I attempted to start this game about 2 years ago and due to untimely health issues had to stop. With my health back to normal or as close to normal as it can get, I'm looking to bring this game back.

Here's a brief explanation of the game:

The setting for this game is a small, infant settlement located in Judges Guild's Wilderlands of High Fantasy in a wilderness area south of the City State of the Invincible Overlord (CSIO). Clovers Point is inhabited by folks with origins throughout the known world. The town folk seek simple goals from peace and quiet to profitable businesses. All are united in their determination to carve out a life in Clovers Point and are willing to achieve those goals no matter the cost. While most, if not all, of the Townsfolk will be NPCs, it will be the groups interaction with them that will make the difference between not only the town's survival but that of each player character.

The background of the game is an extended Hack & Slash type of game revolving around the group's interrelationship with the village and the City State of the Invincible Overlord. The characters will be the local 'Heroes' that are always stepping up to save the village from the many foes that a small, remote village would encounter.

The PCs are fugitives from the CSIO due to allegations that were either true or false. I will work with each of you to develop this part of your backstory. In addition to be 'adventurers' and 'local heroes', you will also be contributing members of the local population. The mayor of Clovers Point will be aware of your past but not anxious to turn you over to the CSIO authorities, a situation that will also be worked out between each character and the mayor.

So, if you are interested in participating contact me through the games RTJ and we can discuss whether or not this would be a game that you would be interested in.

V
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:15, Sun 29 Dec 2019.

1) GM staff rulings are final. All of them. There will be no discussion about this, no argument, no debate. I have work to do and a family to worry about, and I spend time on RPoL because it's convenient and I enjoy roleplaying. I do not have the time to waste faffing about with you over something that shouldn't matter, nor the desire to ruin my own, personal RPoL experience by dealing with someone who'll cause me trouble when I can just as easily ban them. If you feel the need to bang your head against Rule #1, find another game, or leave.

This does not preclude reasonable questions about rules, or likewise reasonable requests to alter them, if the community or an individual player feel they have a calm, convincing, and cogent argument--it is merely a statement as to the mys zero-tolerance policy toward broad-spectrum dickishness. Which brings us to...

2) Don't be a dick. We're all here to have fun; if you can't work something out with a fellow player in a PM, you can bring it to me if you must, but I dare--bloody DARE you--to screw up the game for anyone else. I will reach through the Internet and rub a giant frog on your face.

3) It's called roleplaying--do it. There will (hopefully) be enough of everything to satisfy everyone. If it turns out there's not, PM me and let me know what you'd like to see; I'll do what I can, within reason. But for RPoL's sake, stay in-character, try to keep yourself separate from the person you're playing, and for the love of Gary Gygax, if you start seeing unicorns or something, get help. Don't bring it to me, I think unicorns are filthy parasites, so I won't help you.

4) Follow the rules. If there's a house rule that you forget about or misinterpret, I will gently correct you, in private. Heck, I may not remember all of them, all the time, since they're generally unique to this game, so you can even (theoretically) correct me. I am not infallible. But--and this is important--you should make an effort to follow the rules I've all set down, and the rules in the book, in order to keep the game clean and orderly. This is not to say they can't be stretched; after all, that's what it should be about. But let's all remember what game we're playing, here.

For hard-and-fast rules questions, the oD&D Rulebooks or relevant supplement will be the final arbiter.

5) Post. I expect my players to post regularly, regardless of what schedule it's on. Once a day is not unreasonable for most people. If you say that's when you can post, then post on that schedule. If it's once a week, post at least once a week. You will be expected to hold to whatever posting rate you agree upon with the GMs; if you cannot make that commitment, for whatever reason, then don't even bother with an app--the GMs are too busy.

I hold myself and the other GMs to the same rule. I understand that things happen, but "RL" is the number one cause of vanished GMs, lousy players, and abandoned games on any PbP site, including RPoL, because it's simply too easy to just disappear without saying anything on the Internet. If you're having troubles, let me know or post them in the Announcements thread--that's what it's there for. If you want or need to quit, again, let us all know. I will extend the same courtesy--if I must take a leave of absence, or find that I am unable to continue running the game, I will make sure everyone is made aware.

That said, a little temporary slowdown on occasions is expected and planned for, but if you drag your feet too much for too long, we'll be forced to cut you. We don't have time for it, and there's probably a long line of people behind you waiting to play.

---

I consider myself very flexible here, and our existing players will hopefully tell you that I are willing to work with anyone. However, for reasons I can gladly explain upon request, I have a zero-tolerance policy for these five rules. Please consider yourself fairly warned.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:06, Sat 30 July 2016.

Newcomers to the game will need to fill out a typical RTJ form (located in the Request to Join thread) in order to gain access to the game, as normal. Once you're already in the game, though, you might later have both the opportunity and inclination to create a second character, or even a third or fourth. Let's talk about how to do that:

1) The Character Apps thread is the location you'll want to use for this. The idea is to throw out what is generally called a "character stub," similar to the information you might provide for a RTJ, and get open feedback and GM approval for the character you're thinking about.

2) Keep in mind that no one--not even a GM--is allowed to have more than three PCs at one time, no matter what.

