What: Eberron, D&D 3.5
Where: NoVA/DC/MD area, locales can rotate to players’ houses as desired
When: Every other Friday (at least two Fridays a month), starting in early November
Who: Tom Cadorette, email tomcadorette AT yahoo DOT com, or madwabbit AT cox DOT net.
Quick summary: the group that I am the DM for is looking for 2-3 additional players to complete a 5-6 player party – the setting is Eberron/D&D 3.5, and we emphasize ROLE-playing over ROLL-playing.
About our group: I really enjoy being a DM, but also like playing, so I am open to alternating or rotating DMs. I rarely have to cancel games, if ever. I, too, and most of the current group are all mature, family guys and gals (with the exception of my 14-yr-old son). I’ve been playing D&D (and scads of other RPGs) off and on since the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, as have some of the other folks in the group. We’ve all just rediscovered D&D via the 3.5 rules, and have been playing 3.5 since late 2004.
For us, the rules provide structure, but we are not chained to them, particularly when the rigidity of paper-bound rules interfere with the cinematic action we’ve come to enjoy. That is not to say that we throw the rules out, but we do what is necessary to keep the game flexible and exciting, and above all, enjoyable. We focus on the story, not just on dice-rolling battles between lifeless sets of statistics. Rules lawyers and munchkins need NOT apply.
Type of game: Characters will start at 2nd level. We prefer a somewhat gritty and realistic game, so we use several rules and variants from a variety of different WotC and non-WotC sources (all made available to players in advance). We, too, use 2d10 for the core mechanic in place of the standard 1d20, for purposes of realism since the majority of rolls will tend to fall within the 9 to 11 average range, which makes skill bonuses matter a whole lot more.
Players are expected to be somewhat familiar with the Eberron campaign setting. An electronic copy of an “Eberron primer” can be made available, but we’re assuming that if you’re interested in Eberron, you likely have or have access to a copy of the Eberron Campaign Sourcebook.
The campaign will be story-driven. As such, characters should have some depth, background, and personality, so ideally players in this campaign would regard their characters as not just a collection of numbers on a piece of paper but also as a unique individual with some peculiar motivations, personality quirks and strengths, etc. The more details that make the character come alive and help drive the story along, the better. However, if all you're into is wargaming, killing things, and min-maxing, then this campaign would probably not be for you. That play style is fine, but in my opinion it wouldn't be a good match for a story-driven campaign.
Location: The group is scattered throughout northern Virginia, from Alexandria to Burke to Ashburn, and we mostly meet at my house in Alexandria (in Fairfax County, just south of Old Town, but north of Mt. Vernon). We do sometimes rotate amongst the homes of the various players, so that no one is always locked into gaming at my place
Time and Frequency: We plan to meet every other Friday, either the first and third or the second and fourth (still up in the air). We’ll start around 700’ish, and play as late into the evening as players are motivated to do.
So, if you are interested in this kind of gaming group and schedule, you should be able to commit to twice a month with only occasionally cancelling due to life issues beyond anyone's control. We all know that everyone has a life outside of gaming, but also keep in mind that a role-playing game is as much a social function as a game, since it is a group activity, so frequent no-shows will take their toll on the group in time.
In interested, please email me at tomcadorette AT yahoo DOT com, or madwabbit AT cox DOT net.