Top 10 Things you need to know

The 5-minute Social Contract of the game

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1. This is a world of Hard Fantasy Striving to present Magical Realism stories set in a rational and knowable world. This base has an overlay of Dark Fantasy as it applies to a literary atmosphere more akin to High Fantasy than Sword and Sorcery though containing elements of both set to a backstory of Mythical Fiction and Medieval Fantasy familiar to all that played at most Dungeons & Dragons tables. From time to time and adventure to adventure this will be combined with classic tropes of Heroic, Detective, Thriller, Romance, Juvenile, Fairy-tale, Supernatural, Science-Fantasy, and other sub genres as appropriate to the logical continuity of events and history of the world. Although there are set chronological events and deep world-building structures already established, it is a continuing Shared World of previous player and established individuals and organizations during previous games are all considered equally valued canon. Many times these stories will need to be uncovered by characters though they can be revealed though play, backgrounds, regional lore or working in conjunction with the DM to include them with current characters.
2. Players need Characters. Now that you know what kind of world your stories will take place in it is time to make a character. As always check with whoever is running the game for their thoughts. Your character might be created using only the free Basic Rules or the D&D Players Handbook, or may even make use of the customized character sheets available in the appendices to play with other options such as Sanity, Honor, and Comeliness. We will be assuming the full use of the rules presented here from this point on in this work.
3. Character Creation Basics Generate ability scores using one of the following options: Option 1: Rolling Roll 4d6 and keep the highest 3. Do this 9 times to get your array for your ability scores and arrange as desired. Note: You may re-roll the full array of 9 but the entire previous set must be discarded. If you do so you can't use any of the previously rolled scores in the new set. Option 2: Point Buy 42 points to use and distribute points as per the PHB Option 3: Static Array Use an array of 16, 15, 14, two x 13s, two x 12s, 10, & 8. Arrange as desired. You then need to select your character’s race, class, and background from the Players Handbook, or if you have access to them, those available in the Dungeon Master’s Appendices. Discuss possible selections with your DM for more information, rules, and availability. Once this is done you can randomly determine your character’s Social Class, Family, Heritage/Inheritance and determination of Natural Psionics using tables detailed in the Appendices. With all of this accomplished, you may now equip your character. You may either use the pre-gen options as per character class as detailed in the PHB, however, your DM may allow you to elect to roll for random starting amounts of wealth.
4. Fill out your background If you have questions feel free to ask your fellow players or the DM. Creating a background story for your character in the will usually earn you inspiration! Remember to pass this by the DM well in advance of the session so they can guide your ideas into the best fit into the campaign setting.
5. Have Fun making your character! Respecting others at the table, finding ways to engage yourself and others in role-playing over roll-playing will be rewarded so keep this in mind when crafting your character.
6. Please keep disruptions/bad behavior to a minimum Ideally there should be none of this at all during a session but we are only human and so things can happen. In case you are unsure what this means then please ask your DM or keep in mind that subterfuge against fellow players /PvP attacks /restricting PC or player involvement in the game is not cool or ok so don’t do these things - unless everyone is ok with it as part of the type of game you are playing ahead of time.
7. Feel free to read or listen to all the campaign material you want If you are interested in finding out more about the setting, there is alot! Remember however that your player knowledge and your character knowledge may differ. Your DM will help to determine how to separate these things in the game when necessary.
8. This is a group game, it rewards cooperative play. As such having a group focused positive play-style will help develop things and will be rewarded! As will having your character sheet as complete as possible when the game starts.
9. When playing you choose your preference. Be it Acting in character, Exploring the wonders of the world, Instigating actions to make things happen, Enjoying fantasy combat, Optimizing and fine-tuning, Solving problems, or Contributing to the story Narrative all are welcome. That said, this is a game and these simple things are meant to do the one thing we should all work at when playing; help make playing it more enjoyable for all!
Table Talk: Keep the out of character talk to a minimum once the session starts and avoid verbal cross-talk when play is in session. There is an OOC ability in Roll20 but at the physical table just be descreet. The DM will let you know when the session starts both verbally and sometimes viually. If you are talking, the impact of descriptions and lost information may hinder the overall enjoyment for all. Do not worry, players will be given opportunities to take turns declaring actions for what you intend to do so there is usually verry little need to cross-talk. Cross-talking makes things more difficult for the DM but worse; it is rude to interrupt fellow players. The DM will narrate the results of most of the action but may request players to describe what happens based on certain results. A good player will be aware of this and help self police to make sure everyone is ready, contributes positively, and plays an enjoyable session for everyone involved.
General Play: Declare your intended action first, the DM may ask for clarification, or for you to make a specific roll, or make a rules judgement based on what is happening (some of which player characters may or may not be aware of), then use your skills in descriptive roleplaying, active roleplaying, or preferably a combination of the two. Roleplay trumps all, this is an RPG; a role-playing game, so learn how to do it correctly! Roleplaying is the act of playing out a role. In this case, it's you as a player determining how your character thinks, acts, and talks. Roleplaying is a part of every aspect of the game and it comes to the fore during social interactions but is also important during exploration and combat as well. Your character's quirks, mannerisms, and personality influence how interactions resolve. There are two styles you can use when roleplaying your character: the descriptive approach and the active approach. Most players use a combination of the two styles. Use whichever mix of the two works best for YOU and you will have learned to do it correctly!
Descriptive Roleplaying: With this approach, you describe your character's words and actions to the DM and the other players. Drawing on your mental image of your character, you tell everyone what your character does and how he or she does it. For instance, Chris plays Tordek the dwarf. Tordek has a quick temper and blames the elves of the Cloakwood for his family's misfortune. At a tavern, an obnoxious elf minstrel sits at Tordek's table and tries to strike up a conversation with the dwarf. Chris says, "Tordek spits on the floor, growls an insult at the bard, and stomps over to the bar. He sits on a stool and glares at the minstrel before ordering another drink." In this example, Chris has conveyed Tordek's mood and given the DM a clear idea of his character's attitude and actions. When using descriptive roleplaying, keep the following things in mind:
• Describe your character's emotions and altitude.
• Focus on your character's intent and how others might perceive it.
• Provide as much embellishment as you feel comfortable with.
• Don't worry about getting things exactly right. Just focus on thinking about what your character would do and describing what you see in your mind.
Active Roleplaying: If descriptive roleplaying tells your DM and your fellow players what your character thinks and does, active roleplaying shows them. When you use active roleplaying, you speak with your character's voice, like an actor taking on a role. You might even echo your character's movements and body language. This approach is more immersive than descriptive roleplaying, though you still need to describe things that can't be reasonably acted out. Going back to the example of Chris roleplaying Tordek above, here's how the scene might play out if Chris used active roleplaying: Speaking as Tordek, Chris says in a gruff, deep voice, "I was wondering why it suddenly smelled awful in here. If I wanted to hear anything out of you, I'd snap your arm and enjoy your screams." In his normal voice, Chris then adds, "I get up, glare at the elf, and head to the bar."
10. Take a break – you’ll do great! See you in the game! When you jump in, do it responsibly and come prepared to play!
Thus ends the top 10 things every player must universally agree upon to play well at this table. This is but a brief overview and a more exhaustive resource dealing with the mechanics continues for your review throughout the rest of this Campaign Guide.
Thanks for your attention to this and...Game on!