Hey Gaiscioch family! On the last family summit, I asked Fog if the social adventures had to be video games, or if they could be something else. I asked him about being able to play D&D over the internet and have it as a social adventure. He said it would be possible if it was over the internet, via roll20 and such virtual tabletops. So, I am going to try and set up one via roll20, which is what I am familiar with. It will be using the 5th edition ruleset. As it is fairly new-ish (released 2014), we will be doing the Starter Adventure called "Lost Mine of Phandelver". It is an introductory adventure created to get people acquainted with the new rules. I don't have a set time yet, as my work schedule isn't the most reliable. If I get enough interest, I can hopefully get my schedule to where I can have that time of day available.
A little about me as a DM: I am "new-ish" at DMing. I have played D&D since the tail end of 2nd Edition AD&D, purchasing the books in 1998. I made the switch to 3rd edition in 2000, and did that off and on (more on than off) in both the Player and DM role until about 2006. During that time, it was just me, my sister, and her husband. I have made many attempts at DMing a couple times from 2013 until summer 2015, to various success. The first two times duing that time, it didn't turn out too well. The last time, when I ran 5th edition in summer of 2015, it went fairly well. Unfortunately, it died due to scheduling conflicts and possible loss of interest. I am still a little uncomfortable as DM, but I love doing things with this family.
So, with all that said; I am looking for interested folks who would like to play under a still rather fledgling DM. Looking for 5-6 players. Doesn't matter if you've been playing since the 1970s or this would be your first time. I have no problem teaching anyone the rules.
- "But what if I don't have the books, can't or don't want to purchase the books?" Good news is you don't have to have or purchase the books! There are two free resources for this edition: Basic Player Rules (here) and the 5th Edition SRD (here). These aren't complete reprints of the Player's Handbook (PHB), but they provide you with limited basic options to get you up and playing. So, if you don't want to throw down the $35+ for the PHB, or want to wait and see how you like it before you do, pick those two things up!
- "What are the available options to use?" Anything in the two previous links, as well as anything in the PHB. There are also a few free supplements that add some extra player options that you can use. Those are also available in pdf form. They are: Elemental Evil Player's Companion (here), as well as Unearthed Arcana articles, which the usable ones are located here, and here.
- "When would we play?" Not entirely sure, but I know it would be evening time for me. I would like to go for a 6-10 or 7-11 pm Eastern US time (3-7 or 4-8 pm Pacific time). As for the date? I don't know, due to my schedule. It would depend on what works for most people. It would also be a weekly game, playing one night a week every week until it would be over.
- "What would we use?" We would play using Roll20 (here) for the tabletop, and Discord for voice chat. Also, for character sheets, we will use the built-in character sheet in Roll20. You can also use Myth-weavers (here) for your own personal copy. Why would you want to use another sheet? For your own personal records, in case you have to drop out, or for when the campaign ends.
- "Will this be short or long term?" As of now, it will be short term. Easier for people to commit to a shorter term game than one that will last a while. This would be about a 2-3 month commitment. Could be longer, depending on what all the characters would do.
Character Creation Rules
While there's no need to create a character at this time, I will go ahead and list the creation rules. Sometimes, these could be a make or break for some people.
--No evil alignments. Also, I would prefer you guys to have a Good alignment, but Neutral is fine. Past experience has made me leery of the Chaotic Neutral alignment, but it is available for a choice.--Ability Score Generation: I will roll a number of sets of scores (probably 6 total), and the players can choose which one they would like (multiple people can choose the same set).
--Choose a race, class, and background from the listed sources above.
--You will get max gold from your class to purchase your equipment. If you don't want to go that route, each class has some premade starting gear, and you can choose that instead.
The game takes place in the Forgotten Realms (default setting for this edition, which will make it easy for all of us), in the Sword Coast region. The characters are part of a caravan for a dwarf who is traveling from Neverwinter to Phandelin.
