DM Locke's page

3 Tarsakh, 1358 DR

At the best of times, Leilon was never a restful town. Orc attacks, coastal raids from Luskan, swarms of bog-rotted undead from the Mere and the occasional mining accident all meant that life here was tense, potentially dangerous.

This is not the best of times.

All around the town, yellowed parchment notices have gone up. "Malfell has finally decided to do something!" go the whispers as the town clerks nail the bills up in public spaces. They read:

Brave souls needed!
The town of Leilon calls for brave adventurers to undertake a journey to the mines to our east. We need you to find our missing men, as well as secure the mines proper for Leilon. Sturdy souls with combat experience are preferred. Please assemble at the Drowning Delve at noon today, where the deputy mayor, the honorable Zacharius Malfell, will select candidates and brief same on all relevant details.

Signed this day, etc etc

Hastily scrawled on the bottom of each notice: 300 GP reward.

The Drowning Delve itself seems a goodly establishment, dedicated primarily to the traffic passing through Leilon. Offering private rooms upstairs, a common sleeping area on the main floor for those of lesser means, and a tavern known for good drink and adequate food, the Delve is seldom quiet. For the past two weeks, as the fighting has intensified between the Orcish hordes and the Lords' Alliance, a number of caravans have tarried, waiting for reports of a lull in the hostilities before braving the dangerous roads.

As you enter the establishment, the sound of drums and cymbals meets you. A lovely gypsy girl dances to the rythmic beat for the customers, twirling in her long skirt and playing the tambourine in accompaniment to her fluid motions. Another gypsy girl - no less lovely - is working the audience for tips while a young man, handsome and smiling, plays the drums. The place is packed with people, mostly come to volunteer or at least, hoping to catch a glimpse of the men and women willing to put themselves in harms' way. The man at the bar watches the gypsy dancer glumly as the barmaid - a pretty brunette - tries to see if any of the enrapted spectators wants to buy a drink.

You guys may now meet and mingle!

Hello everyone! Please post here to verify your participation in the campaign. We'll be using this thread for out of character discussion going forward.

This looks really cool to me!

I'm still a little concerned by how many heroes need to be introduced in the upcoming Superman vs. Batman movie, it seems like there's a lot of characters who will need to be shoehorned into a two hour movie. Having said that, Aquaman looks badass! :-)

Hello everyone!

I'd like to invite you to a PbP game set in the Forgotten Realms - using the Pathfinder rules. Not an expert on the Realms? That's fine - over the many years the Realms have been in print dozens of designers and authors have gotten their hands on it. It's made the Realms rich in lore and complexity but, unfortunately, almost unrecognizable from it's original vision. We're going to be turning the clock back - way back - to the days of the original gray box Realms. That means no spellplague, no horde invasion, no fall of the Gods, no Maztica.... you get the idea. Those things may be down the road, or they may not ... the future of the Realms was wide open at that point.

This campaign will take you and your fellow adventurers to the Northern Sword Coast, starting specifically in the small mining town of Leilon, just north of the Mere of Dead Men. Miners have gone missing, and some whisper that the mine itself is haunted, it's once rich tunnels stalked by long sleeping guardians of an ancient secret - but now awakened....

So, here's what I'm looking for:
- from 4-6 players total*;
- you DO NOT need to be any sort of Realms expert;
- all races, classes, skills, feats and spells for the core rulebook are allowed;
- all material from the advanced player's guide is permitted;
- racial options for the core races from the advanced races guide are permitted; mechanically, I don't differentiate between a moon elf and a sun elf, but these options can help you fine tune your character, should you choose to employ them. Additionally, the following races will be allowed: Aasimar, Ifrits, Oreads, Sylphs, Tieflings and Undines
- classes and options from The Advanced Class Guide, Ultimate Magic and Ultimate Combat are all fine; Gunslingers, however, are exceedingly rare in the Realms at this time and must be Gond-worshipping Lantanites
- some optional material from the 3.5 spell compendium and Forgotten Realms players guide will work their way in, but will not be player options from the get-go
- third party material will be looked at on a case-by-case basis, and I'll need access in order to make a decision (much third party content is available on the Pathfinder SRD)

Characters should be generated via a 25 point buy, with two traits and max starting gold. You'll be starting at level one - hit points at first level are max plus any bonuses. Evil alignments are frowned upon but not outright banned, should a concept be interesting enough.

