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Have you ever wanted to go on an adventure, but the travel agent kept ripping you off? Have all the other nerds in your area been expatriated, or worse yet, decided they want to "spend more time with their families?" Will you stare defiantly into the merciless eyes of a Lich King while the prospect of meeting actual other people fills you with unimaginable dread? Then the GWJ Roleplaying Group is right for you!

"Every now and then" we're meeting online to play Dungeons and Dragons 4E thanks to the benevolent dictatorship of our volunteer DMs. After all, when you're already dealing with misunderstandings and group politics, why not add technical issues to the mix?

Interested in playing? Join the Google Group!

Games being planned:

All times are EST for consistency.

DM: kingmob
Shadows of Witchlight
Prep on Tuesday, July 1 @ 8pm
Wednesday, July 2
7pm-11:30pm

DM: Farscry
Thursday, July 10th
9pm-12am

DM: wizard_in_motley
Encounter at Fallcrest
Friday, July 11th
7pm-11pm

Check the Google Calendar for more up to date times.

We have a wiki!

Still not decided on a tool to use yet, though it won't be too long now. (It won't, will it?)

I'd enjoy both playing and DM'ing. If I DM, I'm looking to most likely give a 4th ed game a whirl. However, with the mess here in Iowa, it'll be a couple weeks (maybe three or four) before I get a hold of the DMG & MM to read through 'em and get a campaign started assembling.

I cannot make regular weekend availability. I can make one weeknight per week available. The following nights are up for grabs for the designated game night: Tues, Wed, or Thurs. 7-11pm central is the timespan I can go from, but am targetting a three hour session (i.e. 7-10 or 8-11 or 7:30-10:30).

If I DM, it really varies on a session-to-session basis how much is RP and how much is combat. I do like tactical combat using minis & maps. I also like strong RP, encouraging players to speak in-character as much as possible when going over the characters' interactions with each other and with NPC's. I also strongly discourage metagaming, i.e. guiding your characters actions with knowledge the player has versus knowledge the character should have. I prefer players not share their actual statsheets with each other, but rather learn their teammates' capabilities through shared experience.

As a player, I hate being railroaded. A good DM should be able to roll with the punches, and if the players "screw up" the adventure path you carefully plotted, go with it and see where they take things instead. Villains and plotlines don't require set adventure paths with no deviation. The players choose to go to another city instead of pursuing a lead you planted in the current one? No biggie, drop a new lead in their new city that might encourage them to continue investigating the now-larger mystery than what you originally had going!

Some of the best sessions I ever ran were ones where the players completely broke my plans, and I had to improv my way through.

I'd like to join if there's room somewhere. We've got the 4th ed player's handbook, and I've played a bit of 3.5, so I'm not a total newbie, but I'm not nearly experienced enough to DM. I like RP heavy and lots of story, but I'm not opposed to some hack n slash too. I've got Fantasy Grounds installed. My schedule is open for evenings.

I would definitely be interested in giving this a go, but I need to pickup the player handbook and get familiar with it. I haven't played since 2nd ed., so I may be rusty.

I'm available 7pm-1am EST and most weekends.

I prefer to play, but wouldn't mind subbing in for the DM, once I get a feel for the rules and the group.
Generally I get more into the roleplaying than the combat, though I tend to play fairly combat centric characters (paladins, rangers, battlemages, etc.) I may have a friend or two willing to jump in as well, if we get something going.

Generally I roleplay with a fairly relaxed group. We don't mind is a rule or two gets bent in the interest of story progressing.

Put me down too, west coast here.

I'd like to get in on this, but 22 people... Doubt I'll get a chance. I'm an old school d&d player, but am willing to learn 4th ed. I do NOT enjoy roleplaying every little encounter (just show me an equipment list, thanks), and I'm glad to go where the dm wants me to in order to keep the game going.

Damn blackberry...

Farscry wrote:

However, with the mess here in Iowa, it'll be a couple weeks (maybe three or four) before I get a hold of the DMG & MM to read through 'em and get a campaign started assembling.

Rob_Anybody wrote:

I would definitely be interested in giving this a go, but I need to pickup the player handbook and get familiar with it.

I don't expect things to get fully rolling right away, I just wanted to start the dialogue so the idea didn't die when the excitement wore off.

Also, one of the reasons I'm interested in playing with GWJers is I'm assuming they'll be patient enough with newer players (like me) to get them going. I don't think being new will be an issue, though feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Brennil wrote:

My schedule is open for evenings.

Assuming 7-11 EST

SommerMatt wrote:

I'd like to get in on this, but 22 people... Doubt I'll get a chance.

