OOC THREAD ZERO - READ ME FIRST

Hello all!

So, because we have an asynchronous means of play here, we can't have a Session Zero. So, I'm gonna give a shot at a... Thread Zero.

First things first, I do want to be upfront in that, I'm not super-experienced with D&D 5E. I've been playing rpgs for over 25 years, lots of experience with other editions of D&D and other systems, but this will be exactly the second 5E game I've ever DMed (and the first one I've DMed is currently ongoing and we're only at 4th level so...). I have also ran the "Adventures in Middle-Earth" 5E adaptation a couple of times. And I've played in, basically, one-shots of 5E a couple times. But so broadly not super experienced with the system, so please bear with me (and let me know) if/when I get things wrong.

Also, I am the type of DM that tries to be their player's biggest fan. I will revel with you in your success, and wallow in your defeats. But always know that I am here because I want to tell a great story with you guys in the starring role. There will be ups, but there will also be downs, and when there are downs, please know that it's not me trying to defeat you, or "win" the situation, but rather it's just me trying to tell a great story, and I think great stories have downs. I feel like pbp can really make the lowes feel extremely LOW, so my point is just know that you will always have the opportunity to redeem those lows.

Alright, I'll try not to belabor this next stuff too much, I've gamed with some of you and know of some of you just from seeing you around the forums and stuff, but at the same time you never know who might come on later. So I do want to touch on a few points...

Social Contract:
My main thing here is, respect. I don't anticipate problems with anyone mistreating anyone else here - it won't be tolerated, so for PBP this mainly comes down to posting IMO.

So just try to put in the same amount of effort into posts as everyone else does. This is in regards to post "quality", and quantity.

A post doesn't have to be long, to be quality, it just needs to add something to the narrative, right?

So, when you post try to always add to the narrative. Advance or inform the situation in some way. Even if that's to say, "I don't know what's going on." or "Can you please explain that more." And regarding quantity, try to post once a day, on average (minus weekends, I am generally unavailable on weekends), while at the same time giving others "space" and time to post too.

With regards to boundaries, I don't tend to push the edge with D&D. I'm generally a pretty "PG-13" type of story teller, so you don't have to worry about depictions of sexual violence or violence against kids or anything like that in this game. Cursing, I don't mind, so long as it fits the setting. And while things may get gruesome or horrific at times, it's not something that I do in a glorifying or reveling-in-it sort of way.

For all of you, I hope you will feel safe in being upfront with all of us by commenting in this thread to outline any hard "Lines" or limits you would like to share for no one to cross that are outside of the standard I've outlined above.

Campaign Tone:
I've tried to outline the premise, and feel, and tone of the campaign in the interest check thread a little but I'll expand on it a bit here.

First, I want to say that, in my experience, campaigns that are a little more focused than might be "normal" have always worked best for me in PbP. And this campaign is fairly focused. I don't know what every/anyone's expectations, or understandings, are of being able to do whatever your character wants whenever they want, but for this game I'm asking for your buy-in, into a premise, and into a plot.

The premise and buy-in is there to ensure we have a cohesive group, and a cohesive goal to pursue - so, an inclusive story that is always moving forward. And essentially to ensure that this remains a social and collaborative experience. At which point our/your player agency is there determining how to address any given situation that emerges and to turn that into the most awesome story that we can, together.

I hope that makes sense and is agreeable. I will not railroad you - your choices will affect the world and then course of the story, but I do ask that your character take interest in what's going on in the world in front of them.

I will work with you to incorporate elements from your background, and character goals into the campaign, as desired, but given that this is at least initially conceived of as a kind of micro-campaign, particularly long term goals may not be practical.

So, the scope of this campaign is small, right? You're not gonna be The Heroes of the Entire World™ when it's done. The setting is... I will call it; intimate. It's not limited, but it is focused. I want the feel to be... not low fantasy, but... humble? And furthermore, the assumption will be that your character's are generally heroic. That doesn't mean they have to be good, but an evil or very selfish character will probably not fit well. That doesn't mean you all have to be Dudley Dooright, and never ask for anything in return, but if your character concept is motivated solely by accumulating wealth, it may be difficult for them to fit them into this story.

Which is not to say that you won't receive wealth, you will. But it is most likely to come about as a result of pursuing the story, not as a reason for pursuing the story.

Alright, so, TLDR: generally heroic tone, with a rather focused plot.

Houserules:
I'm not gonna be too heavy-handed here, particularly because, as mentioned, I'm not super experienced with 5E. But there are a couple of things I want to bring up:

1. Inspiration - I love the Inspiration mechanic. I will try to be mindful in awarding you guys inspiration, but I also want you, as Players, to also engage in the Inspiration mechanic, and let me know when you think you or someone else has earned it. And I particularly love using Inspiration as a "carrot" for getting players to cause their own character problems. I will always always ALWAYS give you inspiration for invoking your Background, or Flaw, or Bond, or even just using the narrative, in a way that causes your own character a problem, or difficulty, or setback.

And toward that end, of having a healthy inspiration "economy", I want to expand the uses of Inspiration. I have outlined those additional uses of Inspiration in the "OOC Resource Thread".

2. Roll Resolution and Consequences - So if you look at p. 242 of the DMG, there's a whole half-page dedicated to this... with sub-headings like, "Success at Cost", "Degrees of Failure (and I like to expand that to Degrees of Success too)", and "Critical Success or Failure". I like to utilize all of these options, just to "loosen up" the system a little bit. To make sure a failed roll never creates a dead-end for the plot, and so on...

So just be aware that those things may happen, it may not be consistent, but it will always be done with an eye toward creating a dramatic and interesting story.

Alright well I think that about covers it.

Please comment below and let me know if you have any discomfort with the topics as discussed (or if you like or agree with them!), topics I missed or of your own concern, questions, or "Lines" not-to-be-crossed, etc. below.

For me that's all perfectly agreeable and well planned. I'm looking forward to play with you all.

As for focused plot: I think this an ingredient to make PbP work really well. Too much freedom dilutes the story progress in weeklong discussions about what to do next. So I am very well for it.

Thanks for the affirmation, Scrol.

Typing it up, it seemed a bit... overbearing. So I hope it can be taken in the spirit it was conceived from, which was with an eye toward just collaboration and having everyone on the same page to create a game that flows.

It's really nice to get the premise of the game sorted upfront

Yeppers.

I don't have a problem with my characters dying, changing alignment, or taking permanent physical injuries that are so bad that it reduces their effectiveness.

Besides the obvious red lines - my red line (okay, maybe not red, pinkish?) is DMG madness. I find it really difficult to play characters with serious mental illness. It's either really uncomfortable, or I end up playing it as an offensive stereotype. Neither of which is fun. I'm not against it - but if it comes up, then can you PM me so we can work something out?

You got it, Adam.

Definitely not a state that I tend to force upon PCs/players. But if it comes up, I will PM you.