The city fell silent as it always does at twilight. Summer was coming to an end and I do not think many of us were really prepared for what was to follow… Peace had never been like this before, not in the living memory of man or dwarf — it was… unnatural.
The Duke of Merida, Lord Victor Ori declared neutrality in the war between his cousins, High King Lucius II and the rebel “Red Peter” Urian, “Archduke” of Caenan. He did this to save the Middle Realm from being swept aside by the nomadic hordes, the men and orcs of the North who follow the teachings of an illiterate whore that claimed divine inspiration. Now, we stand as the only bulwark against their aggression, their barbarism.
This city, my city, is Merida. Built by the hands of man and man alone, it is the only city this far north that has a history that predates the coming of Dwarven Emperor, Victor Magnus, also known as the Grand Conqueror.
Merida was once the center of a nascent Empire of Man, but that was torn asunder when the Arcanum ended the so-called “Age of Blood and Fire.” To read the history books, even the ones written by my own countrymen, one would think that the era heralded only chaos and bloodshed. They forget that Merida was at the center of the Rebirth, it was our scribes and our coin that helped to cultivate a common image of Man the world over.
We are one people because Merida and its people sacrificed to discover our common links. Most men forget that now, but I assure you, some do not.
The city remembers. The Market bustles, the Elemental Temples have been a facet for eons, the Palace retains its glory and the Sanctuary expands every year.
Merida stands fast, but for how long?
House Ori rules well-enough given the situation. The Duke is aging, but his son shows much promise. His wife and their youngest children, the Twins, are pillars of the Water Temple. It is through their service to the common good that the people respect and love their Duke. His eldest child, Lady Malia Ori, is less inspiring, but may become useful later.
Across the table from House Ori sits House Geheris. Lord Hector Geheris, Count of Novia, stands to benefit greatly from the peace. He operates several forges, ranches and holds a stake in several mercenary companies in the area. He loves Merida as much as anyone here, but there is tension between the Houses Ori and Geheris that goes beyond simple rivalry. But what?
The dwarves have been a presence in the city ever since the Dwarven Emperor narrowly defeated Lord Imbohl, King of Greater Merida on the very fields that feed us today. House Imbohl fell that night, Victor Magnus made sure to destroy the bloodline that nearly ended his life. They maintain a large following for their Imperial Cult and stage a series of marches throughout the year to remind the people of this city of their legacy. They stand and march to balance our own history, the constantly serve to remind us that their Emperor, their God-King on Earth, defeated ours.
I hate them for it.
But they’ll never know…
Both the High King and Red Peter have agreed to send us troops to help defend the Middle Realm from the Nomads. Thankfully, we have been able to keep one in the field while the other stays in garrison. The only time I have to worry is the symbolic “Changing of the Guard” when one exits and the other enters. Every month, it is more and more of a spectacle.
Lord Ori wants their commanders to attend the Harvest Celebration at the Palace in a week’s time. This will be interesting, especially since he also invited the Embassy.
Lord Weyoun Jarna, Baron of Reach, and his wife Estrella, are from the conquered Realm of Arnham to the northeast — they are but Nomads in finer clothing and fancy speech. They talk of peace with grim Lord Tarkin, but they really speak of conversion and capitulation to their One Faith.
If I wanted to experience the pleasures of divine submission, I’d visit the Sanctuary Below, I’m sure it would be more interesting than what their Prophet’s Puppet peddles from his big tent in Karakalla.
But we remain, ever vigilant in the face of threats that can destroy everything we’ve worked for… What else can we do?
The Imperial Cult of the Grand Conqueror is the religion that grew around the legendary dwarf who united the dwarven clans, oversaw a cultural and political rebirth in dwarven lands and conquered nearly all of the Known World. He is now known as Victor Magnus, or The Grand Conqueror in the Common tongue. The Imperial Cult has been in existence ever since the Dwarven Legions subdued the last Eladrin Citadel and Victor Magnus defeated Enayla the Winter Queen in personal combat over twenty centuries ago. The Imperial Cult is the official religion of the historic Dwarven Empire and the current Dwarven Commonwealth, its symbol is that of a Victor Magnus’ three weapons crossed over his shield.
