Ancient Age: The Hunt for a Match

A warm fire welcomed the moon on this auspicious summer night. A pot roaring upon the burning logs carefully chopped with satisfaction. The embers simmered a rabbit stew with onions and carrots freshly chopped and broiled to perfection. A man stirred his pot with the grace of a man whose life had reached its zenith. His form silhouetted against the dark trees in the distance. Whose branches swayed with the wind from the roaring tides last the bend.

Weathered by many years of hardship under his belt, he remained oddly calm despifte the circumstances. Rarely had a man his age retained the deadly glare one might find among snakes. His shabby cloak covered a fine tunic of red and orange with silver inlays and an embroiled belt. A sword rested near his side on a set of logs used as a seat for the man. Not too far from a rat skulking in the shadows.

Without a word, the hunter slinked towards the free seat. They were cloaked, taller than the older gentleman and were skittish as they sat on the log. They retrieved a small bowl from their pack, as they gestured silently for a portion of the meal. The old man obliged, using the spoon to pour half a portion for the stranger. The two ate in silence, their meals the only thoughts on their minds. Neither looked at one another, as if they were uncertain of how to begin.

When their bellies were filled, the older gentlemen retrieved a small pipe from his pack. Using the fire as a source to ignite the cannabis packed within. A small inhalation later, the old man released a puff of smoke as the two watched the cloud drift across the night sky. The skittish stranger became even more nervous as they began to speak. “I have what you asked.” The old man remained silent as he listened intently. “Wasn’t easy to get, had to drown a few contacts just to make it this far.”

The old man was unphased, simply held out a hand to retrieve the package. The stranger fumbled as they placed a scroll within their hands. Showcasing their damp gray fur with broken claws which saw some use but moments ago. The old man broke the seal, unveiling the scroll as he read through the parchment with a speed very rarely seen. Within a moment, their eyes widened behind their cloak as they spoke for the first time. His voice raspy with surprise. “Is all of this accurate?” “As accurate as we could get.”

He would pause, contemplating the revelations. Rising to his feet, his bag flung over his back in quick succession. The stranger puzzled by the sudden jolt of activity, unable to resist the curiosity. “What are we to do?” The old man paused, only briefly turning to face his companion as he uttered the only words that could be said in a situation like this. “We prepare. And hope Persia doesn’t choose us first.”

I hope you all enjoy that little story. My name is Robert Ripoli and this is my new campaign that I am excited to show all of you wonderful people. As you might have guessed from the title and the cute story, this game is set during Persia's rise to dominance. This is the first campaign I have ever done set within a fictitious version of Iron Age earth.

This campaign will take place slightly after the fall of Media as Cyrus consolidates power over his new empire. With many factions eyeing his new gains with envy, opportunity, and jealousy. A plan that historically went horrible for them. But this is not the main focus of the game. Our story falls around the rise of Persia and one king’s attempts to save his kingdom before this new threat drops on his lap.

You will each play one character in the ancient world using a modified version of the Fantasy Age system. So modified in fact, that one may assume it's a different game. I won’t go into specifics here but as a general note I must divulge that you will not have a vanilla Age experience. This is my version developed over many years as I found my footing within this system.

You can expect this campaign to be a mostly character driven game centered around the king mentioned earlier as well as the people trying to undermine his position. You can expect this game to focus mostly on a sandbox nature with choices from the players driving the overarching narrative. So you can expect months with little to no combat with a spread of about 50% RP, 10% Downtime, and 40% combat.

Assuming this doesn’t drive you away, let me quickly go through my own experience with TTRPGs in general. I have around ten years worth of GMing under my belt from a vast variety of systems. Though Fantasy Age as well as others like them are my main bread and butter. I have successfully completed many campaigns and one shots with around 8500+ hours on roll20 alone.

You might call me a forever GM, one who is always finding a game to run no matter the time and place. This is my latest creation, one I wish to share with a good chunk of you who won’t mind my strange methodology. Assuming you haven't been driven away, here’s what you can do for me.

In the forums before, place the following in the application section.

Name:

Age:

Experience with Fantasy Age and similar systems:

Experience with TTRPGS in general:

Your greatest strength as a player:

Your greatest weakness as a player:

What you expect from a DM:

Misc. Information Here:

I do not wish for characters though discussing past characters is always appreciated. Feel free to tell a story in the Misc. Information section if you have a couple you wish to share. These are to gauge your capacity as a player as well as to ensure that you would be a great fit for the game. As I want genuine players who are interested, not individuals mass applying to games. Those who do not use the application above will be ignored.

If you have been found to pique my interest, I will follow up with three more questions and a vocal interview. The questions need not be answered before said interview, but I expect them to be answered by its conclusion. Assuming you pass through all of these hurdles and you meet my approval, only then will you be given access to my game.

As a side note; I do allow joint applications for couples, families, and other such individuals. Bear in mind this will be taking place during a very violent time. This is not a game for children, the squeamish, or those uncomfortable with anything sexual in nature. As the Greeks did, what they do best. I also expect all applicants to at least be 18 years old for that very fact. In addition, to the expectation that people won’t turn this game into their own little smut story.

If you do submit a joint application, put a note informing me who is with whom. As with any joint application I reserve the right to refuse both if one does not meet my standards. Once you have access to the game, you will also be given access to my discord server which will serve as the standard for all communication. If you do not have discord please do not apply.

I should also mention that the time used is not the actual game time. I use what we have called the rally method. The actual time of the game will be at 9pm CST. I set the game 30 minutes earlier to ensure players arrive before the game in order to chat and deal with any issues found before the session. I will always start the game at 9pm unless circumstances permit otherwise. I expect players to be there at or between the rally and game time. If you cannot meet this requirement, do not apply.

I say all of this with love in my heart. As stated, my goal is to find genuine players. This will be a game that will require dedication for at least 2 years. I want to ensure that all involved are perfect for the game. There is no malice in my heart for those unable to meet this requirement. There will always be another forever GM. But for those willing to tough this out, you will be welcomed with open arms. As I look forward to creating a wonderful story for all involved.

In the meantime, that is all there is to say. Any questions can be directed to the appropriate forums. They will be answered as soon as able. My work sometimes prevents me from answering questions promptly so please be patient with me. Until next we see each other, and have a pleasant day.