D&D Campaign Info

I. Structure

  • This will be an OPEN TABLE, drop-in campaign.
  • Each session will begin & end in the relative safety of civilization.
  • Missing a session will not hamper other players.
  • The campaign may consist of different groups whose players never meet. Because it is a persistent world, their actions will affect one another.
  • There is no expectation that you attend every, or even the majority of sessions.
  • Play as you can. This is a game and the chief goal is fun.
  • I will run a session every week if possible. Saturdays are most likely, but there is room for varying schedules.
  • You are expected to buy nothing. I will provide rulebooks, dice (if needed), and anything else you may need to play.
  • Feel free to bring your own dice, character sheets, trays, and any other tools you prefer.

II. System

We will be using Old School Essentials: Advanced Fantasy - a retro clone of Basic/Expert D&D with a pinch of AD&D added in.
If you have never played early D&D, you’re in for a treat.
Here is a summary of concepts on classic D&D from the days of Google+:

  1. This is a game about interacting with this world as if it were a place that exists.
  2. Killing things is not the goal.
  3. There is nothing that is “supposed” to happen.
  4. Unknowability and consequence make everything interesting.
  5. You play as your character, not as the screenwriter writing your character.
  6. It’s your job to make your character interesting and to make the game interesting for you.
  7. If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.
  8. The answer is not on your character sheet.
  9. Things are swingy.
  10. You will die.

III. Table Rules

D&D can have a high fatality rate for characters, especially at lower levels. In this game, you will see characters die. Prepare for this, and don't bring characters to the table whose lives you are not willing to risk. I will not soften blows, or nudge dice in your favor. The risk of death makes your characters' accomplishments and your choices matter. I am rooting for you, but I am not here to insure that you win. If you have concerns about this aspect of the game, let me know. I can speak at length about this issue. Otherwise, I encourage everyone to give it a shot. Your choices only matter when there are stakes and outcomes are not predetermined.

Refrain from excessive "table chatter" if you can. Talking at length about *off topic* issues at the table slows down play. You don't have to use voices or become immersed in your characters, but when you're dragging the group out of the game, it defeats the point of playing. I'm not asking anyone to sit in silence, but that 5 minute story about an internet argument can wait until a break.

The Dungeon Master is final arbitrator of conflicts. I follow the "rulings, not rules" philosophy in games I'm running. We are all at the table to have fun, but at the end of the day, it is my decision that breaks ties. Feel free to challenge a ruling, but if it's a larger conversation, we'll talk about it after the session. Have faith in the fact that I'm not petty, cruel, or "out to get you."

IV. Characters

There is no rule, or even expectation, in classic D&D that you will have one character per player. This is one of the earliest false assumptions.

Create as many characters as you would like. You will bring one of them into peril with you each session. During the first session we will create characters for anyone who needs one. The process is simple in classic D&D.

Don't write a backstory.

Find out who your character is at the table.

Take notes.

Give them a name, dreams, motivations.

They may die.

That doesn't mean they never lived.

V. Appendix

Suggested Reading:
OSR Guide for the Perplexed

Youtube Links:
What is the OSR? OSR vs 5th Edition

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"Black Metal" Logo by Maxwell Aston

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