At this point, I'm looking primarily for builds and concepts; we can flesh out your backstories after selection has taken place, especially if you're not familiar with the setting. Instead of a full backstory, think instead of three or four traits that really define how your character thinks and acts, and what drives them.

Levelling up is technically going to be via tracked xp on the medium progression chart, but I reserve the right to level you up at certain story points, should I feel it's appropriate for the story.

I am looking for players who will commit to posting on a regular basis, with an eye towards moving the game forward and keeping things interesting for everyone. I like good roleplaying and an eye for describing what your character is doing; please don't post a one line dice roll and consider your job done. This is a role playing game: assume a role and play it! I'm hoping for players who will give me enough "hooks" to create interesting subplots for them.

I like to run combat on maps shared via google docs; I do also roll initiative for your characters and the baddies. I run combats fairly quickly, so if you haven't posted in what I'd consider a reasonable timeframe (and I'm really rather reasonable) then I will smartly DMPC your character. Mature themes may pop up in the game so please be prepared.

* I'm intending to run this with six characters; I'm reserving at least two spots for players from my previous, abortive game set in Faerun. I don't discriminate against new players, nor those who, like me, have hit a rough patch and have had to drop out of a game.

Hi everyone!

Until June 3rd, you can download Battlefield 3 for free via EA's Origin client. A bit of an older game (released 2011) but still worth playing, especially if it's free!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Just in case you didn't know, Valve is giving away FREE copies of Left 4 Dead 2 (via it's Steam platform) until 1 pm eastern time/10 am pacific time. No hoops to jump through or other wackiness. Other than needing a steam account and the platform installed on your system, of course :-)

Hope everyone who is interested has a chance to jump on this great offer!

Hey everyone!

Just a quick heads-up; GOG.com is offering the original Torchlight as a FREE download:

Link here

You do need to create an account, but you don't have to provide a credit card # or any other such nonsense; just download and play this great game. Check out GOG.com's other games on sale, too; I was kicking myself for having missed Alan Wake on Steam a few weeks ago, but now it's on sale for $4.48 US - amazing.

Hope everyone can take advantage of this great offer!

4 Tarsakh 1357, Zazesspur, Tethyr

The notices appeared in the early hours of the morning, and were posted around the city in the places where adventurers tended to congregate: the inns and pubs, the equipment shops, the mercenary and trade houses, and the brothels. Printed on thick parchment, headed with the Mark of Helm's church and signed with the seal of the High Watchknight and Lord Mayor's office, both melted into wax, they attracted small crowds of interested readers, pushing and shoving to get a better look.

"His Holiness, Bertram, The Field Marshal and Pontiff of the Church of Helm in Tethyr, in consultation with His Grace, Grand Duke and Lord Mayor of Zazesspur, Alain Axelschmidt, has, this day, issued a call for adventurers willing to serve the people of Tethyr as protectors. The following conditions prevail throughout the land, and are abhorrent to the Vigilant God and all law-abiding folk;

MONSTERS now encroach upon lands which once were free of their predation;
BANDITS AND BRIGANDS now plague the people, and imperil trade and commerce by harassing both rural folk and trader alike;
FOREIGN POWERS now meddle in the unstable politics of the region;
GENERAL CHAOS AND DISREGARD FOR THE LAW are rampant, threatening not the rich in their cloistered villas but the poor and the helpless.

The Church of The Most Holy Guardian, together with the Office of the Lord Mayor, seeks adventurers of every speciality to act on behalf of the common folk of this land. We seek to send able guardians as emissaries of the Church and of the city of Zazesspur to areas of the country most in need to aid. In return for noble service rendered, we are authorized to offer monetary dispensation, investiture as lawgiving marshals, landholds, and the forgiveness of Helm and the secular authorities for minor criminal offenses which may colour your past and cloud your conscience.

Assemble today at the Temple Vigilant at noon. Worthy applicants free of binding responsibility to spouse, spouses or children may apply. May Helm stand between you and the dangers you will face."

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the discussion thread! It is here that we will fine-tune your characters stats and backgrounds, and when the game starts, OOC discussion should be located here, too.

