Curse of Strahd (2.5-3 hr Sessions, Full lvl 1-20 Campaign)

Creating your character

Starting level is 1! The Curse of Strahd book is for DMs only, sorry! No peeking whatsoever, every page has spoilers. Characters can be created after establishing a party in the Discord with a coordinated effort or not. Point Buy for stats. I think the character creations process goes best when it's a group effort, because, well, it's a group game and parties have certain needs that can only be covered with certain combinations of classes or features. We will use DND Beyond for PC sheets, dice rolling and sometimes exploration using Maps. I use the encounter builder and DND Beyond as a player and have become quite familiar with other such tools! If you want to play a specific character, I think that's amazing as long as that means you're going to play the part and not force others to adapt to you. The goal is to create a story together and truth be told, the story isn't guided by any one PCs goals or backstory. It's better when you first think how can I make my character fit in, or what will motivate my edgy character to be more of a team player and share their burden, etc.. It can take half the campaign or more for it to happen and there are times when you have to be yourself (in character), but a lot of time the best route is to figure out how to execute each others' ideas as best you can. Improvise within the scope of the group plan! When you feel comfortable sharing this with your DM, you're ready to have your backstory integrated into the greater story arc and have the rest of the party be driven to help achieve your goal willingly and happily.

Preparing for the session

OwlBear Rodeo (free account) Discord (free account) DND Beyond (free account) Microphone is not optional, players want to hear each other talk, scholars agree. Webcam is off. I don't mind going webcam on if that's the desired setup. I would most likely ask permission to record the sessions. I would love to make a group of webcam-on players (or at least some kind of avatar) so we can publish the content and share some of the ad revenue.. But that's an ambitious goal and I understand that most folks just want to use their microphone and watch the action they are a part of.

What Michael brings to the table

I was born with a mouse in my hand and a thirst for storytelling. I grew up playing some of the best game with the most beautiful story-driven gameplay and I want to replicate the joy of virtually unending games of choice and friendship, adventure and heroism, as well as tragedy and loss. It has been my pleasure to see the adventuring parties working together to unravel the mysteries of the world presented before them and curating each session to bring their journey to life. I use detailed battle maps and ambient music. I like to let the party chat about life and previous sessions at the beginning of sessions, but start after 10-15 minutes (or if nobody has anything else to say). I do provide session recaps in the Discord, which is well-organized and contains a lot of supplementary content and opportunities of between-session RP. I design persistent NPCs, beautiful shops, and keep players on their toes without the need to be mean or feel threatened when they wipe the floor with my monsters or figure out a clever alternative to something I thought would stump them. I love to design encounters that challenge the PCs' positioning and judiciousness with spell slots and give the greatest reward when they succeed. Roleplaying is easy and fun, it's what builds the world and the connection between players. I find that players expect a roughly even split between combat and RP, with spans of each sometimes running longer than the other. It's my job to weave a narrative of battles, roleplay and discovery that keeps each session fresh and fun. Nobody can sustain a full campaign of 'battle royale', we all need breaks from the heart-pounding action of deadly combat to keep the highs as high. Final Note: I stick to the rules to answer questions and like when things make sense. I like to Homebrew, but I won't say yes to adding a bunch of Homebrew to beef up your PC for no good reason. If you want to make a bargain and give up something in exchange for a feat or item, we can make that happen, but these aren't negotiations per se. Rather it's a conversation about what you want to be able to do and what I can allow that is within the shared rule set that empowers you to accomplish what you want to be able to do in a way that makes sense. I encourage open discussion about things that I can Homebrew for you, rather than Homebrew you know about and become very powerful with if it's allowed in the game.

How Michael creates a safe table

I'm an adult, a professional, a human being like the rest of you. The world is fantasy and projecting real life problems into the game and/or purposefully engaging in offensive behavior won't be tolerated. I run a collaborative storytelling game. Disagreements are common, but there's no room for intraparty agitation.