Home-brew Dungeon Crawl, Beginners Welcome (D&D 3.5, EST evening)

[penlin]

After searching in vain for a game that fits my schedule, I noticed there seems to be more players than games here. So, I've decided to try running one on my own.

Schedule: Once per week starting 8 or 9 PM EST and running for 2-3 hours. Exact day and time are somewhat flexible depending on the players. Sunday through Thursday evenings work for me.

Description: To keep things simple, this will be a short (2-3 session), straightforward dungeon crawl in a setting of my own creation. Role-playing is highly encouraged, however. If things go well, we will consider extending this into an ongoing campaign. The campaign would likely be different in style: more open-ended and event-based with lots of political intrigue.

About Me/Beginners Welcome: To be honest, I am new to Fantasy Grounds. I had some exposure to PnP as a kid but never had a regular group. I've played a bunch of computer RPGs including some experience as a GM with Neverwinter Nights. I'm familiar with the basic rules but am not an expert by any means. Beginners like me are welcome. Experienced players with patience are also very welcome. I promise to use some judgment calls on rules in order to keep things moving and look up rules later for future use.

If Interested: If you are interested, please post a message here. Mention days and times that work for you. If you would like to play a specific class, mention that too. Once we have a group and time, more details on character creation will be posted.

Hope to see you!

[Yenooc]

I'm new to FG, too, and I hope that I'll be able to work my schedule to get into one (or more) of your games. I work on a rotating schedule, so it's only a matter of when my next days off match your game days. I hope that you can continue this for a while, since my next days off don't come for another week and a half. The first day that I am fairly sure will be free is not until Wednesday, 10/25.

I've rolled a human wizard (Prospero), using the DM Guide's 25-pt buy system and the other starting character parameters set forth in the Player's Guide--both 3.5, of course. I played DnD in the 80's, but I have no idea how FG will work.

I am playing my first MMO (DDO), but it's not the same as PnP DnD. When I mentioned this on the DDO site, someone pointed me to FG, and I am very interested in seeing if it can work for me.

Good luck, and I hope that I can join you.

Yenooc

[VarnFury]

Im interested sense it seems the campains im post be playing kinda up and didnt happen. I can play anytime from 9pm est onward sense that is what i get out of work. Mondays would probly be best suited to me sense that is the main day i requested that i have to get out at 9 :p

As far a class, depending on how long this campain goes would determing what i'll play. If it a short campain i'll probly go with something of the fighting class.. If it becames a open up, longer campain where roleplaying will be needed. I would like to suggest if i may the use of a character with i will talk more to you in privet about.

[sroach]

I would love to join, I can do any night 8-9 pm start time works great. I am on the East Coast, sounds like everyone else.

I have played in one other game on FG. about a year ago, great game but the client crashed a lot.

Please let me know if it's not to late to join in..

Thank you.

[EyeBall]

Do to some issues with my schedule, my group kind of fell apart as well. I would be interested in playing. Mondays or Thursdays are best for me. Any time after 8pm.

If this is going to be a dungeon crawl, I would most likely go with a dwarven or halfling cleric, or halfling rogue.

EYE

[thanatosbr]

i would like to join (i am new to fantasy grounds too),the only problem is that my time zone is gmt-3,so we have a +2 hour diference(i think),but we can sort that out.

[penlin]

Five replies already. Great.

Some of you have said (or hinted) that you would play a different character for the intro dungeon crawl than for a full campaign. This is not necessarily a problem. Players can swap/adjust characters if and when we decide to embark on a full campaign. Still, it would be ideal if everyone tries to start with a PC they think they could spend a whole campaign with. If all goes well, this dungeon crawl will be the first episode in the ongoing campaign. Fewer PC changes mean a smoother story. Also, I'm hoping for some pretty good role play from the start, not just high-powered stat monster PCs. :D

[sroach]

I'm ok with going through the dungeon with the same character I would use for a campaign.

