Recently, a strange and ancient portal was unearthed in the scorched lowlands of western Ashvale. Towering stone pylons encircle a chamber carved with sigils lost to time, at the heart of which stands a three-ring mechanism—each ring etched with seven arcane symbols. When the rings align in certain combinations, the portal opens, transporting anything within the chamber to unknown and dangerous realms.
Word of this discovery has spread quickly. Lord Kaerk Groutsh, a powerful and reclusive noble of Thornrest, now claims ownership over the site. Once a patron of obscure relics and alchemical curiosities, Lord Groutsh has diverted his fortune to guard and control the portal. Armed mercenaries have sealed the perimeter, and a field camp—equal parts excavation and expedition staging ground—buzzes with scholars, priests, and hired blades.
Now, Lord Groutsh seeks brave and expendable souls—skilled adventurers willing to step into the unknown. His offer is clear:
“Venture forth through the rings, uncover their purpose, and return with whatever power or knowledge you find. You will be well compensated. If you die… die with your name whispered in awe.”
But rumors stir. Some say the portal is alive. Others whisper that those who return are never quite the same. And stranger still, the portal seems to resist being used again unless a price has been paid in the realm beyond.
You are among the first to be chosen. The rings are ready. The void stirs. Will you open the gate?
At the center of the mechanism lies a void—silent, formless, and impossibly dark. It does not reflect light, nor does it seem to cast a shadow. It simply is—an absence carved into reality itself. Staring into it feels wrong, as if it sees your soul, your purpose. And it judges.
Whispers among scholars claim the void hungers for power—but every attempt to understand it has ended in mystery and failure.
Send me a private message with a lvl 3 character if you are interested. Many can join, and I will select 4 players each time for that "session".
What do you mean by "session"? Recruiting posts on this forum are normally for games played in a play-by-post style in a game-specific thread on the Play-by-Post forum itself, but it sounds like you're looking for players for a live (everyone online at the same time) virtual game on some other platform.
More info will follow soon. First I'm checking for interest
Do you plan to have a stable group or just a bunch of drop-ins every time? That is, do you want a pool of 8 players so that you'll always have at least 4 people show up to every session? If someone misses a session, do you expect them to read up on the events from the session that they missed? Or do you want to run your game as a series of one shots with very little reference or continuity between sessions?
BTW - I love this premise. That's a great setup for a D&D campaign where you want to tie together a bunch of short adventures or one-shots. (It never occurred to me to use a stargate-like device to do this. It's perfect!) You can have a long-running mystery or story arc related to the Rings of Or'Keal themselves or even a multiverse-spanning threat (like the Goa'uld) if you want, but each trip through the rings gives you an opportunity to drop the players immediately into a specific, short adventure. The Rings also give you an excuse to try a huge variation in settings, environments, and even flavors of game with no worries about how it all connects together in one game world.
I've never played a Planescape or Spelljammer campaign, but I guess that both of those settings have a similar setup for episodic content with potential for a lot of variety. On the other hand, those settings seem to come with quite a bit of surrounding lore and a flavor of their own.
It is play by post, but so far every one indicated to use discord, which is a great platform to use. But if there are people without discord, I could do one here. I choose 4 players who enter a new world and you can see it as a one-shot, but with progression.
The concept is indeed Stargate, it gives me the opportunity to improvise based on the input of the players. No world is the same. But I can't go to detail to much on this world ;)
Let me know if you have discord or prefer this forum.
It is play by post, but so far every one indicated to use discord, which is a great platform to use. But if there are people without discord, I could do one here. I choose 4 players who enter a new world and you can see it as a one-shot, but with progression.
OK. I was just curious how you wanted this campaign to go.