25 now :]

These are just the people who showed interest, and we'll have to split groups/times up anyway. I'd hate to see someone not get to play that wants to. Want to go down as a "maybe?"

jonnypolite wrote:

Put me down too, west coast here.

9-1 EST? (6-10 PST?)

6-10pst is a good window timewise my schedule has me on call irregularly, so i can't say a specific night, but my interest is true.

Count me in for anytime between 7-12 est time Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. Weekends can be iffy. Sometimes I have them open, sometimes I don't. It really just comes down to the particular week.

While I enjoy DMing, I'm not that great at it and I think I'd rather play as a character than being the DM. I don't enjoy talking in character, but I do like trying to roleplay the characters actions. I also enjoy teaching new players how to play the game. So while I've yet to play a 4th ed game, I'll probably learn quickly and be able to help out the new guys.

OK, so here's the thing.

THis is doomed to fail. I mean that as someone determined to make it not. But lets face it, the chances of any random collection of forumgoers getting together on anything like a regular basis for the 4 hours it takes to do this, with real consistency, is slim.

So here's my proposition. INSTEAD of trying to come up with THREE different groups, how about this. We come up with ONE party idea. 5-10 characters, all stock 4e. We come up with 1-3 folks who will DM. At any given session, the players pick from this pool of characters and play the game. When they are done, they then put these characters back on the shelf for everyone to use. The stories (even very brief 1 paragraph stories) of each session are recorded here, and then the next game can pick up.

"I'll be running a session on thursday from 8-12. First 6 in get dibs."

"I call goober the paladin."

"I've got mishwiz the wizard."

etc.

It's sort of like the dwarf fortress games where each player plays one year, then hands the save file off to the next player.

Is that completely brilliant or what?

At the end of each session, ALL the characters in the stable are given the XP.

Just picked up the Players Handbook and I'll be flipping through it tonight. I'd also be interested in joing up for a gaming night. Just be aware that I've got next to no experience playing DnD

EDIT: I should be free most week nights after 7CST other than Wednesdays. Not sure if I'm willing to dump the coin into Fantasy Grounds just yet though. I'm off to Toronto at the end of the month and I shouldn't be spending my money willy nilly until after I get back

Though not what I'd consider the ideal solution, rabbit's might be the only realistic one and I bow to his superior knowledge in these things. Consensus?

rabbit wrote:

So here's my proposition. INSTEAD of trying to come up with THREE different groups, how about this. We come up with ONE party idea. 5-10 characters, all stock 4e. We come up with 1-3 folks who will DM. At any given session, the players pick from this pool of characters and play the game. When they are done, they then put these characters back on the shelf for everyone to use. The stories (even very brief 1 paragraph stories) of each session are recorded here, and then the next game can pick up.

That sounds like a great idea rabbit. It would also work as great practice for those of us who haven't dusted off our polyhedrals in quite a few years.
Please put me down as available on Sunday nights from 7 to midnight.

Given that I've wanted to game for about a year and had no opportunities, I'll take what I can get. I'm available pretty much whenever.

I ran a game of In Nomine kinda like this - I had about eight players but only four showed up any given night - and it suffered from a severe lack of player engagement.
Basically they were there for the beginning of a story but not for the end, or vice versa, and often had to be reminded what was going on and so on.

I don't want to crap on Rabbit's idea like a jerk, but this is what comes up in my mind when I hear his idea.

With that said, if we had good, committed writers for the writeup at the end of the session, I think it might be kinda cool - I like the thought of having a record.

Oh, and volunteering to DM but happy to play, either is good. Available 7-12 pm EST most nights, weekdays preferred (I like to save my weekends for dancin! No, that's a lie).

ps. If you've never read Knights of the Dinner Table, but you play RPGs, you should really check it out. I know I'm probably preaching to the choir but just in case.
They're giving away a free issue here.

Rabbit, I like the idea but with your scenario how do you handle character death though? Or the lack of character customization? I always liked playing Wizards as utility characters instead of the typical damage dealers but that might not be something that another gamer will enjoy trying. I'm fascinated with the idea though... You could almost evolve the characters to become like the El Mariachi, Desperado, Once Upon a Time in Mexico movies where a "tale" becomes a "myth" and then a "legend".

As far as my availablility, I'm in pretty much any time after 8PM any night of the week. I would prefer a weekday event though. I'm into both RPing and combat heavy campaigns. I just bought the 4th Edition PHB and I am pretty experienced with RPGs.

I think this label would work for me.
// 8PM - 2AM EST + Weekends // RP+C

Also, maybe we should look at Facebook with its live Chat & event features as a test bed for organizing the activities?

LockAndLoad wrote:

Rabbit, I like the idea but with your scenario how do you handle character death though? Or the lack of character customization?

