D&D Nostalgia

[Karui_Kage]

That is true, though even with the rules I set up in my own games, I can still appreciate a level of flexibility, like you mention. So long as a player talks to me first, I don't mind as much. If I set up a list of books allowed to include A - F, and a player wants to use something from book P, I'll look through it still and possibly make an exception if it isn't overpowered or anything.

In this case, it did look like the player was talking to him first, instead of just walking in with an already made character that went outside the guidelines. If a player did that to me, I'd most definitely be upset as well.

[Grimwell]

rabkala, I'd be interested in seeing your 550k document. I'm gearing up (slowly) for my firs full game in a few years, and would love to see what good ideas I can steal!

[Moritz]

Hey Moritz, I have to ask a bit about the background context, was this a game where the starting character was level 2 or level 6?

All starting characters were to be level 2. Normal PHB allowed races and classes. The person wanted a race that would put him at ECL6. It would have been far too powerful of a character.

[TheYeti1775]

rabkala, I'd be interested in seeing your 550k document. I'm gearing up (slowly) for my firs full game in a few years, and would love to see what good ideas I can steal!

Would love to see it as well.

That is true, though even with the rules I set up in my own games, I can still appreciate a level of flexibility, like you mention. So long as a player talks to me first, I don't mind as much. If I set up a list of books allowed to include A - F, and a player wants to use something from book P, I'll look through it still and possibly make an exception if it isn't overpowered or anything.

In this case, it did look like the player was talking to him first, instead of just walking in with an already made character that went outside the guidelines. If a player did that to me, I'd most definitely be upset as well.

I'll always consider other sources, though as a DM I'm quite lenient on what I allow. But like the other DM in my group, one of our favorite things is if PC's can do it, so can the bad guys.

[Moritz]

When a player shows up to the game having completely ignored what was in the information, you wonder if you want them in the game. It shows a complete lack of respect and an inability to follow the rules.

That's grounds for immediate voting off the island. I seriously dislike that type of player.

Oh, and by the way, my house rules are 1,094KB - 60 pages. The first 20 are most important, the rest are class dependent.

[TheYeti1775]

That's grounds for immediate voting off the island. I seriously dislike that type of player.

Oh, and by the way, my house rules are 1,094KB - 60 pages. The first 20 are most important, the rest are class dependent.

Mind sharing them?

[Moritz]

Mind sharing them?

Sure, give me an email where I can send. I doubt I could post them on this board.

[rabkala]

rabkala, I'd be interested in seeing your 550k document. I'm gearing up (slowly) for my firs full game in a few years, and would love to see what good ideas I can steal!

I can't take all the credit for my world, yet. It started due to a now defunct play by post site. I was playing in the unfinished world and writing up areas that were untouched. I then started using it in one of my table top games. I slowly write up areas I need or rewrite other peoples work that doesn't fit or I don't like. I figured one day I could have the world created anew, but it is quite a task.

Here is a small excerpt as it appeared when I first wrote it for the world. I have yet to bring one of my groups here.

Xar
___________________________________________

Xar is a small country on the East Sea. It is bordered by Kingland to the south, Norga to the north west, and The Theocracy of Bresea to the west. The forests are home to a multitude of fey folk who are at odds with the magocracy. Most households have small time saving magical devices. With advances in knowledge and the aid of magic, no people go unfed. No beggars wander the streets. Xar is a loose based republic held in check by the power of the Mage council.

Cultural Level: late middle ages (High magic)

Landscape: Thick deciduous forests , towering mountains and fair farmlands near the sea dominate the landscape. A temperate climate permeates this region.

