So you meet in a tavern....

 

So there are ongoing discussions everywhere about how to start a D&D campaign. The common trope is 'you meet in a tavern': the characters all randomly show up in the same tavern, meet, start drinking and telling tales, and decide to 'adventure together'. Or something like that. 

Everyone complains about it. I've never worried about, because I think everyone just wants to get going on the adventures, they know they are going to be in a group, so who cares - let's get going. But I understand they complaints to some degree. The DM strives so hard to create a coherent world and setting, tying adventures together, trying to be immersive. But right at the beginning you have to ignore the hand wave. 

As I was crafting my Greyhawk campaign (started in the Great Kingdom, but then moved to Nyrond, pre-war) I kept mulling the starting point over to try and solve the 'meet in a tavern' problem. I didn't want to railroad the party, either together or on adventure paths. I wanted there to be a common basis for their gathering and their adventuring.  I also am trying to craft a more political campaign, something beyond just dungeon crawls.

What I came up with was the stealing the patron from Traveller. But how to get all characters to gather to the same Patron? Then it hit me, how does each character get to 1st level? They have to have some type of mentor. What if they all had the same mentor?

So I created Mo, the half elf fighter/magic user/thief. He is level 3-5 in each class, and is an ally of Crown Prince Lynwerd. Prince Lynwerd is loyal to his father King Archbold, but can see that his father is losing his touch and not up to the coming fight with the Great Kingdom. So he is working now to build allies in the various principalities of Nyrond and the surrounds, as well as building a network of capable folks to seek out magic and relics to assist them.

Mo job is to travel the lands and find promising adventuring types, train them up, and set them out onto the lands. Mo will wander into a village as retired adventurer, just seeking calmer waters. He will spend some time getting to know folks, and find the one or two that show promise in any of his classes. He will then start to train them. He ends up spending about a month in a village before moving on, slowly growing a cadre of 1st level characters that are nominally loyal to him.

He gives each character a magic necklace, and tells them when it activates to use it to guide them to a meeting place where he will meet them to give them more information. This is presented to each character separately in their home villages. He tells them they will recognize like minded friends by the necklace, that they can trust them, and his information will be for them all.

So this gets all the characters from various villages, backgrounds, and classes to one place, expecting to meet other. And they've also been 'indoctrinated' into Mo's plans, to some degree. He has sussed out their loyalty to the crown, and promotes they're missions just as 'service to the crown'. He doesn't want to broadcast that he is working for Prince Lynwerd, to keep his network underground to some degree.

I was debating whether to have Mo not make the meeting, and have the characters decide between going to look for him or go on the mission he was providing them with. His mission would actually be a general tasking, and they would have to find more information to determine a 'target', and they could come across information directing them to three different areas. One of which could be containing Mo! Lots of opportunities.

I'm proud of this setup, and having multiple starting missions available leaves it to the players. Which means they will probably pick number 4: None of the above.

Random Gygaxian #1

 

My intro to RPGs was AD&D 1st Edition. As soon as I could I bought the Players Handbook, the DMG, and the Monster Manual. But it was always the DMG that had a spell on me (no pun intended). From the cover art, to the densely worded pages, it seemed to contain so much cool information. I read alot of it (far from most of it I will admit), but the biggest thrill was looking at warships and the fortress construction costs. I dreamed of getting to that point, but never did.

The other thing about the DMG was the crash course introduction to Gygaxian Prose, or High Gygaxian as it's been called. His writing style was amplified by the two column layout of 8 (smaller?) point font. This thing was packed with words! Yes, yes it was. But that layout and style made it difficult to easily (or quickly!) parsed out the rule details one needed. 

I was the forever DM because I would take the time to read the rules and figure them out. My main playing buddy Craig did not have the patience for that, and was content for me to be the DM and educate him in the rules. He would skim them over and have a basic understanding at least, but I would have to run things. That worked, and we played alot, and a few different games besides D&D (Traveller, Aftermath!, Gamma World, Twilight 2000, Top Secret, even Bushido I think).

So that is all a rather long introduction to a recurring feature idea I had, to select a random paragraph from the DMG, to share and discuss the Gygaxian it contained, and parse out what it was actually trying to say. 

So here we go. I'm only dealing with the first 120 pages, because the treasure tables called for those long descriptions, plus the appendices and tables would be no fun either.

Page 86, GAINING EXPERIENCE LEVELS. Eleven paragraphs, almost the entire page, discussing the finer details of gaining experience levels. The first paragraph has the first Gygax warning: UPWARD PROGRESS IS NEVER AUTOMATIC (all caps in the original). The remaining paragraphs go one to explain how it is automatic, it will just take longer to train for the next level if the DM has judged you the player as having not played your character well to type (class). The DM is to rate each character after each adventure from Excellent to Poor. A poor rating should be given to 'cautious' characters that do not pull their weight.

Of course Gary created a formula form the ratings that determines the number of weeks of training required to gain the next level. Down to the decimal 'because each .145 equals a game day'. Poorer performance will require longer to train (have to remind that character how to act properly in that class!). 

If you are below the 'named level' of your class you only have to train with someone of your class that is at least one level higher. Well, that is not clearly stated but inferred by the sentence 'Training under a higher level character applies only to characters who are below the "name", or nominal upper level, of their class and profession." So even with eleven paragraphs dedicated to explaining the gaining of experience levels, the critical point for beginning characters is not clearly stated.

