pathfinder pick up game. [recruiting] - head West for an early death

[Vitriol]

recently i've been listening to this:

which in turn was inspired by this:

http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/78/grand-experiments-west-marches/

West Marches was a game I ran for a little over two years. It was designed to be pretty much the diametric opposite of the normal weekly game:

1) There was no regular time: every session was scheduled by the players on the fly.

2) There was no regular party: each game had different players drawn from a pool of around 10-14 people.

3) There was no regular plot: The players decided where to go and what to do. It was a sandbox game in the sense that’s now used to describe video games like Grand Theft Auto, minus the missions. There was no mysterious old man sending them on quests. No overarching plot, just an overarching environment.

My motivation in setting things up this way was to overcome player apathy and mindless “plot following” by putting the players in charge of both scheduling and what they did in-game.

A secondary goal was to make the schedule adapt to the complex lives of adults. Ad hoc scheduling and a flexible roster meant (ideally) people got to play when they could but didn’t hold up the game for everyone else if they couldn’t. If you can play once a week, that’s fine. If you can only play once a month, that’s fine too.

Letting the players decide where to go was also intended to nip DM procrastination (aka my procrastination) in the bud. Normally a DM just puts off running a game until he’s 100% ready (which is sometimes never), but with this arrangement if some players wanted to raid the Sunken Fort this weekend I had to hurry up and finish it. It was gaming on-demand, so the players created deadlines for me.

As many of us struggle to commit regularly i thought a pickup game with a rotating cast in the hours before movie night on a friday might be fun.

If we keep it to no more than four players per session and rotate at the end of each adventure it would be a great chance for people to play some relaxed tabletop RP. the fact that the world is not levelled with the players should create an environment both challenging to vets and formatted so as to be simple enough for new players to also enjoy.

The rules would be fairly simple- characters start at lvl 1 based at a hub frontier town and pick up quests to explore the wilderness west. They can spend their winnings upgrading the town or colonising. the further from town one gets the more dangerous the dungeons. to get to a dungeon parties must hexcrawl which will use tables deliberately unlevelled for challenge.

we will import the advantage system from 5e as implemented in the above series to encourage RP and backstory while not bogging down the hexcrawl. basically while i set up an encounter players will have the oppurtunity to flesh out each others backstories for a single re roll each.

The first week would not be this friday as I have work- but if people are interested we could run a trial a week today?

anyone interested?

 

[DuskEngine]

I'm interested, but timing will be difficult for me to pull off. I'm free my evening after about 7 pm IST most Fridays and I can make time during most hours on the weekends. Weekdays are possible but tougher.

Will you be using Roll20 for this, or just IRC or whatever?

 

[Vitriol]

I'm interested, but timing will be difficult for me to pull off. I'm free my evening after about 7 pm IST most Fridays and I can make time during most hours on the weekends. Weekdays are possible but tougher.

Will you be using Roll20 for this, or just IRC or whatever?

my plan was to use skype to chat and roll20 for game stuff as it has the char sheets people can use- should make things much easier for new players.

I was half thinking of streaming it as well if it proves entertaining, but we'll see. timing will be a serious issue though. Movie night normally starts at 11 BST which is 03.30 IST

so the game i was thinking would be 23:00 to 03:00 IST on a friday which is pretty late.

for those in the US it would be 14:00-18:00 EST

 

[DuskEngine]

That's not too far off my usual Friday hours I'd be down.
Streaming it sounds like it could be fun also

 

[SP 199]

Ludvig VanDickPunch rides again

 

[Randall Fragg]

Oh yes, count me in. I love me some Pathfinder.

 

[Vitriol]

Some thoughts on how this will run-

characters will be generated oldschool- with 3d6 per attribute. Yes this does lead to imbalanced characters but the whole point of a WM style game is succeeding despite the RNG. In my opinion it also leads to more interesting and less optimised characters. traits can be selected however for each trait you must take a disadvantage. They are obviously not mandatory. Again this is to encourage interesting characters over mathematical machines.

To balance this we will import 5e dnds advantage/disadvantage system.

Ive drawn up a map and some basic encounter tables and dungeons. If we get four interested players we can schedule our first game.

 

[Tranhuviya]

This seems interesting.

 

[Randall Fragg]

Any restrictions on class, race, or alignment?

 

[Vitriol]

Any restrictions on class, race, or alignment?

none but if its anything majorly non standard a wee chat would be appreciated.

I normally dont bother with alignment as anything other than a rough guide. I think its an artificial construction that needlessly limits char development. If someone wants to be a paladin they should come up with three tenants of their faith to be kept to instead of the Code of Conduct.

likewise if someone wanted to play a lawful thief etc that is fine so long as you can rp it believably.

 

[Randall Fragg]

Do you want to add in the Sanity varient rule to make this a Darkest Dungeon styled game? Essentially all characters have a Stability/Sanity stat, equal to Wisdom x 5. Encountering particularly horrifying monsters, being gravely injured, or getting stuck in hopeless situations will drain your Stability, like in Call Of Cthulhu.
It could make for some fun roleplaying, and there's ways that it can be tweaked for different classes (like spellcasting classes taking more Stress damage from injury, or Paladins having a resistance to Stress that works like DR)

 

[Vitriol]

Do you want to add in the Sanity varient rule to make this a Darkest Dungeon styled game? Essentially all characters have a Stability/Sanity stat, equal to Wisdom x 5. Encountering particularly horrifying monsters, being gravely injured, or getting stuck in hopeless situations will drain your Stability, like in Call Of Cthulhu.
It could make for some fun roleplaying, and there's ways that it can be tweaked for different classes (like spellcasting classes taking more Stress damage from injury, or Paladins having a resistance to Stress that works like DR)

i have a prototype sanity mechanic im working on, but this sounds pretty good until i get that ironed out. My concern would be pathfinder is quite math heavy anyway and maybe something simpler like a roll on the sanity table after a failed will check following a particularly weird or horrifying encounters would be easier.