Victor Magnus was a complex figure. He is revered in three aspects, each according to a stage in his life: in his Youth, in his Prime and in divine form as God-Emperor.
The Young Conqueror
In his youth, Victor Magnus focused on the use of his keen mind. He used subterfuge, guile and careful planning to assert himself as Patriarch of his Clan, Leader of his Alliance and ultimtely High Patriarch. It was in his youth that he garnered the reputation of having two favoured fighting styles depending on situation.
For the battlefield, it was the classical shortsword and tower shield. For personal combat, it was a smaller shield and battleaxe.
The Grand Conqueror
As Emperor, Victor Magnus oversaw the deconstruction of nearly all dwarven institutions and philosophies. He built roads, academies and libraries. He restructured the lands and the clans. No longer was each Clan to be an independent family seeking power and fortune, now they were intertwined and interdependent through marriage and granted monopolies. He restructured dwarven military and created the Legions, a central force made up of second-born dwarves from every clan. Soon, the Legions rivaled the power of every Clan combined and through them was the Grand Conqueror able to bring law and order to the world. In addition to these, he instituted new rules of behaviour that placed primary importance on personal courage and honour. It was simply called “The Code.”
On the battlefield, Victor retained his use of the shortsword and shield. In personal combat, he adopted the use of a massive, two-handed maul.
The God-Emperor
Had he been normal, Victor Magnus would have been considered an elderly dwarf when he was proclaimed God-Emperor of the World. Directly following his defeat of the Enayla the Winter Queen, the last free Eladrin monarch, in personal combat, Victor Magnus began to focus on the value of his accumulated knowledge and experience. He wrote three volumes: On the Line, a treatise on courage and his early struggles; Under One Banner, a discussion on family, clan and dwarvenkind; and The Truth of War, a spiritual essay on the necessity of violence and warfare for a greater good. In his five hundred and twelfth year of life, he disappeared from the Imperial Throne Room and became greater in the hearts and minds of his people than even he might have imagined.
In his last century, the God-Emperor of the World shed all weapons save his beloved great-axe. Most statues depict the Grand Conqueror in his classical pose: leaning forward on his axehead and surveying the battlefield like a farmer leans on the handle of his scythe overlooking his harvest.
Today
The Imperial Cult is run by a tight administration under the control of its senior priesthood. Virtually all dwarves pay homage to the greatest mortal to have ever lived. In addition, many halflings who live away from their beloved islands tip their hats to the Grand Conqueror. Humans round out the number of ardent believers, though their numbers are dwindling in the emergence of the Black Cabal and the expansion of the monotheistic faith of the Nomadic folk from the Northern Steppes.
Many older cities have stone amphitheatres dedicated to the Grand Conqueror in one or all of his many forms. There are martial orders dedicated to each aspect, as well.
The Mystery Cults
What happened to Victor Magnus, the God-Emperor of the World? His disappearance has been subject of many beliefs and movements. Some believe he will return, others believe he will be reborn and still others believe that he is still with us today. Which is true? These Mystery Cults are tolerated by the Orthodoxy, but they are never given time on the stages of the Cultist Amphitheatres…
The Prophet Pianna
The Prophet Pianna was only human. She never claimed to be able to perform miracles and she possessed no abilities that were out of another’s reach. Pianna only claimed to be possessed of a direct message from the Great Creator, the One God of All Things. Her message was spread far and wide and people began to believe in her message, to believe that all was not lost and that there was a future ahead — one just as bright as the empires of the past. When she died, it was a dark day. Some allowed themselves to believe that the Faith she built would not survive past her own existence, but they were mistaken. Pianna was succeeded by a line of mortals. Like their predecessor, they would possess the same abilities of the Prophet: none. Like their predecessor, they would lead based upon their convictions and their mundane abilities. Like their predecessor, they have been generally successful in their endeavour.
