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LF 4 players for OSR ADD ToEE campaign with 20 years experienced GM -- details inside

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Thank you for clicking my post and your interest in our game! My handle is Jigsarnak and I am currently recruiting several players for a campaign we hope will become a highlight of your week many weeks into the future. Below I have collaborated with our 20 years experienced and AD&D enthusiast GM Lamashtu to pull together our rule-set (ADD), our modus operandi (OSR), and our campaign setting (ToEE). If you've never heard of these acronyms I encourage you to read up on each using the resources I have referenced below. Additionally I have done my best to describe the type of group we intend to run. For the TL;DR version just read the italic words and bold sections at the bottom. Enjoy! -- Lamashtu’s ADD OSR ToEE Campaign Definitions: ADD: Adventures Dark and Deep (Ref: <a href="http://brwgamesllc.blogspot.com/p/adventures-dark-and-deep-explores.html" rel="nofollow">http://brwgamesllc.blogspot.com/p/adventures-dark-and-deep-explores.html</a> ) OSR: Old School Renaissance (Ref: <a href="http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2013/06/roll-perception-plus-awareness-monsters-and-magic-and-the-old-school-renaissance/" rel="nofollow">http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2013/06/roll-perception-plus-awareness-monsters-and-magic-and-the-old-school-renaissance/</a> ) ToEE: Temple of Elemental Evil (Ref: <a href="http://www.canonfire.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Temple_of_Elemental_Evil" rel="nofollow">http://www.canonfire.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Temple_of_Elemental_Evil</a> ) General Background & Conduct 1. Have fun – We are looking for open minded players interested in meeting other open minded players that want to learn about D&D, how it was played 20 years ago, and learn to use their imagination in probably one of the most fun and immersive games ever developed. This means that the environment we would like to have will be open for beginners and advanced players alike, and that there will be less emphasis for the players on learning rules and systems, and more emphasis on roleplaying and using your imagination! It really goes without saying that we don’t tolerate any behavior that would make other players uncomfortable; we intend to have a balanced and active group that will hopefully become one of the highlights of your week. 2. Respect your fellow players and their time -- We all are time limited to some extent; if you can't make it on time or at all please let the DM know in advance. This also means that when you’ve joined in with the group please be prepared to start the game. If you are goofing around before the game starts we are taking time away from the group’s session. 3. Take the game seriously – We are not looking for meta-humor, such as pink-haired lesbian bards who are chaotic neutral/insane, and like to prod each other with wondrous staves just to see what happens. We are not interested in a Minotaur alchemist, trained by immortal ninjas, riding a clockwork snail, who's the reincarnation of an ancient god destined to reunite the faerie world with ours and rule a small country, etc. you get the point. We want you to create a character you can role play and enjoy role playing with other players that can take you as seriously as they take themselves. 4. Understand some differences about OSR gaming – a. Modern games like D&D 4.0 and Pathfinder are driven by *rules*; OSR is driven by *rulings*. This makes your interaction in the game environment more dependent on your ability to role play and interact with the environment than on your ability to navigate sessions being bound by a set of strict rules. b. Therefore you are only limited by your imagination as to what you can try – The DM will often decide whether it works on the fly - not by consulting a rulebook. While you do indeed gain skills and powers as you level up and gain experience, at any time you can attempt to do anything you can imagine may be useful in any situation and the DM will rule on it. An example of this would be if you were facing two goblins and you’re wielding a scimitar, you may attempt to cleave even if your character does not have this skill; it will be up to do the DM to decide if you are successful or not, and/or provide instructions on how to calculate your success. This adds to the level of immersion in almost all situations and allow for problem solving more complex problems, and finding out what happens! c. OSR may appear more limited at first and this is apparent when you see less races, less classes and less options. Part of this is because this edition is not rule driven, and part of it is because D&D at this point in its development was designed around players using their imagination and intuition to the extent a DM would allow and permit. This is also apparent when you notice that 'builds' are missing from an OSR game. This is an idea that developed later within the stricter bounds and rules of more recent revisions of D&D and does not exist in OSR. Ultimately, you will not be waiting for your character to be awesome as soon as you get "feat a" – the idea here is that your character is *already* awesome and develops skills as experience is gained through their travels and adventures. d. Understanding all of the above, your character will NOT survive without henchmen, hirelings, and/or mercenaries - these are separate and complete characters you will control in addition to your own - but whom the DM will also in part control. This should add an interesting and fun aspect to the campaign that is often under-utilized in later revisions of D&D and Pathfinder. e. If you are interested in a more in-depth explanation of these differences between OSR and Pathfinder please refer to this fantastic discussion: Ref: <a href="http://www.adam-meyers.com/2013/03/osr-vs-pathfinder.