New tabletop game starting, D&D 4.0 and original campaign setting Options

[dmmagic]

Hallo everyone. Most of you probably don't know me, but my group and I used to RP at Metagames every week few years ago. Once Pokemon became commonplace and tables were hard to find, we moved to my apartment, and since that time my group has fluctuated, gaining and losing members, and now we are depleted. Of the original 4 people I started gaming with ten years ago, only one is left, and so it is time to begin again.

Plus, I'm married now, and our apartment is a bit too small for us to game in these days, so we'll be returning to gaming at Meta ;-)

We haven't played for the last five months (since I got married and one of the last original gamers of my group moved to Florida), but I have gotten the itch to start DMing again. I am developing an original campaign setting and preparing adventures, but we need more players.

Right now, we have myself (DM) and two players. I'd like to have a group of 4-6 players (6 being the maximum), so we have 4 spots available. We've never tried to recruit new players this way, so I ask your forgiveness in advance if we are wary about the endeavor... we hope and expect to find some great people, but we're kind of worried that people we will end up disliking (or who just get on our nerves and make the game no fun) will apply or try to join us. Nevertheless, it doesn't seem that we have any other options, so a'recruiting we will go.

The campaign setting, as mentioned in the subtitle, is an original creation of my own. Most of it is in my head, but will be appearing over the next few weeks in the writing section on my website. For specifics, search for the category Vasham (which doesn't have anything in it yet, but will as of later this evening).

I had originally proposed we use GURPS, but my two current players didn't really like it, so I've decided to suck it up and upgrade to D&D 4.0 when it comes out. I'm not sure how much I will like 4.0, but I disliked 3.0 before it came out and ended up loving it. Hopefully this will be a repeat of that process.

As an introduction to the campaign setting, I thought I would try something a little different. If you are interested in joining us, I would ask that you write here a (very brief) character idea, description, and/or backstory. I will then work to integrate that into the world of Vasham, localizing your story and expanding upon it so you can then have something to read that introduces you to the world, your place in it, and how you got where you are (which is where you will meet the other party members). Depending on how many people we have, the entire party or, at the least, some of the party will likely have known each other before the beginning of the campaign. If you are interested in joining us and towing a friend or two along and would like for your character to have known them before the start of the campaign, please let me know and give me some ideas of how you knew each other and I'll be happy to work that in.

We currently meet on Sunday nights at 8 p.m. That time/day is negotiable, though I think Wednesday evenings might be untenable, and come the fall I'll have classes on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Let me know what works for you.

Edit:: Thread should be deleted, but I couldn't see how to do so. Came back to edit/remove links to prevent 404 errors.

This post has been edited by dmmagic: Jun 15 2009, 06:32 AM

[dmmagic]

War of the Conquest - Part 1

It was the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen, like the rising sun on Pekah, or a clear sky on a peaceful night. Their ships were enormous and their crews beautiful; rank after rank of archers and swordsmen stood calmly on their decks, and their boots rattled the docks when they came ashore, such was their numbers. Looking neither right nor left, their faces bore no expressions, ageless eyes staring straight ahead, their armour shining like beaten gold. We thought the war was over when the elven ships landed at Selah. The tiefling kings may have made pacts with devils, but we knew they could die; I spitted three on my pike at the Battle of Konfluins. But the elves were supposed to be immortal, with armour that couldn’t be pierced. We thought they’d tear through the tieflings’ lines like knives through silk. No one had ever seen an elf die.

Barrok Shortfingers, Pikeman, 3rd Battalion of Galvasted
Year of the Demon’s Harness (1378 CE)

Arias shielded his eyes from the sun’s glare as the wind tugged fiercely at his robes. He could barely hear the crash of waves against the walls of the Seashield seven hundred feet below him; the low roar that was nearly imperceptible from his home was constant here, but he wondered if they even noticed it in Ilmeryion. Perhaps, he mused, it has worn down their ears so they can no longer hear the sea.

The white city was cradled by the Seashield that stretched to the north and south of Ilmeryion, curving back around the floating islands of the elvish nation of Silveryion. Only Ilmyerion was left at sea level to act as a port and harbor, and the buildings seemed to have grown out of the ocean much like the island itself. They gleamed white like coral brought from the depths, and dazzled the eye at noon, but any resemblance to the upper isles ended there. These buildings were low, unlike the spires and towering structures favoured on the upper isles, and shaped to withstand the fury of the sea. Each could be sealed firmly so that a storm would wash over Ilmeryion, spending its fury and flooding the entire island while the elves remained safe in their homes. Ilmeryion could be neither burned nor broken, and had stood upon the Wall for millennia.

The strait known as the Wall of Ilmeryion, separating the elven isles from the mainland to the east, seemed to stretch forever, the waves finding their beginning in eternity. Arias had never been able to see the human lands of Vasham, no matter how hard he squinted, but now a pall had fallen over the eastern horizon. What had once seemed limitless was now shrouded, and he shuddered to recall the divinations of the elders.

Elves had first come to these isles some thirteen thousand years ago, and had lived peacefully all that time. Three thousand years ago, a ship appeared upon the Wall, and they experienced their first encounter with humans. At first, the elves had no reason to treat with the short-lived creatures, but soon the humans had developed a culture that fascinated the ageless elves. Perhaps because they had so little time, the humans were energetic and tireless, their culture advancing swiftly and surprising the elves who viewed humanity as little more than an animal that had learned to speak. Their poetry and music, art and stories, even their armour intrigued the elves. In a few hundred years, humanity had changed drastically, and were building vast cities and penning beautiful works. Within two thousand years, a race that, until recently, had no alphabet had invented instruments that hadn’t existed and composed symphonies that rivaled the elves’ greatest works.