If everyone else is to the same mind, we can all roll up a nice balanced group and start with the crawl, if all goes well move on from there?

Sounds like we have a wizard, fighter, cleric or Rouge, I can play what ever we are missing, ranger or bard maybe.. ?

What does everyone else think?

This is neat by the way..
https://fantasyherald.com/quiz/dand/index.php

[penlin]

Just so you know what to expect, I'll leave the announcement open a few days to see if anyone else is interested. Then I'll choose a time that seems to work for most people. Don't forget to post specific information about your availability if you haven't already!

I need probably about a week (perhaps a bit more) to finish translating the module material to FG. Depending on how long that takes, we may schedule a brief session just to finalize character creation. Or, we might do it at the beginning of the first session. There will be some character creation guidelines to help the PCs fit into the setting (and hopefully transition to a campaign). I'll post these at a later date.

At some point before the first session, I'll probably ask for a volunteer to test whether my machine works ok as a server.

[sroach]

Penlin,

Just let me know I'll be glad to log on and test things out with you..

[Yenooc]

I posted, above, about my interest in getting into an introductory game (or campaign) to see how FG works. I hope that you have a spot for me--and that my schedule will allow me to join in--once you've set a date. The starting hour and length of the session won't matter as long as I'm free that day.

I'll be looking here daily to see if you've posted your guidelines on new character rolling, etc. Since Prospero, my human wizard, is a brand new character, I can adjust him to fit those guidlelines.

Question: Since FG seems to be set up to use text chat, are you planning to use that, or some form of voice chat (as I've seen mentioned in another thread on this site)? I don't mind text chat at all, and voice chat is something else I would have to work in, if that's the way you plan to go.

[VarnFury]

Probly be nice to try balance out the party. If i use my character i want, i will be asuming the role of a rogue (not fighter) for well worth the reasons :) As far Roleplaying... Granted if it stright combat or not, i always throw it in.. so damn well expect it :)

Im able to play any after 9pm est ^.^

[penlin]

As for voice chat, I'm undecided. Since at least some of us are new, it seems like the thing to do is just get some experience with the regular FG interface first. Let's think about trying it after a few sessions. I know some people like to type descriptions and role-play but feel voice chat really speeds up combat resolution.

So far, it looks like Mondays 9 PM EST are good for everyone. Let's tentatively consider that our weekly time. It is very unlikely I will have the module ready by this Monday because my weekend is busy. How about a short session to meet each other, generate PCs, make sure party is balanced and compatible, etc?

[EyeBall]

Ok.. Monday works for me.. and I have decided on Cleric. A Dwarven Cleric to be more precise.

[penlin]

Please don't finalize your characters quite yet. As promised, I'll post some campaign-specific info regarding character creation that may affect what you choose. Look for it this evening.

[Yenooc]

Alas, I work a rotating graveyard shift, and I won't have a Monday off after 10/23 until 11/27. I'll keep track of this thread to see how things are going with you guys.

If any of you know of anyone else who is going to hold a "familiarization" game for newbies, please let me know.

[thanatosbr]

mondays works for me(9 PM EST is 8 PM here,so even better!)
i was thinking about using an human rogue,but if the party needs a character of another class i have no problem with that.

[Astinus]

Hi there

I'm also new to Fantasy Grounds and would like to join in your game if possible. I've played a lot of DnD pnp in the past, but not for a few years. I'm on the East Coast as well, and Mondays work fine.

There seems to be Rogues, Clerics and Wizards in the making here, so I'm fine with some kind of combat-focused class.

[sroach]

As were waiting to see what Penlin posts for background on the adventure, if Yenooc can not join us (Sorry you can't make it) Ohh does another night work for all of us and allow Yenooc to play???

If not I will play a Wizard, Elven (we need some one that will hate the dwarven cleric) LOL..

..again depending on what Penlin tells us..

