Some codexers want to play D&D? DM looking for players

[SoupNazi]

Snorkack
My initial thought was that the async would be for domain and would run in the same world parallel to the sync one to create a cool synergy. But if people in the async want their own campaign PbP, then it will be two different things altogether. I didn't know about Reign, thanks for sharing! For my campaign I use "An Echo Resounding" since it's also meant to "layer on top of D&D". I did modified couple of things to suit more my setting and taste, but the vast majority is untouched since it's very good.

That would be so cool though if the two were connected!!!!!

I think this is the most exclamation points I've ever used on the internet.

Idk why I'm excited but I basically want to start tomorrow, lol.

 

[Alex]

Snorkack Alex SoupNazi Akratus Seigneur Locklear J_C Night Goat

SYNCHRONOUS GROUP

Gentlemen, we have a group of 6, which is a good starting point.

Please answer the following questions (and anyone that wants to jump in too):

1. What system, if any, do you have a preference with? Subquestion: do you mind homebrew systems (based on D&D)?
2. What setting, if any, do you have a preference with? Subquestion: do you mind homebrew setting?
3. What time of the week, if any, is more suitable for you (please put your GMT or equivalent)?
4. What is the minimal number of time you would want to play per month to consider this worthy?
5. What is the maximal number of time you can play during a month?
6. Do you have a problem playing on roll20 and/or discord? Do you mind doing voice, or strictly written format (chat-based)?
7. Do you have anything to add?

(snip...)

1. I want to make it clear I will play anything. But for system, if we are playing D&D, AD&D 2e is my favourite. No problems with homebrew either; I kind of expect the DM or GM to change things around through rulings and house rules.
2. Well, I was really looking forward playing Birthright. I don't mind other settings or homebrew though.
3. Saturday mornings would actually work best for me as well, but if it is a problem, we can try to rearrange stuff. Worst case scenario, I can always play the asynchronous group only, no problem.
4. I don't have a minimum. If the game goes slowly, I will adapt to play it slowly.
5. I doubt I can play more than four or five hours a week (so 20 per month). Sorry about that.
6. I've played on roll20 and discord before. I don't mind talking, but I have a bit of a thick accent. I am used to play text only.
7. Thanks for setting this up!

Catacombs Alex Grimgravy

ASYNCHRONOUS GROUP

Monocled Gentlemen, we have a group of 3, which is not a lot but because of the nature of it, can be done.

Please answer the following questions (and anyone that wants to jump in too):

1. Do you prefer Discord-based (since it keeps track of all messages, a "play by chat") or forum-based (play by post)?
2. Do you prefer normal D&D-type tactical adventure of delving into a dungeon and throwing dice and so on, or do you prefer more "strategic" stuff where you tell your action in general and I do all the heavy lifting on my own and so on? Or a mix of both?
3. Do you prefer dungeoncrawling asynchronous play, or would you prefer something more along the line of "you are a warlord with troops at your command and already control a settlement/small castle" with a heavy mix of small adventures and management (with "turns" being about one month each)?

(snip...)

1. I would use either, but I would prefer forum based play.
2. I think the format would work better with the strategic option, but I don't mind either option. Either way, though, I would prefer if there was at least a bit of opportunity to roleplay.
3. Again, I think the strategic stuff would work better with the format.

 

[Stormcrowfleet]

Alex Birthright could still happen since about everyone doesn't mind the setting being used.

 

[Night Goat]

What system, if any, do you have a preference with? Subquestion: do you mind homebrew systems (based on D&D)?

My favorite D&D edition is 3.5, but I'll play any that isn't 4th. I might also be up for other systems, depending on what that system is. As for homebrew, I'm not necessarily opposed to it but I'd need to see it before commiting to it.

What setting, if any, do you have a preference with? Subquestion: do you mind homebrew setting?

My favorite D&D settings are Eberron and Ravenloft but I'm down for anything, I don't know much about Birthright but it looks like it might be cool. Homebrew is fine too.