I've been thinking a bit on it, and the lack of having my own character seems my major problem with the system. I'm trying to work out a way in my head where we can all maintain our own characters (with enlarged prostates perhaps to explain the repeated absences) but I'm having trouble thinking of how to keep the game coherent. Any magical solution I'm not thinking of?

LockAndLoad wrote:

Also, maybe we should look at Facebook with its live Chat & event features as a test bed for organizing the activities?

Sounds like we have a volunteer!

Brennil wrote:

Given that I've wanted to game for about a year and had no opportunities, I'll take what I can get. ;)

Ditto, I've been able to get some people to play Catan with me, and even occasionally Munchkin. But D&D is a line that people who are into 4-wheelers and monster truck rallies (most of the people around here) don't seem willing to cross. Hence why I've been so excited about the online prospects.

Also, I don't think acceptance of one idea necessarily precludes the use of the other. I'm fully aware that our hopes may be bigger than our calendars. What I was hoping for was that we'd get rolling (pun intended, haha) and groups would naturally dwindle down and merge until we had a regular group or two. Those of us who think we can maintain a longer campaign meeting regularly are free to try it, and those whose schedules (or otherwise) would prohibit that would still be free to take the shoe-jumping approach and laugh at us when we fail.

rabbit wrote:

We come up with ONE party idea. 5-10 characters, all stock 4e. We come up with 1-3 folks who will DM. At any given session, the players pick from this pool of characters and play the game. When they are done, they then put these characters back on the shelf for everyone to use. The stories (even very brief 1 paragraph stories) of each session are recorded here, and then the next game can pick up... At the end of each session, ALL the characters in the stable are given the XP.

One aspect that of this that we would be able to leverage is the fact that these tools allow modules to be created. It could then be run by any number of DMs with each person getting a chance to play as they can.

Because I want to make sure as many people get a chance to try something out I propose that we use the free software to start with, this lowers the entry barrier since folks are already forking over money for the PHB.

I'm willing to DM, willing to write modules and I'm pretty familiar with 4.0 rules already. I encourage Roleplaying and attempt to have the NPCs act realistically to the party.

I'm guessing my best time is going to be Saturdays, bi-weekly, early afternoons (11-4).

Sounds like I'm in a similar boat as a number of you. I haven't played D&D in about ten years. I've been looking to get back into it for the last year or so but haven't figured out how to find a good group here in the SF area (can't bring myself to walk into a gaming store for an adhoc game ;^). So I'm certainly interested in this idea.

I'm on the west coast. I can't commit to a set time for the weekends but there is a good chance I could commit for some week night (no preference). I'd be available to play after 7:30p (PST)....

I'm good for any kind of group, and while I'm usually on the east cost, there is the potential I would be playing from other timezones on any given weeknight. Maybe if we set up games for the individual time zones as mentioned, I'll flip into where I can on a given week.

I'm down for spending the money on fantasy grounds, but if I ever DM, it sounds like I'd need a tutorial on how to use some extra functions.

I would prefer to play, but wouldn't mind stepping in as DM out of the stable if that's how we work things. It sort of sounds like we would be creating modules as we go along, and that they might be played multiple times or in different ways by the different groups.

I'm excited, keep us up on what the potential start dates are!

But D&D is a line that people who are into 4-wheelers and monster truck rallies (most of the people around here) don't seem willing to cross.

I used to live in Tennessee, and work at a Scout camp in Altamont. We usually had one or two thriving games. Basically what you do is you find people who are into fantasy movies and make them characters and tell them how cool it is.
Oh yeah, also free booze helps.

Add me to the list. It's been a long time since I played but would be happy to give it another go. I'm another west coaster (Oakland, CA) and could make time on Mon-Thurs starting at 6:30pm my time (9:30pm EST) or anytime on Saturdays.

I'm split on Rabbit's idea. Practically, it's very good and would probably lead to a greater chance of long-term success. At the same time it would be hard for me to 'share' a character. I agree with LockAndLoads comments.

Slightly off topic, I'll also echo Certis's recommendation (in an older thread) of Fear the Boot as a good pen and paper podcast, especially for those of us that have been away from the hobby for a while.

I am generall available: Sunday Evening, Tuesday (all day), Wednesday (all day), Thursday evening.

Generally, I'm available any day after 7pm Pacific. Weekends, it can vary, but if I'm notified far enough in advance, I can go for it whenever. And I'm partial to both combat and role-playing.

Count me in on weekends as well, as long as I'm given sufficient notice.

