Expedition to the Savage Lands

Having just wrapped up a 11 month-long campaign, I'm looking to begin a fresh campaign with some awesome role players. A land of horrors awaits.

Cue Intro:

With only a few successful expeditions returning from the jungle continent, the Amedio must still hold countless secrets yet to be discovered. One recent journey, the Matreyus expedition in 580-581 CY, recounts the many dangers lurking within the jungles, describing deadly encounters with savages, strange beasts and terrifying monsters never before seen. Metreyus' notes also detailed nature’s own appetite for destruction with the Amedio's hazardous environment and predatory flora. The tales brought home spread across the Flanaess and spoke of the vast treasure uncovered from within the halls of a lost city in the jungles. Yet six more civilizations said to exist remain untouched. To question one of these rich explorers further would bring about only vacant stares or incoherent ravings; an unwillingness to reveal perhaps the horrific truths the expedition suffered to gain its fame. One truth is that of the original 54 expedition members, only 20 returned, and some say those survivors all brought back with them the taint of that cursed land.

This is my take on a Tomb of Annihilation campaign but set within the Greyhawk setting. I am looking for 5 players eager to confront the many mysteries to be found within the Amedio jungles. You may wish to resolve a deadly curse spreading throughout the Flanaess since the return of the Matreyus expedition. You may be seeking treasure untold so you can live out the rest of your days in opulent, sinful bliss. Perhaps you are a scholarly explorer hoping to outmatch the achievements of former expeditions and have a bay or volcano named after yourself, or learn the culture and language of the savage natives. Guides are also a necessity to help the influx of intrepid strangers to fulfill their dreams, or their worse nightmares. Whatever your path may be, you have set sail to the Amedio to find your destiny.

What can you expect from this campaign?

I hope that with my introduction and your oogle-lations upon my profile-posterior that you have a sense of the type of DM I am. That aside, I am a serious DM who holds no punches and improvises far too much. Sometimes my players become paranoid and believe I really am trying to kill their characters. Sometimes this is actually true.

■ Sessions occur every week on Fridays at the listed time regardless of player availability. A session lasts for 5 to 6 hours. (I aim for 5). Please consider any daylight saving time changes that apply to you before considering your application. I like to start on time.

■ We will be using Discord for voice chat during the session time. You should have a suitable microphone and as little background noise as possible - push to talk is necessary.

■ The Tomb of Annihilation story will serve as the primary inspiration for this campaign. However I have taken great liberties to adjust the story to not only to fit within the Greyhawk setting, but also to include numerous home-brew inclusions and inspiration from other sources. The jungles of the Amedio are different to the Jungles of Chult.

■ The adventure is going to be dangerous. At times, the game may feel unfair (compared to what you may be used to). The adventure will be darker, grittier and more horrific than represented in Chult. I am a transparent DM who makes dice rolls openly and a character's fate will at times come down to a single dice roll.

■ Rulings will be the purview of the DM solely. This is to ensure rule discussions do not dominate the game and interrupt story flow. Any discussion needed regarding system mechanics or rules should take place and be clarified outside of a the session; before, after, or during breaks.

■ House rules will be in place. Some are designed to represent the campaign setting of Greyhawk and to promote a particular game feel. Other rules are some I have used throughout my time GMing 5th-Edition. House-rules from other 3rd party sources will not be allowed. Unearthed Arcana is allowed only with approval.

■ We will begin the game with a "session 0", where we will introduce ourselves, discuss house rules and then form a party of characters that coexist with one another and have a shared reason to undertake an expedition to the Amedio Jungle. There are no restrictions, with regards to alignment and motivations, beyond the need for uniformity and the desire to adventure within the scope of the story.

What expectations should you fulfill?

■ A degree of courtesy should be maintained and the spirit of the game should always be to share in a fun experience with all. Anyone with behavioral problems, such as argumentative or abrasive personalities that have a negative effect on others will promptly be removed from the game.

■ Players should be mature enough to handle adult themes with comfort, though the game will never touch on dark and taboo areas with explicit detail. Themes are used to solely tell a story and should never be a manifestation of a person's own ideology and/or fantasies.

■ The character you play should be congruent with the adventure and campaign setting and loosely share a common goal with the other characters that make up the party.

■ This is a group with a role-playing focus. Please be prepared to be in character as much as possible. You don't need to be an actor, but you should be comfortable to speak and have a conversation while portraying your character.

■ Combat should be swift, deadly and cinematic. You will need to be familiar enough with the 5th edition rules and any house rules that relate to your character so you can decide on your action swiftly. Combat will be descriptive and the reliance on a battle grid (even if one is in use) will be secondary to theater of the mind.

■ I believe a good story is driven by player agency and action. As such, I have a high expectation for player engagement. You need to be attentive to the game and involved in its direction. At times, you may be required to narrate your own scenes or come up with your own ideas and you should be comfortable with this.

■ Secret information and whispers will rarely be used in the context of the game story, unless it will help create a particular mood within a scene. Players are expected to be transparent, even if their character's morals and goals are contrary to others.

If you are interested in applying, please send me a private message and tell me about yourself and your role-playing experience. Please do not send character concepts. You will only receive a reply if I would like to further discuss the campaign with you.