Hello everyone,

Was checking my usual websites this morning, saw that Gamefly is offering Bioshock for free download:

Page is here

Caveats: you have to register, provide a credit card # (I tested it with a prepaid Vanilla gift card, and it worked) and download the gamefly client. But, for anyone who doesn't have Bioshock already, this looks like a great chance to play a truly great game at a pretty good price :-)

Regards,

Locke

Hello everyone!

I'd like to invite you to a PbP game set in the Forgotten Realms - the classic realms of the gray box (with a few pathfinder-y additions, of course). The Realms are a great setting for adventure, similar enough to Golarion to be familiar, but different enough to be interesting. I've played in the Realms for almost 20 years, but I don't expect players to have that level of familiarity. Players new to the setting are certainly welcome, as are experienced Realms veterans.

So, we're looking at a game set in the strife-torn nation of Tethyr, circa 1357 DR. With the royal family dead, the nation has fragmented, and multiple factions vie for power. Security and order have broken down and brigands and monsters roam freely. It's a land that is crying out for heroes! While I do plan to add structure to the adventure, and there will eventually be a meta plot, largely this will be a sandbox campaign which will feature a fair bit of dungeon delving, as well as social interaction with varying factions.

There have been a lot of stories and adventures set in the Realms over the years - forget them. There's no spellplague here. No fall of the Gods. Those events may never even happen - this is our game, just as Ed Greenwood would have it be. The Realms have been knocked by some for having a lot of powerful characters who seem to get involved in everyone elses' business and offer a Deus Ex Machina option for stories. Not going to happen here - this is your story, and while powerful Realms characters may make an appearance, they won't be bailing your party out or be getting overly involved in your story.

So, here's what we're looking at in terms of what's in the game, and what's out:
- all races, classes, skills, feats and spells for the core rulebook are allowed;
- all material from the advanced player's guide is permitted;
- racial options for the core races from the advanced races guide are permitted; mechanically, I don't differentiate between a moon elf and a sun elf, but these options can help you fine tune your character, should you choose to employ them. Additionally, the following races will be allowed: Aasimar, Ifrits, Oreads, Sylphs, Tieflings and Undines
- classes and options from both Ultimate Magic and Ultimate Combat are both fine; Gunslingers, however, are exceedingly rare in the Realms at this time and must be Gond-worshipping Lantanites
- some optional material from the 3.5 spell compendium and Forgotten Realms players guide will work their way in, but will not be player options from the get-go

Characters should be generated via a 25 point buy, with two traits and max starting gold. Hit points at first level are max plus any bonuses. At this point, I'm looking primarily for builds and concepts; we can flesh out your backstories after selection has taken place, especially if you're not familiar with the setting. Levelling up is technically going to be via tracked xp on the medium track, but I reserve the right to level you up at certain story points.

I am looking for players who will commit to posting at least once a day on weekdays, and hopefully on weekends as well. I like to run combat on maps shared via google docs; I do also roll initiative for your characters and the baddies. I run combats fairly quickly, so if you haven't posted in what I'd consider a reasonable timeframe (and I'm really rather reasonable) then I will smartly DMPC your character. Mature themes may pop up in the game so please be prepared; I do promise to handle things in a sensitive manner, however. Roleplaying is encouraged, and I really favour interesting interparty dynamics, even including a bit of disagreement and conflict. But at heart, I'd like to see your party grow and become a team, and perhaps a family, as things go on.

One last note: I tried to run a campaign in the Realms last year that ended due to a very painful situation in real life. I've learned a lot from what happened to me, and one thing that I want to encourage in this game is communication between players and myself. If I haven't seen a player post for 48 hours I'll attempt to reach out to them; as well, I'm going to share my real-life contact info with each selected player, in order to keep lines of communication open. I really want this game to go well and be something each of us can look back on as a great experience!

Oh, and a last note, I'm looking for six or so players total; recruitment will be open until sunday, november 11th. Thanks to all who apply!

