Be Excellent To Each Other

I posted in the D&D thread on Friday and let it sit over the weekend but I think it might get lost in there so I'm making a new thread to gauge interest.

I am thinking about running a One Shot. That's a D&D game with a story that is started and finished in one session over four or so hours, rather than an ongoing campaign. It's a great way to introduce people to D&D since the players don't need anything to take part beyond access to the Discord video chat. Characters will be provided or built for you, you can roll your own dice or use electronic ones built into the online character sheet, and you don't need to buy any books or rules although I can provide a crib sheet of actions you can take in combat.

The high level explanation of how you play D&D is that I, as the DM, would narrate a scene:

"You have been travelling for half a day when you turn onto the road that signals the final part of your journey. Ahead, there's a dark shape blocking the path you're on and as you get closer, you start to realise it's a cart that has stopped in the middle of the road and isn't moving. What would you like to do?"

The players then say what they are thinking:

"Can I stop and look to see if I can see any reason the cart has stopped?"

I tell them what they need to do to make that happen, which in this case would be a perception check by rolling a dice and adding their characters skill modifier for the perception skill. That result leads me to provide more information and then let the players decide again what they want to do.

There's is no expectation or requirement to do a character voice, or to even act like your character. Some people even prefer referring to their character in the third person "Jack stops to see if he can see any reason the cart has stopped".

In terms of when this would happen, I'll plan it in around shift patterns at home so it's a night when I'm home alone which means it probably won't be for two or three weeks.

I'd be looking for around four players.

Is anyone interested?

So far:

Dr Zoidberg
TheVision
krazywookie
Goddess Jasmine

I'd like to give this a go. I'd wanted to try the campaign but wasn't going to be able to do a regular slot, so this is would be perfect.

Great, I'll edit the first post to start a list of people who're interested

It is VERY MUCH frowned upon by gnarled wizards if you don’t though

This sounds awesome and is a great idea (although I won't be able to participate) - I've long been curious about D&D but have been put off by the depth and how, from an outsiders view, complex it seems; so I've never bothered. A major factor in that would also be that I'm quite lazy and a touch feckless.

That’s a lot of similar reasons to why it took me so long to try it and yet when you start to play it’s amazingly straightforward! Your time zone would make it really wonky if we tried to get a game together though wouldn’t it?

Put me down as a possible. I'd love to join depending on when it is.

Great, will add you to the list

Super wonky. I can barely coordinate time for ~30 mins here-and-there for facetiming with family back in the UK, so a 4 hour D&D sesh almost certainly won't happen.

Maybe it's something that I personally should look for locally, now that I know how to describe it.

If you have a games shop locally, there's a good chance they run Adventures League. That's basically drop in D&D which is extremely welcoming to newbies although it lacks the consistency of the same players and same characters in an ongoing adventure so it's unlikely to be something you take part in for a long period. The stated purpose of AL is to introduce people to D&D so that they go on to join or form established campaigns.

Alternatively, facebook and Discord are full of groups organizing local and online games. If you're on Facebook and search for D&D and your location something is bound to pop up, but I prefer Discord since it lets me talk about D&D all I want without having to worry about my facebook friends seeing how much of a nerd I truly am I'm in a D&D Scotland facebook and Discord group and literally every week someone is putting out a shout for new players to take part in an introductory one shot, or to start a new campaign prioritising newbies for spaces and offering to teach the game as they go. I'd be surprised if it wasn't similar in your area.

Bumping this thread to see if any other people are interested. My plan at the moment, assuming four people want to play, is to drop you into the world that Rummage Inc (Dimrill, Zardoz, Myp, Squirt and Mr Dave) are playing in but you'll be somewhere else and take part in events that they'll hear about.

If I don't get four players, I'll open it to Rummage Inc players as well and will do something completely different.

*the collective sounds of Rummage Inc mouth breathing over this thread in anticipation*

I am always open for more D&D, and i have am infinite number of nee characters in mind to roll ip if needed!

Didn't Goddess Jasmine and Mimi have an interest in tje D&D thread? They might be able to squeeze in a single session.

You've read my mind! I have a clearer idea about dates now and was coming here to see if it would suit them.

@mimi @Goddess Jasmine

Would next Saturday (27th Feb) suit you for a one off evening of D&D? Starting once my kids are in bed around 7:45/8ish.

@Dr Zoidberg @TheVision Does that date work for you?

I’d really, really love to, but there’s no way I’d be ready any time soon, sadly. We’ve unpacked about three boxes (I wish I was joking) and have building materials everywhere, and we’re just collapsing exhausted each night. Go ahead without me, and if you ever do another in a month or two when hopefully we have some mental and physical space, I’ll be there. X

And my axe! I believe this is a date and time I could manage for a 1off. I can't remember, did you say you'd pre gen characters for this? I'm very open to playing whatever the group needs.

