[OOC] The Tangled Vine Tavern

[zevonian]

An average in regards to time is difficult to pin down, because DMs and players will all have different on-site and posting availability. Plus no two players will do the exact same things in their adventures, so the number of posts will vary.

[K350]

Ah, alright.
Well i think those were pretty good answer and i thank you for them! =)

[TeufelHeunden]

I have to agree, it is very hard to pin down the length of a game here on site. I have had some games go on for years and others that lasted a few posts and died. But I also find the same thing happen with standard table top games.

Te good point is there are so many games happening here that finding new one usually is not a problem. My advice when starting out is to usually only try a couple of games at a time. If both work out and take off then great, add another couple. and keep building until you get the number of stable games you feel comfortable with.

One of the things I have seen are folks that get impatient and apply to 5 or 6 games at once and then once things get rolling feel overwhelmed and drop out of all of them. If you apply for a couple, and one works and the other falls flat then you have one game going and you can search for another one. Don't get discouraged though, not every game pans out as you had envisioned but eventually you will have a few games that you really love playing in and just seem to click.

[Hextor]

I find that the startup period is the hardest. Some people don't expect the volume of responses to their ads that they receive and flake out during application and selection process close to or following their deadline. Then there is getting the game off the ground. The selection of applicants and actually starting the game seem to be the deciding factor. Typically, if the GM and PCs remain active and the game is up and still running after a month, its got a good chance to last.

[lymphomaniac]

I've been in four official games on this site so far (not including the ones I DM as part of this NPSG gig ) and of the four, three have basically been paused due to DM availability. The guy that introduced me to this site knocked up his wife a couple of times , the Red that added me as DM here has had his site duties consume his online time, and one of the most revered DMs and highly respected members of this site has taken another hiatus from here, likely for respectable personal reasons.

Having said that, I'm glad to say that all those three games have lasted into the months (if not years) range.

The fourth game that I'm in has the longevity that many DMs would be envious about. However, he's also literally a full-time gamer and has sunk in a lot of his time into preparing the materials, so it's not really conceivable that he'll back out of the game any time soon. I'm just glad that he's been accommodating of my schedule and cyclical (and sometimes sporadic) unavailability, considering all that I (and more importantly, my fiancée) have been through in the last couple of years.

The upshot of this is that the quality and longevity of the game(s) on this site is a collective effort amongst players and DMs. I don't begrudge my DMs for the games that have temporarily been shelved (because I trust that some day, there's a good possibility they'll be started up again). You'll probably find that there are games that die within weeks or days of starting (for reasons explained by other posters in this thread), and there will also be games that will last for a very long time (months and years) and have a merry-go-round cast of players, some of which might re-join with new characters.

Hope this all makes sense, and happy gaming!

[SlashEdgewind]

Not to sound annoying/impatient, I'm mostly just curious, but when you're picking for the Newby solo game, are you going in order of post? or picking and choosing at random?

[Hextor]

In order of post.

[akaczism]

Hello everyone! I don't really have anything to ask (at least not that should go in this thread, I think?), just stopping in to get a little more comfortable chatting with other new folks and experienced gamers in the community. It's also been useful to read the answers and discussion already going on, so I'm glad y'all made this thread, a newb appreciates it!

Oh, wait, as soon as I clicked away I remembered one question that seems appropriate here: When I do sign up for a NPSG, is there a certain class that would be better to start with/avoid? I know a fighter is typically the most straightforward, but I was actually hoping to break out of my tendency to shy away from magic type users (I never play a mage-y type, never), and was considering trying to play a cleric for it but I'm unsure if the deities and casting and stuff will be too complex to jump in with right off.

[Broforcepower]

Same here, I was gonna play a bard or a cleric, to get used to both magic and melee combat systems. Not sure if thats the best way to go. Starting as a spellsword would be too much wouldnt it?

[zevonian]

It's best to stick with the core classes, from the Player's Handbook (3.5e or 4e) or the Core Rulebook (PF) when your game comes up.

Clerics and bards are just fine. I've ran complete games for players using either class, so no worries, they can be used.

[akaczism]

Alright, that's reassuring to know, and something to look forward to. Thanks zevonian.

[Fireblaze]

Hello all! Guess I'm just hopping in here to get more involved - plus knocking a few off that pesky post count.

Question though, I have a friend who plays some D&D and always picks these classes I've never heard of, i.e. the Factotem or the Dragonfire Adept. How do most GMs feel about these - and how do they usually decide if they're allowed or not?
Also, does one usually make an entirely new character for campaigns here, or use older ones?

Thanks! I'm looking forward to being here, it should be fun.

[SlashEdgewind]

Generally you make characters based on specifications that a DM making a game will decide, X level, this much gold to spend on equipment etc. etc.

as for random non-core classes, as long as it's in an official rulebook/supplemental, it's up to a DM whether or not to accept it. Alot of DM's don't want certain classes showing up because some classes can, when played right, thoroughly break game balance. From what I've read so far, my interpretation is that that's the main factor for deciding what can and can't go in a game. Though I've read a few game applications that restrict classes for story reasons.

for finding out what is and isn't allowed, your best bet is have the source of something you want to try, and ask a DM if that's okay by them.

[zevonian]

@ Fireblaze:

1. Don't worry about classes you haven't heard of when you're learning the basics. You can create and thrive in a game just by using "core" classes from the main books.
2. Different DMs have different reasons for what classes they allow and don't allow. Some just want to keep the number of sourcebooks to a minimum for ease of finding rules and abilities. Some are new and just want to keep it simple in regards to running a game based on classes they're used to playing and having seen played. Most posters in the DM Seeking Players forum will list exactly which books they allow.
3. Most people will make new characters when they apply to games, or at least tweak the backgrounds and ideologies they have for characters they've thought up before.
The idea is that you read the DMs initial post, get a basic handle on the game world as presented, and come up with something you think would be fun to play and appropriate for the environment. Example, if the DM is asking for Big Dang Heroes, and insists on good aligned characters...you wouldn't want to apply with a Chaotic Evil Necromancer.

[Howling Winds of]

I will wholeheartedly, 100% agree with what has been said here, it is quite the site and quite the experience, to actually be not only welcomed, but encouraged, and assisted where necessary, on how to play properly and how to have fun! This is such a refreshing experience for me, as a few other places I have been were more centered around their sheer number of games and variety of systems. Most of which they did poorly, rather than have a few systems (with a Misc category of course) and do them well, which is done excellently here. So, Kudos!

I can safely say that the one game I am in I am highly enjoying and I cannot wait to be in a Solo game! I am super excited to see what they're like!