LFP
D&D Beyond
Peace be upon you all!
I am aiming to start a campaign, God willing, on weekly basis, starting from next Saturday - 25th of February 2023 - and I am searching for interested players or group. Please read the entirety of the post before replying, as players who ignore the details listed below will be disappointed once they join the campaign and realize what they have missed. The details are listed below to avoid any confusions or misunderstandings:
The starting session will be held next Saturday, the 25th of February 2023 at 6 pm EST (Eastern Standard Time), God willing, for a weekly schedule. If you have engagements, such as studies or dinner, that may affect your attendance, I would advise against applying, because you may miss important events; from experience, this bothered many players.
The session will be hosted within a world of my own design. The lore of official D&D content will not be present. The world has its own races, but people tend to prefer the races from D&D, so the only similarity the world of the campaign has with official D&D content would be the races.
The various themes and genres that are present within the world are as follows: fantasy, scientific fiction, steampunk, mystery, adventure, horror and psychological thrills. A testimonial from previous groups states that the world is a fusion of the Game of Thrones novels, the Berserk anime/manga and Lovecraftian tales; ironically, I never read any of the three media. Also note that the session, or the campaign, is not designed to act as an escape from reality; it is designed to immerse the player within reality. For example, players who expect their characters to be superbly overpowered in a similar fashion to anime or video games - such as Dynasty Warriors - will not enjoy the campaign. Though there are fantastical elements, the campaign grounds the characters in reality. As such, players are encouraged to solve problems through a realistic approach, rather than rely on anime or video games for inspiration.
The current premise and setting the party will engage in is similar to a medieval setting. Castles, knights, kings, queens, sieges and chivalry are to be expected, in combination with elements of steampunk as mentioned above, such as airships. Other elements, such as dragons, are also present. I did not delineate the entirety of the examples, as they are cumbersome and extensive.
Players will find themselves interacting with, affecting or being affected by geopolitical, socioeconomical, and racial issues, such as poverty, slavery, genocide, wars of successions, betrayals, injustice, territorial expansions, resource gathering, logistics, currency exchange rates, and complacency of the denizens who are simply trying to live by. Characters will have opportunities to interact and even influence such elements should they choose.
As mentioned above, this campaign is not designed to provide an escape for the player from reality, but to immerse the player within reality. As such, words and actions have consequences within the world of this campaign; that means that there consequences for freedom of speech and/or actions and expressions. The lore of the world, even though it is fantastical, is still grounded in reality. With that in mind, characters that behave in an illogical or irrational manner will not survive the campaign, as they will not survive in reality. Subterfuge, rationality, cunningness and maturity are examples of some of the elements that would be required to resolve matters in the world.
The rules of D&D 5th Edition are implemented, with slight modifications to assuage the element of luck by resorting to the skills, experiences and knowledge of the character. Such modifications entail the realistic or logical portrayal of a character within the session; characters that behave stupidly simply because their intelligence score is below 10 will not survive for long. With that in mind, I would like to introduce you to my approach regarding statistical scores: other than certain restrictions associated with each score, the only significance to the statistical score is to yield a decent modifier that is used for checks and saving throws. As such, a character behaving stupidly simply because of a low intelligence score is illogical, since every aspect of the game is ruled by the roll of the dice; low intelligence could roll high numbers, and high intelligence could roll low numbers. Please keep this hosting style in mind before applying, otherwise, you will grow exceedingly frustrated with the challenges presented to the character, which also ruin the enjoyment for the other party members.
In addition, actions - or difficulty classes (DC) - are also affected by the experience of the character. For example, a character that is well-versed in combat or in thievery will encounter a lower difficulty class than a character that is inexperienced in such fields and for the same check or action. Hence why a character's backstory is more influential with respect to the mechanics and dynamics of the game, as opposed to the statistical scores.
Lastly I wish to discuss the mechanics of combat: combat is supposed to be swift, even in a turn-based system, from my perspective. As such, players should not expect hours to be spent on a single combative encounter, as that is highly unrealistic, in addition to the tedium associated with such encounters. So it would be easier and quicker, due to the system I designed, to dispatch of enemies, but that also means that enemies can easily dispatch of characters; this, from my perspective, creates tension to each combative encounter. Moreover, it also punishes those who wish to ruin the enjoyment of others by behaving stupidly or illogically; I speak from experience. This, however, does not mean that players cannot take their time to think of the proper phrase or sentence to utter to avoid such consequences, for I do not expect players to have the appropriate responses prepared swiftly. If players would like to take their time to phrase themselves accordingly, you need only ask.
