The Beregost Irregulars

Creating your character

I have pregens if you want them, you can use any method you prefer to make characters, including D&D Beyond, using your own books, using my books. I'll be available before the game starts to help with character creation, we won't be doing that in a session.

Preparing for the session

I use my own Discord server which you will need to join. I prefer if you join before the game starts so we can work out character creation either through chat or voice, and also to make sure that the tech is working properly before the game starts. I use Owlbear.Rodeo as my virtual table top. You don't need to make an account with them, but it might help do so. It's really easy to use and takes little explanation, which is why I use it. I have a dice bot which you are welcome (but not required) to use. I made it myself to make my games go smoothly, and I can show you how it works before game time. You can use any method you prefer to roll dice, and if you're not using the dice bot, just tell me what you rolled. There will be a shared Google Drive that has things in it that I might direct you towards from time to time. You won't need an account, just the link, and I'll make sure you have that. If you make your own character, I don't need to see it if you have a handle on how it works. If you need help, then you can share it with me via upload over Discord, a shared Google Drive, or sharing the link on D&D Beyond if you made it there. Or just tell me what's on it. I'm happy to help with any aspect of your character. I won't make you do homework, but if you want to know more about the game world, then I can provide you with links to the Forgotten Realms Wiki that I use as a primary source. It's not required, but you might find it interesting and helpful. In other words, you really just need to join the Discord, and either have a character, or pick a pre-gen that I made. I'm easy.

What Mark Walters brings to the table

I use AI a bit for images, sound effects, and music. I don't use it to write stories because it's terrible at that. But it's great at pictures, so I use it for that a LOT. In fact, just about every token I use is AI-generated. I tend to ham it up a bit and I sometimes do voices. I tell Dad jokes. You've been warned. I do a lot of handouts, which are typically in the form of images or PDF files that I send around, or show on screen. I strive for memorable combats, and I'm very much into Rule of Cool. I love it when players do weird and surprising things. I have a few house rules, which I'll explain before we do any playing. I've played with Ed Greenwood (creator of the Forgotten Realms) and Chris Perkins (former product manager of D&D) and I've borrowed some of their house rules and GMing style to use in my games.

Homebrew rules

Drinking a potion is a bonus action. Anything you can reasonably expect to be able to do quickly, is probably a bonus action. I pool Heroic Inspiration so that the whole party has access to all of it, and when Inspiration is earned, it goes into the pool as a party resource. When a person wants to use a point of inspiration, it comes out of the pool. So, Velma can earn a point, and Fred can spend it later. I generally give a lot of weight to knowledge skills. If you're proficient in something, like, say, Religion, then you probably won't have to roll the dice to know something about that evil cleric you're talking to. I use Advantage/Disadvantage a lot. If there's a reason why you should have advantage on that roll, for example, your backstory says your father was a carpenter, then you will probably have advantage to know something about getting past that big solid oak door. Generally speaking, I use the rules as a way to justify being able to do something, rather than limiting the character's abilities.

How Mark Walters creates a safe table

First of all, we talk in private via voice chat, email, or text chat about topics or subjects that aren't acceptable, and I will avoid those things. Then, if something occurs that is problematic, the affected person can simply tell me to stop. They can do this on the voice call, or privately through a direct message, and I will change gears immediately, no questions asked. You don't need to justify or explain. It just stops.