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[D&D] The Lost Mines of Phandelver
- Thread starter ravenvii
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I got the Starter Set, so I'd be using that. It has a ready-made adventure and several ready-made PC's. I figured it'd be a good jumping-off point in seeing how well it works on a forum.
Sounds amazing.
When I was an undergraduate (oh, some time ago) several of my male friends lost days, if not decades, of their lives playing Dungeons & Dragons. If memory serves, one even became a rather well known Dungeon Master.
Anyway, while I was fascinated by that world, I never participated in it (it was very male, not especially welcoming - this was the 80s! - and the guys who lost decades of their lives to this pursuit couldn't care less about mundane stuff such as academic credentials which were of some concern to the rest of us), and so don't even know how it works, or what the rules are.
But yes, if a Guide or Mentor is prepared to explain rules, missions, and aims of the game, I'll be more than happy to contemplate some degree of participation……..
With your writing, you'll be perfect for this game.
I went ahead and started sign-ups. I'll need a maximum of five players. See OP for more details!
I've been aware of this game for decades, but never played, my impression was the original was a board game? How would it be played on a forum? What defines the structure of the landscape, controls encounters, provides choices of action, and decides outcomes? Mostly curious how this would work and I may be interested in participating. I have played a text adventure called Zork, but never finished it. Which is now available as an iOS app, Lost Treasures of Infocon. 
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I've never played, but i wouldn't mind joining a beginners game! I've always been intrigued by the DD phenomena!
i would like to play if there is space and if it is more on the slow-paced side as you seem to imply.
i only have one (fairly big) caveat.
if we are going to play the adventure that comes with the starter set (mines of phandelver), i am already familiar with the story. i am playing it with my kids and friends, as a DM, so i already read the adventure.
it is a quite open-ended story so it won't be necessarily a problem, especially since it requires quite a bit of DM input, (which i am sure ravenvii will provide in spades), and of course i can play my character in a way to avoid spoilers and not take advantage of things that i may know already (assuming that they remain the same way in this version)
that said, the adventure is really well-built and the new rules are great and a lot of fun, including for beginners.
i assume some modification will be required to play in forum format?
i only have one (fairly big) caveat.
if we are going to play the adventure that comes with the starter set (mines of phandelver), i am already familiar with the story. i am playing it with my kids and friends, as a DM, so i already read the adventure.
it is a quite open-ended story so it won't be necessarily a problem, especially since it requires quite a bit of DM input, (which i am sure ravenvii will provide in spades), and of course i can play my character in a way to avoid spoilers and not take advantage of things that i may know already (assuming that they remain the same way in this version)
that said, the adventure is really well-built and the new rules are great and a lot of fun, including for beginners.
i assume some modification will be required to play in forum format?
I'm torn between fasciation - I'd love to know more of the D&D universe, and, in common with Moyank, have long been intrigued by it - and uncertainty, as I don't know the first thing about it.
it's role playing. you don't 'win' or 'lose' (although you can die).
you impersonate a character and behave and act as if it was her/him, and not "you" in that situation. you react to a context proposed by the DM and other players, and what you (and them) say and do determine how the story proceeds.
As the storie goes on, you gain experience, knowledge and wealth, that allow you to become a more powerful character and continue adventuring in more dangerous areas
Thanks very much for the advice and reassurance.
Actually, I have been spending some time doing online research this very afternoon (Google and wikipedia) on D&D though their explanation are nowhere nearly as succinct as yours.
I'll admit that I am rather tempted - several of my more scientifically minded friends at university (all male, the sort of slightly untidy guys who were very good company, non-macho, exceedingly unsporty, in fact, the guys who introduced me to TLOTR and the world of fantasy literature, who sometimes went to plays, and concerts with me, and who, being the easy going types they were, occasionally failed their exams, but usually got them eventually) played D&D and I admit that it intrigued me.
With your appreciation of the written word, you'd be perfect for this game. I am honestly hoping you would sign up
Don't panic described it very well, actually -- it's more complicated than that of course, but that's mostly on the DM -- the players don't need to know/understand much beyond that going into the game. The DM will lead the way.
