I play Dungeons and Dragons for fun. To that end, I play a rules-light style with a strong focus on putting story first. I do not debate rules or go searching for them in game. When in doubt, I will make a ruling to keep the game moving.
To keep the flavor of a traditional in-person RPG experience, I use a VTT more or less like a battlemap that might be used in person with miniatures. The VTT will not be used for exploration and video-game like features, such as line of sight, will not be used.
I accept players from diverse backgrounds and allow them to be the character of their choice. The players are the heroes of the story we tell and so I empower them to accomplish heroic deeds. However, heroic deeds do not come without risk. Therefore, death is a real threat and resurrection is rare and incredibly difficult to obtain. Note that if you character dies and cannot be resurrected, you will be able to create a new character at the same level to replace the character that died in the next session.
The campaign starts in Waterdeep with the story arc of "Waterdeep Dragon Heist". Characters will advance from 1st level to 5th level and gain significant influence in Waterdeep pursuing treasure and renown as they uncover villainous plots involving some of the city’s most influential figures. Therefore, If you have played Dragon Heist before, this campaign may not be for you unless you are prepared to have your character ignore anything you might know out of game.
If we decide to continue past that point, the party will venture beyond Waterdeep in pursuit of goals that can take them to 12th level or beyond and to world-wide renown. Overall, the campaign will have a good balance of role playing, exploration and combat though individual sessions may focus more in one area than others.
You start the campaign in the City of Waterdeep. You have been there for around a month. You met up with the other members of your party over the last couple of weeks thanks to the owner and barkeep at the famous Yawning Portal tavern, Durnan. He's an old and very successful adventurer that bought the Yawning Portal many years ago using the proceeds from adventuring in the Dungeon of the Mad Mage that has it's only known entrance at the bottom of the well that sits in the middle of the taproom. You have all become good friends with Durnan over the last several weeks often hanging around after closing to help clean up and chat. Thanks to Durnan, you have become friends with your fellow party members as well. As a group, you are familiar enough to find any location on the Waterdeep Interactive Map. You should also review "Volo's Waterdeep Enchiridion" for other information you know about the city.
You are currently sitting with the other members of your party on the second level of the oval-shaped taproom right next to the railing so you can clearly see the well that leads to the dungeon. Your bar maid has just brought you a fresh ale as the first of a group of four adventurers is being lowered to the dungeon below. The well keeper, Markus, is soliciting good-natured bets on how long the party will survive and how much treasure they will bring back from the depths.
You are currently living together in a small room at the Yawning Portal located on the third level. Your living expenses are 30gp per month, which covers the small room you share with the group, food, basic clothing, laundry for your clothes, basic transportation around the city by hire coach and drinking ordinary beer, ale and wine in ordinary taverns like the Portal. This is the modest lifestyle described in the "Player's Handbook"(PHB). These expenses will be deducted at the end of each month.
It is currently the evening of Mirtull 1 1492 DR. It's the middle of spring in Waterdeep and the weather is warming up. Months each have exactly 30 days broken into 3 ten-days. There are an additional 5 days that fall between the months and every four years there is a leap day called Shieldmeet.
View of the calendar showing the months and seasons. You can find the complete calendar here.
The city of Waterdeep takes law and order very seriously as described in the code legal. The city guard is quite active and will not hesitate to intervene when a crime is committed.
Foster respect. Everyone wants to have fun at the table so don’t be that person that ruins the experience for everyone else. ****Don't create personal conflicts at the table or let disagreements escalate into bad feelings. Don't make personal attacks. You can disagree in character but be mindful that you share your life and livelihood with your companions in-game. Think twice before making the excuse, “but it’s what my character would do!”
We can see and hear you. Dress appropriately and let others around you know the video conference is going on. Be aware of what the mic hears too. Life happens but animals making noise, people talking, and other background noise kill the immersion and make it hard to hear each other. This will happen from time to time but let’s not make it consistent. Muting when it is not your turn is a good way to avoid this problem.
Keep the crosstalk in check. Keep table chatter to a minimum during active gameplay. Trying to compete for the DM’s attention or talking over others slows things down. Everyone gets a voice so please try to have patience. This is especially important when in combat. I will give the group a minute or so at the top of each round to talk about tactics. Therefore, do not share advice and tactics during another player’s turn.
Be sober/stay sober: Do not come to the game drunk or high. Feel free to enjoy an adult beverage during the game as long as you do so responsibly.
Be ready for your turn. Especially during combat, following along and knowing what you want to do on your turn will make the game more fun. It'll help everyone stay in character and enjoy the story. If you can't make a decision on what to do in combat within about a minute, your PC will simply take the dodge action. Therefore, when it is not your turn, be thinking about what you will do on your turn so you can act quickly and decisively.
Stay in character. Make sure we know who's speaking - you or your character.
Avoid metagaming. Don't share information that you know but your character wouldn't know or that the character is incapable of sharing. If you want to know if your character would know something, ask me using private chat if it seems appropriate. Often, you'll be able to make a skill check or be able to research that information in game.
No redos. You can't (and I won't) retract what your character has just said or done. We won't go back to your turn because you forgot about a possible bonus action or a second attack.
Know your character. You are responsible for knowing your character's abilities and the rules around them. Understand the actions you can take as well as any class or racial abilities you may have before coming to a session. If you are a spellcaster, make sure you understand how your spells work before attempting to cast them. Check with me on Discord in advance of the session if you are unsure about how something works.
Don't cheat. We're here to have fun and tell a story, but no story is interesting if there is not real risk involved. In this game, that means accepting that sometimes you will fail a skill check, fail to get that important hit in combat or even die. Therefore, we roll digital dice on DndBeyond such that everyone can see them. Your DM may roll behind the screen from time to time, but that will be rare. Please track your HPs, spell slots and other limited resources accurately on your DndBeyond character sheet.
Rules. In game, I am the final arbiter of all rules. I will occasionally get the rules wrong. To prevent the game from dragging, I will make a ruling. If you disagree with a ruling, make a note of it and discuss it with me after the session.