Looking to play Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC)

[GossamerChains]

I’m 33/F looking to join a Dungeon Crawl Classics one-shot or short campaign. I’m an experienced DM and player in D&D and Pathfinder, but want to try out DCC. I’ve read the quick-start rules and am ready to jump in. I will likely start running DCC games if I like it (which I’m sure I will!), but would love to try it as a player a couple times first if possible.

Message me if you have a DCC game or group going and are interested in connecting.

[RunningWolf]

Count me in as well. I have the rule set and license (but not confident enough with the unity version), if worse comes to worse and you can put up with an idiot running it and get some other players I could GM if worse comes to worse.

[leozelig]

Great to see some DCC interest here!

I would be happy to run something for anyone interested. I occasionally try to organize DCC games here, but it's hit-or-miss with recruiting. Post some dates and times that work for you along with any adventure requests, and I would be happy to try and coordinate something provided we can dig up a couple more players!

Leo

[RunningWolf]

I'm usually good for any day day of the week but Saturday (usually meeting with a friend of mine).

If I get my confidence level up and some more experience with the FGU as a GM under my belt would be interested in trying to do more @leozelig.

[leozelig]

That's okay, RunningWolf... I haven't run much on FGU either, so I don't mind logging some hours myself! Would Sunday evenings work for you around 7-8 PM EST (UTC -5)? Could potentially do alternating Monday nights as an alternative. If we run a funnel or convention module, it would be a 4-hour session - otherwise, I like slightly shorter 3-hour sessions.

We can run one of the full-length adventures (3-4 sessions) with no commitment after that. I can tack on a funnel at the beginning if you want to try that, although those often require some "theater of the mind" play even on a virtual tabletop. I want to stick with the Goodman Games adventures since I already own quite a few. Let me know if you have any requests, but if not, I will throw out some suggestions...

[RunningWolf]

I'm good to go for Sundays or Mondays. I have played through and read Hole in the Sky so I know some of the secrets in that adventure.

Last night started making some random level 0s to try to get back in swing of things.

[leozelig]

If we play a funnel, I would like to run Accursed Heart of the World Ender or Creep, Skrag, Creep:

https://goodman-games.com/store/product/dcc-convention-module-2020-the-accursed-heart-of-the-world-ender-pdf/

https://goodman-games.com/store/product/dungeon-crawl-classics-horror-5-creep-skrag-creep-pdf/

Sounds like Sundays might work. The date will depend on recruiting. I will start working on that this weekend.

[RunningWolf]

Looks good. I was looking at Creep, Skrag, Creep! but haven't opened it.

[RunningWolf]

Should have some folks coming around wanting in, shared the thread on Facebook.

[Tabarkus]

I'm up for running or playing in anything DCC. I've been using FGU exclusively the last few months and it's running well. Monday evenings or Sunday evenings would work for me, though this coming Sunday 11/22 may be a problem.

[leozelig]

Feel free to join the game Tabarkus. I definitely need until the 29th at least, so no worries there. If we run a funnel, we should start around 7 PM EST (UTC -5) if possible so we can finish in one session.

Thanks for recruiting on Facebook, RunningWolf. I will hit up the Goodman Games channel on Discord.

[Tabarkus]

Yeah Leo, I had been having a private conversation with Gossamer and was looking at the 29th as well. But we should definitely combine the efforts so we don’t have multiple games each without enough players. I’d really like the chance to play as well since I DM/Judge the majority of the time.

[Tabarkus]

Oh and to toss in an opinion I'd prefer "Accursed Heart".

[leozelig]

Sounds good, I have been playing more than judging lately, so I’m happy to do it. Agree with Accursed Heart, I’ve heard good things about it. I also want to run Riders on the Phlogiston, which is a 3-round tournament adventure from Gen Con 2018, assuming we want the full DCC experience and play something beyond the funnel.

[Tabarkus]

Yes definitely, anyone new to DCC should get both the funnel experience and the higher level play experience. I've not run either Accursed Heart or Riders so that sounds fun!