Training will cost 1,500 gp per week per (current) level of the trainee. Above the named level, you self train, but are still assessed a cost for various things depending on your class (vestments, largess, tithes, equipment, etc).

So Gary set up a system where treasure is experience points, and so you need alot of it, but then had to have ways to remove said treasure from the characters lest they spend it on something they want or need. Training.

Reading this makes me wonder if Gary wasn't ever in the Air Force. The Air Force is very proscriptive in what their pilots can do (that which is not explicitly allowed is forbidden). I was a Navy pilot, and the Navy operates more independently. Our mantra was 'that which is not explicitly prohibited is allowed. 

The ending paragraph is a litany of prescriptions: 

• All training/study is recorded in game time.
• The period must be uninterrupted and continuous.
• He/she cannot engage in adventuring, travel, magic research of any nature ...
• If there is a serious hiatus .. lose all of the benefits of the time spent prior..
• Under no circumstances can a character gain additional experience points by any means until he or she actually acquires the higher level

Look, I get it, what Gary was trying to do. He was trying to define everything, explicitly, every case, so that there was ONE way to play D&D. A '"universe" into which similar campaigns and parallel worlds can be placed.'

But in the end, what GM rated their players? At best it was assumed you played your character correctly per class, so you had one week of training to level up, at 1500gp times your current level. It was always an option to make finding the required instructor a bit of a quest. But at lower levels it shouldn't be that hard to find a 2nd or 4th level of just about any class. 

So maybe no great High Gygaxian prose in this section, but plenty of directions and proscriptives. And you can definitely get the feeling of DM vs players, keeping the players 'in check'. I always wonder if this was just Gary, or if it evolved as his DM style because of his players? From Blackmoor and early Greyhawk, it seems the players were always trying to see what kind of crazy stuff they could do, really testing the boundaries of the game and systems. Maybe from the wargame history of us vs them, and someone has to 'win'.

The way we played, and the way I think the game has evolved, is the DM wants the players to have fun. And leveling up is a main source of the fun in D&D - more HP, new spells, new abilities. So there isn't much impetous to restrict leveling up - actually the opposite, with the creation of milestone experience points, or even milestone leveling up! 

I personally prefer the slog of gaining experience points, so you never really know when you will be leveling up. That makes it more exciting and satisfying when it finally does happen. Even just making second level is an achievement!

Character #1: 1st Edition AD&D

I will set most of my D&D characters in my Nyrond Greyhawk campaign setting. I've taken the post war map and duchies of Nyrond, fleshed things out with my own twists here and there, and set it as pre war. 

Using my go to method, 4d6 drop the lowest, Method I per the DMG.

2026 is starting off great, with incredible rolls. For future characters tho I will use a dice tray and roll them harder. I was kind of doing the 9 year old kid thing of pick them up and flop my hand over. Oh, well, I'll take it.

13 17 17 14 16 15

So it has to be a Paladin! I know alot of people hate Paladins as PCs, but I don't mind them.

Allocated the rolls as

S 17

I 14

W 13

D 16

C 15

Ch 17

Human, of course. Lawful Good.

Great rolls continued with the HP roll of a 10, so with the Con modifier, 11 HP. Most parties will put up with an 11HP Paladin tank in a 1st level party!

Starting gold rolls average, getting 110 gp.

Chain, Large Shield, Long Sword, and a Dagger, leaves him with 3 gp, but an AC of 2 with the Dex modifier.

So please meet Arnon Obend, 1st Level Paladin. Gallant of Pelor.

Human, Lawful Good.

6' 2" tall, 190 lbs. Black hair, green eyes. 21 yrs old

S 17 +1 to hit, +1 damage, +500# carry, Open Doors 1-3

I 14

W 13 (minimum for a Paladin)

D 16 +1 Reaction/missile attack, -2 Defense

C 15 +1 HP

Ch 17 Max 10 henchmen, +30% Loyalty and Reaction adjustment

And the great Paladin abilities: detect evil 60', all saving throws at +2, immune to disease, cure disease once per week, lay on hands for 2HP once per day, and continuous Protection from Evil 10'.

HP 11

AC 2 Chain, Large Shield

GP 3

Weapons: Long Sword, Dagger

Arnon is the bastard son of Duke Arnon Orberend, Duchy of Orberend, of Nyrond. He doesn't know he is related to the Duke, because his mom never told him nor the Duke, as she figured it would ruin him, as he is a LG Paladin of Pelor also. Maybe someday she'll share the info?

Arnon was raised in Hendrenn Holgood, but saw the evils of corruption when he travelled to Mowbrenn as an acolyte of Pelor. While smart and wise, he was more physical so the priestly calling did not suit him. He decided he would be of better use as a holy sword of Pelor to root out corruption and protect the poor and suffering. The stories of the evil and cruelty of The Great Kingdom, and the Hordes of Iuz, stir his blood, and he practically doesn't know which way to go first.

He seeks like minded, good-hearted folk that he can lead forth on great conquests of evil. His desire for glory in such adventures can at times lead him into great risk. His good looks and charming personality have also swelled his head a bit, feeding the cliche that a Paladin feels he is always right and will get his way. But the influence of his mother, a wise but simple barmaid, allows him to at least try and temper his arrogance. He values the capabilities of any good soul aligned with his quest.

#CharacterCreationChallenge