“The D&D game has neither losers nor winners, it has only gamers who relish exercising their imagination. The players and the DM share in creating adventures in fantastic lands where heroes abound and magic really works. In a sense, the D&D game has no rules, only rule suggestions. No rule is inviolate, particularly if a new or altered rule will encourage creativity and imagination. The important thing is to enjoy the adventure.”

Tom Moldvay
3 December 1980

GAME SYSTEM & FANTASY WORLD
We will use Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition with some house rules.

We will play in a home-brewed version of Eberron. I will add elements influenced by: Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play, Robert E. Howard’s Conan, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom, H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, Appendix N, the early days of D&D, science fantasy, JRPGs, manga, and anime. So expect things to be weird and strange.

This will be a player/character-driven game set in a persistent, open-world sandbox. Play will focus on short, quick adventures (3-4 months of play time) so players can come and go without committing to a multi-year long campaign. Though you’re welcome to stay and play however long you like.

I will regularly pull from decades of stockpiled game material to populate the world.

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GENERAL RULES
It’s A Game. We’re all here to have fun and throw dice. All of the rules and decisions made by the referee are in the interest of having fun. Relax. It’s a game. Let’s enjoy it.

Characters. There’s nothing more boring than a never-hurt and never-caring character. Bad things can and will happen to your character. Funny things can and will happen to your character. Make an adventurer. Make a character who fits the setting. Make a character capable of working as part of a team.

Play Worlds, Not Rules. We’re all here to have fun telling interesting and engaging stories. That’s infinitely more important than the rules. The rules are guidelines to facilitate us having fun. Don’t worry about optimizing the mechanics or making the perfect tactical choice, focus instead on playing your character, having fun, and telling an interesting story.

Tactical Infinity. The answer is not on your character sheet. You are not limited to what’s in the rules. Your character can try anything, though there’s no guarantee of success. You’re playing a fantasy-adventure hero in a fantasy-adventure setting. Go nuts. Improvise. Interact with the environment. Be cunning and ruthless.

BEHAVIOR
Don’t Be A Dick. Wheaton’s Law is always in effect. Things I consider violations of this rule include, but are not limited to: power gaming, min-maxing, metagaming, cheating, whining about bad rolls, rules lawyering, reading the module, checking monster stats, and anything that prevents others from enjoying the game.

Respect. Always be respectful to your fellow players. IC, play your character’s personality, but be respectful. Characters can be disrespectful if the scene calls for it, but be sure you separate character actions from player actions. If you need to justify some disruptive behavior of your character with “that’s what my character would do” you’re almost certainly violating this rule and Wheaton’s Law (above).

Problems. If you have problems with another player, remember we’re all adults and bring it up with that player privately. If you can’t resolve the issue, bring it to me privately.

Rating. This game is mature, not general or adult. There will be fantasy violence and horror themes. Keep gore to a minimum and any sex will fade to black.

Instant Kick. Nothing will get you booted from this game quicker than: racism, sexism, homophobia, and disco. No, I’m not kidding.

POSTING GUIDELINES
Real Life First, Always. Real life will get in the way. All I ask is that you, if you can, drop me a message to let me know something’s up. You don’t need to tell me the details.

Frequency. In-character posting frequency of at least once every few days (48 hours). If you haven’t posted by the 48 hours mark, I will skip you. Two skips in a row and I will remove you from the in-character group. If I don’t hear from you and you haven’t posted for a week or more, I will write your character out and remove you from the game.

Weekends & Holidays. Most games slow down on the weekends and around holidays so those are a gimme. You are free to post on weekends and holidays but they are not counted against you for being skipped or kicked.

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REQUEST TO JOIN
What I’m Looking For. I’m looking for players who have actually read the above. Players who understand that the goal of playing RPGs is to have fun and see what happens to the characters, not players who are out to “win” or always make the “optimal” choice. I’m looking for team players who know how to share the spotlight, I’m not looking for players who think their character is the star and everyone else is an extra. I’m looking for proactive players who won’t wait to post. I’m looking for players who will actually read the other players’ posts and interact with the other players and their characters. I’m looking for players who are interested in this specific pitch, world, and game, not players scrambling for any game on offer.

Do not send character sheets or backstory write-ups. All characters should be original to this game and will start at 1st level.

For the RTJ, I want to know: What do you want out of a game of D&D? What do you want to do in this game? What is your preferred style of D&D? What characters do you like playing and why? How much experience do you have with D&D specifically and RPGs generally? How much experience do you have with the Eberron setting? Have you played or read any official Eberron modules?
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:37, Mon 27 Nov 2023.