[mikelrtx]

I'm super interested in joining a DCC group as well. Can make time in evenings/weekends for whenever with enough notice. Love the system. Not super familiar with Fantasy Grounds yet though.

[AmadanNaBriona]

I would be very interested in playing. I have run a few DCC one-shots using FG.

[leozelig]

Awesome, I picked up another player on Discord as well.

Gossamer said Sun, Dec 6 is better for her. Let me know if that doesn't work for you, and we can stick with Nov 29. I certainly don't mind the extra week to prepare. I'm calling the start time 7 PM EST (UTC -5) right now, but this is flexible, too. I can go a little earlier or later if that's better for everyone.

So, here is the plan right now...

Accursed Heart of the World Ender (0-level funnel)
Date: Sunday, December 6
Time: 7-11 PM EST (UTC -5)
Players: GossamerChains, RunningWolf, Tabarkus, mikelrtx, Spartak, AmadanNaBriona
Characters: 3 pre-generated "zeroes" per player, reinforcements available if needed
Frequency: One-shot, more if interested
GM License: Ultimate
Voice Chat: Discord (leozelig#0361) - message me or send a friend request if you are on Discord
Style: Combat and exploration

Description:
There is more to this motley group of pilgrims than meets the eye. It is foretold that one of them is descended from the royal bloodline, and is thus the legitimate king of a war-torn nation desperate for leadership.


They who can draw forth the Seven-Tree Spear shall be named king, but are forces more sinister than any earthly imagined at play?

[RunningWolf]

Sounds like a plan.

I may see about doing some random holiday one shots but that all depends on what December ends up holding (infection rates are bad in my state and I work in healthcare)... Figure the stress of being with (or away from) family for the holidays this year running a game or two might be a good way to keep the mental energy up.

[leozelig]

I hear you RW. This will be good for you, gaming is helpful for stress ;)

[RunningWolf]

You know it.

Think I have a cliched pulpy idea for a holiday one shot. Appendix N meets MST3K. Always have to have some cheese and a few expected tropes in there. I seriously have to try get a few holidays ones made and do some holiday runs (maybe as ExtraLife events?).

[Martin153]

I am looking for players for DCC on Thursdays, Regular drop-in/out sessions starting with the Grinder - Portal Under the Stars GMT https://www.fantasygrounds.com/calendar/index.xcp?id=5656

[GossamerChains]

I'm really glad this came together. Looking forward to gaming with you all!

Question for leozelig: Will we roll up our 0-level peasants randomly at the start of the game within FG, or should we come prepared with characters "on paper" and plug them in at the start? (speaking for any of us who will be demo users in Unity)

[leozelig]

Just checking in... The game is on for Sun 12/6 from 7-11 PM EST (UTC -5)! Sorry for missing your post Gossamer - I will provide pre-generated characters to save time. Each player will control 3-4 characters (they die easy) depending on how many players we end up getting.

We will use a voice channel on the Fantasy Grounds Discord server (https://discord.gg/mfQt8PGX):

41657

I am running this as a public "Cloud Game" under the GM name leozelig. After you open Fantasy Grounds, click 'Join Campaign' and scroll down the game list to "DCC The Accursed Heart of the World Ender" (or search by GM name) and then click 'Start'.

41658

Let me know if you have any questions. If you are new to DCC or FG, don't worry - we'll help you figure everything out!

Cheers,
Leo

[leozelig]

Since funnels can get confusing on the virtual tabletop, I follow a few simple guidelines:

* Each player uses the same portrait/token for all of their characters.
* Roll one initiative per player using the character with the highest modifier, and all of your characters will act on that initiative.
* On maps, all of your characters are represented by a single token.
* If you split up your characters in combat, we will drop additional tokens as needed.
* Release any dead characters along the way (right-click on the portrait and select Release) to clear them from the desktop.