For example, I'm in another play-by-post campaign that has a pretty stable group. After we finished Against the Cult of the Reptile God (which took about 12 months IRL), our current mission is basically the Salvage Operation from Ghosts of Saltmarsh. We're not done yet, but it feels like the salvage operation probably consists of 6 - 8 encounters (mostly combat). Maybe that's more of a 2-session adventure if you ran it in person, but it's pretty short. Everyone has been pretty engaged, posting once/day or more, and the DM keeps things moving at a good pace. Role play encounters might take a few days to resolve, and combat generally moves at 1 round / day. Looking at the game thread, we accepted the mission around March 11, and at our current pace, I'm guessing that we'll finish the mission in another ~3 weeks of play. So, that's maybe 9 weeks IRL to run a pretty short adventure with very few decision points and maybe 7 (mostly small) combat encounters via play-by-post.
Does that sound about right for what you're planning? That is, each "session" or trip through the rings would be a short adventure that takes maybe 2 months IRL to complete? In that case, a player who is not part of the first party would need to wait until the next session / trip through the rings that starts in July.
Or are you planning to move things along faster? If you want to move a game faster than 1 post / day and more than 1 round / day for combat encounters, I think that you'll need to ensure that the whole party can be active online around the same time of day.
Let me know if you have discord or prefer this forum.
I've never played a game over discord. I'm not opposed to it, but right now, all of my play-by-post games are on this forum.
Well, I'm posting here while some of my existing play-by-post games are paused. (Multiple DMs who have some things going on IRL.) If some of those games end up ending completely, I may be up for a new game, but I won't know for a few more weeks. That's why I was interested in how long your sessions will be: I'm more likely to want to jump on board for session #2. I don't think that I can commit to a new game that requires me to start playing before May 18. 😇
On Discord things move a bit quicker. We did a full rp encounter, and in the middle of one, yesterday.
I find it hard to say how long a game lasts. Depends on the actions of the players. I can put you on the waiting list and you decide if you want to join next time.
Let me know the next time a spot opens up, and we'll see whether I have time then. I'm generally happy to create a character to fit a party and fill in gaps, but I'll send you at least one character I could play. I just need to adjust the build first since I created him for another game that was using rolled stats instead of point buy.
Character creation: point buy, any source book for class or race, short backstory including your dreams and fears.
Are you using 2024 content? Or just 2014 content? Is it OK to use a 2024 class with a legacy (2014) subclass or feat that has no equivalent in 2024 yet?
Recently, a strange and ancient portal was unearthed in the scorched lowlands of western Ashvale. Towering stone pylons encircle a chamber carved with sigils lost to time, at the heart of which stands a three-ring mechanism—each ring etched with seven arcane symbols. When the rings align in certain combinations, the portal opens, transporting anything within the chamber to unknown and dangerous realms.
Word of this discovery has spread quickly. Lord Kaerk Groutsh, a powerful and reclusive noble of Thornrest, now claims ownership over the site. Once a patron of obscure relics and alchemical curiosities, Lord Groutsh has diverted his fortune to guard and control the portal. Armed mercenaries have sealed the perimeter, and a field camp—equal parts excavation and expedition staging ground—buzzes with scholars, priests, and hired blades.
Now, Lord Groutsh seeks brave and expendable souls—skilled adventurers willing to step into the unknown. His offer is clear:
But rumors stir. Some say the portal is alive. Others whisper that those who return are never quite the same. And stranger still, the portal seems to resist being used again unless a price has been paid in the realm beyond.
You are among the first to be chosen. The rings are ready. The void stirs.
Will you open the gate?
Outer Ring
Middle ring
Inner Ring
Center
At the center of the mechanism lies a void—silent, formless, and impossibly dark. It does not reflect light, nor does it seem to cast a shadow. It simply is—an absence carved into reality itself. Staring into it feels wrong, as if it sees your soul, your purpose. And it judges.
Whispers among scholars claim the void hungers for power—but every attempt to understand it has ended in mystery and failure.
Brave and expendable souls:
This game will focus on: zone based combat, unique creatures, roleplaying and exploration.
This game will not focus on character background world related. As we are mostly travelling to other dimensions.
Send me a private message with a lvl 3 character if you are interested. Many can join, and I will select 4 players each time for that "session".
Character creation: point buy, any source book for class or race, short backstory including your dreams and fears.
