Tuesday, May 13, 2008

D&D Repatriation

I'll be running D&D again soon. This isn't about 4th Ed excitement (in fact, I'll be running 3.5 so I don't have to learn a new system before the first session), it's about friends offering to cover most of my gas money to Portland once a month if I DM for them.

It's going to be a light-hearted (and somewhat nostalgic) game. It'll be the only campaign I've run in the past 5 years were Python quotes at the table were not only tolerated, but possibly even encouraged. I'm even going to start it with the old "approached by a wizard in tavern" intro, just to set the tone. My plan is for each session to be self-contained, a single short adventure, with the same characters but otherwise little in terms of ongoing plot. It's not really a campaign, it's an excuse to hang with friends once a month and sling some dice in the process.

Bet you never expected that, huh? A little outside my comfort zone. I'm nervous, since I didn't pick the game. Last time that happened, it didn't go so well. I'm hoping the completely casual nature will keep this from being another train-wreck. We're running 9th level characters, since my recollection is that the sweet spot of 3.5 mechanics is 8th to 13th level or so. That was pretty much my only bit of say in the process - 9th level characters, only using stuff from the corebooks so I don't have to read up on a whole bunch of other stuff. I plan to haul minis down there, and either a water-soluble battlemat or cardboard dungeon tiles. It'll be 80% improvised. The bits I'll work out in advance involve crazy dungeon tricks, good old school White Plume Mountain / Tomb Of Horrors stuff.

Wish me luck!

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