Plannar Compass – Astral Sea campaign

About the adventure

Ever since Palio, The One Eye, capsized here and instead of seeing the rum glass half empty he saw it half full and took the opportunity to settle here and open a bar with the generous shipment of Aldhelsi mead his crew was carrying Dreamheaven Island has served as sanctuary from the danger of the Astral Sea, be it storms, pirates or monsters. Today, you suffered from the same winds that so many years ago brought Palio here, your ship has sunk and your rescuers have brought you to the island... of course, expecting compensation. Plannar Compass is a setting for Old-School Essentials in which characters explore and navigate the mysteries of the astral sea. A vast ocean whose waters are made up of the thoughts, hopes, desires, and nightmares of all sentient beings in the multiverse. Old-School Essentials is a modern interpretation of B/X, one of the early published versions of D&D. OSE recreates, clarifies, and adds usability to the 1970s rules to make the best possible use of decades of published material and dozens of new modules created in recent years. It is an excellent gaming experience.

Additional Details

How to prepare

You'll need a camera, microphone, and access to a web browser. All the rules will be taught during the session but the creation of the characters will be offline and asynchronous to make the best use of the time during the session. You can familiarize yourself with character creation using the free "Basic Rules" available here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/272802/OldSchool-Essentials-Basic-Rules?affiliate_id=435266

What I provide

I have the currently released issues of Plannar Compass zine, as well as different adventures from Old-School Essentials, B/X and OSR in general. You can use a pre-generated character in case you are not familiar with D&D style games. I also have various tools to make the game more beginner friendly.

Gameplay details

Plannar Compass makes use of many of the tropes of pirate stories and maritime stories in general. So you can expect sea voyages, delving into the depths of islands in search of treasure, and even underwater exploration. If you are afraid of the sea keep this in mind. In this campaign we will go from level-1 to around level-5. In OSE most of the XP that characters gain to advance comes from the treasures they find rather than the enemies they kill, so running away is always a good strategy. Be advised that OSE is not concerned with providing "balanced" combat mechanics, it's a game of underdogs and cunning characters, not of heroic figures.

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

Breaks
Lines and Veils
Open Door
Stars and Wishes
X, N, and O Cards

How will character creation work

Characters will be created using the Old-School Essentials "Classic Fantasy" rules. That is rolling 3d6 for each of the different game stats in their respective order. This creates characters that may seem mismatched or sub-optimal by modern standards, but it's part of the spirit of the game. The creation itself will be before the session in an asynchronous way by text, so that the game time is the best used during the game.

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
• If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.