I think we need to be deciding exactly how we want the group to look. I'm hearing a lot of "I like this idea, but . . ." which can turn into chaotic stagnation pretty quickly. Here are the options as I see them, please feel free to add/subtract/multiply/etc. as you see fit:

We could create a group or two of players who think they can handle a weekly meeting, and another, more general "hotseat" group (as per rabbit's idea) for those who may have trouble with that.
+ Some people (specifically the roleplayers, who seem to be many here) get their own characters and their own adventures
+ Those who can't make the weekly schedule are covered by the hotseat games
+ We
- The smaller groups will still have the problem of us being random internet people -- it's hard enough to get people to show up for GRAW night (souldaddy ) let alone something taking the commitment of D&D. I don't think anyone here is ungenuine about their interest, but life just gets in the way sometimes and we need to be realistic about that, however much we may resent rabbit for pointing it out

We could create a single, large group of characters, and "hotseat" them.
+ Everyone gets a chance to play
+ Every time zone will be represented
- Role players (and control freaks like me) might get frustrated with not having their own characters. Engagement might also be an issue, as Kingmob pointed out, but hopefully this can be assuaged somewhat by having a good writeup at the end

We could synthesize the two ideas. As Jolly Bill mentioned to me, an eastern, central, and west coast pattern seems to be emerging here (yay for data collection). We could create a west coast group with a stable of characters, an east coast group, and a central group (nobody lives in mountain anyway) and use the hotseat style of play. This leaves enough players left over to fill in gaps when they inevitably emerge, while catering to all time zones.
+ This could allow the roleplayers to get their fix by having their own, or at least a more stable, character
+ Assuming single ownership of characters, the constant juggling would not be as much of an issue consistency-wise
- There is still the problem of ability to make the games, though not as pronounced as making specific groups.
- Having enough DMs to keep the game moving when one can't make it may be an issue

Personally I'm inclined toward the last idea. This is something we need to get out of the way now, though, or we'll just wind up with a random group of people with time preferences and another group with preferences to play and no real idea how to go about accomplishing either. If you've already posted, please weigh in on this. And by all means, if you have an idea, mention it!

edit:

wizard_in_motley wrote:

Because I want to make sure as many people get a chance to try something out I propose that we use the free software to start with, this lowers the entry barrier since folks are already forking over money for the PHB.

Here's another thing we need to think about. Are we set on FG? RPtools are free, though not as powerful. Due to the law of ingrained habits, we'll probably wind up using whatever system we start with and learn. Post your preference.

Monday-Thursday: 6-11PM, and any time on weekends. As a player. I'm not very good at the role-playing aspect of it, but would like to get better. I do very much enjoy the mechanics of combat (perhaps a little too much).

I think it's pretty clear that we're going to have some people who can show up regularly, and some who can't. I think it's probably going to be better in the long run if we're able to combine the two groups into a single experience. So I suppose my vote is for something along the lines of stupidhaiku's third option, where there are regulars who have their own personal characters, but the group also includes a stable of "public" characters that can be picked up for a session or two by anyone else who attends. The limiting factor in whether we have just one group doing this, or multiple groups segregated by time-zone and availability is going to be how

In terms of tools, I don't have any experience with either of the options. I'm a cheap bastard and so would prefer the free one, but if there are features of FG that are necessary and appealing, I'd happily go along with it.

stupidhaiku wrote:

+ Every time zone will be represented

I'm pretty sure I'm in a time zone that will not be represented

Just had an idea... Back in my college days I used to play in an RPGA sanctioned campaign world called Living City. Basically it was a set of linked individual adventures that were intended to be run within a 4 - 6 hour period that was tracked for each player be a governing body. DMs were given dungeon maps, storylines, NPCs, treasure, XP guidelines as the framework for the adventure and then individual characters could be plugged into that night's adventures. It worked great for my 20 member gaming group as it allowed people to move between groups & jump into adventures as they wanted to without disrupting the groups. It also allowed for us to run quick pickup games. There was a lot of cumbersome administration, players were forbidden from repeat playing adventures and rules lawyering was pretty heavy as well though...

So, maybe we do something similar. DMs stick to small scope, one session adventures for their groups at first. Instead of huge persistant campaigns, we focus on bite sized chunks of gaming goodness. And in a month or two, once we get into a steady rhythm (and people inevitably drop-off) maybe some groups then launch into campaigns. We could also look into creating a "DM Wiki" where our DMs share their one session adventures with each other so that everyone could have a chance at playing everything and some of our new DMs have a solid base to learn from.

It looks like WOTC is launching a new "Living Campaign" for 4th Edition called Living Realms for the Forgotten Realms universe. It might be worth looking into for us but I think DMs could create (or buy at retail/digital distribution) enough to keep us busy without joining the RPGA.

More info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_...

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