Uleg the Founder
The first person to succeed the Prophet Pianna was her last consort, Uleg. When they were first together, the two were a political pairing. Necessary for peace between man and orc, the two major nomadic clan groups on the Steppes, Uleg and Pianna played their part in maintaining the uneasy peace. This all changed when they became emotionally involved with one-another. As they went, so did the (nomadic) world. Uleg was a strong leader, a confident leader. A former hunter and war chieftain, he was a keen and skilled peacemaker. But he is best known for his conquest of the One City, the sole city of the Steppes: Karakalla. Once the farthest outpost in the Dwarven Empire, it was now a great stone husk of a city — built for fifty-thousand and inhabited by five thousand. Karakalla became the center of the Community of the Faithful, and it now houses over one hundred and twenty thousand people. He established an order for the Faith and the Faithful to follow and a framework for leadership that allowed for his son, Orda, or pick up where he left off.
Orda the Magnificent
Orda followed his father as Successor to his mother, the Prophet Pianna. He was a jealous guardian of the Faith and the Faithful. He masterfully repulsed an invasion from a Cabalistic army, such was his wrath that he had the eyes of the surrendering mercenaries pierced out save one man. They were lashed together and the man with one eye led the army out of nomadic territory and back into the lands of the settled men. This punishment for invading the holy land was repeated two more times in history and became known as the Unblinking Eye. Orda strengthened the community of the Faithful and began the process of bringing Pianna’s message to the settled lands of the south.
Runa the Graceful
Runa came next. She was a convert — a minor noblewoman brought with her husband on campaign against the nomads. Runa was raised to pay tribute the elementals, to honour the memory of Victor Magnus, and participate in the festivities of the Cabal. Thus, she was without conviction for the beliefs of the southern lands. Of all the beliefs of which she was exposed, Runa was most comfortable with the rationalism of the gnomish Order of the Stars and was intrigued by the mystery of the enemy religion, the One Faith. She left her husband without a word in the night, bribed the campguards to allow her to take a horse (she used her engagement ring), and rode toward the enemy camp. To the realms of the south, Runa was regarded as a traitor. To the nomads of the Steppe, she was seen as an omen. If a woman of such grace and elegance would leave the decadent luxuries of the south to seek the true faith, then perhaps the Prophet Pianna was right. Perhap theirs truly was “all under heaven.” [A phrase that would become the second most common battle cry in the nomadic tongue, after "Prophet's Grace."] As a convert to the One Faith, Runa’s was a particularly fervent belief. She was tireless, often to the point of staying up nights working with her inner circle of advisors and ministers. Runa collapsed due to exhaustion more than a few times in her life.
Runa is best known for establishing the Three Orders of the One Faith: scholar, preacher and priest. The Scholars were bookish monks and nuns, not necessarily aesthetics, but small households of men and women dedicated to teaching the Faithful about the world. The Preachers were speakers, singers, dancers and musicians. They created works of art to teach the world about the Faith and the Faithful. The Priests and Priestesses were special. They were rare. They were charged with teaching the Faithful about the Faith. The best of them carried within them a piece of the Prophet’s Grace within them. These three in one, the clerics of the One Faith carried the word to the world and the world to the people.
Hanif the Studious
The scholar Hanif followed Runa as Successor to the Prophet. In his time, he created an extensive phonetic alphabet to replace the Elementalist ideograms that most languages used when they lacked their own writing method. He was best known for prociding over the process of codifying the Acts and Revelations of the Prophet Pianna into a single document. Though he seemed harmless, Hanif established the Lower Order, a secretive group of spies and agents to protect the Faithful from supernatural threats and covert undertakings by other realms. Under Hanif, the Community of the Faithful solidified control over the Steppe and the neighbouring fertile lands by paying gnomish engineers to oversee the construction of roads, bridges, fortresses and three strategically-placed towns: Uleg’s Rock, Orda’s Crossing, and Runa’s Retreat. Hanif’s rule was well-regarded and served as a small golden age for the Faith and Faithful.
