LFG - as a player or DM - flexible times, LF long term group

[Erklimir]

Hi. I've mostly been a DM of live games over the last two years. I'm looking to either start a campaign online as a DM or join a group. The link below is a website that kept information on my last campaign; it will give you a good idea of what type of game I'm looking for (or looking to run).

[URL="https://worldofamonn.wordpress.com/"]

The main things I'm looking for are:
1. I want sessions to average 4 hours + per session; 2-3 hour sessions, for me, aren't enough time to get into the game
2. Want to play a minimum of twice a month, with the group willing to squeeze in more sessions if available. For me, D&D works far better if you try to get into it, instead of a once in a while thing.
3. Looking for a more focused and immersive game experience. I'm not looking for games where people are constantly joking and talking out of character, about things other than the game.

I have the pathfinder (1e) and 5E rules on fantasygrounds, but I'm a newbie at using the system. If I was to DM, I envision using discord for most communication, and fantasygrounds for showing maps, pictures of NPCs, rolling dice, etc. Using FG to run tactical combat might come in time but, that's not a priority for me. Of course If I was to join a campaign as a player, I'd do whatever the DM wanted to with FG.

I'm putting this out here to gauge interest. If I get some as a DM I'll work to make a new website with my new campaign; I have the basics in my head; not on the webz.

Thanks!

Ernie

[Kermit1013]

I am very...warily...interested. My name is Kermit, I'm a *little* bit of a gaming snob - I've been gaming for 25+ years, I've seen most of the innovations and fundamental mistakes DM's and players can make over the course of games, but I'm also pretty *chill* about them, as the kids say these days. Right now, I'm mostly looking to *play* a fantasy grounds based campaign right now - I'm in two other campaigns and some off-and-on one-shots using roll 20 and even tabletop simulator, but I'm running pathfinder 2.0 on fantasy grounds, and I'm loving the fantasy grounds tools (although I still feel that the interface could use a lot of work), and I'd like to see the player side of fantasy grounds.

At the moment, I'm seriously jonesing to play in a pathfinder 2.0 campaign, although I'm up for pathfinder 1, and I'm less interested but still capable of generating nominal interest in a dnd 5e campaign.

I've read your Wordpress description of your last campaign - I'm on board with all the mentioned sections EXCEPT!! - I'm generally not cool with "evil" characters and "evil" based campaigns (on the player side, I mean) - Lichs, vampires - I don't always have to be lawful good, but I'm not comfortable with playing characters, or with other players, that are looking for an evil outlet (one sabbat gaming group was one too many - don't get the reference? I'll explain it if you're interested) - when I game (unless it's a one-shot), I need to feel that I can reasonably rely on the other players in my group, and players looking to play evil without some guideline for why they won't stab each other in the back when the opportunity arises gives me nothing but non-stop anxiety.

I'm good with 4+ hour sessions, I'm fine with twice a month (more often than that I'm generally okay with as well), and I do enjoy focused storytelling groups, although kibbitzing/fweeble/digressions/whatever-you-call-joking-and-talking-out-of-character are all just part of the hobby.

I'm currently running the unity fantasy grounds version - make sure that people know which version of FG you're running so they get the right version if you're going to run off of FG

Please keep in mind, that I'm...wary...about committing to the campaign you described, without some more detail on just how "evil" you're expecting your player group to be - also, I'm in 2 constant campaigns at the moment and running a 3rd, so my schedule is a little booked - all of this is to say, don't hold yourself up on my account - you get a quorum of players and I'm the odd man out, feel free to tell me that you're moving on without me - no harm, no foul - but, I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents and see if it worked for you or not

thanks for hearing me out - any way it works out, I hope your game is a success!

Kermit

[Erklimir]

Hi and thanks for the response.

Right now I think my plan is:
- play as a player in a few one shots for the next couple weeks to learn more about the FG interface and maybe meet players.
- work on making a fresh website for my new campaign, then advertise that

Since you talked about the evil player section let me try to describe what I mean more.

