Dragon of Icespire Peak - Beginner-Friendly 5e Introductory Campaign
About the adventure
This is an ongoing, living D&D 5e campaign, built for the players and altered by their actions. The goal is to have fun and walk away with memorable stories, so the focus is more on roleplaying and entertainment. The execution of the game is Rated R for language and the (immaturity) of the DM, but there will not be any abrasive themes approached -- Safety Tools are linked on the campaign page and can be expected to be followed by all attendees. All tables I run are inclusive and pronouns are right next to player names on the map for everyone to see so there's no confusion. Players who can't behave are not likely to stay in my care for long, but I do attempt education before exile.
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
4 years on StartPlaying
15 games hosted
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Creativity, Teacher
About me
Hi, I’m Fish! I’ve always been into gaming and roleplaying, cutting my teeth on Hero Quest (and it’s Gargoyle) and then quickly progressing to a homebrew GURPS campaign based on the new Warcraft: Orcs and Humans demo my friends and I played. I have run prewritten campaigns and adventure paths, as well as writing some of my own for the over thirty living campaigns I’ve built and run for players over the years. I’ve worked in the gaming industry professionally as staff and freelance game designer and published my own system so that players who can’t make it to my table can experience life in a cyberpunk noir world or find out about love and other dangers in a narrative-heavy story featuring modern life with a supernatural element. As a writer and illustrator, each campaign I craft comes with cool handouts, custom maps, supporting lore and art. I keep a design diary for each of these campaigns, full of living notes, so that I can record how the story changes, what friends you made along the way, and who wants your head on a plate so that next time you play in that campaign — or when someone else does — those changes persist. If you’re playing in my Dragon Reign saga for example, and run into the roaming Orc warboss Glush Mooncrusher and kill him, that may mean the next party hears about a “change in leadership” for the orcs in the area and have to deal with several competing warbosses suddenly showing up and making camp, forever altering the campaign. Because of this, I highlight the good roleplaying, the moments where you do what your character would do, even when as a player you know it’ll be a lot of trouble coming your way. I want to encourage roleplayers to grow and experiment, mixing in elements of things they like to create something they love. That’s why I’d like to be your next storyteller and read to you a narrative you won’t soon forget, and all you need to do is pick a book. I’ve run most of the major systems, read way too many of the middle systems, and absolutely love the little guys I find, and make what I can’t find.
View Profile →Reviews (14)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Inclusive
Creativity
Teacher
I have been trying out different systems and the thought of learning something new has been overwhelming. Fish was patient and answered questions and really highlighted that a system is not the most important part of role-playing. I had fun and walked away feeling more confident. Fish really cares about the people at the table, and it shows.
Character creation
Creating your character
Character creation is arranged beforehand and added to D&D Beyond and then imported into Foundry. Changes can be made beforehand or after the fact, just discuss it with the DM.
Every hero's journey starts somewhere! Ever wanted to learn how to play Dungeons & Dragons 5e? Never played a RPG before? This adventure is for you! Dragons of Icespire Peak is a beginner-friendly warm introduction to being a hero for hire. Rules will be taught and friendships will be forged in this path from level 1 to level 6 (and beyond??) set in the Sword Coast region of the Forgotten Realms.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Have a microphone and be in the Discord channels for the campaign, as well as logged into the VTT. Also make sure your character sheet is ready to go and imported.
What Andrew M. "Fish" Popowich brings to the table
I will create a safe and entertaining environment for play, teaching rules and encouraging best-practices throughout the adventure. I do create expanded content along the way, from illustrations of NPCs (or PCs!) to custom encounter maps.
Platforms used
Safety
How Andrew M. "Fish" Popowich creates a safe table
The Safety Tools link is right on the campaign page in Foundry, so the players always have it on hand.