What time of the week, if any, is more suitable for you (please put your GMT or equivalent)?

I'm also in UTC-5. Weekdays I can play from 6 pm (5 now, but I might have to start going back into the office eventually) until around midnight. I can also do any time on Saturday and after 3 pm or so on Sunday, weekdays would be better for me but weekends are fine if they're better for others.

What is the minimal number of time you would want to play per month to consider this worthy?

I don't really have a minimal number but I'd prefer playing at least twice a month.

What is the maximal number of time you can play during a month?

I could play every week.

Do you have a problem playing on roll20 and/or discord? Do you mind doing voice, or strictly written format (chat-based)?

I prefer voice as I feel text chat is much slower, but I can do either.

Do you have anything to add?

Carthago delenda est.

 

[Russia is over. The end.]

If it's play by post, I'd actually participate.

 

[Russia is over. The end.]

Oh. Yeah, you should've led with that OP:

 

[Seigneur Locklear]

Snorkack Alex SoupNazi Akratus Seigneur Locklear J_C Night Goat

SYNCHRONOUS GROUP

Gentlemen, we have a group of 6, which is a good starting point.

Please answer the following questions (and anyone that wants to jump in too):

1. What system, if any, do you have a preference with? Subquestion: do you mind homebrew systems (based on D&D)?
2. What setting, if any, do you have a preference with? Subquestion: do you mind homebrew setting?
3. What time of the week, if any, is more suitable for you (please put your GMT or equivalent)?
4. What is the minimal number of time you would want to play per month to consider this worthy?
5. What is the maximal number of time you can play during a month?
6. Do you have a problem playing on roll20 and/or discord? Do you mind doing voice, or strictly written format (chat-based)?
7. Do you have anything to add?

I'll answer myself to give an idea:

1. As long as it's D&D and I know the system (all but 4th), I'm good. I am highly biased towards OD&D since this is what I play normally.
2. I prefer homebrew setting because it's part of the fun for the DM, but I am open to using premade setting and I have done it in the past.
3. UTC-05 Eastern Time (Canada). Saturday, ideally in the morning. Else, Sunday afternoon. I am available on a case by case basis during the evening in the week.
4. Once per month
5. Once per week
6. I really like discord with screen share and dice/music bots. Roll20 can be good too, but I'm not too trilled on going all-out and important 100% of the monsters, maps, etc. it takes too much time and prep as a DM. I don't want to do 10h of prep for 2-3h of gaming.
7. I'm thrilled.

1. 3rd/3.5, my familiarity with 5th is somewhat rudimentary, but I'd need to brush up a bit in general as is, so I don't mind either. I don't mind homebrew system additions.
2. Ravenloft, Faerun/Forgotten Realms. When it comes to homebrew, I'd prefer anything that'd mirror classic medieval fantasy, up to and including Victorianesque period. Low magic is somewhat preferred but far from a deal breaker if the case is otherwise. All in all, I can adapt to anything if need be, so long it is adequately distanced from the social and cultural trends and norms of today.
3. Weekdays work, but I'd definitely prefer Sunday afternoon over that Saturday morning.
4. 2-3. Think along the lines of at least every other week.
5. I could do two times per week. Ideally Sunday and anything between the range of Tuesday-Thursday.
6. I'm fine with whatever technical medium you opt for. I don't mind using either voice, discord, you name it.
7. I'm more inclined towards a smaller campaign group, ideally 4 people + DM so I'll be honest in noting my skepticism in keeping this orderly, among strangers, online, but I guess trying out nevertheless won't be the end of the world.

 

[The Great ThunThun*]

I am very interested in a PBM Birthright campaign. Let me know if you are holding this.

 

[Stormcrowfleet]

I am very interested in a PBM Birthright campaign. Let me know if you are holding this.

I'll put it on side and if it goes that way I'll do just that and contact you!

 

[Grimgravy]

ASYNCHRONOUS GROUP

Monocled Gentlemen, we have a group of 3, which is not a lot but because of the nature of it, can be done.