It sounds like I share all your concerns. I don't want player combat, players doing things that take fun away from other players, etc. I also don't want an evil party that goes around doing evil things constantly; a sort of outlet to be bad. The last campaign I ran no one was evil so it wasn't an issue. The one prior they said they wanted to be evil. one player did not. That game kinda feel apart (I think) because the players didn't like that society didn't just sit back and let them do evil things without a fight... so I'm still not sure if its ever possible to work. So if I ever let someone be an evil character we'd have to be on the page about how they wanted to play it; main concern is so no one has a problem.

When I wrote it I wanted to leave open the possibility of playing a Raistlin type character (from Dragonlance). Someone that would have some character flaw like a lust for power/magic/a relic... that would make certain role playing decisions interesting.

Let me get my **** together and get my website up in 1-2 weeks and I'll ping ya and you can see if its the type of game you want.

I'm fully aware from playing with a lot of different players over the years and watching some twitch/youtube game what I'm after is probably not as popular as other games. I'm looking for a shared story telling experience with a dramatic, or 'serious' feel. To do an example in my head a lot: there are many genres of movies we all enjoy, comedies, dramas, action, suspense. I'm going for the dramatic/suspense feel and from my observations a lot of games go for the comedy/light quite a bit. Just a choice; of course there is no right answer. Of course this doesnt mean jokes or brevity isnt allowed... its just not a big part of a session.... least what I'm going for.

Ernie



I am very...warily...interested. My name is Kermit, I'm a *little* bit of a gaming snob - I've been gaming for 25+ years, I've seen most of the innovations and fundamental mistakes DM's and players can make over the course of games, but I'm also pretty *chill* about them, as the kids say these days. Right now, I'm mostly looking to *play* a fantasy grounds based campaign right now - I'm in two other campaigns and some off-and-on one-shots using roll 20 and even tabletop simulator, but I'm running pathfinder 2.0 on fantasy grounds, and I'm loving the fantasy grounds tools (although I still feel that the interface could use a lot of work), and I'd like to see the player side of fantasy grounds.

At the moment, I'm seriously jonesing to play in a pathfinder 2.0 campaign, although I'm up for pathfinder 1, and I'm less interested but still capable of generating nominal interest in a dnd 5e campaign.

I've read your Wordpress description of your last campaign - I'm on board with all the mentioned sections EXCEPT!! - I'm generally not cool with "evil" characters and "evil" based campaigns (on the player side, I mean) - Lichs, vampires - I don't always have to be lawful good, but I'm not comfortable with playing characters, or with other players, that are looking for an evil outlet (one sabbat gaming group was one too many - don't get the reference? I'll explain it if you're interested) - when I game (unless it's a one-shot), I need to feel that I can reasonably rely on the other players in my group, and players looking to play evil without some guideline for why they won't stab each other in the back when the opportunity arises gives me nothing but non-stop anxiety.

I'm good with 4+ hour sessions, I'm fine with twice a month (more often than that I'm generally okay with as well), and I do enjoy focused storytelling groups, although kibbitzing/fweeble/digressions/whatever-you-call-joking-and-talking-out-of-character are all just part of the hobby.

I'm currently running the unity fantasy grounds version - make sure that people know which version of FG you're running so they get the right version if you're going to run off of FG

Please keep in mind, that I'm...wary...about committing to the campaign you described, without some more detail on just how "evil" you're expecting your player group to be - also, I'm in 2 constant campaigns at the moment and running a 3rd, so my schedule is a little booked - all of this is to say, don't hold yourself up on my account - you get a quorum of players and I'm the odd man out, feel free to tell me that you're moving on without me - no harm, no foul - but, I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents and see if it worked for you or not

thanks for hearing me out - any way it works out, I hope your game is a success!

Kermit

[Dragovon]

Hey. I'm a long time gamer (40+ years). I'm potentially interested if you do P1. I have no interest in 5e. As for the discussion on evil...I'm going to have to agree on the wary part. My experience tells me it's a bad idea unless the players have played before and know what to expect from each other...and can discuss how they are going to play it. I find that most people playing evil use it as a reason to be a **** in the game...and I don't have any interest in dealing with that sort of nonsense.

[Erklimir]

Hey. I'm a long time gamer (40+ years). I'm potentially interested if you do P1. I have no interest in 5e. As for the discussion on evil...I'm going to have to agree on the wary part. My experience tells me it's a bad idea unless the players have played before and know what to expect from each other...and can discuss how they are going to play it. I find that most people playing evil use it as a reason to be a **** in the game...and I don't have any interest in dealing with that sort of nonsense.

