Hot Springs Island — Old-School Essentials Hex-crawl OSR Sandbox

Creating your character

Once confirmed I'll post you an Old School Essentials (OSE) fillable PDF on my Discord Channel along with your Field Guide (which will come in handy during play). No matter what, your character is joining an expedition to Hot Springs Island via a Martel Co. Expedition (think of them as the East India Trading Company) leaving out of a port city named Norburg. Most adventurers join to get rich or clear their debts. If you want to do something else - I love it, lets chat when you confirm, plenty you could do, but it'll be a lot more fun if its in the theme of the island. You'll be starting a fresh OSE level 1 character. We'll be using the Basic Method for character creation found in the Advanced Players Tome just to keep it simple. Roll your stats and starting gold as per the instructions be sure to pick up your basic gear load. I'll talk you through it if you have any questions once you confirm.

Preparing for the session

Most of our coordination pre-game and during the game will be on my Discord Channel, Deathbare's Cave, so please create a free Discord account so we can chat and talk before and during the game. There you can ask questions and get an idea of what you are facing and what makes sense. Once you are on the channel, I'll have two things for you, if you need it, a form fillable character sheet pdf, and your Field Guide to Hot Springs Island, which is a 250 page in-game artifact - meaning your character has that on them - that you can (and probably should) reference as you are playing. Don't let the page count daunt you - at most I expect you to have a general idea where things are for reference so we aren't taking all day to look something up. We'll play on Owlbear Rodeo. You'll get there from my Discord Channel, I'll invite you to the game and then talk you through the controls at game time. I love Owlbear for its simplicity and I think you will too.

What Jake brings to the table

First and foremost I bring expert level knowledge of Hot Springs Island. I've been playing on the Island for over 5 years which means for this Sandbox adventure, I'll start you off with some general starter quests from the Martel Co. just to give some direction then I let you go. The adventure is completely up to you after that. I try to keep scenes as more of a feel than a tactical map, though we'll definitely have tokens and use them when the time comes. Just remember this is OSE/BX not 5e, fights are rarely fair and are hardly ever worth it. I expect you to think your way through problems and if you think with your sword first, well, I reckon the Zip Birds need to eat too. That being said, you can try just about anything as long it adheres to the rules of physics (baring some magic). If you give me a good detailed description of what you want to do, you'll likely succeed without ever rolling a die. Same with negotiations. Make a compelling argument and you may find it easier to get what you want. If there is a good chance of failure... or an interesting chance of failure... we'll usually roll a D6 and see what happens. Rules in general, BX and OSE (which is just BX reprinted in a very easy to use format) have very good procedures and for the most part we'll follow them. There will always be exceptions but you'll know when and why if we don't follow them. I do have a few house rules that I think you'll like and I'll post those on my channel when you get there. Retainers, hirelings, and specialists are things, even on the island, but you'll need a reputation with a faction to get access to them. In the end this island is sandbox of black powder - just waiting for you to jump in and light it. I can't wait to see what you do.

Homebrew rules

My homebrew rules are to add a little more options to characters living and dead. They cover additional options for movement, critical hits, and my personal favorite death and the Blaze of Glory. Once you confirm I'll post those for you on the Discord.

How Jake creates a safe table

Before we play we'll go over my personal Lines and Veils. They are broad and adhere to the basic principle that you should not be embarrassed to say it in front of your mom. If it would make you blush then you've hit a veil, if you wouldn't say it at all, then you hit a line. Easy as that. Hot Springs Island is gritty and dangerous, but you always have agency — and you can step away at any time.