Please answer the following questions (and anyone that wants to jump in too):

1. Do you prefer Discord-based (since it keeps track of all messages, a "play by chat") or forum-based (play by post)?
2. Do you prefer normal D&D-type tactical adventure of delving into a dungeon and throwing dice and so on, or do you prefer more "strategic" stuff where you tell your action in general and I do all the heavy lifting on my own and so on? Or a mix of both?
3. Do you prefer dungeoncrawling asynchronous play, or would you prefer something more along the line of "you are a warlord with troops at your command and already control a settlement/small castle" with a heavy mix of small adventures and management (with "turns" being about one month each)?
4. Do you have anything to add?

1. I'd prefer play by post, since it would let the rest of Codex (I don't know how many people lurked on the game I posted earlier, but I imagine most/all of the drop in players started as lurkers) observe easily. I'm not opposed to Discord, though.
2. I like throwing dice, rng be damned, but that will slow the process down. You doing the heavy lifting will help keep things flowing.
3.The warlord thing with a mix small adventures and management would be new to me and sounds like fun.
4. I'm familiar with D&D. But the last pbp really sold me on D100 systems, Not, that I expect everyone to convert.

 

[grimace]

4. I'm familiar with D&D. But the last pbp really sold me on D100 systems, Not, that I expect everyone to convert.

Something like what's going on here: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/play-by-post ?

And for dice rolling, their forum has the code built in: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/play-by-post/2985-rolling-dice

 

[Grimgravy]

I meant D100 like Magic World/Runequest vs D20 like D&D. Having experienced both, I much prefer the former, but the latter is much more broadly popular.

 

[Stormcrowfleet]

Night Goat Alex Akratus Snorkack SoupNazi Seigneur Locklear

SYNCHRONOUS TEAM REPORT

So I compiled everything in a neat Google Sheet which I analyzed. My conclusions are:

• System - 5th ed.: Although 3rd had technically more votes (2 full votes vs 1 and a half vote), it's easier for someone that knows 3rd to go 5th than the inverse. Also, I don't have the physical books for 3rd, so 5th has a point for me here.
• Setting - Birthright: This was difficult because Ravenloft was chosen twice. However, I ran both as player and DM in Ravenloft in the past and it sometimes become a bit "too much" for my taste. So I'm sorry but I'll use my DM veto, no Ravenloft for this campaign. However, most people were fine with any setting as long as it was "classic". Since I (and Alex) had expressed interest in Birthright, which is a very nice "classic" setting of fantasy tropes, we will do Birthright. Sorry for Deus Ex love of SoupNazi
• Schedule - Weekend: Weekends were (obviously) the big winners. Therefore, at the beginning of each month, I'll post my availability for all weekends with times and all. You guys will be able to vote for the month. Based on what I collected, the average time we should play per month is between 0.4375 and 1.0833333 per week, meaning we should be playing between about 2-3 times per month. I like my gaming session be no more about 4-5h (ish, can be 3, can be 6 if we are really into). More than this and people lose focus and becomes tired (also we have other things to do). Less than this and it's too fast we don't do enough (although as you'll see, I'm a very "action-oriented" DM and I like when things go fast).
• Format - Open Table: Because of the fact that some people expressed weird schedules and that not everyone is 100% available at the same time, I will adopt a "Open Table" format, also known as "West Marches" style of campaign. This means, in simple terms, that the world will be continuous (and so your quest/campaign), but not the party. If someone wants to take off for one month, their character will just stay at home and you guys can keep adventuring. If someone drop off, the campaign can continue. Also, if someone joins, it will be easier to accomodate for this. In terms of players agency, there will be a lot as in such a campaign, it's more about player's choice, exploration, self-made goals, etc.
• Logistics - Discord + Roll20: I will create a Discord to put our documents and so we can use voice-chat with push-to-talk. It will also give you a space to chat about your plans and so on. Roll20 voice channels are horrible in my experience. However, we will use Roll20 for visual representations, maps, etc. I'm not saying I'll map out every single encounters on the map, but at least anything that require thinking, mapping, tactics, etc. will be mapped either very beautifully (lol) or just paint-style with my mouse.