Hi. I'm personally apathetic on which ruleset to use; I've used both. Also I'll likely tweak a couple things regardless, which I'll put on the campaign website. Typically (like most people I think) I like a mix of roleplay/exploration/combat. Combat should be fun and quick; whatever rule I don't want a 5 turn combat to turn into a hour.

Evil.. ya probably right; I'd guess 95% it won't be an issue because no player will be interested in it; but if I do find a player who wants to be a cleric of Asmodeus, 1. the entire party will have to ok it, 2. we would make sure how he wants to play it will be fun for everyone and not some weird experience. Alignment seems to be a non-issue for most campaigns these days, much different than circa 1986.

[Jroy]

I am interested if you decide to run PF1e.

I am in PST and could do any weeknight but Wednesday.

Let me know!

[SaltyPoo]

Hello, I would be interested in your game as well.
I have wanted to join a long term game for quite some time as i never get to go past level 6 or 7 before the game ends due to people quitting or something.
This would be my first remote play but i am an IT technician and pretty good with software and such so thats no problem.

What i would like to play. I have never gotten to play a caster and have been interested in playing a one this go round, specifically a necromancer if possible. The main downside i would see there is that necromancers don't really get to have quality skills till around 6th level unless your playing a home brew class. Would your campaign start at level 1 or higher and how long would you intend to run it?

[Frostrazor1334]

@ OP Ernie - it does not appear your request for game includes any availability of times/dates. This info can greatly help those looking to join or invite you.

As for the evil PC concept - Im in the wary camp and usually turns me away quick-like.

And I recognize there is a difference between between an anti-hero vs a true horrible vile demon-worshiping type of evil being. And i've never played an evil PC in nearly 40 years of gaming.

I've been running games for a very long time. I remember back in early 90s playing AD&D 2nd edition, my normal group was "tired of playing the heroes" (Forgotten Realms based game) and wanted a chance to be evil and horrible cuz it would be so fun and cool. Being a drow was so hip back then!

So one day I...

Finally I gave in to their whims and said - 1 time I will patronize them 1 time. We played a game when they were all these Zhentil Keep Cyric worshipers who were ordered to go to this town and rob the churches of their relics and artifacts and do whatever else they wanted. They did all the horrible things you would expect a group of pillagers to do and I do mean everything and they really seemed to enjoy doing it letting their Id run rampant. They were truly salt of the earth terrible people to men, women, children, animals...all of it.

So they got that out of their system. We got together the following week to play, which we resumed our usual game of monster slaying good heroes group. The PCs returned home from their latest adventure. The heroes saw smoke on the horizon...rising from their hometown.....and i proceeded to describe in detail the horrible carnage and every bit of tragic result from the horrors described to me the previous week...done to their homes, to their churches, to their loved ones.

The irony - they called me evil.
and seemed overwhelmed with the cognitive dissonance when they were faced with feelings of guilt. They never asked to play an evil game again. I've never ran one since.


The problem most people looking to play evil characters want a game where there are no consequences or responsibility for their actions. Its different when you think about what the price that is paid for the unspeakable acts evil beings commit. This is why evil campaigns rarely are successful. Someone has to clean up the mess. Someone has to pay the price. When that piper comes calling, it's not pretty.

[MisterBFI]

Good day, are you still looking for players? If so I am interested in joining. I live in Mountain time and I'm available every night except Tuesday and Saturday as I have games on those days. As for character that I would like to play, I'm interested in your version of a cleric. My vision of a cleric is someone who steps into the fight to use strategy to help the fighters but can cast spells as well. Spells that don't just have to heal but can aid the party. Clerics have a good deal of spells that offer many different possibilities beyond just healing. I have a concept in mind for a character, a dwarf war cleric who is gruff even by dwarf standards. He's never been to the outside world and would be completely weirded out if there was no stone overhead. He has a mistrust for the other races as he's got very little experience with anything other than dwarves and what they fight. Even with a gruff exterior he's learned that others can often end a fight before it starts with just words. He is awestruck every time by those that can use Charisma to talk down a situation and understands that is not a skill he possesses.

I have Fantasy Grounds Classic (regular license)
I also have Fantasy Grounds Unity (Ultimate)
I'm still fairly green on both so not comfortable with DMing yet.