Omar the Righteous
Omar was a trained Priest, but he left the service to join the army during an invasion from a Cabalist realm near Orda’s Crossing. He led his men well, and over the years, was promoted to be proclaimed Protector of the Faithful by Hanif himself — a title that had previously been the province of only the Successor. It was natural that Omar succeed Hanif, and so, it occured. Faithful historians see divine providence as the reason Omar became the Successor. He was not much of an administrator, but his faith and his skills as a warrior were key in saving the community of the faithful from a mass invasion by an alliance of the settled lands to the south. Elementalist, Imperialist and Cabalist came together to carve up the fledgling lands to the south and they did ravage the lands that could not be protected. In response, Omar put out the call to the entirety of the Steppes and the Community of the Faithful to rise up and fight against these vile transgressors.
The holy warriors of the One Faith threw themselves against the invaders and beat them back beyond the old borders, back into their cities and citadels. Omar commissioned the gnomish engineers once more, but this time, to construct machines of war. Great catapults capable of felling the greatest walls. When those walls crumbled, so too did the resolve of the invaders. In his anger, Omar commanded that the cities of the south be put to the torch. He strode the palace halls of all the Kings of all the Southern Lands, and he burned every single one of them. The dynasties were put to the sword if they did not convert. Only one family was noble enough to surrender after an honourable setpiece, and only they were possessed of the grace to convert to the One Faith. All other royal houses fell in the wake of the Steppeland’s Holy War. Omar is remembered as a hero, and his is a name invoked when rousing battle speeches are uttered. To those subject to his wrath, he is remembered as a envious and brutish barbarian.
…
Kalda the Heretic.
Junan the Saviour.
Sarrah the Healer.
Tarkin. (Current Successor.)
The Exquisite Society of the Ceaseless Void was founded after the long and painful collapse of the dwarven empire. Long united, the empire divided in blood and fire. Amidst the ruins, the precursors to the current mortal realms developed and disappeared into the sands of time. It was during this tumultuous age that four great minds came together, two men and two women who identified the source of not only their sorrows but that of the entire world. They brought it all together into one, comprehensive philosophy. The lives and times of the four are recorded in the four Books of Death: Joy, Sorrow, Death and Nothingness. The teachings of the Four form the philosophical foundation for the two main sects of the religion commonly known as The Black Cabal. Their reach and popularity has grown steadily in the face of many challenges: belligerent Elemental Temples, the emergence of a philosophical enemy, and countless revivals of the Imperial Cult.
A cornerstone of success for the Black Cabal has been the creation of the Sanctuaries Below. Dedicated to the promotion and preservation of the teachings of the Four and their descendents, these vast underground complexes are a place of contemplation and a guaranteed safe harbour for cabalists. Each sanctuary is unique in its layout and what it houses, but there tend to be patterns and commonalities. Of the numerous sanctuaries, there exist four greater sanctuaries beneath the oldest of the human cities. The correct term when referring to a specific sanctuary includes the name of the city that they are beneath. For example, the largest sanctuary is the Sanctuary Below Argento, the capital city of the Kingdom of Galada.
Each of these include a Void Altar, what can only be described as the central symbol of the cabalist beliefs. The void is central in the philosophy of the Four, thus these Void Altars are central to the design of the Greater Sanctuaries. A marble block of rock, carved ornately sits in the middle of a vast circular complex most closely resembling an amphitheatre. The altar’s dimensions vary from each location, from rectangular to circular, but each tend to be at least twenty feet long and six feet tall. At the center of the altar is a circular recess that is four feet deep at the middle and ten feet in diameter. Fortunate cabalists are interred here after death, their bodies committed directly to the Void. Incidentally, many others have committed suicide by stepping into the center of the Void Altar during collective meditations. As is the way of the Exquisite Society, those present try not to interfere with such an important decision, and hold that as long they trust the person to be of their own faculties that suicide is perfectly acceptable.