We will review everything when we get started. It's not as complicated as it might sound.

When you connect, you can select whatever group of zeroes you want as long as they all have the same portrait. Here is a screenshot - I will change the numbering so the portraits are grouped together.

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[Tabarkus]

Awesome idea for portraits, I'll have to steal that!

[GossamerChains]

Awesome. Thanks for the clear instructions. I can't wait!

[RunningWolf]

Looking good there.

[Tabarkus]

Hey everyone who played in Leo's game, I got the character command wrong for saving your character to your computer. It should have been /exportchar [name]. So you likely don't have a copy of your character should you want to use it again. Thanks for the game, it was fun.

[mikelrtx]

Oh no! Thanks again for the game everyone. Was a blast.

[Tabarkus]

Ah correction again. Sorry, I'm still getting use to the differences in Unity. When I went into a new game, opened the PC Selection window; clicked on the "Import Character" button at the bottom of the PC Selection window and my two characters were there available to import. So /save worked.

[GossamerChains]

Hey everyone who played in Leo's game, I got the character command wrong for saving your character to your computer. It should have been /exportchar [name]. So you likely don't have a copy of your character should you want to use it again. Thanks for the game, it was fun.

Your original instructions (/save) actually did work for me (I have an ultimate Unity licence...not sure if that makes a difference).

[leozelig]

I can send them to you within a couple days if you need them, but it sounds like it might be ok.

I was thinking about treasure, and it seems to me that Lord Featherstone would see that you are rewarded for rescuing him. He would want to have friends like you whether you recognize his claim to the throne or not.

[GossamerChains]

I can send them to you within a couple days if you need them, but it sounds like it might be ok.

I was thinking about treasure, and it seems to me that Lord Featherstone would see that you are rewarded for rescuing him. He would want to have friends like you whether you recognize his claim to the throne or not.

Ya, I was wondering about that. In general, do funnels give out treasure/gold? It seems weird to level up to 1 after a funnel, but not be able to afford an actual weapon...

[Tabarkus]

I've run a half dozen funnels or so; some have had a lot of treasure and some have had little. Though I must say the one with the most treasure is one of the older funnels. Also DCC has the more old school mindset of 'finders keepers', meaning if you miss hidden treasure you just miss it. I don't know about this particular funnel we ran in but overall my observation has been that treasure is much less than in a game like D&D 5e.

[leozelig]

It's definitely unusual to have no treasure in a DCC adventure. I wonder if it has anything to do with being a "convention module" - maybe it was written with the expectation that the PCs would not be played again. You didn't overlook anything. Here are a few excerpts...

In the temple:

There are no armor and weapons other than staves to be found but PCs can always scrounge food, animal feed, horse tack, white robes, soap, and salt.

Lord Featherstone felt very random if you don't fight him, but it had potential to be a deadly battle for a handful of 0-level PCs. The text is vague in my opinion, and I’m curious how the GMs in the group would have run him:

If the PCs attack, the nobleman and his entourage will fight back but aren’t above surrender or even begging for their lives should the tide turn against them.



Lord Featherstone tries to avoid combat, doing his best to remain stoic in the face of this horde of mutants.


If the PCs will go after it with the spear and destroy the heart, he promises them the friendship and protection of House Featherstone.


Note that Lord Featherstone will do absolutely anything to be king—he wants that spear, and while he will bargain and deal fairly if he can, he is absolutely comfortable with treachery and violence.



If Lord Featherstone survives he will still attempt to get the spear from them, but he will be more wary of them now that they proved themselves greater than the challenge of the demon’s heart. Depending on circumstances, he may become the PCs’ patron, or worst enemy.

I think we finished with 7 PCs, so if you were able to kill him (not guaranteed), each PC would net 30 gp and 2 sp in coins and jewelry, plus the gear:


2 warclubs (dmg 1d6)
2 ring mail (AC +4, check -5, move -5', fumble d14)
rapier (dmg 1d6)
studded leather armor
spyglass
3 daggers

I have a few ideas if we (I hope) want to play again as level 1 PCs...


