Princes of the Apocalypse - Family Friendly - Sunday Afternoons (UTC-8)

[TMO]

Family Friendly Princes of the Apocalypse Campaign Starting January 3rd, 2016

Game Details

D&D 5E Rules
5-6 characters (already have 4 committed, so need 1-2 more).
Starting at 1st level with intention of reaching high levels by the end of the campaign.
Characters will be created using the 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8 ability assignment option.
Races, Classes, and related character information may come from the Player's Handbook (https://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/rpg_playershandbook), Elemental Evil Player's Companion (https://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/EE_PlayersCompanionv2.pdf), or Sword Coast Adventure's Guide (https://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/sc-adventurers-guide). (Note: if you are relatively new to D&D, it is highly recommended you limit your choices to the Player's Handbook.)
No Evil alignments allowed.


Session Details

Sundays from 2:00PM - 5:00PM PST (UTC-8). See the Game calendar link.
Need commitment to play weekly and through the end of the campaign. We will take breaks as needed for personal or work reasons.
At DM's discretion, if someone cannot play, a game session might still be scheduled as long as there is a quorum (4 or more players). This will only be done if the character's absence can be narrated into the story.
We will use Fantasy Grounds with the Princes of the Apocalypse and Player's Handbook data modules. I have an Ultimate License, so free licenses are acceptable. It is highly recommended that you purchase either the printed Player's Handbook or the module for Fantasy Grounds. This will allow you to study while not in a game session.
We will use GoToMeeting for audio (no video and no recording of game sessions.)
Decent high speed internet connections will be necessary in order to load some of the module content at a reasonable rate.
Our first session will be dedicated to resolving any technical difficulties, making introductions, generating characters, and perhaps introducing the adventure. Our second session should allow us to "hit the ground running".


Goals and Expectations

This campaign was launched to provide a safe environment for younger players (approximately 10-14 years old). We are using the expression "family friendly" but others have used the term "PG-13". We don't want to police the game or create a bunch of rules. We simply expect good discretion and sound judgment. If you are unable to understand how this would work out in a game, then perhaps this campaign isn't for you.
Regardless of our conduct, this campaign will involve many mature topics such as romance, murder, cult rituals, drugs, scandal, and so on. Parents should be comfortable with this before allowing their children to play this campaign.
Crude and tasteless humor and talk will not be tolerated.
Players who are 10-14 years old should have an adult also playing in the game.
All players need to show maturity and respect toward the DM and toward others. Respect for the DM means listening carefully, accepting the DMs decisions, and allowing the DM to answer questions which are related to game rules and mechanics. It is common for players who know some answers to speak in the place of the DM. This should be avoided.
Online playing is different from table top play, especially when everyone is talking at once. Participation in the game is encouraged, but excessive banter is discouraged as this delays the game flow and increases the cross-talk.
Game style will be a healthy mix of role-playing and combat. The module itself requires players to interact with NPCs, solve problems, and engage in melee. No one is expected to be dramatic or talk "in character", but it is certainly welcome.
People who are new to 5E or Fantasy Grounds are welcome. We will patiently help you become familiar with the rules.
HAVE FUN! :)


About the DM

I'm a former veteran D&D 1E/2E player from my Junior High through College days.
Two years ago I got back into D&D with the advent of D&D Next/5E.
With D&D 5E, I have played several campaigns and have been the DM for a few campaigns (specifically the Lost Mine of Phandelver, Scourge of the Sword Coast, and currently a retrofitted Tomb of Horrors.)
I favor game flow over rules arbitration. If I am unfamiliar with a spell or feature that your race or class possesses, I will first ask you and trust in your response. That being said, I will review my rulings in-between game sessions and reserve the right to modify my decision in a way that will be in harmony with the game.

[TMO]

Please note that this campaign is the outgrowth of the discussion that was started in this thread (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?27056-D-amp-D-5e-New-Players-Seeking-GM-and-Group-Sunday-PM-US-CT). Also, the game calendar is available here (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/calendar/index.xcp?id=1729).