Darkest dungeon meets the edgeworld chronicles and traditional folk tales is the kind of vibe im going for.

I have a nice big map which im continually filling in with stuff and threats/opportunities as they occur to me.

As i say this is my first time running PF but so far im pretty impressed with the bestiaries- there is loads of odd stuff there and while one can of course design monsters in any system, having ready made examples is perfect for a game reliant on encounter tables as much as set dungeons/quests.

 

[Randall Fragg]

i have a prototype sanity mechanic im working on but this sounds pretty good until i get that ironed out. My concern would be pathfinder is quite math heavy anyway and maybe something simpler like a roll on the sanity table after a failed will check following a particularly weird or horrifying encounters.

Darkest dungeon meets the edgeworld chronicles and traditional folk tales is the kind of vibe im going for.

I have a nice big map which im continually filling in with stuff and threats/opportunities as they occur to me.

As i say this is my first time running PF but so far im pretty impressed with the bestiaries- there is loads of odd stuff there and while one can of course design monsters in any system having ready made examples is perfect for a game reliant on encounter tables as much as set dungeons/quests.

I've run D&D 3.5 before, and it's pretty much the same. I have a d20 version of Call Of Chtulthu, which should be compatible with some tweaking.
What kind of tech level are we talking about? Regular Pathfinder, more advanced (with early firearms), or do you want to take the Bloodborne route and add in a mix of 19th century technology (wax cylinder recording devices, steam engine trains, early factories, flintlock pistols, canned foods, electric/gas lighting, ect) just to make it a bit more unique.

 

[Vitriol]

I've run D&D 3.5 before, and it's pretty much the same. I have a d20 version of Call Of Chtulthu, which should be compatible with some tweaking.
What kind of tech level are we talking about? Regular Pathfinder, more advanced (with early firearms), or do you want to take the Bloodborne route and add in a mix of 19th century technology (wax cylinder recording devices, steam engine trains, early factories, flintlock pistols, canned foods, electric/gas lighting, ect) just to make it a bit more unique.

I was thinking a spectrum- the lands to the east are probably at around 1590-1630s in tech so a mix of knights and early firearms however magic etc probably gives them a bit of an advantage. The Frontier Town which will serve as a hub will start pretty backwater and be medieval in style.

basically player characters can be gunslingers if they want to but will be restricted to early firearms. Certainly early on there will be very limited enemies with advanced technology. Should the PC's advance the interests of organisations like the Royal Western Company or invest in industrialising the town this could change. As would deciding to donate several hundred muskets and cannon mounted golems to a gnoll warlord!

 

[Sallet Lad Jim]

I'm just getting into pathfinder with my actual main group for the first time, but fuck it - this sounds like it could be fun.

 

[Randall Fragg]

What's the starting level? I'm planning on making an alchemist drug dealer/mad scientist.

 

[Lorento]

No idea what to do, never played before and will likely end up dying horribly.

I'm in.

 

[Randall Fragg]

Can I be a Drow? I'm not going to go the "chaotic good rebel who's angsty over his evil brethren" route though. My guy got run out of the Underdark by an angry mob after an experiment went wrong. What exactly happened is up to the GM to decide.

 

[Vitriol]

I'm just getting into pathfinder with my actual main group for the first time, but fuck it - this sounds like it could be fun.

excellent, its just ment to be a chill game for a few hours n

What's the starting level? I'm planning on making an alchemist drug dealer/mad scientist.

starting level is one- gotta start small and that sounds awesome.

Can I be a Drow? I'm not going to go the "chaotic good rebel who's angsty over his evil brethren" route though. My guy got run out of the Underdark by an angry mob after an experiment went wrong. What exactly happened is up to the GM to decide.

perfect, if you want to be drow you can. let me know whether you wish to have been from the main underdark cities in the depths or one of the fringe 'rebel' groups in the shallows. The depths drow are traditional dnd lolth worshipping/ spider obsessed matriarchs. the shallows drow are nomadic survivors chased out for not worshipping Lolth. many of them favour the Cult of the Elemental Eye. Think a cross between gypsies, pirates, hobos and cultists.

either way you arrive on the surface with no clear memory of having left your previous home. you have vague impressions of disturbing and twisted faces and the kiss of cold knives. One part of your body is spiderwebbed in fine white scars you have no memory acquiring.

No idea what to do, never played before and will likely end up dying horribly. Your last memory was taking a swig of an experimental concoction.

I'm in.

i recommend you either use http://www.d20pfsrd.com/ or a copy of the core rules in pdf online. pick a core race and class and you should be fine. These videos should also help although if you work through the core book you will be fine tbh.

if people send me their char names i can create them in roll20 so you can fill out your character sheet. game link is here:https://app.roll20.net/join/1517329/g5DabA

 

[Sallet Lad Jim]

So we should make our characters ourselves, then?