By the way I have used Skype (which is ok) I hear Ventrilo is really good:

https://www.ventrilo.com/

Ohh almost forgot anynight at 9:00 pm works for me..

[EyeBall]

I use Vent, Skype, Gizmo and MSN.. so anything is fine with me. I may also have access to our own Vent Server in the next day or so, if needed.

EYE

[sroach]

That would be cool..

[penlin]

The following are guidelines for character creation. It might seem like a lot for a short dungeon crawl, but they will help us transition seamlessly to a full campaign if we the group works out. Generally, everything follows the PHB with the following notes. Please look this over, think about it and then post your preferences sometime before Monday’s session. Include your preferred class, race, alignment, and patron. On Monday, we’ll iron out any inconsistencies or conflicts.

Abilities: I prefer the rolling method outlined on pages 7-8 of the PHB. This involves rolling 4d6 (dropping the lowest die) for scores, assigning them to abilities that make sense for your character, and re-rolling if the resulting PC is too weak. I like this because I think it creates more interesting, unique characters. The point buy method often generates characters that feel overly engineered. However, I will happily allow the point buy method for anyone who really wants it. If you roll for abilities, you can do this Monday evening during our preliminary session.

Classes: Basically anything. Paladins and monks are rare. If you want to play one, message me and we’ll figure out an appropriate background story. See also the “Patrons” section below to find something consistent with your choice.

Races: Humans are the dominant race in the area. They have muscled other races out over time, so there are some tensions. Gnomes and Cromiak are common minority races in the vicinity. Gnomes have adapted well, and almost every human settlement has a gnomish minority or neighborhood. Cromiak are basically primitive over-sized humans similar to Neanderthals. There are at least a couple of Cromiak bands living in some nearby marginal areas. Cromiak have the game mechanics of half-orcs. Half-orcs per se don’t exist in the setting. Dwarves, elves, and halflings are rare in the vicinity but not in the settting overall. You are welcome to play these races, but you should message me with a background story for how your PC ended up here.

Alignment: I’m open to anything including evil. My only rule is that there should not be severe alignment conflicts within the party.

Skills/Feats: Anything. Although the first installment is a dungeon crawl that won’t reward socially oriented skills such as Gather Information, don’t be afraid to take anything. Over the campaign, I will design adventures tailored to any skills and feats that you select.

Patrons and Character Hooks: I’ve learned from previous GM experience that PCs will roleplay better and feel more integrated with the setting if they start with a “patron”, basically a boss who guides them in the beginning. The patron also helps give them a role to play in the world as well as a certain set of ethics, responsibilities, etc. Over time, PCs can leave their patron, get promoted to a more powerful one, join a faction/organization, or whatever. PCs can share a patron or have different ones so long as there is compatibility within the party. Here are some patrons I brainstormed, but I am open to suggestions:

1) You work for a noble lady, Inas. She is struggling to rule the vicinity as regent, on behalf of her young son, ever since her husband died in mysterious circumstances. Likely classes would be: fighter, rogue, barbarian, ranger, bard.

2) Wijdan, a kindly old lady wizard, is your patron. She is a sworn member of a group that makes sure magic is used wisely, safely, and according to the norms of the community. Likely classes: fighter, rogue, wizard, ranger, bard.

3) Servant of an upstart noble family competing with Inas for power. Likely classes: sorcerer, fighter, rogue, bard, wizard, cleric).

4) Wilderness lookout. You patrol the rough, dry, hilly and wild “backlands” to protect more civilized areas from various dangers. Likely classes: fighter, rogue, ranger, druid.

5) Member of a Cromiak band led by the powerful chief, Vrok. He has you fulfilling various errands, mostly involving negotiating with ever encroaching human settlements. Likely classes: fighter, cleric, rogue, sorcerer, barbarian, ranger, druid.

6) You nominally work for one of the above but met a man who seems to know a lot about the history of the area. There are a few things he would like you to help him find.