I will write a Google Docs that I will share with you that will act as a "Player Handbook". In there, you will have:

• Outline of the Birthright setting
• Outline of the campaign setting
• Character creation of 5th*
• Main core rules of 5th (a "cheat sheet" of sort)
• Any other informaiton such as how to use discord, roll20, open table format, etc.

*Because Birthright is not a 5th setting, I will have to homebrew some stuff to adjust things. It will be minor and mostly linked with character creations. For those used to 5th, you shouldn't feel confused by anything, it will mostly be about options.

If you want to see anything else in there, just tell me. Also, please confirm to me that this is suitable for you. It's possible to discuss it through discord if you guys want. I'm open to discussion before I start putting in hours to organize everything.

 

[Stormcrowfleet]

Alex Catacombs Grimgravy The Great ThunThun

ASYNCHRONOUS TEAM REPORT

As my previous post, I compiled everything and here are my conclusions:

• System - 5th ed.: Although people had less interest in this portion and someone did mention d100, I went with 5th for multiple reasons. First, it will be easier to manage two groups in the same system. Second, it's an easy to learn system with the basic rules all available for free online in PDF. Thirdly, I don't know anything about d100.
• Setting - Birthright: The only requirement from people was to have a "classic" experience of dungeoncrawling and so on. Birthright fits very well in this. Mostly, I'm not going to lie, for the same reason as the previous point, it will be easier for me to manage two groups in the same setting with the same system.
• Logistics - Play by Post: This was unanimous. Therefore, we will play by post on the Codex (no need to go elsewhere).
• Type of Campaign - Dungeoncrawling with some management: Although dungeoncrawl will be the focus, we will make sure that the game offers also the classic D&D tropes of managing hirelings, mercenaries and even later, if time permit, warbands and such. Since it will take place in Birthright (a very "political" fantasy setting), it will be possible in the long run for you to become "lords" of domains and so on.

As with the synchronous group, I will make a Google Docs with all necessary information for the setting, character creation, how we will proceed, etc. For those of you used to play by post (since it can vary a lot), please share with me what you think is the best "play by post" you've seen or played so I can take notes. I'll be honest I never played play by post as a DM, I'm normally always a IRL DM.

If you want to see anything else in the document, or if you have comments/questions, feel free to fire them.

 

[The Great ThunThun*]

Have never played by post. So I am fine with the consensus ruling. Thanks for organizing this!

 

[Stormcrowfleet]

For both groups that want to get some general information:

• 5th basic rules (90% of what you'll use): https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules
• Birthright basic information: https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Birthright

 

[Snorkack]

Also, please confirm to me that this is suitable for you.

confirmed.

I'm excited! Thanks for putting this together.

 

[SoupNazi]

Also, please confirm to me that this is suitable for you.

confirmed.

I'm excited! Thanks for putting this together.

My sentiments exactly!

 

[Akratus]

I'm very much on board and of course appreciative of your efforts. Since I've started DMing one shots I've gained an appreciation for the work and skill required to be a good DM, especially in a campaign. No easy feat.

Question: Will the first session be a session zero where we discuss character creation, expectations, campaign particulars, get to know each other etc?

 

[Stormcrowfleet]

Question: Will the first session be a session zero where we discuss character creation, expectations, campaign particulars, get to know each other etc?

Yes. Especially over the internet, it's much better. However, I wanted to craft a little "player's doc" first so we have a common ground to speak about.

 

[Seigneur Locklear]

Sure, let's give it a go. I'm 100% unfamiliar with Birthright to be honest, but I'd be a nice change of pace to dip into the unknown and learn some new stuff along the way.

 

[Night Goat]

Sounds good to me.