Deeply connected to the concept of the Void Altars are the meditaiton rooms, which house smaller representations of the void called Void Shrines. Small structures, almost furniture, created to house a harmless and immaterial sphere of anti-light. From simple and unpretentious wrought iron frames to extravagant works of silver and gold, the Void Shrines are focus points for meditation on life and death. Each sanctuary has multiple Void Shrines, each with its own room to facilitate peaceful meditation of its occupant. The Greater Sanctuaries can have dozens of these such rooms each with its own ornate Void Shrine. Usually, upon realization of their immediate mortality, an aging or stricken cabalist will commission a Void Shrine to be created in their name. They would then donate it to a sanctuary on the condition that their names be connected to that particular Void Shrine for as long as that Void Shrine exists. It has become more common for multiple people to pool their resources in their legacy donation, often providing funding for the mining of a new room for their Void Shrine and even donating the spartan furnishings for such a room.
Mausoleums, crematoriums and crypts are common additions to the Sanctuaries Below. Many devout members purchase a space for their remains well in advance of their passing, and entire crypts can be spoken for before ever a miner’s pick touches rock.
Legacy donations are not restricted to Void Shrines. In fact, most such gifts tend to be less grandiose but no less appreciated: a book collection, a musical instrument, artwork, jewellry, or even the inheritance of businesses or property. The most common legacy donation is money. As a result, some of the “clergy” in charge of the Sanctuaries Below tend to have great experience in handling money, appraising goods, and conducting business and trade.
The Sanctuaries Below are a reflection of the entire Black Cabal, all places and, more importantly, all times. Two stalwart additions to any Sanctuary is a vast archive and an even larger library. The Cabal Archives are some of the most meticulous collections of mundane and extraordinary information alike. They do not tend to be open to any and all members, but rather restricted to Cabal Archivists, Librarians and Moneychangers. Each library has its own filing system and some are absolutely byzantine in nature. For the Seeker sect of the Black Cabal, the archive and the library are of the utmost importance, second only to the Void Altars themselves. Cabal Librarians and Archivists are trained by a system of entrance exams and apprenticeship. They are some of the most active representatives of the Exquisite Society, and tend to refer to it by its official name to differentiate themselves from the regular membership. Almost all Cabal Librarians and Archivists are of the Seeker Sect, the line of thought followed by the author of the Books of Death. Their central tenet is that knowledge and understanding are the only objectively acceptable reasons for going on with living despite all the pain, all the hardship, and all the disappointment.
The majority of members of the Exquisite Society of the Ceaseless Void are of the Black Sect: mostly social members and hedonists. It is this sect that has given rise to the term “Black Cabal” and they hold to the popular reaction to mortality in seeking to fill their lives with as much pleasure and beauty as possible. They are deeply hedonistic in their outlook, and tend to believe in and value only the material things.
“Life is short and the void approaches. Steal as much joy as you can before you are forever lost.“
The life of a Black Cabalist revolves around the finer things in life: food and drink, comfort and music, and beauty and sensuality. The facilities devoted to these pursuits are some of the most common in the Sanctuaries Below. Kitchens, dining halls, wine cellars, and tea rooms abound. Salons for comfortable conversation, auditoriums and dance halls to appreciate and celebrate the beauty and harmony of music are common first additions to any Sanctuary. Art galleries, bath houses, and various forms of pleasure halls tend to round out the rooms generally available to any cabalist in any Sanctuary Below.
There also exist vast dormitory space for travelers, but many also include more hospitable spaces akin to rooms at an inn for a generous fee and a promise to follow the rules of the sanctuary. Cabalists tend to hold their own living spaces on the surface, but some find long-term, but temporary, lodging there — it seems that only dwarves can remain underground for any meaningful space of time.
