The World Of Orlantia ( Play By E-Mail )

Game Requirements

This Play By E-Mail game is currently filled, though applications are being accepted to get on a waiting list. Should an active player up and disappear for two or more weeks without warning, or find they can no longer meet the obligations of the game, or even find they no longer wish to participate for whatever reasons, an alternate player from the waiting list will be chosen.

Should the original player later return, they may find themselves without a seat at the gaming table. Therefore, it is required, at a minimum, each player make at least one IC post or one OOC post every week just to let all know they are STILL an active participant. Posting more often is appreciated and encouraged ;-) The game's pace will probably depend on the player who posts the least often.

If a player knows they must be absent for an extended period of time, they should make their apologies in the OOC channel first before departure, let all know how long they are going to be gone, and if it is for an acceptably short period of time, the GM will maintain their PC in the game for them until their planned return. Longer than a month, however, and the GM will probably write your PC out of the story and put you on the top of the waiting list. In the meantime, if your position has been filled with an alternate player, getting back in the game once you've left is not guaranteed. You have been warned.

As for the waiting list, 'First come first serve' is the general rule, though each on the list may, in order, be asked to fill a rather narrowly defined vacancy in the party, such as please devise and generate a character of this or that class or classes. The first one who agrees to play such a PC will be invited to join. If one should not wish to meet the current requirements or work within the given parameters, they remain on the list for the next vacancy. When and if that position opens, its parameters will probably be different and may be more to one's liking.

For this particular Third Edition (more or less) Dungeons & Dragons game, the GM requires all PCs follow the same rough template or guideline. In this case, that means making a character whose entire life will be focused on two character classes. Not one, not three or more, but two classes. One will be known as your PC's major class, the other your PC's minor class, and your PC's level in his or her major class shall be required to be greater than or equal to the level of your PC's minor class at all times. Simple, really. That way you can more easily play something that will both fit current party needs and still holds something you truly desire to play. Most parameters for a new party member would likely be something like:

Make a PC of Nth level (or N experience points) that is at least skilled in the ways of (insert class here). You may freely pick your second class from any of the other standard 10 class choices in the PHB. No prestige classes will be accepted. Clerics may pick two domains of their deity. Wizard may specialize in a school of magic.

So you see, fitting in might not be so hard. The hardest part will be waiting since one never knows if a vacancy will EVER appear. Thus, you are always encouraged to seek your gaming needs elsewhere while waiting.

Starting statistics should be reasonable, and most PCs are built around the concept of taking 75 +1d6 points and dividing them up between the six attributes in a statically reasonable way. Three 18's and three 7's would be horribly unreasonable. Even one 18 is exceptionally rare. One suggestion might be 16, 15, 14, 10, 10, 10, plus +1d6 (honor system roll). Please demonstrate your common sense, good players ;-)

Other requirements are that I will not accept evil character concepts for this game. Also, all players who wish to play any spell caster MUST own a copy of the 3e PHB. Though this PBEM game will dwell on roleplaying and not on game mechanics, it is important that spell casters have their spell write-ups and page numbers. Other players of non-spell casting classes are STILL strongly encouraged to obtain the Third Edition Player's Handbook. It often helps.

If you are interested in getting on the waiting list, simply send the GM some email. Introduce yourself, show off your writing skills by avoiding numerous spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes while saying hello, and indicate your favorite class or classes to play. You may or may not get a chance to play those classes, but you never know. Should you be accepted - and unless your letter of introduction is rife with errors, I can't think why you wouldn't be accepted - your name will then be added to the waiting list.

NOTE: This game is intended for a more mature and perhaps adult setting. While I don't expect X-rated material, I do fully expect R-rated material as the situation warrants it. To that end, all players of this PBEM game should be 18 years of age or older. Thank you.

Email Jim Your Comments (Send Praises, Critiques, Complaints, Suggestions, Ideas, Corrections, or Submissions).

While waiting to play a PC, it may be possible to play short term NPCs as well, like short term scenario villains, though not long term campaign villains as long term play would be more problematic. Though I've never tried it in actual practice for a PBEM game, if this idea appeals to you, it may be possible. Please let the GM know you are interested in this feature.

If you are allowed to play an NPC, you can submit an idea, be it just an NPC, or an entire scenario. The GM may also roughly define an NPC for you and expect you to flesh it out. Instead of sending IC posts directly to the IC E-Mailing list, however, you would send them privately to the GM. He may need to modify them here or there to accommodate certain world parameters. Then the GM would forward them to the IC list.

For those on the waiting list, you will be expected to sign up for both the IC and OOC emailing lists. You may quietly watch the IC game, and you may talk in the OOC list, though common sense suggests you should not queer the IC game with any unwelcome or inappropriate comments in the OOC list. Anyone doing so will have shown their lack of common sense and may be taken off the waiting list, and perhaps even banned from both the emailing lists altogether. Thank you.