Below is the roster of active players and characters so everyone can carefully consider what they want to play:



Player
Character Name
Race
Class


V1NC1T
Dorgath Shornhelm
Human
Fighter


V1NC1T's Son (Noah)
Talathon Gorthandon
Half-Elf
Sorcerer


shadowrain

Human
Druid


Mojo

Dwarf
Fighter


T.K

Human
Monk / Ranger / Cleric (i.e., still deciding)


TMO's Son (Hudson)
Idiocopry
Half-Elf
Fighter


Monkn

Half-Orc / Dragonborn
Fighter

[T.K]

As I mentioned in the earlier thread I think this would be a good game. I'm hoping to let my daughter play with me as well. Would prefer if she sat the through all the games but she is 9 and gets easily distracted. So for the purpose of the game we would only be using one character. I have run a few games for her here at home and she likes to play but im not really a good storyteller. "Family Friendly" setting will work fine as that is the usual mode in our household anyway. I have never used fantasy grounds before. I have the demo downloaded but didn't want to commit to buying more until I have had a chance to actually test it out in a game. I have all the 5e books but haven't actually had a chance to play a 5e game. Ive played a lot of 4e and next games but my work schedule got too busy for me to drive an hour away to play them. Ive been recently wanting to get back into playing but the games in my area are only played during the weekday and my works schedule doesn't really allow for that but I have weekends off so sunday would work fine.

[TMO]

As I mentioned in the earlier thread I think this would be a good game. I'm hoping to let my daughter play with me as well. Would prefer if she sat the through all the games but she is 9 and gets easily distracted. So for the purpose of the game we would only be using one character. I have run a few games for her here at home and she likes to play but im not really a good storyteller. "Family Friendly" setting will work fine as that is the usual mode in our household anyway. I have never used fantasy grounds before. I have the demo downloaded but didn't want to commit to buying more until I have had a chance to actually test it out in a game. I have all the 5e books but haven't actually had a chance to play a 5e game. Ive played a lot of 4e and next games but my work schedule got too busy for me to drive an hour away to play them. Ive been recently wanting to get back into playing but the games in my area are only played during the weekday and my works schedule doesn't really allow for that but I have weekends off so sunday would work fine.

T.K., have you played any of the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure with your daughter? My purpose in asking is because I'm wondering if it would be better to "cut your teeth" on a relatively smaller adventure for the purpose of testing Fantasy Grounds and better evaluating your daughter's level of interest. Princes of the Apocalypse is a full adventure, designed to take a character from 1st through 15th level. I would not recommend jumping into a pool this deep without some experience and assurance that this is the right fit for either of you. Lost Mine of Phandelver, on the other hand, is designed to take you from 1st through about 5th level. Also, I think this adventure can be enjoyed without necessarily completing the whole story.

I might be willing to spend a few game sessions with you and your daughter (my 10 year old son would probably join in as well) before January 3rd if you think this would be of value. You can private message to take this discussion offline.

[Monkn]

I would like to see about joining this campaign. I am kinda new to FG and well looking to get better. Long time DnD player and well if you have room for a tank then I would love to join and see where this takes us.

[TMO]

I would like to see about joining this campaign. I am kinda new to FG and well looking to get better. Long time DnD player and well if you have room for a tank then I would love to join and see where this takes us.

Monkn, sending you a PM to discuss further.

[shadowrain]

I'd be interested in joining if you still have slots open. Long time gamer but new to Fantasy Grounds and only done some play tests w/5e. Started gaming in the early eighties with D&D and have experience with Pathfinder, Savage Worlds, and Fantasy Craft.

[TMO]

I'd be interested in joining if you still have slots open. Long time gamer but new to Fantasy Grounds and only done some play tests w/5e. Started gaming in the early eighties with D&D and have experience with Pathfinder, Savage Worlds, and Fantasy Craft.

Hi shadowrain. I'll PM you shortly to discuss.

BTW, welcome to the Fantasy Grounds forum!

[Mojo]

I'm interested as well and I'm usually free all day on Sundays. I haven't played D&D since the 80's. I really want to get back into it and 5E seems like a great opportunity. I'm brand new to FantasyGrounds so I might need a little help getting my feet under me. I'm looking for a consistent group the can bond into friendships over time. I'm really interested in playing a dwarf fighter, but I'm willing to try ant class if the need arises. I'd like to experience the current D&D storyline from the beginning. EDIT: I already have the current PHB.

