guess what happened is, that P1 didnt properly end the log file, because it will also never ask you if you wanna start a new log file after being at the end of the saved log (it does not even recognize that the log is at the end).
edit: okay I just tried it out with Shaun, we could not manage to change our player to P1 or P6, but all the others are possible choices.
And it asked me if I wanna start a new log file. my mistake.
I went back to the original logfile to check - when I am prompted to select what player I am the options are observer, p1-p5, or gm. P6 wasn’t available then either.
or GM, that is strange…
Oh, so then there must have been an even earlier error! The very first logfile uploaded by jpsuchecki seems to be the only correct one then. When I open that, I have a choice of P1 to P6 and not GM, which is how it should be.
On a different note:jpsuchecki, you posted that we should move our technologies to our private areas. Are you sure? I would think that all technologies should be public knowledge and therefore displayed right below the racial sheets.
Same for Action and Political Cards: As the number each player has should be known, is it possible to have them by the racial sheets and only the owner flipping them? Does the module support that?
You can put things in your private area that can be viewed by the public, such as tech and trade agreements.
I realized that I did not have 1.03 downloaded. So I’m going to recreate everything and start a new module. You will have the same races, and same spots, but not the same tiles or cards.
dammit, liked those cards. You guys really wanna annoy me, right?
First the bad Race pick and then new Tiles…really… 
JP, following or chat with StrangeTim, what do you think about setting up a time just to try out a few well-chosen sample steps and moves using the logfile format in realtime, to test-run the things ST suggested and also to see if there are any other potential traps? Otherwise, I suspect we may have to backtrack and restart a few more times before we learn how to avoid the various logfile idiosynchracies.
Best time for me is probably today between 5-7p PDT (0-2a GMT). We can do it over skype, or even directly on these forums. Others are welcome to join, of course! In fact, JP, feel free to test-run things without me if you feel confident you can figure things out on your own, or with ST perhaps.
Ah, thanks for the note on the private area jpsuchecki. Okay, I’ll wait for the new log file then. 
We can try meeting together, but I don’t think it will work with all all being around the world.
However ST did mention something that I was not aware of when doing log files. He stated that you have to retire your character BEFORE ending the log file. I think this would solve a lot of our problems.
Anyway I remade the logfile. All the tiles are in your private area and are stacked on top of eachother. This means that I was able to view the top one, but I did not see the other 4. I could not manually flip them without seeing them. So for now this will mean doing the honor system and only looking at your OWN private area until tiles are dealt. If the first round of tiles works out, I will then assign promissory notes.
So he is what you should do:
Review the logfile. At the end of the review it should ask you to start a new log file. Do it.
Select your character
Place your plastic and command counters
Place your tile
Place your trade good cards, representatives, flagship cards, etc… in your private area.
Draw 2 political cards and put them in your private area.
RETIRE YOUR CHARACTER (Observer).
End the log.
Hopefully this will work.
Make sure you do logfile and not the save option. Make sure you have the most recent download of shards. Its the 1.03 version.
so everyone should load the logfile and join as oberserver?!?
I think what is meant by observer is that when you RETIRE you have the options of becoming observer or joining another side.
One thing I noticed about turn order: Are we going around the board in clockwise order (Naalu, Saar, N’orr, Creuss, Arborec, Mentak) or according to player numbers P1 to P6 ?
What shaunm said is correct - after your turn retire yourself to observer.
We are going around the board, not in order of player number.
[size=200]SAAR is up![/size]
how about you name the logfiles?!? a running number or something that makes sense
so that could be Logfile2.vlog
Good idea and done.
Ok, so just to confirm, we are still using the original player number mapping, correct? I.e.,
Absoulte Zero P1
Rebelikov P4
Tuna Dude P5
Shaun P6
Zilfaon P3
Thepoz P2
I think that’s safe to assume. JP probably just forgot to edit the player names on the map - I went ahead and did my own.
Umm… assuming I am P4, I have all the 4 special (i.e. red) systems and my 5th system is an empty one.
I think the chances of having a hand as bad as this is something like one in four million. I find it easier to believe that the tiles were not shuffled before they were dealt!
Redeal?
Alternatively, JP, you can have players draw their tiles themselves. This solves the problem of you seeing any of them (though it does create a cheating potential… not sure which is better.)
I also suspected that the systems weren’t shuffled. I’ve got 3 empty and 2 planet systems.
I have 4 with planets and one blank. I think they were shuffled (blanks on both sides of the reds). However, a redeal is probably fair. I am a little disappointed tho - there is no way I’m going to get as good a hand as I got this time in a redeal!