To subscribe to these E-Mailing lists, please follow the links below:

The OOC E-Mailing List (Subscribe To Follow Behind The Scenes Table Talk, Or Participate In Discussions.)

The IC E-Mailing List (Visitors And Lurkers Should Subscribe To Quietly Follow The IC Game.)

Once accepted into this game, the GM will open an on-line character sheet for you to fill out. For now, anyone else may view the current list of characters by following the link below:

The Current PBEM Campaign For Orlantia

Players: Any artwork you care to submit depicting your player character may be hosted by yourself. Just fill in its URL on your character sheet and it will appear on both your public and private VIEW character sheets. If you cannot host your own image, send it to the GM via E-Mail. Send multiple images if you'd like.

Visitors: Any artwork you care to submit for a PC in this game - whose own player hasn't already given an image for their PC's PUBLIC description - may be considered, or with the player's permission, may be posted for them anyway. Please send submissions to the GM who will, in turn, ask the appropriate player if they would like to use your submission for their PC.

I will be using the ideas found in the link below for culture and race bonuses, and these ARE different from standard 3e. Even if you are not mixing race and culture, I hope you'll at least glance at all this material, and please carefully read about your PC's own race if nothing else. Thank you.

As such, racial stat bonuses and penalties will not be added in after the fact, but are assumed already when you make up your stats. Those rules are typically used when actually rolling dice for your PC's statistics.

Though humans normally get +2 INT under my rules, for example, here it will be assumed you already took that into account when you distributed your 75+1d6 points. Humans will NOT get the +1 skill point/level, so be aware of this and other house rules.

Mixing Race And Culture (Details On What Happens When Your PC's Race And Culture Do Not Necessarily Match.)

Some House Rules For 3e (Read and/or Submit House Rules for Third Edition D&D.)

Do not use class and cross class skill costs, but use these guidelines, instead:

The True Cost Of Class and Cross Class Skills, and Why

Players of Wizards, Sorcerers, or Bards may wish to look over the article on the Archaic language. So might any one else interested in arcane magic, the draconic language, and rules concerning arcane spells and spellbooks.

The Archaic Language (The Archaic Language, Arcane Spells and Spell Books.)

Strive For A Friendly Play Environment

I do not care for player-to-player conflict, though I do realize it happens, and sometimes with too great a frequency. That's life. But as this world was made under the GM's sensibilities, all rulings will also be made under it, no matter what player that may favor. Hopefully, such conflicts will be brief, and if they must happen at all, will be handled in private. Players not adhering to the GM's sense of fair play and justice, or even common sense, may, sadly, be invited to leave the game.

Deference shall be given to those players who demonstrate timeliness, are more actively involved and participating in the game, and show greater care and concern for their PCs and for their fellow players.

Character Concepts

Conflicts between characters are acceptable, however. Yet, even here we wish there to be valid reasons for them one can actually roleplay around, and hopefully such things will not depend too much on permanent hatreds or distrusts of particular races, classes, genders, or the like. Any background you devise for your PC that will likely result in permanent and heated conflict with other PCs over these unchangeable matters, like race, gender, class, etc., will be asked to be adjusted before the character concept is accepted.

Conflicts based on what your fellow travelers actually say and do to one another is fine, but conflicts based on their gender, class, race, or things they really can no longer change, is not in the cards. Such things often prove to be too long lasting and too difficult to resolve, and may easily erode away the fabric of fun for a nice game. You may initially hold such an idea for your PC, but should plan for quick resolution. For example, your PC may come into the game with a strong dislike for elves, but you should probably count on them, for whatever reason, finding any party PC elves to be tolerable and perhaps even exceptions to this antipathy, and in short order.

Loners are also not recommended, particularly tortured loners, those poor souls filled with inner conflict and mistrust of the world at large such that they shy away from cities and avoid the public. Such isolationist tendencies too frequently isolate the PC from the game's play, and unless you enjoy being cut off from participation, perhaps for a month or better of game time at each occurrence, you should avoid such character concepts. A ranger or a druid who prefers the wild is fine, but one who stubbornly refuses to enter larger cities or insists on never spending a night or two within a city's walls may be going too far.

NOTICE!

If you should feel so inclined as to leave the game, please have the courtesy to inform the GM and possibly make a brief farewell notice in the OOC channel. It is extremely rude to disappear without comment and just figure others will eventually get the hint. They may, but only after several weeks have gone by, and you have needlessly and thoughtlessly concerned them as to your mysterious disappearance, and also wasted their valuable time they could have been using to bring in a replacement for your PC. Kindly, please, inform others of your departure plans. Thank you.