3) All character apps are subject to GM approval. All Dice Rolls must be made using the RPoL Dice Roller.

4) When you app a new character, you may want to throw out a bit more information than you would in a RTJ--it depends on what kind of feedback you're looking for, or how hard the GMs are to convince that day. :) If you think of other ideas or math that you want to add onto your app later, please edit your original post rather than creating a new, secondary post; this helps keep the post count in the thread calm.

5) Make sure to save your ideas! Every so often, when things get out of hand or the post number starts approaching the limit, GMs will wipe the app thread, which means your character stub(s) could be deleted. So back up your thoughts in Notepad or somewhere else!

6) Abandoned characters are sad characters. Given the nature of this game, it is easy to make characters disappear. However, it may be more difficult to get backup to characters already in the field, away from the settlement. Translation: Only app characters you think you'll be passionate about playing! If you decide halfway through your current adventure that Tony the Summoner or Keebler the Elf isn't working out for you, at least try to stick with them until the end of the current adventure arc, because otherwise, your fellow adenturers are left in the field, one member short. Depending on the situation, that could spell death or disaster just as easily as if your character died unexpectedly. You wouldn't die on purpose, so don't suddenly and arbitrarily drop characters, either--or try to app only characters you think you won't be tempted to drop.

For the sake of convenience and efficiency, I'm going to request that players follow these simple rules when posting:

1) Please select a single text color and highlight all dialogue in that color consistently. Thoughts or internal monologue should be in italics, rather than quotes:

"Look, you sodding leatherheaded berk," the tiefling says, "stop rattling your bone-box or you'll hit the blinds so fast that you'll think you've learned the dark of the maze before your soul gives your mortal coil the laugh and your own stupidity pens you in the dead-book. Or something."

God, what a stupid, convoluted sentence that was. And it totally went nowhere!

I'd suggest that you avoid orange, as that is the color most commonly used by GMs and players, alike, for OOC commentary and mechanical notation. Orange dialogue tends to make a post look confusing if OOC material is the same color.

2) Please separate the upper half (in-character) of your post from the bottom half (out of character) with some recognizable symbol, such as a line of asterisks:

***

or a hard rule:

---

or hide it behind a spoiler field:

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Like this.

---

and put your OOC actions in orange or the same color as your dialogue, so they stand out. Label different actions like this:

[insert skill] [insert check result] to accomplish task X.
Intimidate 15 to threaten the cornugon with grievous bodily harm.

Or like this:

COMBAT
Move: Move 30ft toward the Lady of Pain.
Standard: Think about what you just did.
Free/Swift/Immediate: Scream like a little girl.

3) When speaking in a language other than Common, please make sure to use the new "Private to group LANGUAGE:" or "Language NAME:" formatting. Like this:

The tiefling sighs. [Language unknown: "Toos, eeatss,"] she says tiredly, [Language unknown: "Of na preca aciewe niaset m laha ekmiteasus. Ca, Tr urethuiou po thutr st traartlat p we esacle fo k verhi. Ll ck Staoutain!"]

4) It would make it really convenient for the GMs if you would please use your character profiles, beneath your portraits, to provide your current/max HP, AC/touch AC/flat-footed AC, and saves, in some fashion. However, this is a suggestion, not a requirement, as many rolls and checks will require us to take a look at your character sheet, anyway.

5) Please post all in-character interactions in the present tense. For example:

OK: John looks at the door with some trepidation. "Someone should probably check it for traps," he suggests warily.

Not OK: John looked at the door with some trepidation. "Someone should probably check it for traps," he suggested warily.

Be sure not to mix your tenses. The reason for all this is that present tense is the standard for most players, and it can become confusing to read a long line of message when the tense changes between characters from post to post. It's like switching from drive to neutral and back over and over again--keep doing that, and you'll burn out your transmission before you crest the hill, see?

6) Whenever your character moves between areas of the game, be certain to display your current location at the top of your post, either in the subject line or like so:

[Town Center]
[Council Chambers]

This allows us to keep track of who is where at any given time, and allows players who are in other locations to skip large numbers of posts that are not relevant to their current situation, assisting with metagame knowledge issues and reading speeds.

Also, when you leave one thread and post in another, post your new/intended location at the bottom of your thread, just as you did for your current location. This will stop any possible confusion if another character attempts to interact with you, but your character has already moved on. Like this:

[Stables -> Town Center]


7) During combat situations, all players involved must post at least once per 24 hours, or they will lose their turn.

8) The GMs, via a convoluted and mysterious system, will determine in advance how many game days will be roleplayed per tenday before a timejump. Each in-game day will only be roleplayed in-game for 3-6 days before it is cut short and the next day is begun. Any projects, conversations, and so forth not closed out by then should either be abandoned, abbreviated, or finished via PM with the appropriate characters. When a day ends there will be one day of real-life time before the next day begins. This will allow the GMs to make sure everything is as it should be before continuing on. The time between breaks in the game, length of days, etc. may change as the game progresses and the game systems/processes are ironed out.

I am going to start using a new character sheet for all characters. I find it easier to follow and find information. Once you have completed your character sheet and your character has been approved I will transfer the information to this character sheet:









Languages Known:

This message was last edited by the GM at 20:01, Tue 14 Apr 2020.