Entrances to the Sanctuaries Below are well-known secrets. Classic entraces are through graveyards, well-traveled inns, and houses of ill-repute. Some people have paid for direct access to their sanctuary from their homes. If one wishes to gain entrance, it does not take much effort to find out where one may be without even having to utter the question.
When Victor Magnus was a youth, he was the second son to an honourable family. His father was a gallant soldier and patriarch, his mother was an honourable sculptress, and he was a faithful student of the martial and political arts but his brother was a prodigy and a cruel tyrant. The young Conqueror suffered many injustices in the face of his elder brother’s greed and malice. Years passed until the Dread Elder was sent away to be an officer in his father’s master’s army. At last, the Conqueror was free of his wicked brother. He used these years to learn to become a strong, wise and brave warrior. Such was his bravery that he never once declined a challenge, such was his ambition that he spent three days wrestling an ogre into submission. The time he spent training was good, but with all things, it did not last.
His father grew old, fell ill and passed into the Grey Mists of Death. His brother, the Dread Elder, returned from the battlefield a truly magnificent warrior: powerful, skilled and hardened. Now the clan’s patriarch, the Conqueror’s elder brother ruled as he lived: tryanny prevailed under the gauntlets of brute force and fear. The Dread Elder had no equal in combat. Many challenged his rule, all fell. For two years, the young Conqueror endured constant goading at the hands of his elder brother. The purpose of this was all too clear, once Victor Magnus fell in combat, none could stand to challenge his elder brother. The young Conqueror always refused, stating that it would be against all strictures of honour and filial piety to kill one’s brother. Of course, this enraged the Dread Elder, and constant goading turned to obsession.
One day, the elder snapped. To provoke the duel with his younger brother, he turned his blade on their mother. He murdered her before the entire assembled inner circle, and only then did the young Conqueror draw his blade and face his brother in combat.
The Dread Elder laughed balefully as he unsheathed his blade and stepped forward.
And then he screamed in rage as the young Victor Magnus turned and fled the throne room.
Down into the catacombs, elder chased younger. Through corridors and cells, caverns and vaults, one sibling pursued the other.
The young Conqueror found himself trapped, cornered in an old and vast vault of riches that was emptied by the greed and decadence of the Dread Elder’s rule.
With no other option, young Victor turned and faced his nightmare.
“Finally!” exclaimed the eldest, “Your cowardice surprises even me, boy! Only when you run out of floor to scramble across do you turn to face me like an honourable warrior!”
“Yes,” Victor replied as he drew his blade and readied himself. He began to circle around the room, “Had our father passed earlier, I might have drawn my blade the first time you opened your mouth.”
“But you did not,” his brother hissed angrily. The Dread Elder was regarded the young Conqueror with some confusion, “You are as calm as any blooded veteran, brother.” He stopped and adjusted his stance as the young Conqueror did the same, “Why would you feign cowardice only to face me honourably now, when no one will see us? I do not understand.”
The young Conqueror regarded his brother without surprise, “Nor would you.” He stood up straight and sheathed his blade. As he backed out of the vault, he spoke: “I could not have defeated you in single combat, brother. Not when we were mere lackbeards and it is unlikely now. I might have lept at the chance a year ago, a chance to test my mettle. But now…” He pushed the great steel door to the vault shut, “Now, I have the wisdom to seize victory as *I* see fit. You have taught me a valuable lesson, brother. One that I shall never forget.”
The Dread Elder cried out in horror and rage, hatred and terror. He beat on the stout metal door in vain as the latch closed and the vault was sealed forever. Amidst the thud of his elder brother’s vain attempts, the young Conqueror turned and strode down the corridor to the world above.
“For that, and only for that, dear brother, I thank you.”