And Don't panic is also correct about the Lost Mines of Phandelver, it's a well-written adventure for beginners. The very first scenario is a relatively limited (but exciting!) scenario perfect for getting new players accumulated to the play style. It opens up soon after.
And @Don't panic it'd be great having you in the game, as long as you keep spoilers to a minimum. Having a player who understands the game would help a lot with explanations and answering questions when I'm not around.
With your appreciation of the written word, you'd be perfect for this game. I am honestly hoping you would sign up
Don't panic described it very well, actually -- it's more complicated than that of course, but that's mostly on the DM -- the players don't need to know/understand much beyond that going into the game. The DM will lead the way.
And Don't panic is also correct about the Lost Mines of Phandelver, it's a well-written adventure for beginners. The very first scenario is a relatively limited (but exciting!) scenario perfect for getting new players accumulated to the play style. It opens up soon after.
And @Don't panic it'd be great having you in the game, as long as you keep spoilers to a minimum. Having a player who understands the game would help a lot with explanations and answering questions when I'm not around.
Okay. Thanks both for your kind words, and for the warm welcome you have extended to me. Very well then: You can count me in.
Excellent to see interest in this starting to grow Go on everyone who's on the fence, it'll be a laugh
Go on everyone who's on the fence, it'll be a laugh
Excellent! I can't wait to read about your character.
We now have five players, enough to go ahead with the game. I'll wait a little in case a sixth player wants to sign up (this is for the long haul -- if you don't sign up now, you probably won't get another chance for a while!).
It's a cooperative game (we all work together) against Ravenvii
. The story is written by an accumulation of each players actions / conversations. You will do great.I spent many years playing the 2nd edition AD&D but never played anything after the 2nd edition (so I may have questions during the game).
ravenvii, have you thought how to adapt the mechanics to forum-format? are we having dice-equivalents of some sorts? i think most RPG/travel sequences can be done staight-up, but combat bits probably need adjustments, or it will take forever in each encounter
It's a cooperative game (we all work together) against Ravenvii
I spent many years playing the 2nd edition AD&D but never played anything after the 2nd edition (so I may have questions during the game).
Thanks a lot, both of you.
In that case, I'll let myself be guided by your considerable experience - and will try to do some reading in advance; for, as with Hermione, when in doubt, I tend to head to the library, or the computer…….
We all work together against Ravenvii
Sounds like a winner!
Thanks for notifying me, Pluto. I loved playing "The Dark Eye" when I was younger, never D&D though - so I'm curious how that works. So I'd give it a try if that's ok with you.
I'm thinking that we might have to let Ravenvii fight the actual combats. It could go anywhere from round to round (with input from us at the start of each round) or the entire battle.
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One of the perks of unemployment
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Hello to everyone who signed up I think an important question to ask is, can we make up a name for our gang?
I think an important question to ask is, can we make up a name for our gang?
Wow, okay, so it's going to begin a bit sooner than expected. Let's go!
@ZebraTalent @Moyank24 @Don't panic @Plutonius, @Scepticalscribe, @twietee
First of all: when I @ mention your name, that means I'm awaiting your response. Don't keep us all waiting (too long)!
I was going to begin with a roll call, but everyone posted today, so I'll skip that.
There's two things we need to do before we begin the adventure:
@ZebraTalent @Moyank24 @Don't panic @Plutonius, @Scepticalscribe, @twietee
First of all: when I @ mention your name, that means I'm awaiting your response. Don't keep us all waiting (too long)!
I was going to begin with a roll call, but everyone posted today, so I'll skip that.
There's two things we need to do before we begin the adventure:
- Settle on a convention for out of character (OOC) dialog -- maybe set them as italics? Or put parentheses around OOC stuff (like this)? I don't want font coloring, that's a pain, but if that's what you guys prefer, we can go with that too.
- Choose your character! I have five ready-made characters (complete with backgrounds and all). You can choose any of them -- duplicates are fine (i.e. more than one player can choose the same starting character). Wizards of the Coast has generously provided a PDF of all characters along with their sheets here. Just choose one and pick a name (it can be something you made up, or it can be chosen from one of the suggestions).