[penlin]

Can anyone point me to some useful (and free) token packs? The standard ones in FG are lame. Oh, and no, I won't tell you exactly what kind of tokens I need. ;)

[Astinus]

Can anyone point me to some useful (and free) token packs?
4 Ugly Monsters (FUM) has some free tokens but the range is limited:

https://www.fouruglymonsters.com/downloads_community.htm

https://www.fouruglymonsters.com/downloads_freebies.htm

Over at Campaign Cartographer there is a free token pack with 20 PCs, 20 monsters and 20 miscellaneous shapes:

https://cc2.mapventures.com/details.php?image_id=107

As for paid tokens:

FUM sells excellent tokens for $5 a package:

https://www.fouruglymonsters.com/store.htm

And Digital Adventure sells a couple of hundred tokens for $5. Links on the Affiliates page:

https://fantasygrounds.com/community/affiliates.xcp

[VarnFury]

Class: Rogue
Race: (Privet)
Alignment: CG
Patron: (Privet)

I have my reasons for not giving info out just yet, I'll speak with you penlin In privet about it.

[Daboo]

I'm also interested. I can do pretty much any time except Wed. and Sunday nights.

Oh, and I'd most likely play a wizard.

[sroach]

I'll start putting my Character together, Penlin are you going to use the Game Calendar on this site?

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/calendar/

Also which day are were looking to start?

Thanks

[penlin]

The original plan was to have a session tomorrow (Monday, 9 PM EST) to iron out characters and formulate the party. I now count six interested players (seven if you count Yenooc). Honestly, this is bigger than I would like since this is my first time using FG and first time GM'ing PnP. Ideally, we would have a party of 3 or 4 PCs.

Here is what I propose to get things organized and to keep it manageable. Please everyone send me a message with the following info:

1) The basics of the PC you would like to play (race, class, alignment, and patron as outlined in my previous post regarding character creation).

2) Some interesting info to "flesh out" your PC, especially long-term goals he/she would be interested in pursuing in a long-term campaign

3) Your ideas as to what makes for a fun campaign

Send this to me by Thursday. I'll select 3-4 PCs to start. This is not meant to create any hard feelings. This "application" system gets used on NeverwinterConnections and works pretty well. I'll keep everyone interested on an alternates list in case people drop out (likely in my experience) and/or we decide to expand the number of people in the party.

We'll have our first session Monday, Oct 30th (a week from tomorrow) at 9 PM EST. I will post it on the calendar as the time approaches.

[sroach]

Penlin,

Do you want to put up the server beofre Monday to test connections?

[VarnFury]

Aye, that would be an idea for testing out things.

PS: ATM, im free when ever.. i got canned at work ><

[penlin]

Thanks for the reminder about the server test. Let's schedule one for tomorrow, Thursday, Oct 26 9 PM EST. I'll fire up the server and leave it up for a couple of hours. I'll post this to the calendar as well.

This will be an "optional" session; you only have to log in if you want to test your connection. It would be good, of course, if at least one of you logs in to test my setup - please post a reply on this forum if you plan to do so.

I'll be in and out during the test session but checking FG every 10 minutes or so if you want to say hi. If there is anything else you would like to do (e.g. roll ability scores for a PC), send me a PM ahead of time so I can be sure to be around when you plan to log in.

[VarnFury]

I'll give you a hand sense, i aint got anything to do. As far the Character Roll ups and what not, Has my race been cleared to go or would you rather i could bull rushing in with a Dwarven Fighter? :p

[sroach]

I'll jump on as well.. see if I can't get my rolled up character on the server.

see you guys on there..

You will post the address?

[thanatosbr]

i will get on and roll my character,see you there!

[VarnFury]

Gonna need a IP adress or alies to get into the server, just let ya know man.