The Elemental Pantheon
- Air [Freedom, Choice]
- Earth [Law, Order]
- Fire [Passion, Destruction]
- Water [Reason, Creation]
The Heavens
- Heavens [Travel, Fate]
- Sun [Truth, Labour]
- Moon [Secrets, Comfort]
The Imperial Cult of the Grand Conqueror
- The Young Conqueror [Trickery, Politics]
- Victor Magnus [Courage, Honour]
- The God-Emperor [Knowledge, War]
- Black Cabal [Death, Pleasure]
- Cabal Seekers [Death, Knowledge]
The Great Creator
- Monotheistic [Creation, Civilization, Hierarchy]
The Beloved Wife and Revered Husband
- Earth Mother [Life, Nature, Feminine]
- Sky Father [Death, Civilization, Masculine]
- The Infernal Pact [Devils, Lies, Power]
- The Primal Chaos [Demons, Slavery, Power]
This blog will now be the official site of a Fouth Edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign. More information to follow, but the tags IC and OOC will have different meanings when coupled with the tag: Merida.
Watch this space for more details….
Greetings!
When one decides to take part in a role-playing game, it is usually in response to an invitation. RPG groups are often insular and secretive. Role-playing still carries a stigma, though upon objective and open inspection, there is little reason for such social trepidation. In any case, what matters most when one is invited is that several questions be asked before the choice to meet the group and join the game is made.
The first question is simple: do you have the time to play? Most games live and die by scheduling, though very few seem to see it this way. You need to seriously consider your general availability over a longer term than one might expect for other social engagements. In an instance where an individual session lasts for at least three hours and a campaign can last for dozens of sessions, player attendance needs to be reliable for all participants to get meaningful enjoyment out of it. Nothing can sour a session like an unexpected cancellation. If you are the GM, it is doubly important to consider scheduling as the game depends upon you to keep it going.
What day is it held? Is it a weekday? Can you attend regular sessions after work or class during the week? How will you fit in dinner? Will it affect your performance at work the next morning? Is it during the weekend? When? What are your habits during your days off? If you’re likely to be hung-over from Friday night, is Saturday morning realistic? Sundays seem to work well, but only if you don’t attend some sort of religious function… Be prepared to make sacrifices, even if they’re not your own.
The second question is not so simple: do you want to spend three to five hours a week with the people already involved? There’s no easy way to answer this one. You have to get to know the people playing the game. Of course, this relies on your tolerances sicne sometimes one only needs a trusted friend to vouch for a group. I would advise that you need to honestly consider this: would you socialize with your game group outside the game and in public? If not, then perhaps the group is not for you and you might need to consider what you’re looking for out of your social life.
The third question is simpler: what game are they playing? What genre: fantasy, historic, science-fiction, horror, mystery, adventure, superheroes? What system and ruleset? Are there any “house rules”? If you’re new to RPGs, you need to start somewhere — simpler games help, but one can only learn by doing, so give almost any game a try.
If you have gone through these steps and have arrived at the decision to give the game a chance, then there are a few things that you can do to streamline your initial introduction to the group and integration into the game.
Learn about the system. You don’t need to understand everything, but the effort will be appreciated by nearly everyone there. Look online and see if there are any “quick start” rules available for free on the game’s website. Many games have their own websites, forums or messageboards, so checking up on there never hurts. Be prepared for jargon, however, as these places tend to be populated by experts and highly-enthusiastic players. Take it easy and try to learn what you can without stressing out.
If you’re willing to spend the money, pick up any materials like a small notebook, a pencil and eraser, and any specific types of dice you might need. You can procure a good set of polyhedral dice for about ten dollars at any comic and game shop with the option to spend more for nicer dice. If you only need six-siders, you can usually scrounge some up or buy a set of five almost anywhere for exceptionally low prices. If you’ve learned about the game you’ll be playing, one of the few things you should go out of your way to learn is what kinds of dice you’ll need. Don’t bother picking up the rulebook(s) for any particular game unless you can get them for free or for cheap — you can always borrow them later.
