The Lost Blades of the Kingdom: A Mission Gone Wrong

Creating your character

Character creation and collaborative worldbuilding will take place during Session 0, where the party will be free to build characters with one another and embed them firmly within the world. In case of players joining after Session 0, a mini-Session 0 will be performed asynchronously to give them some influence over the setting and help them join the party more seamlessly. Depending on group preparedness and enthusiasm, Session 0 may take one or two sessions. Character creation follows the standard Fabula Ultima rules detailed in the Core Rulebook, starting at level 5. Characters have free access to all released Atlases, and with unanimous party agreement, may use homebrew or Bonus Collection (event) content - see the Homebrew Rules section for details on optional rules, homebrew, and event content.

Preparing for the session

Players must come prepared with the following: - A Discord account - A microphone (ideally with headphones, to minimize echoing) - A laptop or desktop computer capable of accessing FoundryVTT (For more information, see https://foundryvtt.com/article/requirements/ under "Client Requirements") - A space quiet enough to avoid constant background noise in VC To expedite session 0, you may want to come with: - Thoughts on characters you'd like to play or party roles to fill - Ideas for setting locations, threats, and mysteries - A list of optional rules you're interested in discussing with the group (The materials necessary to bring these to session 0 are provided as campaign materials)

What Brennan brings to the table

When running the game, I prefer to stick as close to Rules as Written/Intended as possible. However, reflavoring is absolutely free and I try to accommodate players' ideas as best as possible - I see Rule of Cool more as justification to bend Rules as Written slightly in favor of fun than as a governing rule by itself. I provide the following: - An entirely custom campaign, tailored to your characters and choices - Consistent weekly scheduling with a clear attendance policy (see below) - All necessary Fabula Ultima rules materials, including all Atlases and playtest rules - A 24/7-accessible FoundryVTT server, for leveling and reference between sessions - Regular access to rules assistance and communication via Discord I can provide: - Recordings of each session, with unanimous party consent This campaign, once started, will run consistently under the following attendance policies: - Sessions will run if 60% of players or more are attending. - Absent players' characters will still gain XP; they cannot die while they are away. - Absent players' characters may still be subject to shared narrative consequences of failure, however. - Last-minute GM-side cancellations only occur in genuine emergencies.

Homebrew rules

Homebrew: Other than the following, all optional, homebrew, and playtest rules are discussed and finalized during Session 0 by unanimous group consensus. Character creation uses the Quirks optional rules. Bonus Collection content (Necromancer, Ace of Cards) may be allowed with unanimous group agreement. All characters will have a modified version of the Xiphosymbiosis Quirk in addition to their chosen Quirk; the unique weapon each character receives from it will be addressed in Session 0. I do not use Initiative in combat; this means that PCs and NPCs take turns in an alternating fashion if possible, and PCs will always act first unless a Villain is present on the scene. Combat Tunics are changed to provide more Defense and no Magic Defense to distinguish them from Travel Garb. I also allow Invoking to Fail and Success at a Cost, allowing you to invoke your character’s Traits to justify a check being impossible or suggest a cost to convert failed checks into successes.

How Brennan creates a safe table

This campaign strives to be a long-form inclusive, cooperative, and character-driven experience. As a result, harassment, bigotry, or debate over fellow players' identities will not be tolerated. Prior to the campaign I ask each player to fill out a (slightly modified) RPG Consent Checklist via Google Form and compile the responses into an anonymized list, kept in a dedicated channel in our play space. These responses will be kept anonymous from everyone except me to prevent players from being mocked, belittled, or intentionally targeted for their responses. If you have already completed this checklist for one of my campaigns, you are not required to fill it out again; your old responses will be reused. You may change your response at any time and I will do my best to honor it. Generally at least once per session I will take a bathroom/snack break, and others are free to use that break time as they will. I also don't mind if others hop up to take breaks between turns or scenes involving them - just make it known you're stepping away! If I need time to import something or fix an issue, I also encourage players to take breaks during that time as well - no point wasting the time. My Discord DMs are open to players both in and out of sessions, and during sessions players can discreetly whisper to me through Foundry, in case I don't notice Discord DMs immediately. I will do my best to comply with X/N/O-esque requests in this manner. Between sessions, players are also encouraged to share feedback and ideas they're interested in via Discord.