Sigmar's Shadow: Epic Plot! Wicked Humor (Beginner Friendly)

Creating your character

- We'll begin at level one, and use standard character creation rules. - Races typically available are Human, Dwarf, Elf, and Halfling. Slight modifications to this might be managed, but in general, this is a low-fantasy world, so characters will need to fit within that setting. - We'll handle statistics and talents by the book, mostly. Note - each character will be gifted the Read/Write talent for free. - Career choice will be a little more forgiving, and tweaking careers to fit the character more closely will definitely be allowed. - Everyone will be granted a signature item unique to their history and career - like a small, specialized tool, or a piece of equipment of above-average quality or with a unique feature. - The party won't start as strangers - once the character concepts are established, we'll use Discord to establish shared history, and why these individuals have come together as a group. - As this campaign delves into the past of the empire, I encourage everyone to think about their family history, and to come up with an ancestor who accomplished an amazing feat. This could be a public deed or something entirely secret. And this is also entirely optional... feel free to skip this part if you like. - Lastly, we won't have a session 0, per say. Instead, we'll collaborate on Discord and on the server beforehand to share details, establish backstories, and go through any questions. The goal is to be ready to start gaming on the first session. - That being said, if there are small finishing details, or minor changes needed as the group gets to know each other, making some adjustments early on shouldn't be a problem.

Preparing for the session

We'll be running on a FoundryVTT server and using Discord for voice communication, and chat/forum functionality. The only things you'll need are access to the internet via a web browser, a discord account, and a microphone.

What Doctor Corvis brings to the table

You can expect character voices (or at least valiant attempts at them), ambient music or background tracks at times (that you'll be able to mute if you wish), and a balance of combat and roleplaying that we'll tweak as a group. The goal is collaborative storytelling, so while I have clear ideas about certain plot points or events, much of how they unfold will be based on what the characters choose to do. So, in effect, we'll be discovering the story at the same time. Warhammer has a Grimdark reputation, but I soften the edges a bit. Things will still get grim and dark at times, but you can expect a tone that leans into the comical and absurd. Sure, there will be brutality and cruelty, but nudged toward the funny and ridiculous instead of the cruel and vindictive. In other words, I think the real world is dark enough right now, so I try to make the game world something a little more lighthearted. Character death isn't something that I take lightly. I'll warn you in advance if it looks like a potentially lethal situation is unfolding, and if it's critical to a player that a character survives an otherwise lethal event, I'll find a way to make that happen... but there will be consequences. Alternatively, heroic sacrifices and unforeseen deaths won't necessarily mean the end of a character's effect on the party. Their spirit or memory might linger on, inspiring and protecting their comrades in moments of great need. Or, to put it another way, we'll work together to make your character's life, and possibly their death, have as much meaning and weight as possible. Regarding rules? The story and the experience come first. No system has a perfect ruleset for every occasion, so adapting rules on the fly to fit unique circumstances or applications of skills will definitely be doable. If there's some uncertainty, I'll ask for quick input from the group as a whole and improvise from there. Worst case, rather than spend game time on a rules discussion, I'll make a one time judgment call and then use Discord to determine how the group wants to handle similar situations in the future. You might also encounter new or unusual mechanics, such as settlement building, a wealth rating system to avoid micro-managing money, and.. well... whatever else pops up. Again, like everything else, player input will be used to tweak or remove a system if it's problematic.

Homebrew rules

We'll be using Up in Arms, Winds of Magic, and some additional materials focused on Potion Creation, Herbalism, Poisons and Alchemy, if they look like they'll be useful. Beyond that, we can go over optional rules as we encounter them, and decide as a group if they work as is, or need to be modified in some fashion. Again, worst case is a quick judgment call and then taking the discussion to Discord for full consideration later. Lastly, I'm always open to creative ideas... this is a world that mixes magic with technology in a low-fantasy setting. If you want to build an iron horse powered by a magical core, that's entirely possible. Just don't expect it to be easy. And be prepared for hilarious failures if things go wrong.

How Doctor Corvis creates a safe table

As part of the onboarding process, we'll build Lines and Veils for the campaign, and adjust them as needed in the future. During a game session, we'll use X, N, and O messages in Discord. A simple X in the chat window will hard stop the scene and we'll change, rewind, or skip content. N is a softer disengagement, often described as a "fade to black", to skip an upcoming section or recalibrate it. And O is used to signal that a player is OK with the current content... often its used as a query.. so "O?" would be a quick check with the rest of the group to make sure a potential scenario is acceptable to everyone. Breaks are always an option, and are often a necessity for longer sessions. We'll plan on at least one being offered halfway through the session, but life isn't exactly predictable, so if more are needed, we'll play it by ear. There's also an Open Door, both to communicate directly with me if needed, or to just take a break or walk away from a session without judgment. One last thing... and the most important. The goal is collaborative fun. The only hard rules I demand are that everyone in the group respect everyone else, that disagreements, if they happen, are handled with civility and compassion, and that players aren't attempting to sabotage each other. There's a fine line to walk between characters having conflict, and players having conflict. I'm all for character conflict, if it makes sense and adds to the narrative. I'm very much against player conflict, so let's be awesome people and avoid it. :)