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.adam-meyers.com/2013/03/osr-vs-pathfinder.html</a> “OSR games are about adventuring. About going strange places, taking contracts, delving dungeons, fighting enemies or avoiding them, all as the players decide. Not nearly as focused on combat as on living an alternate life in a dangerous fantasy world. Sneaking past enemies, talking past enemies, or just running are all valid options during combat, and the interplay of the characters is more important than the mechanics, as the mechanics are simple enough to learn in an hour. Pathfinder, instead, is a hero game, or rather a story game. It is much easier to incorporate backstories into a Pathfinder game, because you are virtually guaranteed the character will be around long enough to 'fulfill his destiny,' etc. This is a game designed to recreate an Epic Fantasy, where a group of rag-tag friends complete grand story-arcs in their pursuit of an ultimate objective. Long combats with little actual chance of death, designed to tell the GM's grand novel, with the players cast in the roles of the leads.” 5. At the start of the campaign we'll be doing the old school narrative style combat. Honoring the ways of the 2nd edition pen and paper D&D gamers, this revision of the game lasted for many years where they chose not to play with minis and maps. This allows for you as a player to build the scene in your own mind and forces you to use your imagination, the perceived limitations of your character as defined by you and the DM, and your ability to solve problems to progress through combat and really all situations. Therefore not only combat but all aspects of the game will be more fluid, dynamic, interesting, and in most cases faster than that found in later revisions of D&D and Pathfinder. By changing this key dynamic scenarios are less oppositional. With less concrete rules in this revision, the DM could in theory kill everyone off, however the point of the game is to work together, have fun, and adventure through an increasingly interesting story that is shared and enjoyed by the group! It is important to note here that once we get going that when we do begin to use maps for combat or otherwise that we will be using ROLL20 for our encounters, and this is why we have chosen to post this here. 6. Conclusively, to truly illuminate the differences between modern revisions and the game we intend to play in this group: … imagine taking “two move actions as your full round action travelling at half speed 30 feet forwards with a stealth roll of 27” as one might do in the latest revision of Pathfinder... ...or in the game we intend to play “traveling down a dank dark cavernous corridor, the smell of musty mold filling your nostrils, a faint scratching noise just ahead. Your torch flickers in the dimness, illuminating terrifying shadows against the walls as light spills past the stalagmites jutting upwards from the cave floor. You creep along carefully trying not to make any noise, hoping that the light of your torch doesn’t give away your presence to what may lie ahead. The tracks at your feet seem fresh as if something, you think it might be goblin, had been here only moments before.” -- HOW TO APPLY: Interested players, please provide a preferred method to contact you, or message me through this forum and we will provide a time and location for your screening with the GM. We have access to mumble, teamspeak, ventrilo, skype, telephones, carrier pigeons, owls, and we have feet as well; if you don't have access to any of these you're going to have a bad time.. TIMELINE: We would like to begin play Wednesday, May 6th and would like to play weekly on Wednesdays 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm ET; these times are subject to change based on availability and how much fun we're having. MATERIAL: Character sheets, player manuals, and any necessary software will be discussed before we begin and will likely be provided; we do not want there to be a monetary barrier to entry, especially if you're the right fit for our group. As a result we'll probably just buy you any licensed material you need. EXPERIENCE LEVEL: No experience required and having some is preferred. Per the above the game relies heavily on the experience of our GM to ensure smooth, fun, balanced, and seamless play. We are looking for your imagination, intuition, ingenuity, and intellect; we intend to bring together players that have never met each other for an awesome experience unlike any you may have ever experienced before! Lets live the adventure together. -- I am happy to answer any questions you have, and intend to monitor this thread on a daily basis until our group is filled. Thank you for viewing! Jig
24 hr bump
It's a darn shame. This is EXACTLY what I'm looking for. An old school game ran by an old school game master. I never got to play the original temple back in the day but I always wanted to. Unfortunately the day and time would not work for me. If you guys and gals move to a later time or somewhere else in the week place feel free to drop me a line and I will be all over this. Thanks for keeping the old ways alive though you all rock.
This does look really interesting! As an "always a DM, never a player" person here on Roll20, the opportunity to run a character through this would be great. Unfortunately, I would have a difficult time making a 7PM Eastern time hack (or 6 PM Central, where I live), sometimes it takes me that long just to get home from work. There's also the small matter that I have DM'd players through the ToEE in 3 different campaigns over the years. So, I'd have to be very careful not to meta-game! :-p
I am interested, and am sending you an application via message on this website.