More info will follow soon. First I'm checking for interest
What do you mean by "session"? Recruiting posts on this forum are normally for games played in a play-by-post style in a game-specific thread on the Play-by-Post forum itself, but it sounds like you're looking for players for a live (everyone online at the same time) virtual game on some other platform.
Do you plan to have a stable group or just a bunch of drop-ins every time? That is, do you want a pool of 8 players so that you'll always have at least 4 people show up to every session? If someone misses a session, do you expect them to read up on the events from the session that they missed? Or do you want to run your game as a series of one shots with very little reference or continuity between sessions?
BTW - I love this premise. That's a great setup for a D&D campaign where you want to tie together a bunch of short adventures or one-shots. (It never occurred to me to use a stargate-like device to do this. It's perfect!) You can have a long-running mystery or story arc related to the Rings of Or'Keal themselves or even a multiverse-spanning threat (like the Goa'uld) if you want, but each trip through the rings gives you an opportunity to drop the players immediately into a specific, short adventure. The Rings also give you an excuse to try a huge variation in settings, environments, and even flavors of game with no worries about how it all connects together in one game world.
I've never played a Planescape or Spelljammer campaign, but I guess that both of those settings have a similar setup for episodic content with potential for a lot of variety. On the other hand, those settings seem to come with quite a bit of surrounding lore and a flavor of their own.
It is play by post, but so far every one indicated to use discord, which is a great platform to use. But if there are people without discord, I could do one here. I choose 4 players who enter a new world and you can see it as a one-shot, but with progression.
The concept is indeed Stargate, it gives me the opportunity to improvise based on the input of the players. No world is the same. But I can't go to detail to much on this world ;)
Let me know if you have discord or prefer this forum.
OK. I was just curious how you wanted this campaign to go.
For example, I'm in another play-by-post campaign that has a pretty stable group. After we finished Against the Cult of the Reptile God (which took about 12 months IRL), our current mission is basically the Salvage Operation from Ghosts of Saltmarsh. We're not done yet, but it feels like the salvage operation probably consists of 6 - 8 encounters (mostly combat). Maybe that's more of a 2-session adventure if you ran it in person, but it's pretty short. Everyone has been pretty engaged, posting once/day or more, and the DM keeps things moving at a good pace. Role play encounters might take a few days to resolve, and combat generally moves at 1 round / day. Looking at the game thread, we accepted the mission around March 11, and at our current pace, I'm guessing that we'll finish the mission in another ~3 weeks of play. So, that's maybe 9 weeks IRL to run a pretty short adventure with very few decision points and maybe 7 (mostly small) combat encounters via play-by-post.
Does that sound about right for what you're planning? That is, each "session" or trip through the rings would be a short adventure that takes maybe 2 months IRL to complete? In that case, a player who is not part of the first party would need to wait until the next session / trip through the rings that starts in July.
Or are you planning to move things along faster? If you want to move a game faster than 1 post / day and more than 1 round / day for combat encounters, I think that you'll need to ensure that the whole party can be active online around the same time of day.
I've never played a game over discord. I'm not opposed to it, but right now, all of my play-by-post games are on this forum.
Well, I'm posting here while some of my existing play-by-post games are paused. (Multiple DMs who have some things going on IRL.) If some of those games end up ending completely, I may be up for a new game, but I won't know for a few more weeks. That's why I was interested in how long your sessions will be: I'm more likely to want to jump on board for session #2. I don't think that I can commit to a new game that requires me to start playing before May 18. 😇
On Discord things move a bit quicker. We did a full rp encounter, and in the middle of one, yesterday.
I find it hard to say how long a game lasts. Depends on the actions of the players. I can put you on the waiting list and you decide if you want to join next time.
Understood.
Yes, please add me to the waiting list
Let me know the next time a spot opens up, and we'll see whether I have time then. I'm generally happy to create a character to fit a party and fill in gaps, but I'll send you at least one character I could play. I just need to adjust the build first since I created him for another game that was using rolled stats instead of point buy.
Are you using 2024 content? Or just 2014 content? Is it OK to use a 2024 class with a legacy (2014) subclass or feat that has no equivalent in 2024 yet?
Is this game still active?