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The Start of Something Campaign
At Strixhaven University, people from across the globe come together to learn! This college campus is full of surprises! (And definitely not zombies)
$15.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Tuesday - 1:30 PM UTC
Session Duration / 3–4 hours
0 / 5 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
You've finally made it! Your college career starts now, at none other than the legendary Strixhaven University! Whether you are here studying magic, law, or just trying to get your parents off your back, this university has opportunities for all! Our enthusiastic campus aid staff is happy to welcome you for your day one orientation! Here we will give you a tour of the campus, provide plenty of tips and tricks, and answer any questions you have! And don't worry, everything is safe. We haven't had an orientation mishap in at least 3 years. And all those people were found....eventually. We can't wait to see you at your day 1 orientation! This campaign is designed for anybody new to StartPlaying.com, ttrpgs, role-playing, or fantasy in general. We are going to have fun together above all, and hopefully help you grab onto the spark that is roleplay! We will be using 5th Edition D&D in a custom Strixhaven setting, starting at level 3. Your characters have arrived for their day 1 orientation at university, unsure of what the day may hold. We will go over all the details at our first session 0, such as character creation, lines and veils, backstory, and more!
Game style
Roleplay Heavy
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Theater of the Mind
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
2 years on StartPlaying
About me
Hello! My name is David and I'm a forever GM and girl dad out of Orlando, Florida. I'm almost 30, and I've been playing tabletop games for over half my lifetime. I'm a fun-loving GM, focusing on player enjoyment, character development, and world-building. I keep a large focus on player safety, providing an LGBTQIA+ safe space as well as considering real-life experiences when crafting the game story. I've ran a solid gaming group for over 6 years now and we've successfully completed a number of mini-campaigns (4-6 sessions) as well as one major campaign (4 years, up to level 15, with full BBEG fight and epilogue). For me, being a GM is a chance to explore my creative side. My full time job is to work as a ride and show technician at a major theme park, which is an incredibly logical and (while fun) stressful job. TTRPGs let me decompress from that world of logic and enter a world of fun and adventure. I have a heavy emphasis on player enjoyment. If you aren't having fun, please let me know and we will absolutely change things up/make adjustments to compensate for that. I'm also incredibly flexible on player type. I've played with players who have more experience than me, as well as players who have never touched TTRPGs in their life. If you give me a 3 page backstory, you can bet it'll be integrated into the world, and if you give me a 2 sentence backstory, I'll still make that feel like a strong connection to the world. Looking forward to playing!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Character creation can be done through digital or paper means, whatever you feel most comfortable with. My only request is that it be made through legal DND 5e content. I'm comfortable including the 5.5e or the 5e rules, both are fine for this concept. Starting level is level 3, and I will clarify any important information in our first sesson 0.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
I intend to run this over a Discord server that I use for my games, so a Discord account would be very helpful. In game maps and combat will be run through Roll20, so that will also be helpful. Since this is just an introductory course, I don't mind if you have a physical character sheet, use DNDBeyond, or some other function for your character creation. All I ask is that it be legal 5e content and not homebrew content, as those can be difficult to manage. Prior to playing the game, I'll request a screenshot or scan of your character sheet, just so I can verify the information is accurate and that I can be aware of any important sense, abilities, etc. Before playing, we will have a casual Session 0 over Discord. This is where we will troubleshoot any technical issues, answer any system questions, and clarify all the important aspects of the game. Feel free to come with ideas, or if you're new to the game, feel free to come with an empty slate, and we can help you through the character creation process!
What David Butterfield brings to the table
I'm going to provide some fun! I want to set up a place where new players can enjoy their interaction, while learning a bit about the game and the concepts. Players will be responsible for any physical components that they want, such as dice, character sheets, character portraits, or any personal elements they desire. I truly just want the table to have fun. I get joy from providing other people joy, which fits perfectly into DMing. I do my best to utilize technology, and I've recently learned how to successfully include music (huge win!) I try my best at voices, but I know I'm not the best. The best promise I can provide is a DM who tries his best. We are all human, nobody is perfect, but I'm going to do my best to create an awesome story for you to enjoy. There's no AI text bot here, everything is genuine and from the heart. I love the game, I love making people happy, and I look forward to getting to do that together!
Homebrew rules
Rule of cool is primarily the only homebrew that I employ. On occasion, as the situation requires, I may make a ruling to step away from the rules slightly for the sake of the story. Just know, if this happens, I'm still keeping the game competitive and enjoyable. But if a player wants to carry an object, and the rules dictate that it's 1 and 1/2 lbs too heavy to carry for them, I might overrule that and let them do it. BUT, expect a requirement for some cool flavor about how you're able to carry such a heavy item.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How David Butterfield creates a safe table
I work best with straightforward non-judgemental conversation. If you have a problem, please come forward to me (publicly or privately) and say what it is. I have learned that "beating around the bush" can often throw up some misconceptions, so I offer an open door policy. That policy comes with a promise for no judgement. I've dealt with this personally. A player once didn't like a call that I made, so she directly messaged me and said her peace, and I was able to see her perspective and adjust for the next game. My goal is to make the table safe for all.
Content warnings
Safety tools used