Hammerforge
Explorer
Hello to all northern Virginia d20 system gamers:
I'm currently looking for players to form a new group for a D&D 3.5 campaign I plan to DM in September or possibly October (depending on how long it takes to get a group together). Please bear with the lengthiness of this ad, but I feel that the more detail I provide here at the outset the clearer an idea prospective players will have about this campaign.
About me: I really like DMing, but playing occasionally is also fun and a nice change, so I'd like to alternate or rotate DMs. I rarely have to cancel games, if ever. In addition to d20 (including d20 Modern), I am familiar with GURPS, True20, Castles & Crusades, and, of course, AD&D 1E and 2E. I've also recently started to become familiar with the World of Darkness setting and rules. I'm beyond the "college and career" age range, so keep that in mind.
As a DM I am not chained to the rules, and I do feel free at times to modify or omit rules to avoid unnecessary complexity, to keep the game moving, or to maintain balance. So if you're the kind of player who has to have book support for everything that goes on during a game, you will probably be frustrated with me.
Type of game: Characters will start at 1st or 2nd level. I tend to make the game somewhat gritty and realistic, so I will probably use the Massive Damage Threshold rules described in Unearthed Arcana. In addition, I plan to use 2d10 for the core mechanic in place of the standard 1d20. This also is for purposes of realism since the majority of rolls will tend to fall within the average range -- around 11. This makes skill bonuses matter a whole lot more!
Also, I have a strong tendency to avoid the Monty Haul type of game, so don't expect to find hordes of magic items and enormous piles of treasure. This is not to say that PCs will never find treasure, but rather that the game will lean more toward roleplaying and accomplishing heroic goals than merely killing monsters and gathering loot.
As far as combat and roleplaying go, it's safe to say that there will be an even mix of both.
The campaign will be story-driven. As such, characters should have some depth, background, and personality, so ideally players in this campaign would regard their characters as not just a collection of numbers on a piece of paper but also as a unique person with some peculiar motivations, personality quirks and strengths, etc. The more details that make the character come alive and help drive the story along, the better. However, if all you're into is wargaming, killing things, power gaming, and min-maxing, then this campaign would probably not be for you. That play style is fine, but in my opinion it wouldn't be a good match for a story-driven campaign.
Setting/System: As already stated, it will be D&D 3.5. The setting will be Eberron.
Location: I live in northern Virginia in the Centreville/Manassas/Gainesville/Chantilly/Warrenton vicinity. I could host the games at my place or travel to someone else's home as long as it is within reasonable distance (roughly 30-40 minutes).
Time and Frequency: I plan to run the game two Saturdays a month, either the first and third or the second and fourth Saturdays. Regarding a time frame, in the past usually a mid-afternoon starting time and a late evening ending time have seemed to work out well. NOTE: I'm pretty adamant about gaming twice a month. I've done the once-a-month game session thing and, to be honest, I think that approach has serious problems. There is too long of a gap between sessions, causing the players and DM often to forget what happened during the preceding game, thus losing a sense of the campaign's flow and continuity.
So, if you are interested in this, you should be able to commit to twice a month with only an occasional cancellation due to life issues beyond anyone's control. I understand that everyone has a life outside of gaming, but also keep in mind that a roleplaying game is as much a social function as a game, since it is a group activity, so frequent no-shows will take their toll on the group in time.
Well, if you've read this far then chances are you are probably still interested. If so, please respond to this thread or email me at mrdow AT highstream DOT net. I look forward to hearing from you!
I'm currently looking for players to form a new group for a D&D 3.5 campaign I plan to DM in September or possibly October (depending on how long it takes to get a group together). Please bear with the lengthiness of this ad, but I feel that the more detail I provide here at the outset the clearer an idea prospective players will have about this campaign.
About me: I really like DMing, but playing occasionally is also fun and a nice change, so I'd like to alternate or rotate DMs. I rarely have to cancel games, if ever. In addition to d20 (including d20 Modern), I am familiar with GURPS, True20, Castles & Crusades, and, of course, AD&D 1E and 2E. I've also recently started to become familiar with the World of Darkness setting and rules. I'm beyond the "college and career" age range, so keep that in mind.
As a DM I am not chained to the rules, and I do feel free at times to modify or omit rules to avoid unnecessary complexity, to keep the game moving, or to maintain balance. So if you're the kind of player who has to have book support for everything that goes on during a game, you will probably be frustrated with me.
Type of game: Characters will start at 1st or 2nd level. I tend to make the game somewhat gritty and realistic, so I will probably use the Massive Damage Threshold rules described in Unearthed Arcana. In addition, I plan to use 2d10 for the core mechanic in place of the standard 1d20. This also is for purposes of realism since the majority of rolls will tend to fall within the average range -- around 11. This makes skill bonuses matter a whole lot more!
Also, I have a strong tendency to avoid the Monty Haul type of game, so don't expect to find hordes of magic items and enormous piles of treasure. This is not to say that PCs will never find treasure, but rather that the game will lean more toward roleplaying and accomplishing heroic goals than merely killing monsters and gathering loot.
As far as combat and roleplaying go, it's safe to say that there will be an even mix of both.
The campaign will be story-driven. As such, characters should have some depth, background, and personality, so ideally players in this campaign would regard their characters as not just a collection of numbers on a piece of paper but also as a unique person with some peculiar motivations, personality quirks and strengths, etc. The more details that make the character come alive and help drive the story along, the better. However, if all you're into is wargaming, killing things, power gaming, and min-maxing, then this campaign would probably not be for you. That play style is fine, but in my opinion it wouldn't be a good match for a story-driven campaign.
Setting/System: As already stated, it will be D&D 3.5. The setting will be Eberron.
Location: I live in northern Virginia in the Centreville/Manassas/Gainesville/Chantilly/Warrenton vicinity. I could host the games at my place or travel to someone else's home as long as it is within reasonable distance (roughly 30-40 minutes).
Time and Frequency: I plan to run the game two Saturdays a month, either the first and third or the second and fourth Saturdays. Regarding a time frame, in the past usually a mid-afternoon starting time and a late evening ending time have seemed to work out well. NOTE: I'm pretty adamant about gaming twice a month. I've done the once-a-month game session thing and, to be honest, I think that approach has serious problems. There is too long of a gap between sessions, causing the players and DM often to forget what happened during the preceding game, thus losing a sense of the campaign's flow and continuity.
So, if you are interested in this, you should be able to commit to twice a month with only an occasional cancellation due to life issues beyond anyone's control. I understand that everyone has a life outside of gaming, but also keep in mind that a roleplaying game is as much a social function as a game, since it is a group activity, so frequent no-shows will take their toll on the group in time.
Well, if you've read this far then chances are you are probably still interested. If so, please respond to this thread or email me at mrdow AT highstream DOT net. I look forward to hearing from you!
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