Major Settlements: ( Michocan, Bronden, Indarqul, and Rezdon )
Michocan is a large city at the foothills of the Mountains. The city is Known for its fine metal works and grand architecture. Michocan is the current capital of Xar.
Bronden is located beneath the Fey Forest. Using the resources of the forest, it became a great city in its own right with elven inspired architecture. In recent years, they have been facing a slow decline due to problems with the forests inhabitants.
Indarqul is the largest sea port in Xar. It is a chaotic mass of humanity harvesting what it can from the sea. The population has grown to surpass all other cities in Xar.
Rezdon is a trade city located in the southwest corner of Xar. Most of the Kingland trade travels through this city. Rezdon has the largest concentration of non-humans in any Xar city.

The Folk: Many of the first people in Xar were a short and stocky folk. They tend to be fair skinned with light hair. While the light skinned people were first, all sorts of people flooded the lands after the prosperity of the mageocracy. The common folk have embraced magic as a source to better their lives. While the five elemental gods are worshiped by many, it is currently in vogue to worship new gods. Many questionable deities appear and disappear with regularity.

The Law: While wizards are held to a different code of law, the mageocracy supports a a relatively fair system for the common man. Magistrates are armed with a large repertoire of divination spells so the truth never goes uncovered. The system is swift and severe for the guilty with public execution a common penalty for many crimes.

The wizards council rules the land. Every mage who has passed a series of competency tests has a vote in the selection of the Grand Mage and The Wizards Council. The council consists of twelve members who tend to be the best and the brightest to wield the art with all schools being represented. Council members serve a four year term and may be reelected. The Grand Mage has a term of 6 years and governs the wizards council. While the Grand Mage may be reelected, it is a rare occurrence.

Trade and diplomacy: Magic goods are the main export of Xar. The fine metals from the northern mountains are a close second in trade. Xar has no real allies as the wizard council feels above the petty bickering of foreign aristocrats and dignitaries. A healthy trade has been established with Kingland to the south.

History: Xar was a chaotic collection of self sufficient city states for much of their history. In 528 a great man rose to prominence in the city-state of Michocan. His name was Vestian Adain. Through strength of his sword, an awe inspiring presence, and shear force of will he strove to unite the region. The cities of Bronden and Indarqul fell before the might of his armies in 531. By late 533, in the face of his marching armies, many of the other cities in the area were willing to surrender or join with him.

His son, Valrick Adain, gained the throne in 565. Valricks first love was history. He was quick to fund expeditions and archaeological digs. A weak willed man with good intentions, he was manipulated by many. He made many attempts to appease the chaotic masses with little luck. Under pressure due to uprisings in Indarqul, he wed the daughter of one of the prominent Indarqul families. He grew to love this strange woman and had his only son with her in 576.

Vedrin Adain took the throne on his 20th birthday. Vedrin took after his mother and had little love for the throne. A shy and introverted man, Vedrin excelled in the arts. He grew to love the study of magic. Four years after gaining power, an archaeological dig discovered what was believed to be a library of the ancients. He immersed himself in the study of these ancient tomes. Believing that wizardry was the answer to everything, he laid the foundations of the mageocracy over the course of the next 10 years.

Glom the unexpected rose through the ranks of wizards quickly. While he was a man of small stature, Glom was a man of unyielding principle and the highest moral fiber. He met Vedrin shortly after the library discovery. He was unceremoniously handed power by a distracted Vedrin and beleaguered aristocracy in 610. Under Glom, the mageocracy ushered in a great prosperity to the land.

In recent years, a darkness has taken a hold of the wizards council.

Maybe we could start a world building project here? Maybe that could draw more people to the site, or keep them here once they visited. Any thoughts?

[Grimwell]

World building projects require dedication and a good central organizer. Otherwise they stall. Not to be a poo poo'er, but are you ready to be that central guy? If someone is, it could be a lot of fun.

My idea, a central file store where we can upload our multi-page campaign documents and then steal from each other! I can host them on my site if bandwidth is an issue. Then we just need a librarian to keep things organized and findable!

[Farcaster]

My idea, a central file store where we can upload our multi-page campaign documents and then steal from each other! I can host them on my site if bandwidth is an issue. Then we just need a librarian to keep things organized and findable!

