ChicagoGMJ- Session Zero

So it took me longer than expected but i am finally getting stuff together for my own campaign. Maps and minis and stuff. I would prefer to have players who can commit to regular play but i can easily work with absences due to the nature of the campaign. I am still looking for around 60/40 roleplay/combat.  I am willing to do a short one or two session adventure in my setting if people want to feel things out first. I intend to rent out the private room for sessions. I don't know if this matters to people but I have 0 desire to use AI in any of my campaign so if that matters to you there you go. A summary of the setting and what's going on as relayed by Arius, the figure with the bow in the images:  Long ago, when gods ruled the land, and men sailed the sea, when the earth trembled and the sky broke, a great beast rose up in the shadows, and cast the world into perpetual twilight. As the shadows grew long, horrible monsters rose from them. For many long years, the gods fought against this darkness, but they struggled. They cast their holy light upon the beast, but the brighter it burned, the darker the shadows became.  Finally, in the year 482 of the common era, Lifskona, the goddess of the sun, queen of the heavens, made a deal with the men of the sea. They would be allowed dominion over the land, in exchange for driving the beasts away, so that the gods could direct their power towards their true foe. Man would be blessed with great magic to aid in this war.  Their attention no longer divided, the gods soon succeeded in binding their foe, and banishing him from the mortal realm, ending the long twilight. It was not so easy for man. Even with their new power, the tribes of the sea struggled to gain ground against the monsters we call the Drak.  What the gods percieved as a short conflict was a multigenerational war of attrition. Neither side gained ground and the fields of Flodlan ran red with blood.  It seemed the violence would never end. Many considered returning to the sea, and a happier world. It was only 20 years ago that the Namea appeared from the south to lend us their aid. Mysterious and wise, they turned the tide at the brink of defeat, and together with the men of the sea, pushed the Drak west into the desert.  Ram Anu, our king and the man who led us in that final push, rode back different. Nobody who rode with him will speak of what occurred.  6 years ago, the king rode out again, to end the Drak menace once and for all. He has never returned.  If that piques your interest, let me know. I know i've posted about this twice now. It's just taken a while to get things going.

The world of Phelun is an old one that has seen many conflicts throughout its history. While times seem peaceful, beneath the surface there are whisperings of the Dragon Queen stirring within her prison, strange events occurring upon the continent of Ines, and adventure awaiting upon the lost continent of Asoris. This is an 18+ only server that is a mix of go at your own pace pbp and west marches living world elements.  https://discord.gg/X8dFsNrjBw This is a new Server that has been worked on by one DM for 3 months. It currently features the following:     PbP forums for those who prefer slower RPs.     Living world channels where characters can explore the lands or meet one another in real time in the pub.     DM run Tables. (We are looking for more DMs to help run tables)     Mining, gathering, fishing, and exploration through Avrae commands (commands are ready, but random tables need to be filled out more for variety).     Random in game daily events (not tied to irl days, and still being worked on).     Market to buy items.     Guilds (will need leaders).     Job command to earn coin and a living world channel to RP the work in. (currently being reworked)     Custom Drinking command for the pub.     Player housing.

System: D&D 2024 Platform: Discord, D&D Beyond, D&D Beyond Maps, and LegendKeeper Schedule: Thursday, 6pm Central Time Frequency: WEEKLY  Session length: About four hours Campaign length: Approximately 50–75 sessions Starting level: Level 1 prologue, with the full party beginning at level 3 Expected ending level: Level 16 Cost: Free Players: I am looking for four players, with the possibility of adding a fifth if the group fit is right. Material Source: https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-OEnJ50yCIcWwqcffUEO I am putting together a long-term online campaign set on Rabiah, one of Magic: The Gathering’s earliest planes. You do not need to know anything about Magic to play. I will provide a player guide explaining the world, important cultures, major regions, and the situation at the beginning of the campaign. This version of Rabiah is being built as a complete D&D setting rather than a short visit to an MTG location. It has its own calendar, cultures, governments, trade routes, factions, settlements, regional economies, and conflicts that continue moving whether the party becomes involved or not. The campaign begins in Marsa Qamar during the First Open Roads Convocation. New passages have made travel between Rabiah, its alternate Refractions, and other planes much more common. That has created opportunities for trade, travel, migration, and reunion. It has also created arguments over who controls these passages, who may use them, and what happens when two versions of history begin contradicting each other. There is a central conflict, but there is no required route through it. NPCs will give you clear leads and real choices about where to go next. You may work with a faction, oppose it, change its leadership, ignore it, or discover that somebody you trusted had a very different plan. Problems elsewhere will continue to develop while the party is making those decisions. I want the world to feel like it exists beyond the player characters. Merchants travel, families make decisions, factions spend resources, and local problems may improve or get worse without the party. If you save one town, another situation may change while you are gone. That does not mean I automatically choose the worst outcome whenever you ignore something. It means the rest of Rabiah is also allowed to act. The tone will depend partly on where you go and what you choose to do. Some sessions may be lighthearted, strange, or hopeful. Others may become dangerous or genuinely dark. I am aiming for grounded adventure rather than constant misery. The world can be deadly, but I am not trying to trick players into dying. Serious danger will usually be communicated. Planning, negotiation, retreat, local knowledge, and asking for help can matter as much as having the strongest attack. Each player will have an individual Session 0.5 prologue. Your character begins at level 1 and reaches level 3 during that prologue. This gives us time to establish who the character was before meeting the party, introduce some people from their life, and let their early abilities come from something that actually happened. Players will also be able to contribute up to three notable NPCs from their character’s history. Families, former allies, rivals, mentors, employers, and faction connections can become part of the living world. I will work directly with you before using major personal material. Your backstory matters, but it will not be used as permission to do whatever I want to your character. Mechanically, we will use the 2024 rules as our foundation. Approved 2014 material and options from the Planeshifted Guide to Rabiah may supplement them. Rabiah has nine primary playable peoples, including Humans, Ogres, Genasi, Merfolk, Bird Maidens, Goblins, Viashino, Minotaurs, and Brass Men. Other Magic species may also work if we can give the character a believable place in the setting. This is meant to be a cooperative campaign. Characters can disagree, keep secrets, have selfish goals, and make questionable decisions. They still need a reason to travel together and care about what happens to the rest of the party. PvP will only happen when everyone directly involved agrees to it outside the game. Because this is a long campaign, attendance matters. We will normally play if one person is absent, with their character handled carefully as an NPC. If two or more players cannot attend, the campaign session will be canceled or rescheduled. Campaign audio will be recorded so I can privately transcribe sessions and keep accurate notes. The recordings are not for streaming, a podcast, or public release. Players must be comfortable with that arrangement, and recording can be paused whenever somebody needs to discuss something personal or private. If you are interested, fill out an application! I am not looking for the person with the most D&D experience or the most detailed character pitch. I am mainly looking for people who communicate, share the spotlight, care about the world, and are genuinely interested in staying with a long campaign. The start date can happen when we find a compatiable crew! I will speak with interested players individually before choosing the final group.