[TMO]

I'm interested as well and I'm usually free all day on Sundays. I haven't played D&D since the 80's. I really want to get back into it and 5E seems like a great opportunity. I'm brand new to FantasyGrounds so I might need a little help getting my feet under me. I'm looking for a consistent group the can bond into friendships over time. I'm really interested in playing a dwarf fighter, but I'm willing to try ant class if the need arises. I'd like to experience the current D&D storyline from the beginning. EDIT: I already have the current PHB.

Hi Mojo. Welcome to the Fantasy Grounds forum!

With regard to wanting "to experience the current D&D storyline from the beginning", I want to make sure I understand your meaning. Typically, Wizards of the Coast refer to the "current storyline" as the adventure they are actively promoting. At the moment, this adventure is the Rage of Demons campaign. We are going to play Princes of the Apocalypse, which was the last story line.

These aren't campaigns that feed into each other. They both allow characters to start at a low level and work their way up to about 15th level. This is the same with the Tyranny of Dragons campaign (which came before the other two). So, you basically pick one of these campaigns and play it all the way through and then your character can retire or pursue more epic quests, usually in homebrew adventures.

I myself am getting used to this. I cut my teeth on D&D 1e, and became very accustomed to playing through module after module - with a sprinkling of custom quests thrown in for good measure.

So, let me know if you are okay with Princes of the Apocalypse and I'll discuss this offline with you.

[Mojo]

Hi Mojo. Welcome to the Fantasy Grounds forum!

With regard to wanting "to experience the current D&D storyline from the beginning", I want to make sure I understand your meaning. Typically, Wizards of the Coast refer to the "current storyline" as the adventure they are actively promoting. At the moment, this adventure is the Rage of Demons campaign. We are going to play Princes of the Apocalypse, which was the last story line.

These aren't campaigns that feed into each other. They both allow characters to start at a low level and work their way up to about 15th level. This is the same with the Tyranny of Dragons campaign (which came before the other two). So, you basically pick one of these campaigns and play it all the way through and then your character can retire or pursue more epic quests, usually in homebrew adventures.

I myself am getting used to this. I cut my teeth on D&D 1e, and became very accustomed to playing through module after module - with a sprinkling of custom quests thrown in for good measure.

So, let me know if you are okay with Princes of the Apocalypse and I'll discuss this offline with you.

Thanks for the reply. When I talked about experiencing the current storyline from the beginning, I should have clarified. I tried to join a group at a local game store, but they had already begun Out of the Abyss campaign. They said I could join, but I would need to create a character and then level him up to level 3 or 4 outside of the game. I want to start a character at level 1 and gain XP questing.
And I'm fine with Princes of the Apocalypse.

[TMO]

Thanks for the reply. When I talked about experiencing the current storyline from the beginning, I should have clarified. I tried to join a group at a local game store, but they had already begun Out of the Abyss campaign. They said I could join, but I would need to create a character and then level him up to level 3 or 4 outside of the game. I want to start a character at level 1 and gain XP questing.
And I'm fine with Princes of the Apocalypse.

Aha...totally understand. I'm the same way. PM on its way.

[mithc]

Hey there! I am a long time table top player, with experience from D&D from 3.5 to 5e with several hundred sessions under my belt. I'm new to FG, but I've been itching to get back into tabletop rpgs and a friend of mine recommended FG as a good way to do that. I'd love to play in your campaign and I am comfortable with a family friendly D&D campaign along with your other rules and the time slot works great for me.

[TMO]

Hey there! I am a long time table top player, with experience from D&D from 3.5 to 5e with several hundred sessions under my belt. I'm new to FG, but I've been itching to get back into tabletop rpgs and a friend of mine recommended FG as a good way to do that. I'd love to play in your campaign and I am comfortable with a family friendly D&D campaign along with your other rules and the time slot works great for me.

@mithc, welcome to Fantasy Grounds and thank you for your interest in our game. I will send you a PM to discuss further.

To all others, I am suspending all invites to this campaign. We have plenty of people who have expressed interest through the thread and through the calendar. There are a few that I have not yet confirmed their commitment to this campaign, so I need time to sort this out. I will reply back here with any change in status. Thanks!