[Daboo]

Darn, I'd like to test my connect, but I won't be around tonight :/

[penlin]

It was nice to meet most of you the other night. Err, what I mean is that, of those I was able to meet, it was nice to meet all of you. And, I'm sure Daboo is a good guy too. :p

Ok, I have scheduled our first "real" session for this Monday as we discussed. We'll run from 9-11 PM EST. It's up on the game calendar. Please head on over and sign up.

[slowsnake]

Hi,Penlin. Send a PM to your for your game. Just reply so I can send a toon and info to you. Also post'd at the guild for the game on monday. Thanks for yor time. Sorry to be late. Thanks for your time.

[sroach]

Good Session last night guys!!

I am going to work on creating a fighter for the group. Penlin let me know if there is a time I can log on and roll him up.

Also I found this link, I think someone asked about the new rules.

https://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/srd35

[penlin]

Ok, I'm pretty happy with our session tonight. I thought things moved along quite a bit better than the first session. There was less time in technical glitches, and certainly more happened. The game slowed at a couple of points, and I apologize about forgetting that Searos could run!! Egg on my face! Thanks to whomever reminded me.

The party moved steadily N exploring the ruins. You encountered a large centipede in the first regular room you entered. The party handled it fairly easily except for a serious wound it inflicted on Khan. Vrial was able to heal Khan with a miraculous blue flame that shot forth from his finger tips. You passed through an empty room and climbed over the rubble of a collapsed wall into a huge open courtyard. Theraseus stumbled into a room with another large centipede that nearly got the better of him and Khan (again, poor Khan).

[penlin]

Ok, I'm pretty happy with our session tonight. I thought things moved along quite a bit better than the first session. There was less time in technical glitches, and certainly more happened. The game slowed at a couple of points, and I apologize about forgetting that Searos could run!! Egg on my face! Thanks to whomever reminded me.

The party moved steadily N exploring the ruins. You encountered a large centipede in the first regular room you entered. The party handled it fairly easily except for a serious wound it inflicted on Khan. Vrial was able to heal Khan with a miraculous blue flame that shot forth from his finger tips. You passed through an empty room and climbed over the rubble of a collapsed wall into a huge open courtyard. Theraseus stumbled into a room with another large centipede that nearly got the better of him and Khan (again, poor Khan).

[penlin]

I thought now would be a good time to start hammering out a few ground rules / house rules. If you would rather discuss these "live" before or after a session, let me know. Let's discuss XP awards first.

First, I like to think about XP awards after the session is over then award them to PCs at the start of the next session. We could also do it at the end of specific "adventures", however.

Let me throw out as a proposal (just a starting point for discussion) the somewhat "freeform" system I used in my previous NWN campaign. The players and I agreed on a rough pace at which they would like to level: one level per 4 sessions in that case. That determined the "base" XP amount I would award in a typical session (e.g. 1000 points per night for 4 1st level PCs). For any given night, I would increase or decrease the XP by up to about 50% if I thought the party accomplished a lot or not.

I then divided the XP amongst players in a somewhat quirky way:

50% was split evenly amongst everyone
30% was given to specific PCs for various mini-awards (good RP, advanced plot, helped party a lot, etc). I didn't really announce these, but I tried to whisper some positive reinforcements to PCs on anything I thought was good.
20% was the "Lady Luck" bonus and was awarded to one PC at random (I don't really like it when all PCs just happen to level at the same time)

I'll admit it was a pretty odd system, but I liked the fact that I didn't have to add up encounter XP values. If the campaign turns out to be a bit light on combat, a freeform system could be better than mechanically adding up CR's, EL's, etc...

Anyway, this is sort of my default vision for how to handle XP, but I'm happy to modify or do something entirely different.

[Daboo]

Personally I'm fine with the system you described, as it sounds fair and saves you time.

[merrick]

Hi guys. It sounds like a great game you've set up here. I know you have a full roster, but I would like to be considered for a stand in role if anyone else cannot make it that night. I am on GMT so I don't know how that translates into EST. I usually play a Bard (often Elven or Human).