Please feel free to contact me via Discord if you have room (stealthsnowball #9336)

[Erklimir]

Hi all and thanks for all that responded. I played in a couple one shots to get some FG practice in again; my current plan is create a campaign website for my new campaign in 1-2 weeks so everyone who might be interested can see what type of game I want to run. I'll send a msg to everyone once that is up so you can decide if its a game for you.

The Tl;dr of what I'm after is the following: I want to run a 'serious' long term campaign for 3-5 players. I view D&D as a collaborative storytelling exercise where the PCs are the central characters. Although I like combat and it will be a part of game, this campaign is not a combat simulator; there are video games that do a much better job of that if that is what you are after. This world will be a homebrew campaign; so throw out the forgotten realm setting, pantheon, etc.

[URL="https://worldofamonn.wordpress.com/"] is my prior campaign I ran in person; that should give you some initial feedback on what type of DM I am. You can look at the diary section to see how sessions went. A lot of folks got hung up on the 'evil characters' section; I would suggest ignoring that section; odds are super high no character will be evil where it will be an issue to begin with.

[Jroy]

Have you decided on which system yet?

[Erklimir]

My gut answer is : whatever system is most popular among the group of players I find that are the best match. I'm much more interested in D&D for the story; the particular game mechanics I don't care too much about. In either case I'll likely tweak some of of the rules to fit the tone of the campaign.

[Erklimir]

This is a first draft of the website I'm working on to get information out there about my campaign.

Welcome to the world of Avoim! This website is the central resource for the Avoim campaign, allowing potential players to get a sense of the style of game we are trying to run.


The DM’s mission statement
I look at D&D as a collaborative story-telling experience. The DM should provide an immersive setting with engaging NPCs and interesting decisions for the players to make. The PCs are the main characters of the story; they drive where the story goes. Together, both DM and party feed off each other to take the story to interesting places.

Campaign session structure
I am looking for a party of 2 to 5, reliable, eager players. I want to play at least twice a month, each session averaging at least 4 hours. If we can cram more playtime in on occasion, great.

Campaign tone
I run a serious campaign. By serious I mean everyone tries to immerse into the story and their character. I am going for a dramatic, slightly dark feel. I want to make the game feel challenging but not unfair. I don’t want the players to feel they have plot armor. I want the risk and reward to be ramped up, for the most part, based on the party choosing to do the more challenging, rewarding option.

Ruleset
Most likely 5E (homebrew modified) will be the rules we use, unless I get 4-5 pathfinder fans. My honest feeling about rulesets is, if the combat rules are very important to you, this likely isn’t a campaign you will be interested in. I do enjoy combat and it will play a role in most sessions, but it is just a part of the experience. I have both rulesets and have played both.

Some specifics about Avoim

I’m purposely not getting too specific below because: 1. this is a work in progress 2. I don’t want to spoil things 3. everything should be flexible, especially early on.

This is a homebrew campaign. The Forgotten Realms, its pantheon, and its multiverse do not apply here.

While PCs have the potential to acquire power magic items and attain high levels, the civilized world of Avoim is a relatively low magic world. Going to town and buying potions or clerical cures will be far from common. Things like resurrection are practically unheard of.

There is tension between the Church and arcane magic (wizards). The Church views wizards as dangerous at best, and innately evil at worst. Depending upon where you go a wizard may want to hide what he is.

The game will feature political intrigue. What noble should the party side with, which noble is working for some nefarious power, who can you trust, etc. Does a player try to become a noble? or a court wizard/bishop? There is also a ‘thieve’s guild’ or more precisely an underground crime network as well.

One big plot thread is a lich. Long,long ago a human wizard wanted to learn 9th level spells. The only people that could teach him was elves, and they said no. Eventually he found another source that would teach him. The process involved him becoming a lich, after which he raised an army of undead and wiped the elves out. Later on, the lich somehow became a prisoner of a vampire queen. Today there is an organization who seek to free the lich to acquire power.

Another plot thread, there is a red dragon that is paid a tribute of gold and silver every year to not everything to the ground. Recently ‘stuff happens’ where the gold supply isn’t sufficient, and everyone is nervous.