30th Marponeth, 1357 DR

The first days travel has come to an end and the trade caravan prepares for the long night. You covered 15 miles today; the caravan master, Cheston Velnik, seems pleased with the progress made, despite having to take the longer route, via Saharkhan, rather than through the purple hills. He seems less enthused with the caravan's members. Most of his displeasure seems to centre on the wagon driven by the bounty hunter, Natasha, and on the prisoner within, though he has said little to anyone but the caravan's jack of all trades, a halfling girl by the name of Kathai.

There are 18 wagons altogether, mostly filled with trade goods bound for distant Zazesspur. Aside from the assorted drovers, guards and other personnel, there are several individuals of interest in the caravan who seem notable: it is around this evenings campfire that your characters can get together and introduce yourselves. Velnik is at the fire, as well as his chief scout, Velma, a young human woman of perhaps 20 winters, her pretty face marred by a scar running from above her right eye down to her nose. The bounty hunter, Natasha, sits sullenly away from the fire and says little. Her prisoner is still within the wagon.

The night is quiet and clear; Selune is showing her full face tonight, her tears barely visible in the light of the full moon. As the autumn night gets cooler, the campfire looks more appealing; maybe now would be a good time to get to know each other?

Greetings all! This will be the thread where we discuss issues with the game, rules interpretations, character building and more. Thread will officially open wednesday, october 19th at 5pm (gmt -5), but feel free to post here before then if you've been chosen.

Greetings all!

I've been hoping to run a PBP campaign set in the classic Realms for some time - and that time is now! I'm accepting applications for characters, game scheduled to begin on October 31st, 2011. I'll go over what to expect in this game, and then give you information about what the rules are, what resources can be used, and specific applications requests.

So - the Realms, classic style. It's 1357DR - no time of troubles, no spellplague. No Cyric, Kelemvor, or NG Midnight posing as Mystra. Bane, Myrkul and Bhaal are alive and well and scheming, as always. The other powers are there, too - valiant Torm, ascendant Lathander, vigilant Helm and Selune, beacon of hope in the night, are just a few of those who oppose the dark powers. The Gods are at once omnipresent and remote, supporting those of their followers who follow their tenets and shunning the faithless.

There are great, powerful characters inhabiting the Realms - Elminster the Sage of Shadowdale, Khelben in the distant metropolis of Waterdeep, The Simbul, Drizzt - but this isn't their story. It's yours. You may meet some important, powerful characters, but there won't be any deus ex machina here - you are the heroes of this tale.

I've chosen ancient, troubled Tethyr as the setting for this campaign - a realm split by years of civil war, unable to defend its borders against foreign incursion and monstrous infestation. The people tire of conflict and dream of peace - perhaps your heroes can herald in a new era of hope? Tethyr is also home to numerous ruins and dungeons - a place where one can find their fortune. How the campaign unfolds will depend on you, and the style of play the group prefers.

So, I'm looking for between four and six heroes to play this game. Here's the details:
- 25 point buy
- no traits
- all core races and classes accepted. In game terms, there won't be any difference between, for example, a moon elf and a sun elf, or a gold dwarf and a shield dwarf, except for flavour and background.
- APG, UM and UC content accepted. 3.5 realms products are acceptable, as well, though not everyone will have access so we'll proceed on a case by case basis. I'll also be making some spells from the spell compendium available
- the ninja, samurai and gunslinger can be discussed on a case by case basis; fitting them into Tethyr is possible, though may need some work to retain verisimilitude.
- all characters start at 1st level
- maximum starting gold
- max starting hit points; at each level up, you'll roll for HP, but you're guaranteed a minimum of average for your Hit die (4 for d6, 5 for d8, 6 for d10, 7 for d12)
- regular posting is asked for; at least once a day, please
- to help combats along, I'll be rolling initiative for all characters and using google docs to provide rudimentary maps. If you don't post regularly, I'll take actions for your character in the interest of making sure things don't bog down
- we'll be using the boards' built in dice roller; be advised, in the interest of narrative and mystery, sometimes I may not make all my dice rolls visible to you
- I'd prefer to have players familiar with the Realms, but new players who want to experience a different world are welcome as well

So, if you're interested in playing, please post a character, along with a brief background (including your patron God and how your character views said God). If you need help with the setting, or perhaps how your character can fit into Tethyr, please don't hesitiate to ask questions - we can work together on it.

Submissions will close and candidates selected on monday, october 24th. Happy gaming all - and thanks for reading!