Session Zero

Welcome, everyone, to the Keep on the Borderlands! Before we get started, there are some important topics I want to go over.

Lines and Veils
Lines and Veils are safety tools meant to clearly indicate topics that players find sensitive or triggering. Not everyone wants to vicariously experience things they may find upsetting or disturbing, so we establish ahead of time which topics we're going to be careful about or even avoid in the first place.

A Veil is a topic that we should be careful about addressing, which is usually only implied in a "fade to black" moment. Try not to dwell on a Veiled topic, and be ready to drop it completely if someone is uncomfortable. A Line is a hard line that we should never even think about crossing. Lined topics will be avoided entirely, no questions asked. Feel free to share your Lines and Veils, by posting below or by PM.After we share our Lines and Veils, I'll pin the list to the top of the threads as a constant reminder, which can always be changed or added to. As an addendum to this, please indicate whether you want your PC to engage in romance or not, with other PCs, NPCs, or both. For caution, lack of an answer will be treated as a negative one.

Rules Options
Time to have that discussion I've been talking about. Please let me know what you all think about the following, most of which will determine what kind of character sheets we use:

1. PCs per Player: I initially allowed two PCs per player to make up for a smaller party than the module suggests. Since that won't be the case, I suggest each of you create one PC and save the other as a backup. If some of you really want to play two PCs at once, I'll allow it as long as you try to keep them separate and distinct. I already expect you guys might want to split up and form sub-parties anyway, for tactical and story reasons. From what I understand, that's one of the truest old-school traditions.

2. Armor Class: As you all know, there are two ways in OSE to track Armor Class: Descending (subtraction) and Ascending (addition). I want to know which option you all find more intuitive and want to use for the campaign. Personally, I'm really interested in a third middle-of-the-road option: Target 20. (Thanks again @Harrigan for the suggestion!) I believe this will combine the best of DAC and AAC to be even simpler than both.

3. Encumbrance: Because gold is equivalent to XP in old-school games, encumbrance rules are a must-have so the game isn't far easier than it's meant to be. Initially, I wanted to use the basic rules in the Player's Tome, but I recently remembered that item-based encumbrance exists. I find item-based encumbrance even more engaging and intuitive, since it depends on slots, which are easier to interface with than floating numbers.

4. Multiclassing: After much deliberation, I have decided to allow multiclassing. Feel free to make whatever combinations you like, within the bounds of the rules of course. From what I've read, it shouldn't create too much power disparity within the party. More importantly, as long as it makes sense in the narrative then I'm game.

Where is the Keep on the Borderlands?
This question is only really important if we want to keep going after finishing the module. Some say Mystara, others say Greyhawk, and a few new-wave folks suggest the Forgotten Realms. Of course, just as many people move it to their homebrew world. For our campaign, I'm in favor of the last option; I have an old, storied homebrew setting that would synergize really well with Mike's World: The Forsaken Wilderness Beyond. (Thanks again to @cowleyc for the suggestion.) Going this way would make things decidedly post-apocalyptic, so I'd love to hear what you all think first before making a final decision.

Fun Sidenote
This isn't critical game information, but as I've been preparing for this campaign I've been listening to a ton of Uriah Heep, Rainbow, Dio, etc. Granted it's what I normally listen to, but it's also great at setting the mood of a wondrous and mystical fantasy campaign, old-school style. In fact, one of my favorite things is to assign theme songs to important characters, locations, and story beats in my campaigns. If you can relate, feel free to share what music you listen to and how it inspires you!

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Once we cover this fundamental stuff (especially the last part, lol) we can get to character creation.

Triggers: There isn't much that triggers me, other than what you have already mentioned, so I have nothing to add there.

Rules options: I Like descending AC simply because it's what I grew up on, but I'm nothing if not flexible and I will adapt to whatever system you use.

Where? I'm all for using homebrew stuff, including Mike's World (with which I am passingly familiar), and a post-apoc feel is good by me.