Throughout this period, elves had not involved themselves with human politics. Countless empires had risen and fallen, with every emissary begging aid rebuffed from Ilmeryion. The elves were curious about the humans, but the creatures were not worth their lives. That was, until Therron arrived.

Three human caravels accompanied the king of Barrokar, the largest of the human kingdoms on Vasham. He came unannounced, but the priests of Silvanus had felt for some time that a shadow was growing on the mainland. Speaking powerfully about an evil rising from the Vanguard Mountains to the east of their lands, Therron convinced the elves to investigate the matter further.

Arias passed a hand over his eyes, groaning slightly as he wiped the cold sweat from his brow. His father had barred him from the ritual of divination, but Arias had listened in with a spell of clairaudience. His father would have detected it, and should have, but due to his part in the ceremony his attention was elsewhere.

It had been a clear night, the constellations wheeling through the skies unchallenged as the magi and high priests gathered around the Well of Awakening, their hands raised in response to the power they channeled. They sought to learn of this evil that had awoken beneath the eastern mountains, but each expected in their hearts to find little beyond the common machinations of humankind. While Therron waited aboard his ship, the elves cast their minds east, their magic shortening the distance and bringing a vision of truth to the Well.

The screams still woke Arias each night, permeating his dreams just as they had filled the clearing where the elders had gathered. The darkness risen from the Vanguard was neither goblinkin nor human barbarians, seeking to conquer their western neighbours. Instead, flames and darkness mingled in the Well, and the cries of tortured souls, worse sounds than any mortal could produce, erupted from its waters. A horror had come to Vasham that the Wall would not deter, and elvenkind was left with no option. As Therron had spoken when he arrived, they would either fight alongside humanity on the mainland, or they could watch their islands burn as they attempted to fight alone.

Now, six score elvish galleons rested off the docks of Ilmeryion, with smaller boats transporting the troops from the island to the warships. Infantry and archers would join the mages and priests of Silvanus, each elf but a speck to Arias’s eyes. Flags snapped to attention along the mastlines of each ship, gaily coloured scarves tied alongside prayers and the flag of Silveryion.

On the morning tide, the elves would sail to war.

This post has been edited by dmmagic: Jun 15 2009, 06:32 AM

[dmmagic]

With over 300 views and only one reply (via PM), I've given up on reestablishing my weekly game night that had been sacrosanct for the last 8 years. I've never before been unable to find a regular time for a gaming group to get together, but now it seems impossible; between the five of us that are interested, none of us have the same night/time free during the week.

Therefore, I've largely given up on the bigger idea of a weekly game night and the return to D&D as I've always known it. What I'm considering now is starting shorter-term games, rather than a grand overarching campaign, that is more modular in its focus. I'll prepare modules with fairly strict storylines (sort of like the short games you can buy that are pre-prepared) and have some pre-made characters as well. This way, a person can show up, pick up a character sheet, come up with a personality/role real quick, and start playing. All the stats and gear will already be in place.

And if someone wants to make their own character and bring it, that'll be cool too (provided it's of the appropriate level).

I'll just schedule them when it seems 2 or more players would be free and we'll get together. Each game session will be around 4 hours, ideally, and the entire module will be completed in that one sitting. Larger modules that span 2-3 sittings will be considered if people can commit in advance to a schedule over the course of a month, but it won't go beyond that. I'll announce them here and, if someone wants to show up for a session, that's what we'll do. Each session will, ideally, be largely independent, which will allow people to come in and out as they need. It also won't be weekly, but rather based on when we can get together. Probably just once or twice a month.

If you see this in the future and would like to join, I ask that you post here and RSVP so I can adjust the difficulty accordingly. I'll write back here in a couple of weeks to let you all know when the first session will be.

[Malckuss]

I guess I got here too late; Saturday nights would have been fine for me. What are your current plans?

[shorberg]

I guess I got here too late; Saturday nights would have been fine for me. What are your current plans?

Me 2 . . . Ah well . . .

I have a very busy schedule but would like to find some time to play. What does your schedule look like now?

I am usually available on

Tuesday all day
Monday evening
Sunday all day

I work 60+ hours a week and have a wife and 2 kids, so I can't play ALL the time, but once or twice a month would work best.

[dmmagic]

No worries, my intent is for us to game just once or twice a month due to our busy schedules, and for each gaming session to be self-contained so, if you can't make it next time, there's no pressure. It also allows the players to play a completely different character each session if they really wanted to.

Not my ideal sort of game, but it's what our schedules allow. I'm not sure when we'll start, but it'll probably be sometime in July. I'll be joining a gaming group on Sunday nights as a player, and we'll discuss when gaming sessions will happen for when I DM.

Unfortunately, Mondays and Tuesday nights will be out come September (and I work 8-5, M-F, so days are a no-go for me except on Saturday). I wouldn't be surprised if the first session was on a Saturday, either midmorning or early afternoon (10 a.m. - 2 p.m., potentially), but it might be an evening earlier in the week. We'll see.

[justice]

During D&D Gameday there were a ton of people looking for games to get into and we've had people stopping by our game looking to get in pretty consistantly. I'm sure if you played up at Meta you'd be able to pick up some stragglers.