Game Notes

[joertexas]

Welcome to the North Lands!

A few things about the game:

1. I prefer to focus on the characters and the story over the rules. While I will follow the rules, my interpretations will favor those who exhibit good and imaginative gameplay.
2. I will try to post at least twice per week, and more often, if possible. Please remember to follow this forum, and let me know if you have to be away from the game.
3. While I love maps, I am not planning to provide an "official" map. I will provide encounter maps as needed, but the denizens of the North Lands depend heavily on bards and other storytellers to pass along information. So, if your literate characters wish to make their own maps, and the players want to share here, then that's okay.
4. Although it is part of the rules, I don't care for the whole alignments construct. Every creature, sentient or not, can do good things or evil things. Using a "monster's" default alignment to assign motive will lead to trouble.
5. Combat, while an integral part of the game, is dangerous. Expect the "monsters" to have good tactical sense, and to act in accordance with their own motives and perceptions. There are more ways to earn XPs than simply killing everything in sight.
6. Magic, while not rare, is unusual in your native lands. Rumor has it that magic is more powerful in the North Lands, though.
7. I generally prefer player-driven adventures over set-piece scenarios. We will start with a scenario to get the game moving, but then things will open up considerably.

[joertexas]

Calendar and Times

The calendar consists of twelve months, each with three tendays. The game's dating system is from the Isle of Princes, although it's far from the only calendar system in use.

Queen's Reckoning is calculated from the time that the warring principalities of the Isle of Princes were finally united by a powerful queen, whose descendant is still on the throne today.

[joertexas]

The campaign ID is 931

[Eris]

Questions about geography. I'm imagining that there is a continent named ???. North Port (and now South Port) are located on the (east or west coast?) coast of that continent Offshore is the Isle of Princes (a big island where several Principalities are located) and The Islands (smaller independent island states). I imagine, that somewhere further south on this continent are more civilized lands, and to the north of North Port are the wilder, less civilized lands. This is all assumption on my part, of course. Is that about how you see it?

What we just learned from the waiter is that inland from South Port is the Lake of Arrows and that caravans travel from South Port to the Lake. Presumably they also travel back.

Back to assumption/deduction... We don't know the distance or anything about terrain between South Port and the Lake of Arrows, but seeing as there is a lake somewhere inland, I think that means we'll be traveling from a coastal plain, through hills (perhaps mountains) to a higher elevation where a lake would form. This also means that there will be one of more rivers flowing into this lake and probably one out. The Elf spoke of being "from far up the river" in the "wild lands." So, north from here are wild lands and could the river be one that flows out of (or into) The Lake of Arrows?

A rough map would be helpful.

[joertexas]

Questions about geography. I'm imagining that there is a continent named ???. North Port (and now South Port) are located on the (east or west coast?) coast of that continent Offshore is the Isle of Princes (a big island where several Principalities are located) and The Islands (smaller independent island states). I imagine, that somewhere further south on this continent are more civilized lands, and to the north of North Port are the wilder, less civilized lands. This is all assumption on my part, of course. Is that about how you see it?

What we just learned from the waiter is that inland from South Port is the Lake of Arrows and that caravans travel from South Port to the Lake. Presumably they also travel back.

Back to assumption/deduction... We don't know the distance or anything about terrain between South Port and the Lake of Arrows, but seeing as there is a lake somewhere inland, I think that means we'll be traveling from a coastal plain, through hills (perhaps mountains) to a higher elevation where a lake would form. This also means that there will be one of more rivers flowing into this lake and probably one out. The Elf spoke of being "from far up the river" in the "wild lands." So, north from here are wild lands and could the river be one that flows out of (or into) The Lake of Arrows?

A rough map would be helpful.

The place names here change depending on who you ask, so it might get confusing.

That said, the name of the continent is The North Lands. The Isle of Princes, which has been settled for close to a thousand years, is three weeks' sail south across the Sea of Storms. Both North Port and South Port are on the south coast of the continent, on the west side of a large bay called Lightning Bay (due to the frequent thunderstorms). There is a barrier island here that protects this part of the coast from the ocean, so the two ports have sprung up here. There is no connection between the River here in North Port and the Lake of Arrows.

To get a map, you can either make your own as we go, or you can seek out a cartographer or someone else who might use them. Printed materials are unusual here, as many of the people are illiterate.

[Eris]

I made a very rough map from your description. If this is terribly wrong please tell me and I'll delete/change this. Most of the map is unknown, and was generated randomly, but the placement of the bay, the two ports, and the barrier island should be in the realm of being correct. The river after leaving North Port is also fictional at this time.

[joertexas]

I made a very rough map from your description. If this is terribly wrong please tell me and I'll delete/change this. Most of the map is unknown, and was generated randomly, but the placement of the bay, the two ports, and the barrier island should be in the realm of being correct. The river after leaving North Port is also fictional at this time.

The River runs NNW out of North Port, and the Islands are east of the Isle of Princes, but this is close enough otherwise. When you make the trip, you will be able to measure the distance between the ports.

[terrymixon]

I found some summary pdfs that might be useful to players and DM alike.

http://terrymixon.com/Players_Quick_Combat_Guide.pdf

http://terrymixon.com/5e_Rules_On_A_Page.pdf

[joertexas]

I found some summary pdfs that might be useful to players and DM alike.

http://terrymixon.com/Players_Quick_Combat_Guide.pdf

http://terrymixon.com/5e_Rules_On_A_Page.pdf

Thank you.

[terrymixon]

I found some summary pdfs that might be useful to players and DM alike.

http://terrymixon.com/Players_Quick_Combat_Guide.pdf

http://terrymixon.com/5e_Rules_On_A_Page.pdf

Thank you.

You’re welcome. Lord knows this might make my understanding of the system better.

[joertexas]

As a general rule, I will move the game forward every Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening (US Central Time).

Absent any input between updates, I will presume that your character will continue in whatever activity they're doing, or that they will make at least a not-bad decision if something suddenly comes up on their turn to act.

[terrymixon]

As a general rule, I will move the game forward every Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening (US Central Time).

Absent any input between updates, I will presume that your character will continue in whatever activity they're doing, or that they will make at least a not-bad decision if something suddenly comes up on their turn to act.

Sounds good.

[Eris]

JR how are you handling "Leveling UP?" Are you: 1: awarding XP per encounter (like we had on the boat), 2. doing X number of encounters per Level, or 3. doing it by DM feel/fiat?

[joertexas]

JR how are you handling "Leveling UP?" Are you: 1: awarding XP per encounter (like we had on the boat), 2. doing X number of encounters per Level, or 3. doing it by DM feel/fiat?

I'm working from the encounters you have, to include how you each use your skills and abilities; how you do your job, if you will. It's incumbent on me to present everyone with opportunities to use their skills, and I will be tracking XPs earned in the background.

I might point out that there are more ways to earn XPs than by killing things. It can be better to negotiate, outmaneuver, or fool an enemy rather than just killing them, and XPs will be awarded appropriately. In that, I will depend more on DM's discretion rather than the book.