I am recruiting for a story-first, realism-focused D&D 5e campaign with heavy homebrew and very limited magic.
This is not a traditional heroic fantasy or power-driven campaign. It is designed for players who enjoy immersion, consequence, moral ambiguity, and character-driven storytelling.
What to Expect
Narrative-focused, player-driven play Your choices shape the world; there is no railroading.
Low-magic world Magic is rare, dangerous, and only accessible through risky patron pacts.
Grounded realism Actions have lasting consequences. Social, political, and legal systems respond logically.
Combat is rare, fast, and lethal Violence is consequential, not routine.
Heavy roleplay & character growth Literate RP, in-character dialogue, and personal arcs are central.
Homebrew setting No official D&D lore, no humans, original cultures and races.
Beginner-friendly, but requires maturity, engagement, and thoughtful play.
This Campaign IS For You If:
You enjoy deep, character-driven storytelling
You enjoy realistic worlds with moral weight
You enjoy heavy roleplay (textual or verbal)
You enjoy lore-rich settings and collaborative plotting
You prefer political intrigue, mystery, immersion and suspense
This Campaign Is NOT For You If:
You enjoy optimization, min-maxing, or build-focused play
You want frequent or tactical combat encounters
You expect anime- or video-game-style power fantasy, and high fantasy
You prefer comedy-first or consequence-free play
Player Requirements
18+; exceptions may be granted, but will be assessed on case by case
Respectful, collaborative roleplayers
Willing to read and engage with setting lore
Comfortable with failure, loss, and meaningful consequences
Long-term commitment expected
Campaign Info
Starting level: 1
Session day: Friday
Session time: 8 pm CST; 9 pm EST; 7 pm MST; 6 pm PST (there may be times when the session may starts 30 minutes later)
Frequency: Weekly
Ruleset: 2014
Session Length: 2 - 3 hours
Medium: Discord
Participation: Vocal communication
Schedule: Zeroth session will be held on the 9th of January - schedule can be adjusted if most players cannot attend at that date
Region: North America, New Zealand and Australia
Important Note Before Applying
This campaign significantly alters standard D&D assumptions, especially regarding:
Magic
Classes
Character power progression
How consequences are handled
Reading the full campaign primer is requiredbefore applying.
For clarification, if the zeroth session is held on the 9th of January, then the first session will be held on the 16th of January. If not enough players apply for this week, the zeroth session will be rescheduled to next week - 16th of January.
Honestly, this sounds kinda intrigueing, but not fun at all for a D&D campaign. It sounds incredibly limiting. 30% of the classes are completely unusable. Another 30% can only be used with alterations. Those capable of using magic are even limited with the kind they are allowed to use. This doesn't sound fun at all usinig D&D rules. D&D is very combat based, most class features tend to focus on combat and being tactical. It is much more suited to a different systems that focus more on narrative and characters over tactical gameplay. This sounds much more suited to Daggerheart where the combat is more cinematic and story driven and the whole system is about putting story first. Kids on Bikes sounds like a fitting system for this as well.
I wish you luck in finding players, but you should really give other systems that focus more on narration and story a look for the premise of this campaign.
Honestly, this sounds kinda intrigueing, but not fun at all for a D&D campaign. It sounds incredibly limiting. 30% of the classes are completely unusable. Another 30% can only be used with alterations. Those capable of using magic are even limited with the kind they are allowed to use. This doesn't sound fun at all usinig D&D rules. D&D is very combat based, most class features tend to focus on combat and being tactical. It is much more suited to a different systems that focus more on narrative and characters over tactical gameplay. This sounds much more suited to Daggerheart where the combat is more cinematic and story driven and the whole system is about putting story first. Kids on Bikes sounds like a fitting system for this as well.
I wish you luck in finding players, but you should really give other systems that focus more on narration and story a look for the premise of this campaign.
Thank you very much for your recommendations! Thankfully, another group is currently participating in the world of this campaign, and they are enjoying the mechanics and restrictions thus far!
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I am recruiting for a story-first, realism-focused D&D 5e campaign with heavy homebrew and very limited magic.
This is not a traditional heroic fantasy or power-driven campaign. It is designed for players who enjoy immersion, consequence, moral ambiguity, and character-driven storytelling.
What to Expect
Narrative-focused, player-driven play
Your choices shape the world; there is no railroading.
Low-magic world
Magic is rare, dangerous, and only accessible through risky patron pacts.
Grounded realism
Actions have lasting consequences. Social, political, and legal systems respond logically.
Combat is rare, fast, and lethal
Violence is consequential, not routine.
Heavy roleplay & character growth
Literate RP, in-character dialogue, and personal arcs are central.
Homebrew setting
No official D&D lore, no humans, original cultures and races.
Beginner-friendly, but requires maturity, engagement, and thoughtful play.
This Campaign IS For You If:
You enjoy deep, character-driven storytelling
You enjoy realistic worlds with moral weight
You enjoy heavy roleplay (textual or verbal)
You prefer political intrigue, mystery, immersion and suspense
This Campaign Is NOT For You If:
You enjoy optimization, min-maxing, or build-focused play
You want frequent or tactical combat encounters
You expect anime- or video-game-style power fantasy, and high fantasy
You prefer comedy-first or consequence-free play
Player Requirements
18+; exceptions may be granted, but will be assessed on case by case
Respectful, collaborative roleplayers
Willing to read and engage with setting lore
Comfortable with failure, loss, and meaningful consequences
Long-term commitment expected
Campaign Info
Starting level: 1
Session day: Friday
Session time: 8 pm CST; 9 pm EST; 7 pm MST; 6 pm PST (there may be times when the session may starts 30 minutes later)
Frequency: Weekly
Ruleset: 2014
Important Note Before Applying
This campaign significantly alters standard D&D assumptions, especially regarding:
Magic
Classes
Character power progression
How consequences are handled
Reading the full campaign primer is required before applying.
Full Campaign Document (Google Doc): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F3aJ3DlSni70VtpqHQKc2ccWJlPjiPL9TGp9XOto77g/edit?pli=1&tab=t.0
For clarification, if the zeroth session is held on the 9th of January, then the first session will be held on the 16th of January. If not enough players apply for this week, the zeroth session will be rescheduled to next week - 16th of January.
Due to lack of interest, the zeroth session has been scheduled to next week: 16th of January!
Honestly, this sounds kinda intrigueing, but not fun at all for a D&D campaign. It sounds incredibly limiting. 30% of the classes are completely unusable. Another 30% can only be used with alterations. Those capable of using magic are even limited with the kind they are allowed to use. This doesn't sound fun at all usinig D&D rules. D&D is very combat based, most class features tend to focus on combat and being tactical. It is much more suited to a different systems that focus more on narrative and characters over tactical gameplay. This sounds much more suited to Daggerheart where the combat is more cinematic and story driven and the whole system is about putting story first. Kids on Bikes sounds like a fitting system for this as well.
I wish you luck in finding players, but you should really give other systems that focus more on narration and story a look for the premise of this campaign.
Thank you very much for your recommendations! Thankfully, another group is currently participating in the world of this campaign, and they are enjoying the mechanics and restrictions thus far!