[TMO]

To All,

Hopefully everyone got the GM announcement on the game calendar. If not, then please note that we have a full party ready to kick-start on January 3rd. As a reminder about our first session this is what I wrote in the initial post:


Our first session will be dedicated to resolving any technical difficulties, making introductions, generating characters, and perhaps introducing the adventure. Our second session should allow us to "hit the ground running".


So, by its very nature, I am not expecting the party to make a lot of progress on day 1. Some of us might not be able to generate characters until that day. However, given the size of the party I want to try and work out as much as possible in advance. So, I would encourage everyone to consider doing the following:



Create a post in this thread about the character you want to play, especially race and class. This will help others figure out what options they may want to consider. Given the size of the group, I don't think we need to worry too much about balance. Try picking a character you know you'll have fun with and we'll see if everyone can go with their first choice.
If you want to start generating your character and you don't have the Fantasy Grounds modules to do this, I intend to have the server up and running most of the time between now and until our game officially kicks off. I have enabled the Player's Handbook and Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide so you can build your characters properly. If you are really new to Fantasy Grounds, this thread (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?27159-Quick-Character-Build-(15-minutes)-for-Fanasty-Grounds-5E) should help you get your character generated properly.
You might also want to test the GoToMeeting software and make sure your mic and speakers are properly configured. Use https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/572714909 to connect in. Most of the time you'll just get a page saying it is waiting for the presenter. That's okay. You can still test your VoIP settings from here. Again, our main objective is to get as much troubleshooting out of the way before the January 3rd.


I'll post more as we get closer to the start date. If you come up against any issues please feel free to private message me or post here as appropriate.

[shadowrain]

I'd like to try a Human Druid.

[pbexxx]

Hi I would love to play,

I currently DM a dragonlance game but would love to actually play for a change.

Are there any spots left?

Also this is a perfect timed game for me as I live in Perth, Australia... 2pm UTC is 10pm local time here (after the kids are in bed).

Thanks for consideration.

Kind regards

Phil.

[TMO]

Are there any spots left?

Hello Phil,

Thank you for your interest in this game. As noted above I suspended invitations because we had more than enough interested players. I needed to make sure I got confirmations from those who had expressed early interest. As of now we are completely full and I had to extend my regrets to a few players who had already noted their interest but simply came in after the others.

[TMO]

I'd like to try a Human Druid.

That sounds good to me! In order to help keep this organized, I will be maintaining a list in the second post in this thread. I am not going to use the game calendar because not every player has a Fantasy Grounds forum account (like the kids.) One of the original players, V1NC1T, is traveling so I'm not sure if he'll be able to post anything to this forum until we get closer to launch day. His son is one of the members of the party that I have included in my count. So, just in case he does not post anything, I've added his proposed characters to the aforementioned list.

[pbexxx]

Hello Phil,

Thank you for your interest in this game. As noted above I suspended invitations because we had more than enough interested players. I needed to make sure I got confirmations from those who had expressed early interest. As of now we are completely full and I had to extend my regrets to a few players who had already noted their interest but simply came in after the others.

not a problem :)

Thanks again for the consideration, keep me in mind if a spot opens up, im always available.

regards

Phil.

[Mojo]

I'd like to play a dwarf fighter or some variation of one.

[TMO]

I'd like to play a dwarf fighter or some variation of one.

I added you to the list. BTW, none of the characters are written in stone. I want everyone to feel free to change their minds up to when we actually start play. The list is mainly there to let everyone know what is currently being considered by others.

[T.K]

Either a Human Monk, Human Ranger or Human Arcane Cleric depending on what everyone else chooses. I will probably wait until the last minute to lock in a choice. We can have fun with just about all choices so I prefer waiting and seeing what everyone else is going with

[TMO]

To everyone who has been invited to our game, I have created an invite-only group that we will use to discuss the campaign going forward. I have sent out invitations to all of you. I do not think you will get email notifications of this invite so you might not realize you have been invited unless you look at your Notification panel. Therefore, I am posting about the group here and I will send everyone a private message to make sure you know about the group. Please read the first discussion thread right away.

[Ahoggya]

Just wondering if your campaign is full?

[TMO]

Greetings, Ahoggya. Yes, the campaign is full. I hope you find an alternative campaign to play in.