Bandwidth is not even close to being an issue. We have tons of bandwidth to play with here (in the 3TB/mo range). The new Articles/Blogs area might be an idea repository for this sort of thing. It definitely allows uploading of larger files and is easier to organize documents within. If you have any thoughts on how the new resources area could fit your needs better, let me know.

[willofdukes]

My fondest memory in D&D was a campaign my brother ran where a evil druid had started making a army of undead using a magic item. I was a lv10 sorcerer/lv2 Elemental Savant. At one point in the game the party (Consisting of a inquisitor of St. Cuburt, a warrior, a assassin and me) were in a forgotten military encampment. After successfully searching it and finding a good place to sleep we camped for the night. We were awaken by a man who called himself mr. Grey and his troop of mutated howlers. After finishing off the howlers we turned our attention to mr. Grey. After all of our attacks a grey substance would appear on his wound and heal him. So I had the warrior grapple him and take him into one of the buildings. we then proceeded to knock out the supports and drop it on Mr. Grey. Right as the last one dropped the warrior dropped him and ran out. I proceeded to drop stone walls over him. It worked really well for taking down a invulnerable character.

[michaeljearley]

Good for you, Moritz. Still I'm envious you have enough players that you can turn some down.

Seriously. Let me live in this land of candy and strippers.

[tesral]

Where do I start? I could write a good sized book on the subject.

Weekend sessions that lasted all weekend. We played Friday night, got food ,played Saturday away, and into Sunday when we dragged home and fell over to work on Monday. Gaming several nights a week all over town. (Gas was only 57 cents a gallon.)

All the gaming gear I owned including the miniature painting stuff fit in one catalog case. At the time it seemed enough.

Six nights a week with good friends doing fun stuff. (One day a week I tended to get home form work and die on the spot.) I did end up moving in with the girls and that took care of the traveling there problem.

We were all young, had enough money and plenty of time. I remember a "discussion" over who got the two (not great) card tables. I said, I'll be back. Went to Sears and bought three of the things. Took care of the argument.

Going to cons together, hanging out at the various gaming stores. We would spend an entire Saturday "day" hitting all the major gaming stores in the area. About 100 miles of driving. Then eat and get down to gaming that night.

[cplmac]

Where do I start? I could write a good sized book on the subject.

Weekend sessions that lasted all weekend. We played Friday night, got food ,played Saturday away, and into Sunday when we dragged home and fell over to work on Monday. Gaming several nights a week all over town. (Gas was only 57 cents a gallon.)

All the gaming gear I owned including the miniature painting stuff fit in one catalog case. At the time it seemed enough.

Six nights a week with good friends doing fun stuff. (One day a week I tended to get home form work and die on the spot.) I did end up moving in with the girls and that took care of the traveling there problem.

We were all young, had enough money and plenty of time. I remember a "discussion" over who got the two (not great) card tables. I said, I'll be back. Went to Sears and bought three of the things. Took care of the argument.

Going to cons together, hanging out at the various gaming stores. We would spend an entire Saturday "day" hitting all the major gaming stores in the area. About 100 miles of driving. Then eat and get down to gaming that night.

Most of the rest of us can only hope to be in the same league.

[Talmek]

My personal experience comes from the DM side. In my first campaign (Forgotten Realms) my two players were a human sorcerer/dragon disciple and an elf ranger/wizard/rogue (my best friend of five years and my ex-wife, respectively). I didn't know where to begin in terms of creating my own adventures, so I would go through the archive on the WotC site and pick something level-specific and modify it.

It was great, and much like Tesral's weekend game-a-thons. We'd all meet at my place Friday afternoon, order pizza, soda, and play late into Saturday morning. Sleep for a few hours and start back up around 7 pm Saturday night straight through until it got retarded (sometime around Sunday 4-6 pm). Great times, and some really funny happenings.