Hello and welcome to Shadows over Hogwarts.

I'm Yozi.  I'm keen to make this game fun for all, and to this end, I'll try and articulate what I am looking for in the game.

First, I want active players who are keen to maintain momentum.  When a game stalls, half the time it's because players run out of steam (the other half is when  I run out of steam!). I am looking for players who are able to post regularly, about 3-4 times a week, and who have some sort of investment in the game other than the rails I put my 'plot' on. I'd much rather follow the player's around the game than have the players follow me if that makes any sense at all.

The game may go through some 'slow-post' moments. I help run a small school in real life. One would imagine there would be less to do with a small school, but sadly there is roughly the same amount to do with fewer people to delegate to. Sometimes, that means I come home with about 30% of a brain cell left - and can't formulate the complex response to 'I shoot him with my wand'. I hope you'll indulge me.

While silly is fun, I enjoy games with a more serious tone. This game will have a serious tone - but it won't be all gloom and doom. There is room for levity too! We are, after all, playing a game involving children. The tone of the story will be more in keeping with the later books than the first - as in actions have consequences, and not everything is black and white, good and evil.

To send an RTJ, send a concept to me.  A paragraph or more telling me all about what character you want to play.  Include details about the following:
♦ Motivation, goals, aims - basically any drives they might have
♦ A quick one-sentence synopsis of the house and casting style you were thinking of
♦ A wish-list of things you want in this game (try to keep it simple, like 'fight zombies, meet the ghost of Voldemort, engage in a wizarding duel' and not like 'have fun, meet people, murder all NPCs').
♦ Though it's not too important, a little bit about who you are and what games you have played/enjoyed would be great.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to shoot me a PM.

Many thanks,
Yozi.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:58, Sun 19 Feb 2023.

Having been contacted by the Ministery for Magic, I'm told I need a possible FAQ present to forestall any concerns people may have.
That damned Minister for Magic, always poking her nose into things...

Can I be any House? And is Slytherin even a thing anymore
Yes you can. Some scenes may be House-specific, but most will be about a group of friends from different Hogwarts Houses. Slytherin is of course a thing still - a house about Noble Obligation, aspiration and determination. Yes, it still carries a stigma from the Battle of Hogwarts, but that was two decades ago.

Can we fade to black when things get kinky?
It isn't that sort of a game, thank you!  No hickies, kissing, holding hands, declaring yourself the lesbian lover of McGonagall... Nothing like that, please. There will be no sexual content. Failure to comply results in membership to the Headless Hunt.

Can I be from Durmstrang or Bauxbatons?
Erm. No. This game is set in the grounds of Hogwarts, with Hogwarts students.

So I have to be English?
Or Scottish. Or Welsh. Or Irish. Or from anywhere, as long as your family now reside in the United Kingdom.

Wow. Ok. So I'm going to play the Grandson of Harry Pot-
No. Be a little more original than that. It is time for some new heroes to arise. The Chosen One is done, his function served. Let him return to the normal world and rest. Others should take up the mantle of 'hero'.

Are there any skills I MUST take?
Not at all. I personally hate skill lists because they become a menu from which you try and act. I'd rather you tried all sorts of things a la the OSR. Good ideas often get a bonus to dice rolls in place of skills in any case.

As a side note, because there is a mystery element to any Hogwarts game, I use the GUMSHOE system for some ideas - you won't ever roll perception to find clues. You'll find any clue you should see based upon your actions. So if you examine the base of the One-Eyed Witch Statue on the Third-floor corridor, you'll see the inscription there and how some letters have been filled with tipex...

Are we going from First Years to Fifth Years?
Oh well, that would be nice. But for me, I'm planning the first year only. It will have links to further plot, but there isn't anything etched into stone. There is a meta-plot, a big bad guy, if you will, but you won't meet them until the latter years... you will, however, meet their minions and minor lieutenants.

But with any game on RPOL, there is no point in planning too far ahead. Think only of today, this session, this storyline, this Academic year, and you'll be doing great!