I am happy to fill in if you need the party rounding out, but I know that Z has nothing else good in his life so please consider him first

*Checks filofax*

Yeah, should be free.

I’ll keep you in mind for the next go round

Yeah I’ll provide characters to make it as straightforward and balanced as possible. I’ll add you to the list!

I’ll wait and see if GJ comes back.

Protip: give Wookie a social/persuasion type character (eg bard maybe), he's amazeballs at it. But prepared for him to smash your plots into tiny pieces by convincing NPCs to do bizarre things!

Give him a scimitar that works to confuse him too.

Brilliant, thanks for the tip!

*waves*

I'm here and I'm in!

Sorry for not posting sooner, work is somewhat draining at the moment. Will have an afternoon nap on the Saturday to make sure I am up to it.

Great news! That completes the set of players

I’ll get crib sheets sent through to each of you and pre gen characters some point in the week. Can each of you pm me with an email address?

You all need to have access to Discord. If you don’t already, it’s free to use and can be accessed on your PC. We’ll use that for video call. I’ll also send you a link to the character sheet on DnDBeyond which has the ability to make rolls direct from there if you don’t have physical polyhedral dice. Can’t wait to play with you all!

That's extremely generous, my main skill is in wildly flailing dice around and misunderstanding the core principles of whatever game I'm playing.

OK, you're good at that too. But I will forever cherish Mr Atom asking the bar owner about the door widths to make sure the full church organ would fit.

EXAMPLE OF MR ATOM'S PLOT WRECKING SHENANIGANS FROM OUR SHADOWRUN CAMPAIGN

I sent the players to investigate a mysterious corp-run building site out in the Barrens (lawless slums in north-west Seattle.) The mission was given to them by members of a friendly nearby gang. I mentioned, in passing, that there was another (hostile) gang with turf neighbouring on the building site. I thought they'd sneak into the site, maybe under cover of darkness, maybe disguised as labourers, maybe hack the site's security from afar. Something like that. Sneaky.

Oh no. No no no.

SMASH CUT TO: Mr Atom (Wookie's character, ace negotiator) and Dancer (Curio's, muscle) riding out on a tiny moped to meet the other gang. They somehow bluff and cajole their way past the guards and end up seeing the head honcho, a massive ugly scary troll. Mr Atom pulls off some stunning rolls and easily (easily!) convinces the troll that this building site near him is a threat he must address. At once. With violence.

SMASH CUT TO: Mr Atom riding pillion on the troll's oversized motorbike, at the head of 40+ gangers, riding down on the site, guns blazing. And just as they round the last corner, he jabs the troll with an injector pen loaded with Kamikaze - an infamous Shadowrun combat drug. A pitched running gun battle commences, which the team uses as cover for their mission.

Stealth! Subtlety! Subterfuge! My players have heard of 'em, but they have no truck with 'em.

Shadowrun was great. I enjoyed our playthrough!

Just realised I’d missed this. Should be fine for me.

My character's tiny moped! Which got trashed!

Wait, were you in both games?

Ha ha, didn't Dancer ride it back with the motorcycle gang but ended up falling way behind because it was too shit and slow?

Done and done. Just need to add people that I know now.

He jumped off it and onto yours, and it got mangled by all the people following.

Poor Dodge Scoot

I am in your discords, stealin ur megabytes

@Dr Zoidberg
@TheVision
Can you pm me an email address please? I'll get you added to the discord server and send out character sheets in the next couple of days

If they go here they can join by the limited-space invitation I’ve set up. Just need to click on the Discord link:

http://www.sdndg.uk

You're a wizard in the game and in real life!

@dr Zoidberg
@theVision
@goddess Jasmine
@krazywookie

We need to postpone this, either to an evening the week after next or to the following weekend if that’s ok? My wife has taken her backshift tomorrow off work so that I can get a sleep in the morning since our youngest has been waking multiple times through the night, and so she can have the kids when I go for the vaccine tomorrow night. We’re going to take advantage of the Saturday night and sit on the couch in a dazed and catatonic state wondering when we’ll ever be able to drop our kids off at the grandparents again until it’s time to go to bed, which I’m sure you can agree is a very important use of time.

I hope you can forgive how last minute this is, it will be worth the wait I promise! X

I think that's the right decision. Personally I'm pleased that you are doing what you need to for you.

Enjoy your Saturday evening, rest and recharge. Xx

Thank you
I’m currently charting my solo parenting attempts through a sleep deprived haze in my Facebook stories. Place your bets now on when the full on mental breakdown kicks in!

Giphy "manic smile":
https://media1.giphy.com/media/JTVMLhQPSkIec/giphy-loop.mp4

Haha! Giphy throwing shade for no reason

I feel your pain, enjoy your r&r

Absolutely no problem. Let us know when you are back to more normal.

Hullo players! I have an evening to myself on Friday 19th (a week on Friday), does that work for everyone else?

In.

In

May the passive aggression be with you on your quest!

Enjoy, I know you will x