There are other mechanics I implement, but they are minor from my perspective, and can be easily witnessed during the sessions.
As long as the background and story of the character is within the boundaries of the lore of the world, there are no restrictions to character creation. During the interview, which is discussed below, the background and story of the characters will also be discussed. With that in mind, I would like to discuss the aspect of magic within the world.
Magic, in the world of the campaign, has an origin, source, mechanics, nature, physics and rules that must be obeyed by any character that wishes to delve into that realm. The most important and pivotal rule to magic is that it must be learned through a deity, spirit or familiar. As such, players who wish to role-play as a spellcaster must choose a deity, spirit, or familiar for their characters to form a pact with; once the pact has been formed, the character can then learn the spells of their respective schools from the deity, spirit or familiar they forged the pact with.
All levels of experience are welcome! New players will have the opportunity to learn the various mechanics of the game, and will also have an opportunity to learn techniques for hosting their sessions! Players of various experiences should not match their expectations of this campaign and sessions to forms of media, such as Critical Role, et cetera; I have my own style for hosting.
Lastly, to try and allow each character and player to have the opportunity to speak and engage, the maximum number of players for the party will be set to 8 players. If video chatting is utilized, I can expand upon the threshold, as seeing each player speak by others would prevent moments of interruptions; from experience, it modulates the conversational flow immensely.
The campaign is itself designed to allow the players to create and engage in their own plots through their interactions with the world and through their immersion with the lore. Hence why the campaign tends to appeal to those who enjoy role-playing and narration. Though there are major plots and overarching schemes at play, the immediate events will be the consequences of the players' decisions and actions; players may also have an effect on the global status quo, leaving their mark on the world. For example, a particular character would strive to overthrow or usurp a particular government, and starts gathering allies - which could include the other party members - to eventually achieve that goal; if the character, or party, plot and plan accordingly, the goal will be successful, and the character is able to rewrite the history of that nation by being its sovereign. Such plots could be deepened or customized depending on the character's alignments, agendas and motivations.
The campaign tends to appeal to those who enjoy reading lore and immersion within that lore, worldbuilding, role-playing, character development and interactions, and narration. According to testimonials of the past, players who enjoy focusing on combat will be disappointed. As such, players who wish to engage in combative scenarios will not enjoy this campaign. Though there are combative scenarios within the campaign, I feel those who focus on role-playing, narration and lore will enjoy the campaign, God willing.
To elaborate further, the party will encounter combat depending on the decisions, events, plots and itinerary: expecting combative scenarios every session is highly unrealistic. It would be similar to encountering combat during the events of your daily routine; such an expectation would be realistic. For example, if a party is engaging in diplomatic affairs with a king, the probability of encountering combat would be minimal; however, if a party is sneaking into a castle to assassinate the aforementioned king, the occurrence of combat would be present, but would also depend on the success of stealth and infiltration. As such, there is no need to try and statistically divide the campaign into percentages related to role-playing and combat, as that would be unrealistic.
As such, I feel that the focus on writing character lore, reading the lore of the world and seeking to establish a connection between those two aspects would be the appealing point behind this campaign. Learning about the timeline for a particular nation, or the familial tree of a particular ruler are one of many aspects of lore that are present within the campaign. Those who seek campaigns that revolve around combat will not enjoy this campaign.
Though such aspects should be implicitly present, I must explicitly discuss them below due to disappointing experiences in the past:
Firstly, players who are interested in applying should understand the aspect of commitment, dedication and diligence. Even though this is a game, it is still a commitment, as I am providing my time for meetings and sessions. In addition, other players will also do the same. As such, prospective players should be mindful, considerate and respectful of my time and the time of the other players. In the past, I would meet with interested players, only to be ignored when the time came to create the character and join the session; if you are that type of person, do not apply.
Secondly, players who are interested in applying are expected to convey a certain degree of maturity through their characters. Though humour is present, utilizing it to resolve everything within the campaign is unrealistic. A degree of seriousness and cognizance is expected of the character, and thus, the player.
Thirdly, this campaign will be available to those within the North American region only, as it creates conveniences for correspondence.