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Gold
Forum Champion
What a great write-up, description, and game pitch! It sounds a lot like my campaign / DM'ing style for AD&D 2E, with only the exception of the 1 paragraph about epic fantasy / story gaming, because I feel like we incorporate that right along with all the rest of the OSR characteristics described here. Wishing I could apply to play, but right now I'm focusing on my recently started campaign that's in 1st level. Happy adventuring! Sounds like great fun!
Echoing the other well know old school DMs, this sounds really well thought out and cool. I'm running One Ring, so unavailable, but you are off to a great start here. Thanks for stepping up to run a game, the community benefits.
I'll be running this game, and figured I'd step into the conversation. First off, Mike, PM me the time/days you're available. Nothing is absolutely set in stone yet; for that matter I remember the good old days of my childhood where my favorite DM maintained a campaign among several groups and individuals - so perhaps we can incorporate you into the game another way if you're interested. Brett, likewise, feel free to reach out to me. I trust you not to meta-game (too much ;P ), but also this will not be a simple run through of T1-T4. I'll be taking freely from Joseph Bloch's ideas on how ToEE fits into the wider world of Greyhawk and the GDQ campaign, as well as bits and pieces from my memories of both running and playing ToEE from my younger days. If we can make it work for you, it'd be great to have you. (Also thanks for your videos, I actually found them about a week ago as I was looking to learn more about Roll20 as my platform for running this thing!) Paulus, I'm sure I'll be speaking to you soon, welcome! Gold and James, thanks for your kinds words; poor Jigsarnak had to listen to my old ass pontificate about why his generation's D&D just isn't the same and my generation's was superior and blah blah blah for several hours. I think he did a damn good job of boiling it all down and making it sound more appealing than "and here's what's wrong with your generation!" (all done in Grampa Simpson's voice). I hope to continue this campaign for the long term - perhaps we can find a way to bring one or both of you into the game at some point - even just for a one off.
I would be interested in joining however sadly my only days I could participate right now are later on Fridays and any time of the day Saturday. I have yet to actually play my first session but as far as my character and what not im responsible for I have very experienced friends who will be helping me. I would really like to join if you would let me and the sessions schedule will allow it. Feel free to pm me for my Skype if you will consider letting me join.
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Thank you community members for posting your feedback! I am so happy to see that this posting was well received, and that we have had our first Lamashtu sighting! "oooOOohhh" Paulus, we will be following up with you promptly. CAMPAIGN START DATE UPDATE: As we still have available player seats to fill , we will be postponing the start date one month. The new expected campaign start date is Wednesday, May 6th. (updated above)
I PMed you my skype, Jigsarnak. Get in touch if you're still recruiting.
Jack, we will be following up with you promptly. Additionally, I will continue to monitor this thread until our group is full. When we have a full group I will be requesting a lock from the moderators.
Happy to see this group isn't full up yet. I'll throw my hat into the ring with a private message as well, I suppose. It seems like you folks have put a lot of time into this proposal.
lamashtu said: I'll be running this game, and figured I'd step into the conversation. First off, Mike, PM me the time/days you're available. Nothing is absolutely set in stone yet; for that matter I remember the good old days of my childhood where my favorite DM maintained a campaign among several groups and individuals - so perhaps we can incorporate you into the game another way if you're interested. PMed
Compleatly new to this (table top rpgs, unless you can count very short runs in HeroQuest) and I am hopeing that's okey, my only real info I have on all this is a players handbook I downloaded from DungeonsandDragons.com but at the same time have spent time watching a few youtubers playing but thats about it
A word of advice to all who seek to join this game: ALWAYS CHECK THE CEILING! Why? You ask? Because there is no coming back from a slime engulfing you. There just isn't. and even if you DO survive, it hurts.
and god damn it, take a ten foot pole, even if you make the pmd carry it. don't let pride get you killed.
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Michael -- Please refrain from giving our experienced GM any new methods or opportunities to murder us by... just-in-case, I have taken note of your suggestions and our GM will be hard pressed to extinguish our lives in this manner. Now where did I put that pole and the goo-be-gone ... LoneTopHat: Your PM has been responded to.
Hi this is jabawalky
And, as in uffish thought he stood, The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, And burbled as it came!
