Interest check: Open-ended 5E Homebrew


Recruitment

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

I'm pondering starting up a new PbP, and wanted to see how much interest there would be, before I start putting any real work into it. Here's the idea:

It would be D&D 5E, and characters would be PHB-only.

The campaign would be something of an experiment in open-ended storytelling, with a story arc not fully formed in advance. That is, you would encounter a plot hook or two, you would decide what you want to do, and I would sort of form the campaign around you. So I guess you could call that kind of "sandboxy".

The setting would be created/discovered together by players and GM as a joint narrative. Things not relevant to the story don't exist yet; existence of setting elements begins as said elements become relevant.

Monsters would all be custom-made (partly because I don't have the MM, partly because "[MONSTER] would be thematically appropriate here but is too weak/strong for the party" is lame).

No idea where this would end up. It'd be a shared spontaneous creation of a story and world, where I create things as you explore them.

Does that sound like something I could get a full four(ish) people to play? Let me know if you're interested, and feel free to ask any questions. :)

The Exchange

I've not known unstructured games like this to make it very long. Generally sandbox games work better when a party has completed some pre-written scenario and wants to continue playing afterward. This allows the players to develop their characters/motivations, get a feel for the environment, and perhaps most importantly, leave or stay as they choose until your party really works well together.

On top of that, with how long 5E has been out, it feels a bit restrictive to only use the PHB. I'm sure you can find some newbies, but that may or may not be your target player audience.

None of those are questions. Just some feedback and a bump. Good luck and enjoy.


Hmmm... I may be interested. Are we rolling stats, or point buy?

If we're rolling:

4d6 ⇒ (6, 2, 6, 5) = 19 17
4d6 ⇒ (6, 5, 3, 3) = 17 14
4d6 ⇒ (1, 1, 6, 3) = 11 10
4d6 ⇒ (1, 5, 4, 2) = 12 11
4d6 ⇒ (5, 5, 3, 2) = 15 13
4d6 ⇒ (1, 6, 3, 5) = 15 14

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

@D-Kal: Hey, never hurts to ask, right?

@Doomkitten: A little early for that, but I can say with some confidence it won't be rolled stats.


I like 5e. D-Kal puzzles me a little. I thought PHB was sort of the default chargen resource for 5e, but maybe I'm not paying close enough attention.
Since I'm free to ask questions, I'd like to know stuff like:
Where would the game start?
What can you tell me about the world?
Is there a town nearby? or anywhere at all?
Are we lost in the middle of the desert? Woods? Tropical archipelago?
Can I have my own ship?
Are there gods?
If so, who are they?

In short, I'd like to know enough to know if the game is likely to appeal to me. Otherwise, it's a bit like going on a blind date. But with swords.

Grand Lodge

Interested!

This is similar to what my home group is doing currently with 5e, sort of making up the elements we want on the fly. It's very interesting and fun as long as people don't have too many sacred cows.

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Snake Charmer wrote:

I like 5e. D-Kal puzzles me a little. I thought PHB was sort of the default chargen resource for 5e, but maybe I'm not paying close enough attention.

Since I'm free to ask questions, I'd like to know stuff like:
Where would the game start?
What can you tell me about the world?
Is there a town nearby? or anywhere at all?
Are we lost in the middle of the desert? Woods? Tropical archipelago?
Can I have my own ship?
Are there gods?
If so, who are they?

In short, I'd like to know enough to know if the game is likely to appeal to me. Otherwise, it's a bit like going on a blind date. But with swords.

Don't underestimate sworded blind dates. ;)

Anyway, the actual recruitment thread would have additional details, but I'll answer what I can at the moment:

It would probably start in a town, as the most likely initial plot hook (to get the PCs together) would be that the PCs were the ones to answer some sort of call to adventure. I haven't written that part yet; it's a bit of work to do without knowing if I'm likely to even get the campaign started. If I have a stroke of inspiration prior to starting the real recruitment thread, I'll post it here. It'll probably be something just enough to get the PCs interacting and exploring the world; by the time the first hook is resolved, there should in theory be at least one other thing the PCs want to go investigate together.

I can tell you the world will be generally medieval in nature, and start out European-esque, but who knows where those crazy PCs will end up wanting to go. :) I'll probably have some kind of global twist or quirk that gives the setting some distinctiveness in the background, but the details will be hammered out as they come up.

There will be towns in the setting. You will probably start in one. I'm not interested in a 100% wilderness survival campaign (though if the party decides to do some overland trekking, that could be a sub-theme for a while). If you're concerned about being starved for gear, don't be. The only way I'd do that is if the PCs steered the story in that direction, and even then it'd only last until the resolution of that plot thread.

Extreme climates (like deserts or tropics) are extra work for me so I won't start things there, but there's no telling where the PCs might end up. There will probably be some variety to the locales visited.

Ship ownership seems like less of a big deal than the ability to shoot lightning out your ass, so I wouldn't put it outside the realm of possibility, depending on where the story goes. You won't start out owning one, but if you accumulate enough money/favors...

Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with the D&D pantheon. As such, clerics will probably be able to select any domain that fits their own passions and identities. Religion in the setting will probably be left to vague references to "the gods" until such time as something more specific becomes relevant to a fun story. :)

I hope that answers your questions. Feel free to ask more! If nothing else, you'll help get my creative juices flowing. :)

The Exchange

Snake Charmer wrote:
I like 5e. D-Kal puzzles me a little. I thought PHB was sort of the default chargen resource for 5e, but maybe I'm not paying close enough attention.

Ignore me. The way he phrased it, I was thinking he meant the free basic rules, even though I both read & typed out "PHB".

Alright Jiggy, I'll bite. Put me down for a 2nd-level PC.

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Don't actually know what level it'd be starting at, but good to hear there's some interest. :)


As you can see... Yes, I want in.

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Seems like there might be some potential here. I'll figure out some starting details and post a recruitment thread, probably in the next few days. (I'll link it here, too.)

Anyone can feel free to ask additional questions in the meantime, as well.

The Exchange

Are you using any optional rules (such as feats)? Are there any off-limits races (such as drow)?

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

D-Kal wrote:
Are you using any optional rules (such as feats)? Are there any off-limits races (such as drow)?

Full character creation parameters will come in the recruitment thread.

(Feats probably okay; no idea on the drow as I need to read up on them first.)


I'm interested in that sort of campaign (although I have to confess that it doesn't play to my strengths, so I might not be very good at it).

Can I ask the reason for not allowing rolled stats? We've found that in 5E, disparity in PCs' stats is not terribly significant (granted I've never seen a super high powered PC). It works fine at our table to leave the choice up to each player. I only mention it, since I find it useful to roll stats in order when generating a character - that kind of seems to "fit" this campaign.

I'm still interested, even if you restrict it to point buy.

Liberty's Edge

Sounds like fun to me...I would love a chance to be apart of this game. Having played some 5e games, I have some familiarity with the system. In a homebrew game my RL players are in, they emerged into the world after a great cataclysm. Living in protected "bunkers" for the last 75-100 years, they emerged to create their small town and then explore to see who else survived. Just a thought!!

The Exchange

I vote for a band of privateers on the high seas!


I have Vic ready to go, and he can be adjusted accordingly. I am experienced with 5e, both tabletop and PbP. I am certainly interested!

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

The real recruitment thread is up.

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