Opening Statement to My Players

To my great and wonderful players...
I chose YOU to participate in our shared game (not mine...this is key) not because of your minimal gaming experience (though it is a bonus, as you don't bring all the meta-gaming baggage to the table that common with old school gamers), but rather because of the incredible skills you already possess.
Acting, Investigating, Storytelling...
Not necessarily in that order either. Our game is first and foremost an interactive story. I provide the plot mechanics, twists, turns, and all that, but you provide the progression and direction the story takes. Just as in theater, character is the most important thing.
I want to try this experiment for several reasons. First, I feel like I've lost touch with too many friends, and I wish to foster a safe place for us all to create something with relatively low-stakes, that we can have fun doing as a group. Hopefully, when we're finished, we'll have created a story that we all feel the richer for having experienced.
Second, I love the idea of testing out a few narrative story ideas for which I don't necessarily know the progression. I have lots of creative friends who can help me (aka... that I can steal ideas from!). Perhaps this is cheating. So be it.
Third, and most important, we all are embroiled in creative endeavors that often take years to see fruition. That can be stifling and frustrating. Here we have something that the moment it hits your brain, it comes to life. Here, the act of creation and the forum are one in the same. Actors will act. Writers will write. It's all part of the package.
Going back to the safe space analogy, we should feel no shame in developing our shared mythology with the same passion we toss into our "adult" endeavors. This is a no judgement zone. You can immerse yourself as much as you see fit. As far as you're willing to lose yourself in the fun, I promise I will follow.
What is a Role Playing Game
Well, for one, it's unlike most other games, as there's no winner or loser. We all win if we simply have fun telling a good story together. Yes, I technically will be "running" all the adversaries you encounter, but my goal is not to beat you (though that will be the goal of some of my characters), but rather to give you compelling choices to make. Hopefully difficult ones; quandries so to speak.
So, structurally the game has players and a dungeon master. You are one of our players. This means you create whatever imaginary character you wish (within the parameters of game logic/mechanics), provide a compelling backstory and some plot hooks for me to exploit, and then you portray that character as if it were a performance.
My job, as the "DM," is to flesh out the world your character lives in. I provide the stage and the bit players. But first and foremost, you and your fellow players are the stars of this ensemble story. I'll always give you room to shine.
The "game" portion of the storytelling adventure involves adjudicating results that could be either considered random, or have the potential for both success or failure.
That's the only time any "math" is used when we play. It's when the dice come out. It can be combat, or really any situation where your goal is opposed by an outside force.
My story has a slight political bent, and as such, many of the opposed scenarios involve diplomacy, deception, and I'm sure a few other fun "d" words.
Right now, do not worry about game rules or mechanics. We will have a "Session Zero," where we take your character ideas and make them whole (applying rules and statistics to your character sheet). I will then also give a short explanation of the basic rules. Fortunately, this most recent iteration of Dungeons & Dragons has simplified the mechanics immensely.
You can basically learn everything you need to know in fifteen minutes, and the game has an elegant design where one core concept (one primary thing to remember) basically drives all the rules. But again, you need not worry about the rules now. I'll handle all that junk during our Session Zero.
So yeah, this website... I wrote way too many pages of background information. Basically, you don't need to worry about looking like a dork, since this booklet proves I can go dork-to-dork with the best of 'em. It's not really meant to be read cover-to-cover (though feel free!). It's simply there to provide context for the adventure we are going to play (called a "campaign"), and that context should prove valuable in fleshing out your character concept, whatever it may be.
There are few game mechanics on this site, and you should feel free to ignore them for now. Only bother with the world history and section about creating your character. This is meant to be used in tandem with the other booklet I provided, D&D Basic Rules, which is a condensed version of the official rules.
You can get ahead of the game (heh heh) by learning some of the rules, if you really want to, but the main reason I provided it is that it includes a step-by-step guide to creating a character. Again, don't fret the number crunching. Just peruse this section (and the similar section of my own booklet) to get an idea of what sort of charater you'd like to play.
Character Types The following is all in the "D&D Basic Rules" booklet...
With each character, you have a set of choices to make. This is a fantasy world, so not all the characters are human. You pick what race (or species) from which your character is a member. You then choose a class (basically a profession) that your character has chosen as their primary field.
At some point (on your own, if you feel like you get it, or during Session Zero) you roll (using four regular ol' 6 sided dice) your stats, which are numbers that approximate how good you are at things. Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, etc. These are all numbers between 3-20, with 20 being the best.
Finally, you should begin to develop your background (backstory). Optional tools (random charts) are provided in Chapter Four of the Basic Rules to inspire you, but you're not married to their results.
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There's even suggested naming conventions for each race and, I think, a random name generator. There are also TONS online. You can use this site too: https://orcpub2.com/pages/dnd/5e/newb-character-builder
The World and how you fit in... So, this booklet describes the world in which our game will transpire. It is a fantasy world, but this doesn't mean Medieval England or Ancient Greece.
Our world is one with more modern influences (to a point). It's not easy to say where the populace is along the lines of developed civilizations. If you think about it, any society where magic can solve the basic day-to-day problems of life would likely not advance as technologically swift as our own. So, though the setting has the appearance of classic fantasy literature (castles, elves, orcs, dragons, etc), the philosophical and reasoning aesthetics of the "civilized world" is more in line with modern times.
Here, you'll find background notes on how each race and culture fits into the grand scheme of the world and its inner workings. Once you decide what race and class you will likely play, take a look to see if there are any specific notes regarding them (primarily the race) in this booklet.
This will also help a ton with background.
Where does my character begin? The one and only decision I made for you / your character involves the town in which you begin the story. It's called Bramble, and there's a map and key for it in this very book! Bramble was once a thriving boom town situated along the route of a massive pilgrimage. It's now barely holding on, as the pilgrims stopped coming to worship the holy mountain that Bramble is adjacent to.
Spend some time thinking about why your character might be there. Did they grow up in Bramble, having never truly left, but now they're ready for adventure? Have they been away for some time, only to return due to a family illness? Do they need work and know the strange toymaker, Krimko, is always ready to provide odd jobs?
Note: Krimko will be a major player in the characters' adventuring lives. Just FYI.
These are just examples, but your decision will be woven into the story, so give it some thought!
Thanks again for going on this nutty journey with me! If anything's confusing, we'll clear it up in Session Zero, or feel free to email me. I'm happy to weigh in on any decision you make, but it really is wide open and free.
Oh, my only nit-picky request...
Please don't pick a purposely goofy name for your character, like "Al Pacino" or "Homer Simpson" or something. It totally ruins immersion, and it's only funny for like five seconds. :)
I hope you're as excited as I am to tell a badass story together!
Once we figure out everyone's schedules, we'll pick which evening to make our regular session and hopefully begin in late August!
Love and Circuses!
Clay