You may get a small pitch on the campaign you’ll be playing. Pay attention to it. You’ll usually receive enough information to allow you to think of ideas for a character for you to play. Don’t become too attached to any specific ideas yet since ultimate approval for characters tends to rest with the GM. Treat your character ideas like some cultures in times before the industrial revolution treated their infant children and don’t name them until you know they’re likely to make it through to actually start participating.
Finally, try to get into contact with the GM in several ways. Phone and e-mail tend to work best, but IM or Facebook can work, too. Send the GM a message a day before the game to confirm whether the game is still going ahead. Introduce yourself if you haven’t already done so.
Next time, I will talk about the first session in a campaign and what you might expect.
Until then,
- G.
PS: I have two more terms for the Glossary. The first is “In-Character” or “IC.” This means for any words or actions conducted within the story of the game. This includes description, dialogue, action and even thoughts and beliefs. The second is “Out-of-Character” or “OOC.” This term describes any words or actions that are conducted outside the story of the game. Think of it as real-time commentary by the participants as if the game was a movie being watched by an audience.
PPS: For the purposes of this weblog, I will use OOC for any entry that has more to do with the aspects of gaming away from the table and IC for any entry that has to do with the GM and the players sitting down at the table to actually play the game.
Greetings!
On this weblog, I will be known as Garacaius. I have been running role-playing games since I was seventeen years old. I am currently twenty-six, so that makes my experience sitting somewhere between eight and nine years of intermediate to copious enthusiasm. In that time, I have been nigh-obsessed with role-playing games and nearly always as the one who runs the game for other players — a position generally known as the game master.
To begin, I will list a few terms and acronyms that I will be using quite a bit. In the future, I may use more of them and I will endeavour to define them prior to using them in earnest.
- RPG: role-playing game; a game played to take part in a shared story.
- Player: A person who takes part in playing an RPG.
- GM: Game Master; the person who runs an RPG that does not control one character but rather the entire world of the story for the benefit of the other players. GMs are also players, but it is standard for there to be a differentiation between the two; also known as a Dungeon Master (DM), a Storyteller, a Referee or many others…
- PC: Player Character; a fictional character that is controlled by a player in an RPG and serve as a protagonist in the collective story; defined by a physical description, background story, and collection of math-based traits; a player’s connection to the game and sole responsibility lies with the portrayal of their PC.
- NPC: Non-Player Character; a fictional character much the same as a PC in an RPG; it is different in that it is controlled by the GM and is not generally accorded the same narrative importance as a PC.
- Session: A meeting of the participants in an RPG; the standard unit of time in an RPG campaign; it usually lasts between three and five hours in length — sometimes longer, sometimes shorter.
- Adventure: The most common term for a self-contained short story in an RPG; an adventure may span several sessions; also known as a mission, a run, an episode or a chapter.
- Campaign: A collective story guided by the GM but created by all participants; it is the largest unit of time in an RPG; a campaign can be as short as a single session or can be ongoing and years old; campaigns are usually meant to continue the story of the same PCs through multiple sessions; also known as a season, chronicle or book.
- Stats: The mathematical traits of any character, whether it be a PC or NPC; these are used to enforce a sense of fair play while playing the game; for example, it is a way to objectively settle whether your Cowboy managed to shoot my Indian; RPGs tend to use multiple-sided dice to settle any tasks that need objective resolutions.
- Dice: RPGs use dice, they often use non-standard polyhedral dice; here is a list of commonly used ones:
- D4: Four-sided die
- D6: Six-sided
- D8: Eight-sided
- D10:Ten-sided
- D12: Twelve…
- D20: Twenty…
- D100: One-hundred; rolled as two D10s where one is the tens and the other is the singles.
- 3D6: The term for rolling three six-sided dice, a common roll for more than a few games.
There are many more terms out there, and I promise that they will be defined, but this should do for now and it should do us well to remember that one should not overwhelm the audience with too much information at once.
Until next time,
- G.