 

[Alex]

Night Goat Alex Akratus Snorkack SoupNazi Seigneur Locklear

SYNCHRONOUS TEAM REPORT

So I compiled everything in a neat Google Sheet which I analyzed. My conclusions are:

• System - 5th ed.: Although 3rd had technically more votes (2 full votes vs 1 and a half vote), it's easier for someone that knows 3rd to go 5th than the inverse. Also, I don't have the physical books for 3rd, so 5th has a point for me here.

Is it too late to suggest DCC RPG?

• Setting - Birthright: This was difficult because Ravenloft was chosen twice. However, I ran both as player and DM in Ravenloft in the past and it sometimes become a bit "too much" for my taste. So I'm sorry but I'll use my DM veto, no Ravenloft for this campaign. However, most people were fine with any setting as long as it was "classic". Since I (and Alex) had expressed interest in Birthright, which is a very nice "classic" setting of fantasy tropes, we will do Birthright. Sorry for Deus Ex love of SoupNazi

A simple solution would be to do ravenloft with the players as darklords with their own domain! Ok, I will stop with the silly suggestions now.

• Schedule - Weekend: Weekends were (obviously) the big winners. Therefore, at the beginning of each month, I'll post my availability for all weekends with times and all. You guys will be able to vote for the month. Based on what I collected, the average time we should play per month is between 0.4375 and 1.0833333 per week, meaning we should be playing between about 2-3 times per month. I like my gaming session be no more about 4-5h (ish, can be 3, can be 6 if we are really into). More than this and people lose focus and becomes tired (also we have other things to do). Less than this and it's too fast we don't do enough (although as you'll see, I'm a very "action-oriented" DM and I like when things go fast).
• Format - Open Table: Because of the fact that some people expressed weird schedules and that not everyone is 100% available at the same time, I will adopt a "Open Table" format, also known as "West Marches" style of campaign. This means, in simple terms, that the world will be continuous (and so your quest/campaign), but not the party. If someone wants to take off for one month, their character will just stay at home and you guys can keep adventuring. If someone drop off, the campaign can continue. Also, if someone joins, it will be easier to accomodate for this. In terms of players agency, there will be a lot as in such a campaign, it's more about player's choice, exploration, self-made goals, etc.
• Logistics - Discord + Roll20: I will create a Discord to put our documents and so we can use voice-chat with push-to-talk. It will also give you a space to chat about your plans and so on. Roll20 voice channels are horrible in my experience. However, we will use Roll20 for visual representations, maps, etc. I'm not saying I'll map out every single encounters on the map, but at least anything that require thinking, mapping, tactics, etc. will be mapped either very beautifully (lol) or just paint-style with my mouse.

I will write a Google Docs that I will share with you that will act as a "Player Handbook". In there, you will have:

• Outline of the Birthright setting
• Outline of the campaign setting
• Character creation of 5th*
• Main core rules of 5th (a "cheat sheet" of sort)
• Any other informaiton such as how to use discord, roll20, open table format, etc.

*Because Birthright is not a 5th setting, I will have to homebrew some stuff to adjust things. It will be minor and mostly linked with character creations. For those used to 5th, you shouldn't feel confused by anything, it will mostly be about options.

If you want to see anything else in there, just tell me. Also, please confirm to me that this is suitable for you. It's possible to discuss it through discord if you guys want. I'm open to discussion before I start putting in hours to organize everything.

Everything seems fine to me.

Edit: Also, I can ok the asynchronous one as well.

Edit edit: By the way, Bester was commenting earlier that he would like to play on the asynchronous group as well, but he seems to be in your ignore list.

 

[MarxistPlato]

Damn, PBP would be fun for me, but my english skills only suit roleplaying some half-ogre such as sogg mead in Arcanum

 

[Stormcrowfleet]

Damn, PBP would be fun for me, but my english skills only suit roleplaying some half-ogre such as sogg mead in Arcanum

Why not? Play a dumb dumb lol.

Edit edit: By the way, Bester was commenting earlier that he would like to play on the asynchronous group as well, but he seems to be in your ignore list.

I don't remember why I ignored him. Sometimes I ignore people just because I only browse "new posts" and they start weird threads etc. I unblocked him. Bester are you still up for this?