Fourthly, effective communication is essential, and I wish for the player to relay any concerns or worries to me directly and promptly. I do not wish for the player to remain withheld in uncertainty, only to leave the campaign abruptly. I wish for the player to feel comfortable in the session, within a respectful, considerate and mindful company.
Characters will be starting at Level 1. For those who believe that it would be best to start at higher levels, such as level 3, because of conveniences, know this: the campaign is designed to provide challenges and difficulties at all levels. It is also designed to provoke the player rely on critical thinking, instead of solely depending on racial or class features.
The session will be hosted exclusively on discord, through the format known as "theater of the mind". Other programs, such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom can be used, depending on conveniences for the party members. Other forms of media, such as Tabletop Simulator or Talespire, can be used depending on feasibility and accessibility by party members. Personally, I do not like the interfaces of D&DBeyond or Roll20, so I do not use them; players can use them for their own gameplay if they wish.
Furthermore, sessions require vocal participation. Video chatting is preferred, but is not mandatory.
Interested players or groups will be interviewed to discuss preferences, expectations, reservations and answer any questions related to the session. Such meetings will be held on at the time that is most commensurate for both parties. Interviews will be conducted via discord, and interviews require vocal participation, for convenience.
I prefer discord as the communicative channel, as I do not receive notifications on this site promptly. If, for any reason, an interested individual fails to contact me via discord, feel free to reply here; I apologize in advance if my reply is not as prompt as I wish for it to be. Here is my Discord Tag: Shieth شِيث#4219
This matter was a point of contention in the past, so I would like to openly provide prospective players with the following disclaimer: I am human before I am a host, which means that I care not for the experience of the player in role-playing or in D&D; I care for the personality of the player, since that is what I interact with. As such, players will encounter a respectful environment in which they can enjoy the session or the campaign, regardless of player experience. As mentioned above, this is nothing but a game, yet it is still a commitment, as it is an activity that consumes the time of the host and other players; players in the past have contacted me to join sessions or campaigns, yet never showed any diligence to such a commitment, either by failing to create their characters at the required time, or simply leaving without uttering a word. So please be mindful and considerate of the time dedicated to the fulfilment of the session by the players and the host.
Thank you very much for your time! Enjoy the rest of your day! Be safe and take care!
I would also like to note that I am receiving applications from beyond D&D Beyond; and yes, the pun is intentional!
As such, I apologize in advance if the positions are filled quickly before you have a chance at applying!
I'm sorry, I can't come because I have another campaign on Saturdays and I wanted to join because I really like dnd. I live and breathe it. this sounds like a fun campaign that I would love to join. but my other one starts at 6:00 too. I'm sorry again. but if you can change the days to Fridays that would be amazing. and I would love to go to a character development campaign but I can't if it is on Saturdays.
LBF
No problem at all, I completely understand! I wish you all the best on your endeavours in your current campaign!
I'll try. thank you for understanding. I would have loved to join. I think it would be really fun. I could have created a character that has that steam punk vibe to it. even though not many campaigns revolve around that. But, I would love to join when I'm not playing dnd there. If that's ok with you. I will let you know here if I am available to come when I can. I might change my character for more of a steam punk version or a new character all together. Please and thank you.
LBF
Should your availability or circumstances change, let me know!
Hi I’m interested in joining your campaign if you’re still looking! I sent a request on discord I’m not very well versed in how to use it but my username is AriSafari! I’ve been interested in playing dnd for a long time and have only gotten the chance to play once or twice but I’m free when you want to hold the sessions!
I received the request! Once you are free, please send me your availabilities to meet and discuss the campaign on Discord!
Hello I’m interested in the campaign and i would like to discuss it more my discord name is Price0fFreedom#0001
im really interested in your campaign ive sent a friend request on discord and wish to discuss more when your free. weekoldtaco#9831
hello i would like to use a pc that i would like to use and does have a spell jammer he is from a campain that got canceled the ship is from his backstory i am willing to use a different pc if you dont like this one
Please contact me on Discord for discussion!
Friend requests have been received and/or sent!
I would like to remind everyone that there is a maximum limit for people in the party, so I apologize in advance if the section does not befall the applicants!
Thank you all for your time!
Thank you all for your time in reading the thread! The campaign is not accepting any more applications, unfortunately!
However, if the campaign does appeal to you, feel free to contact me on Discord regardless; perhaps a position may open in the future.