Lines and Veils
The list provided there looks good! I don't get into smooching into my games, and I avoid harm to children, but I'm able to look at most things as part of a story. I have no issues if others have stricter lines, though!

Rules Options
I'm a big fan of Ascending AC, because it's just the bee's knees. I can do whatever, though I haven't tried Target 20 yet.

I have no issue with Item-Based Encumbrance!

Where We Be
That sounds great! I've been interested in running a Dying-Earth style KotB, and post-apoc fantasy is right up there!

CHARACTER CONCEPT: Darlene
Darlene has always loved animals, a passion that has gotten her into trouble on more than one occasion. As a youngster, she brought home strays regularly and spent much of her free time chasing after a variety of domestic animals. Even as an adult, animals naturally gravitate to her and she feeds and speaks to them as though they were intelligent beings. As a half-elf raised among elves, she faced several challenges from her peers, all of whom remained slighter and more agile than she. Her human father was not well-received among the elves and was permitted to remain only because of her mother's importance in the community. When she reached the age of 16, she left home, vowing to prove herself worthy of her elven heritage.

Darlene is a half-elf female ranger (if multiclassing is permitted, she is a ranger/druid).

I'm a big fan of post-apoc in general, and I've been meaning to get into Dying Earth as a series and a subgenre. Can't believe I haven't yet with how long I've been playing D&D. This may be the perfect opportunity!
Very nice; she sounds like a character with a lot of story potential. Thanks for the reminder about multiclassing. After much deliberation, I say go for whatever combination you like. From what I've read, it shouldn't create too much power disparity within the party. More importantly, as long as it makes sense in the narrative then I'm game. I will add this declaration to the initial post as well.

Lines and Veils
I agree with the lists provided so far. In terms of sensitive material, I want to say we’re all sensible in terms of what’s objectionable and what’s not, and I’ll certainly be respectful of boundaries. I mostly just want to see everyone having fun, and not taking things too seriously. Internet forums and social media platforms can be notorious, it seems, for misinterpretations, misunderstandings and passive aggression. If we can all do our part to minimize such things, I think we’ll all have a great time.

Rules Options
I like old school, descending, but the Target 20 rule sounds neat. I am flexible.

I too have no issue with Item-Based Encumbrance.

Where We Be
I’m most familiar with FR, but open to any particular setting.

:)

Well said about sensitive material and the nature of the Internet, WhiteDwarf. Let's all keep that attitude at heart :) .

As for location...I'm a huge fan of FR...when playing the H-series Bloodstone Pass set, it was in Forgotten Realms.

That said, I'll be happy with wherever...and should we end up reaching the H series (yes, I have high hopes lol), it can be FR or generic based on where we go for Keep on the Borderlands.

As a newer FR fan (all I really know are the 5e adventures and the Drizzt novels), I'm glad to be introduced to more old-school FR material. Trust me when I say that I haven't entirely forgotten about the H-series since you first brought it up, Sardis.

Lines and Veils
Answered over in the L&V thread -- whoops if you wanted to keep that "clean", DD62. In case you do, just delete that post and I'll record my preferences here:
Roolz
PCs Per Player: I like the idea of having a couple of PCs in the 'stable' (that's truly old school), but only playing one at a time. With slow healing, we can lean into this -- after a rough outing, some folks might have to heal up the hard way at the Keep.

Armor Class: Vastly prefer ascending AC, but can adapt to whatever we decide to roll with.

Encumbrance: Really enjoy slot-based systems if they aren't too punishing. (Knave and Cairn, for example, need some fine-tuning to make them a little less unfun.)

Multi-Classing: Whatevs! You won't see me doing any of this, especially if we're going with race-as-class options.

The Setting
I'm cool with whatever here, but be aware post apocalyptic can means a lot of different things. Having there be decadent, ancient and forgotten civilizations is one thing (and obviously a staple of D&D); it's a different thing when suddenly there are space ships, alien lizard men, robots and ray guns.