24 hr bump
New here just popping in to say hi. I'm 44 and have been playing AD&D since 1976-77. I'm old school to the max. Looking forward to seeing you all in-game some time.
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Definitely interested by the description. I've always preferred a more character/story driven game, than a rules driven game. That said, I'm still relatively new (~7 years) and not the best at role playing yet, so it would be an ongoing learning experience for me. 7:00 pm would be too early for me though. I frequently have to pick up my fiance from the train at 7:15. 7:30 would be a safer number for me, though occasionally I might still be 10-15 minutes late depending on his train. My only other hiccup is the day, but I might be able to move my current Wednesday activity to another night. Looking into that. :)
I sent a PM to you Jig, if there is still any room left. If not then I wish you luck in your game!
An update! It is fantastic to see the outpouring of interest our campaign has had thus far! As we continue to screen potential candidates, we will continue to mix and match our group until we find the sweet spot where we have the right personalities. We are all going to be spending a lot of time together! The final membership has not yet been decided , and we are still accepting applications and screening before we end up with a wait-list that we anticipate starting as soon as next Wednesday. We have said hello to many new potentials, and good bye to others alike. I will be separating new candidate screenings from our running sessions for moderation purposes, yet primarily for insulation of the group while our initial candidates get to know each other. We are aiming for a group of 3-4 gents and 3-4 ladies so that there may be balance, peace, and prosperity upon our lands. (Disclaimer) Please be aware that application through this forum does not guarantee acceptance into our pre-campaign sessions, and that participation in our pre-campaign sessions does not guarantee membership to our final campaign. We want to get to know you, so come have some fun with us as we get closer to our intended start date! -- Abel Yates : Thank you for your interest! If you do indeed find time to participate in the time frame that seems to have settled at 7-7:30, then we are more than happy to schedule screening for you. Every campaign needs a little open air before the official start time where people join and get settled, and that looks to be between 7:00 and 7:30pm. Kenneth and Tim : I have followed up.
24 hour bump
In reviewing this again, I have to agree with Gold. This whole setup... It's remarkable in a clean presentation, and layout describing the essence of the experience of Old School. TOEE is a great adventure, whether the elder or the revised edition. I was always a fan of the Slaver Series. Yeah, I'd like to just hit you guys up on skype a few times to get your spin on old school. It's cool that you have multi step and layer recruiting. I liked your expmple of clockwork snail et all. I've had fun with players going that way in Gamma World and Numenera of course, but it just don't fly with the holy Tome wit hthe magic mouth plus dwarves edition. I know the module too well, and so it's better to yield to those new to the game, so that they can experience the glory of "listening at the door." I'm now running One Ring Fridays 7P EDT, and Song of Ice and Fire Wednesdays 12P EDT to be friendly to UK. Again, thanks for keeping old school gaming alive. This gladdens an old sailor's heart, for real. I ran 1e at age 13 in '79 for my cousin and two kids from down the street. We had no idea what we were doing but it was a blast. We used to use fritos as a new monster called a crunchbeast. when you killed it, 3 H.p. you ate it. rofl. We played even before dice were there. those old chits from a dixie cup deal. I recall my first set of crystal clear d20s. Talismans of power. Anyway. luck gents.
James, your post deserves a thank you as well. It is adventurers like yourself that excite fresh blood like myself, and truly make the world come alive. If you were interested in another run, I have PM'd you our details. We will be screening tonight and you're welcome to join our conversation!
bump
I wanted to start off by saying that the concept and idea I've interpreted from your description is awesome. Focusing more on role playing rather than the limitation of a class or set of rules and die rolls sounds like a grand adventure. Your times, although a little early for me, would even be do-able. My concern is the unknown change in my work schedule come June/July. Where I work, we "bid" for shifts based off our seniority and I'm only half way up that list. Likely I will be trying to maintain the same, or close to, shift I currently work, but as we say, "seniority is a bitch." Not wanting to have to leave a group mid game, I think I might have to avoid trying to apply. I'd like to see more games like this pop up in the future though. =)
Update: We are approaching our last week of screening before the game starts. If you are interested in participating with the group in its initial showing please shoot me a PM before this coming Tuesday. All interested members of the community whom message me after that date will still receive a private screening, and our wait-list will begin. Thanks! -- Daniel W.: Shame you couldn't join us, but if anything changes shoot me a PM!
Update: At this time we have closed our group, and are now accepting screening requests for a wait-list should members for IRL/exigent circumstances no longer be able to play with us. If this is the type of campaign you are interested in playing, I will ensure we make time to meet you! Thank you!