Another plot thread, the grand old king died recently. The new king is liked by very few, he is consumed with luxury and excess. His uncle, a Duke, is thought by many to be the better choice of king. Loose talk among the kingdom, some bad choices, etc. may lead to a revolt, civil war, or a fractured kingdom.


Homebrew Rules

I’m going to be vague here as well, mainly because I want to work with players on the specifics. I would read this section more for what I’m trying to do than anything. If something scares you off don’t let it necessarily, nothing is in stone.

Fighters - I want fighters to be a much more alluring choice than they currently seem to be. I’m proposing they have d12 hit dice instead of d10, they can choose any feat at level 1 (except great weapon master), and they have relentless endurance (same as half-orcs). You cannot pick Eldrich Knight (I’m just not a fan of the melee/caster hybrid).

Clerics - Clerics as is IMO are the most powerful class and most underused class in the game. There will also be plenty of great roleplaying opportunities of clerics. In the campaign there is a “LG anti wizard church” and a “CG freedom and peace church” that have tension between them, as well as tension between church and state, church and wizards, and church and ‘evil guys’.

Mechanically I want to give clerics 1 more spell slot, a couple more useful spells that can be cast as a bonus/reactive action, and abilities that make then even more powerful against undead and outsiders.

Wizards - Wizards have a ‘highlander’ mechanic. if you are a wizard and kill one, there is a table you can roll on to get a chance to gain a small/med/big new ability/power. Wizards can hold great power, but between the church wanting you gone and other mages trying to kill you for power, ya gotta be careful who your friends are. Also, finding scrolls and books are super important for wizards. You arent just given new spells as you level, you have to have found them to learn them. My goal is to not be a **** about it, but make it a fun and interesting part of the game, where you as a party might decide to go after a wizard so your wizard can get stronger.

Spells - After you run out of spell slots, you can still cast spells, but you have to roll a DC to succeed or you fall unconscious. If you try multiple times its gets harder and the failures ‘hurt’ more.

Crafting/Downtime activities - I want crafting to be a fun part of the game, and choosing what your character is up to between sessions as well. This might be a few back and forth emails at times, or just a one off choice. Crafting will involve getting components, which might mean to go do a quest (to make a certain potion ya might need a liver from some powerful monster).

More

There is much, much more but I’ll stop here for now; I wanted to get something out there to start giving an idea of what I’m trying to go for. D&D can be played a lot of ways; I get my style is not going to be for everyone; I’m looking for people who it resonates with.

thanks for listening,
Ernie

[MisterBFI]

Good day, I am very interested in your campaign but you still haven't made mention of timings. I live in Mountain time making the earliest I'm available being 4:30pm weekdays and I already have a campaign that runs Saturdays. I'm also willing and able to play any time that meets those requirements and for as many days in a month as that meets up with.

[Erklimir]

I'm still 5-10 days from being ready to go; I personally am flexible with time I plan on having whatever time that works best for the most people who are the best fit for the game.

[Tervo_2000]

Hello, I am Tervon, a pathfinder GM looking for additional players for the Jade Regent Campaign!

I know you are currently considering many options, but I would be happy to have you as a player, if you wish. Indeed, I will use as many FG tools as possible in play to smooth out the experience and speed up play.

Here are the details:
Game System: Pathfinder 1e – Jade Regent Adventure Path
Day of Week: Thursday, but session 0 will be this Saturday, 25th of July.
Time: From 21:00pm UTC to 01:00am UTC
Frequency: Once per week
VTT/Online: GM has Ultimate License for Fantasy Grounds Classic, ZeroTier One required.
Voice/Text: Voice required via Discord, with Push to Talk
Mix of RPG/Combat: 50% Combat, 50% Roleplaying
Character restrictions: Characters must be a 15-point buy, with only two traits and no drawbacks. All characters are subject to GM approval.
Details: A group of 2 players and a DM is looking for an additional 2 players to begin the Jade Regent Adventure Path. The campaign will be played as close as possible to the Adventure Path, with little use of house rules. Applicants should be familiar with both Fantasy Grounds and the Pathfinder 1e RPG system. The game will be played in English.

We will have a session 0 this Saturday to define characters and speak further details about the campaign. If you are interested in joining, please feel free to send me a PM through Discord: Tervon#6129

Best regards!