Greetings, I'm Sean, and I'm DM for an upcoming Kingmaker campaign. I'm looking for 1-3 players to join us, and help fill out the party's ranks. Kingmaker is an AP for PF 1e, where you play as a group hired by the Sword Lords of Restov to journey into The Stolen Lands, to map and explore the yet uncharted lands. It is different than your usual AP or module in several ways. For one, it does not follow the A to B to C to D path that most APs follow, being more of a sandbox campaign. As well, there will next to no access to towns during the initial section of the campaign, you are alone in the wilds on an uncharted land. And finally, as might be expected from the title, you will, if you survive, get to build your own PC run kingdom. Game Time information: Session Zero: January 16th, 2023 Game Time: Game start is 530pm Pacific Standard Time, and games will run about 3 hours. Current Party composition: Gunslinger, Paladin, and a Witch, so there are a bunch of directions to go in, such as skill monkeys, Nature classes (A huge swath of Kingmaker, you're in the middle of nowhere with no back up in the wilds), social characters, divine casters, there's a ton of possibilities. Here are some expectations I have for what I am looking for: Be Respectful: It's lovely to believe that we'll all become boon companions, but it isn't necessary. What is necessary is that you respect your fellow players, and of course, the DM. My general rule is, if you have to ask if what you're saying is respectful or not, it probably isn't. Be Pro-Active: One of the best parts of DMing, for me, is seeing my PCs take charge of their own adventure, and write their own stories within whatever the greater story of the campaign might be. For this, I'm looking for people who can step forward, and grab that plot ball. I don't want to feel like I'm dragging you through the plot, it's less for me, and you. Be Engaged: Might sound like the last point, but it isn't. Being engaged is about paying attention, both in and out of combat. In combat, it keeps things moving if you're planning your next move ahead of your next turn, so that when it is your go, you're already pretty much set, making combats faster and more immersed. Out of combat, be sure to be paying attention to what's going on, as you might notice a detail that other party members may have missed. Be Willing To Learn: I've never really cared about whether a player is new to the system, or even Roleplaying in general. The important part is to be willing to learn, willing to grow as a player. It also means learning your character's abilities, and while I'm not expecting you to be a master of it, you should generally know your character's abilities within a reasonable number of sessions. This is to your benefit as well, since knowing your abilities can inform new and interesting ways of using them, and give you confidence for better gaming and RP. Be Part Of The Team: Obviously, Pathfinder is a social game, and you are a part of an adventuring party. It's fine to play someone who is quiet, and/or doesn't care for much of anyone, but Be There: Life happens, that is understandable, and expected at times, but being on time and ready to go is important, as is being able to attend regularly. It is also important to let me know if you aren't able to make it as soon as you realize you won't be able to make it. It's a matter of respect, if nothing else. Also, if I have a bunch of players calling out, knowing ahead of time that I need to skip a session means no one's time is wasted showing up to a session that won't happen. And here are the expectations to have of me: I Do Not Fudge: I won't fudge rolls or rules to adversely affect you, but nor will I fudge them to your detriment. When it comes to the point of rolling dice, it is up to fate what comes next. If you are playing a Paladin, and during a random loot encounter, a Holy Avenger comes up, I won't reroll it. That's what you found, it isn't up to me anymore. By that same token, however, if you are low on HP, and the bandit hits with a critical hit on a longbow, you may be about to die outright, because again, I won't fudge the roll to save you, nor will I warp the rules to save you either. It's About You: My campaigns and adventures are character-focused, even as we embark on an Adventure Path. It's much less about the overarching plot, and far more about how your characters choose to interact with it, and the world around you. Things that your characters do may even effect the path of the AP itself in various ways. This is why it's important to build your own stories, because it gives you access to personal stories and plots, and you might even gain more physical rewards from it. I Am Not Your Enemy: I've played under enough adversarial DMs to know that isn't the DM that I want to be. I will make all efforts to work with my players, while still having that challenge and thrill. If there is an encounter that seems stacked against the party in particular, then there is a reason within the story that it's happening, it isn't about this or that ability. If you are a Rogue, I'm not going to send a constant stream of creatures that are one way or another immune to sneak attack, because I know that's one of the things that people play Rogues for. If I notice you've gone all-in on a particular skill set, I'm going to try and put forth scenarios for you to properly use it, because I know how frustrating it is to play a character, and never get to use the abilities I wrote the character around. If you are interested, then when you reply here, make sure to include your character concept for the Kingmaker campaign.