Roll starting gold for level 1 PCs according to the core rules - avg. warrior or dwarf = 32.5 gp, wizard or thief = 16.5 gp, cleric = 42 gp, elf = 13 gp, and halfling = 31.5 gp.
Featherstone rewards you with 30 gp and 2 sp each for saving him (i.e. the treasure you would have gained from defeating him).
Featherstone "invests" in your next adventure and outfits you with one piece of armor up to AC +4, one weapon dealing damage 1d6 or less, plus any equipment within reason. In exchange he gets a 50% cut of the treasure from that expedition.

[leozelig]

The spear grants a +3 bonus against the World Ender and anything he has corrupted, then the bonus reverts to +1 after he is destroyed.

[Tabarkus]

I would like to play again. I think some kind of reward or alliance with Featherstone makes the most sense RP wise, at least from Cayce’s perspective. I don’t think Doog would want to give up the spear, though it’s more of a pike. He would miss out on the dwarven shield bash if he uses it but it is a cool and powerful weapon.

[leozelig]

I feel like Featherstone would want to profit from this relationship, so he would offer to supply you with gear for your next adventure in exchange for splitting the treasure. He would of course want you to bequeath the spear to him should everyone die. I’m sure he has an agent who can get that all down on parchment ;)

[leozelig]

I’m going to start planning a level 1 adventure. Here are a few suggestions, but feel free to make your own requests...

The Old God’s Return - The first “holiday” module from Goodman Games. Written by my personal favorite Michael Curtis.
https://goodman-games.com/store/product/dungeon-crawl-classics-2013-holiday-module-the-old-gods-return-pdf/

Shadow of the Beakman - Written for “DCC Day” in June 2020 by Harley Stroh, another DCC legend. Has a nice digital pack with maps and tokens.
https://goodman-games.com/store/product/dcc-day-1-shadow-of-the-beakmen-print-pdf/

People of the Pit - A classic dungeon crawl by Joseph Goodman himself. Based on the works of classic pulp author Abraham Merritt.
https://goodman-games.com/store/product/dungeon-crawl-classics-68-the-people-of-the-pit/

The first two are one-shots, the last one would run for a few sessions at least.

[Tabarkus]

Any of those look good to me, I haven't played, run, or read any of them!

[GossamerChains]

That makes sense about the treasure, being that it was a "convention module". I definitely wasn't expecting a lot of treasure after a funnel, but a few gold coins at minimum so that my character could at least get a real weapon for level 1 seems reasonable.

I just read the adventure (now that I've played it), and to answer your question about running Featherstone...I would have played up his entitled noble attitude (as being Featherstone the 9th, and power hungry for becoming the "legitimate" king). His whole deal is that he's been gathering intelligence on the temple and scheming for years. So I probably would have had him attack us in the first area of the cave when we first got there (if we didn't give him the spear upon his demand of it). Getting the spear is his main motivation, and I think he'd be pretty confident about his ability to get it from "a bunch of mutated pilgrims" Could also be a cool combat with Gorflagratior reaching into the cave to grab a random PC/NPC too...forcing the battle further into the cave.
(That said, I'm kinda glad we have him as an ally instead, haha)

And yes, I'm in for playing again! I haven't read any of those adventures. I'd be most interested in the holiday-themed one. I became a fan of Michael Curtis after running his 5e module Glitterdoom. He's a great writer! But I'm also interested in Shadow of the Beakman.

[leozelig]

Oh man, now I need to run this again, that’s a great idea for the cave entrance :)

I was worried his party would TPK you, but Gor’s hand is the perfect device for balancing out the playing field.

[leozelig]

I think we should run The Old God's Return. Are people around Sunday, December 20 at 7 PM EST(UTC-5)? I will message everyone and post a new recruiting thread...

[RunningWolf]

Definitely a blast and looking forward to next time :)