Hi Players! I hope you're all doing ok with everything in the news at the moment! I'm now spending a lot of time at home for the forseeable future so thought it may be worth starting a new text only adventure! I'm looking for a group of adventurers to run through the Campaign 'Lost Mine of Phandelver’ in either a weekly or perhaps twice a week? (I'm happy either way, but figured many people have a lot more time on their hands than usual!). The term ‘text only’, isn’t exactly accurate. We will be using lots of bespoke maps, tokens, art assets, roll-tables and lots more (explained later). But the key thing is that it doesn’t include voice or video communication. **Let’s start with the basics….** **Time**: 7.30pm Thursday Evenings (GMT) **Format:** Roll20 Text Only **Paid?** - No charge. But a donation to the charity 'DiabetesUK' (Which is close to my heart due to my 1 year-old daughters condition) would be very appreciated but by no means mandatory! **Beginner Friendly:** Yes, absolutely **Session Length:** 3-4 Hours **Campaign Length:** Variable, down to the player preference **Campaign Setting:** The adventure will be set in the official 5e ‘Faerun’ adventure setting. You’ll come across towns and cities like Neverwinter, Waterdeep, & Baulders Gate which you may recognise from other computer games and stories over the years. **Character level:** All characters will start at level 1 and will progress up through the ranks as we play. **Character Rules:** To keep this game ‘beginner friendly’, I request that all players stick to the core races and classes. Nothing Homebrew/unpublished. There are some nice, well rounded ‘Pre-generated’ characters that I can provide too should you wish. **You said ‘No voice?’, What’s the point?** Running a game without a microphone or camera seems crazy to some, to others it’s fantastic. Having ‘text only’ can really help people roleplay encounters and focus on story. It can also help anyone with perhaps anxiety, any disabilities that may impact on voice communication, be in an environment where speaking into a microphone isn’t feasible (Young children in bed etc), or simply preference. **What’s so special about your game?** My game will be built on using a ‘Pro’ account with roll20 and we will utilize this in all aspects. We will be using many bespoke API’s and custom-made macros. In any of my games, you can expect: - Automated Combat buttons and spells - Automated Ammunition & Spell slot tracking - Automated Ability tracking - Automated Long rests and short rests - Automated Gold/Silver/Copper rewards - Automated Enemy/target tracking - Automated Concentration for spells - Automated Turn tracking - Automated Experience Points - Dynamic Lighting and Fog of War (You can only see what your own 'token' can see! - No peaking into rooms ahead!) - Rich combat descriptions (not simply “You hit them – 5 damage”) - Rich Spell descriptions (not simply “The fireball kills the wolf”) In addition to these features, I'm looking for players thath would be willing and eager to utilise the instant messenger software 'discord' for two main roles. The first is to have as a general ‘Out of Character’ channel to chat on during the game, and also, over the week between sessions. The second reason is that even during the week, we can continue with roleplay encounters between each player and between players and the DM. This is a fantastic way to allow players to flesh out their characters, reveal backstories and plans for the adventure, without any worries of time pressure during the game. Many people put so much effort into fleshing out a character but maybe don't get much chance in 'live game' to reveal bits without it feeling like your crowbarring aspects in between exploration. This would be based around the DM (or the players if they wish) setting the scene, describing the environment and setting a general ‘topic’ for the conversation. An example might include our heroes sat at the tavern while awaiting their food to arrive discussing something as simple as “Who they have waiting for them back at home”, or “what they plan to spend their reward money on for the upcoming bounty that they’re tracking down”. As a DM, I’m aware of how a ‘text only’ game can feel quite slow. People can of course speak quicker than they can type. However, due to the fact that I have pre-written so much content in preparation, and there is so much automation going on in the back end, I truly feel that this speeds up combat and encounters DRAMATICALLY. I have been running games on roll20 for 4+ years, I have over 2,000 hours of game time logged online and DMing ‘live’ before then too. I am experienced both from a roleplaying DM point of view, and also a technical roll20 aspect and have spent literally £100’s on roll20 subscriptions, purchasing premium maps and art assets & subscription to Photoshop & Illustrator. I have previously charged players for DM services but didn't enjoy it. It felt like a business transaction and very relaxing and playing with friends! **Next steps?** Please let me know if you're interested by posting a comment below, or dropping me a private message. - I'd appreciate it if you could let me know a bit about yourself, your real name (since I think it's weird continually calling someone something like "fairykiller1976" week after week, where you're from, any timezones, your experience and you preferred play style etc, etc – The bottom line is.... I'm far more interested to hear about you as a player, than a story and background about your planned character... In fact. Don't bother telling me much about your planned character at all. Lastly, a little more about me! Since it's only fair! : I'm James, I live in England, UK – 34 and work in a design agency. I've been playing D&D 5th Edition for a while now, and love how it can help bring people together, tell stories and has enough formal structure in it, for it to feel like a really good tactical game! I look forward to hearing from you!