[thanatosbr]

i like that system for Xp,in other campaigns i was in,the Lvling was too fast

[sroach]

I like the system Penlin, sounds fair to me. leveling is good, we all get stronger and more spells and such. But for me keeping the game interesting is the most important part.

[sroach]

Sorry guys,

I am away on a business trip next week (Sun - Thur) I ahve to fly to San Fran. So I am going to miss the Monday night session.

I don't often travel for work so this is one of the few times it will happen.

What ever makes the most sense, if someone wants to play my Character and everyone else is ok with that. What ever keeps the game going.

Sorry again!

[Sydnie]

I'm a beginner as well and am looking to play. I am avalible any day and any time. I live in USA, Est Zone. Uhm...I'm currently creating two characters, a Rogue and a Druid. Later once I find a DM who will accept the Oriental Handbook I'll be playing as a Ninja/Kunoichi character. Aaand if you want me to play, just PM me I guess.

[penlin]

I mentioned that I will probably occasionally need a few weeks off GMing duties every once in a while to prepare the next installment of the campaign. Currently, I think the party probably has 3 sessions left in the temple.

We discussed what to do during those weeks, and most everyone indicated at least some level of interest in GMing for a while. Since Tobin has some stuff in the works and owns the full FG client, we agreed that he will GM during the next break in the Alusiya campaign.

Can I just say that I'm really happy with the group of players who signed up? You guys are punctual and reliable (excusing yourself occasionally is expected). More importantly, you're patient, helpful, and constructive in your criticism. Your help with the rules and all suggestions (FG client related and otherwise) have been really great. Thanks!

[penlin]

I think the role-playing in our group has gone well. You guys are staying in character, and it's clear that you've given some thought and life to each PC.

I want to encourage you all to do more of one thing: keep discussions related to rules and game mechanics in character as much as possible. For example, even though I didn't realize that Tobin's whistling was actually his way of invoking his PC's "bardic music", that was a really great way to do it ... much better than saying "I'm going to use my bardic music now". Also, Vrial's description of blue flames emanating from his fingertips when healing Khan was another good one. I have noticed a couple of times where something was said OOC (or obviously rules related) that could have been more in character, although I have forgotten them at the moment. A generic example: instead of asking who has a good skill in X, ask "who thinks they could climb this wall, spy out this room" or whatever.

[penlin]

Theraseus and I just finished doing some testing with the map masking feature. I think we now understand what the problems were. First, the number of pixels appears to be an issue. Although some of the map sections I was using before were not big overall (300k, 500k), they were long, narrow sections along hallways: 2000x400 pixels (a bit more than 2000, actually). We were able to get map masking to work on 1700x1300 and 1500x1500 maps. So, not only do the sections need to be small overall, they also need to be relatively square.

There was another problem as well. When you pan the map E/W or N/S, you have to tell FG to "update" the map to the players. Also, when you zoom in/out, you also need to "update". I got into the habit of updating and assumed you also need to update everytime you unmask a little. This is wrong, however. If you hit "update" after you unmask, the entire map is apparently reloaded from scratch. For unmasking, the "update" is apparently unnecessary and slows things down. In some ways, this is too bad; it would be nice for the GM to have to confirm the unmask in case he unmasked a little too much by accident.

Anyway, I think map masking will be working for Monday's session. At the map quality I've been using, I will probably need at least 5 map sections.

Thanks to Theraseus for staying up late and being the guinea pig!

[penlin]

As suggested last night, I have posted the FG chat log to blogspot.com. If you want to check it out, go to

https://alusiya.blogspot.com/

As a trial, I have posted the chat log from our very first session as well as our most recent session. This takes a little bit of effort, but it's not bad. I'm happy to keep doing it if people want the full chat log detail, so let me know if you read it. If you just want a one paragraph recap, let me know that too.