I like Harridans idea about having extra characters on pause, although I'm not familiar with it, the idea sounds very appealing to me.

Armor class/encumbrance: I'm good with any rules because I have to learn them anyways :)

Multiclassing: is that something to start out with or something to level into?

Setting: I'm flexible and always like to learn about more settings and lore.


On a side note, how do I add a header like the ones all of you have been using?

You would start that way. If you choose ‘the advanced method’ of character creation, you pick your classes together, then split your XP between them as you progress. It’s how they rolled pre-third edition.
@DragonDweller62 When and where would you like us to begin rolling our characters? It’s 3d6, right?

The headers, and a whooooole bunch of other things, are nestled into the fancy F tag:

Harrigan, I don't mind that the L&V thread isn't clean as long as the original post is updated.
That's a really great point about extra PCs being kept at the Keep. I don't want to mess with the standard healing rate because I want PCs to be able to adventure more often, but I will suggest other benefits of extra PCs: they can maintain their own wealth and assets, they can name the other PC in their will, they can engage in downtime while stabled, and they're a great choice for a backup character or just a change of pace. I think that's closer to the vision I had of multiple PCs, but put more simply by someone who has more experience.
I guess I should elaborate on the homebrew world I plan on using. It's a moon-sized planet called Allor that used to be a realm of high fantasy but has since been invaded by beings of pure Evil Chaos. It was actually the setting of my first ever ttrpg campaign, a 5e campaign that was a little too ambitious and didn't last very long. I incorporated the failure of the quest into the story, thus the invasion of Evil that made it a post-apoc setting.

I haven't actually been there since—I only really use it for visions and glimpses that show high-level parties what's at stake in their world-saving quests—but it's probably been decades or centuries since the apocalypse, and the tone in my head is very close to Dark Sun mixed with FR and the first few Dark Tower novels.

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In the interest of keeping this thread clean for the others joining us, I'll be making a separate thread for character creation. Yes, it's 3d6 down the line, and then you can either swap two scores or increase Prime Requisite(s). I'll detail character generation more when I get that thread up.

Just to clarify on healing -- I don't mean to adopt something non-standard. I'm talking if we're using the base OSE healing rules, which are:
Note full day of rest. Depending on clerics and such, even being down 4-5hp will take time to heal. And at first level, Clerics don't get spells!

Getting hurt and recovering is just one of the many problems we'll need to solve... =]

Okay, good to know. Thanks
Ah, that is great to know. Thank you

Ohh, got you. I do enjoy and will be using the standard rate of healing, just misread what you were saying at first. Thought you were talking about going even slower. I guess all the stuff I said above could apply too, except now that I think about it you're not really allowed to name an existing character in your will.

I am excited for the challenge! I don't think there are even many NPC healers either. Certainly no one who can raise the dead. It's really going to put risk and combat into a new perspective, at least in the beginning.

A will wouldn't work anyway. Either that body is gone, or the rest of the party looted the crap out of the corpse anyway. =]
Music to my ears!

I'm fine with much of what's been listed in the Lines and Veils.
Slot based is... Based!
Having multiple characters around in the event something happens is a nice idea.
I'm a fan of descending AC, but the other way sounds... Interesting. Just would need a bit to wrap my head around it.
In terms of the setting, I'd be good with FR since I know it a bit more than the others.

Did we gather up the results of the AC poll? If more folks prefer classic DAC, I'm fine with it. All of these methods require the GM to weight in at the front end of the fight with the AC if they want to speed play slightly...

Everyone said they were flexible, but I also counted 3 DAC, 2 AAC, and 1 Target 20. DAC and AAC were tied until Abby voted for DAC, and before that I tentatively decided on T20 since it's already something of a compromise between the two.

EDIT: I do plan on providing all combatants' ACs upfront to speed up fights. That will remain the same whichever we use.