Looking for players for an LL AEC sandbox game

[sonofotho]

Hi all,

I am looking to start an LL AEC campaign which I hope will be a bit of a throw-back to the old basic D&D games of the early 80´s (at least those that I was exposed to). I will try and blend together the atmosphere of The Keep on the Borderlands with that of some of the many, wonderful Old School gaming products which have been released in the past couple of years.

In terms of game medium, I have hemmed and hawed between play-by-post and play-by-email, and will go with which ever medium is most requsted by the potential players. The last play-by-email campaign I ran lasted two and a half years (2000-2003) and was quite successful with very little player attrition until its rather abrupt end (facilitated by a switch from Basic rules to 3E). But I do know that for any online game to be successful, posting frequency is critical. I plan to post daily with few exceptions and I would like the players to make the same commitment. At the end of the day, I want to adventure along with the PCs and help write the story of these adventures.

This will be a sandbox game with no grand plot being driven by me – I want the players to make their own decisions on what their characters do and why. I have created the environment and dropped in several adventure sites (both of my own creation and some of the cooler OSR products) and a few more adventure hooks waiting to be stumbled upon. Each PC will start the game with some general knowledge of the surrounding area and a couple randomly selected rumors. Then I expect the players to discuss, agree on a course of action and then set sail.

I will also rely heavily on the old school tradition of using plenty of random tables to help shape the events of the PCs’ environment. And while I will not railroad the PCs into any particular plot or direction, I will subject them to the whim of the dice from time to time – just to see where it takes the characters AND the DM.

XPs will come from adventuring/exploring/experiencing the world, interacting with NPCs and fellow PCs as well as general role-playing (posting), character development, monster-slaying and coin accumulation and expenditure.

The system I plan to use is the Labyrinth Lord Advanced Edition Companion rules including a number of house rules (some of my own creation and others borrowed shamelessly from others – I am a big believer in standing on the shoulders of giants)! While the game may not be as brutal as OD&D (a number of the house rules are designed to improve survivability), PCs WILL die. As such the game is more about ‘the game itself’ and not about becoming too attached to any particular character. If a PC dies, the player can take over a hireling or henchman until we find the right spot to introduce the player’s new character.

If you are interested in playing, please let me know. Would also like to hear if you have a strong preference for PBP or PBEM.

Thanks!

[sonofotho]

And if any guests to this site are interested, please feel free to drop me an email at redboxcopenhagen@hotmail.com

[redwullf]

Hi there,

I'm definitely interested. And, if I can cast a vote, I think I'd prefer play-by-post over play-by-email (because, honestly, I'm much better and punctual about checking message boards than I am about keeping my personal mailbox cleaned up). Also, I've played some version of D&D or another since about '84, but have never played through correspondance (only table-games). With that in mind, is there some sort of primer, or anything "special" I need to know to play in this format?

Lastly, I have all necessary materials (LL and LL AEC in hardcover and PDF format), several hundred various polyhedrons with numbers on them which I believe are used to generate random numbers ( ), a solid knowledge of the rules (I DM a small LL AEC group at home), and of course a strong desire to play. Let me know where to start, if you'll have me.

EDIT: And, then I just saw this. That strikes me as a very good tool for correspondance playing and worth considering as such.

[sonofotho]

Hey redwullf,

Great that you are interested! I'd like to end up with 4-5 players so hopefully we will get there before long.

And I have seen all the recent posts about Google+. It sounds like it will be a boon for play over the internet, although given my erratic schedule, I think it may not be ideal for this game. But maybe planets will align for a session or two, who knows!

I don't know of any primer regarding play-by-post/email, but the frequency and quality of the posts makes the game! I was fortunate in my last game to have a group of dedicated players and that was definitely the recipe for creating a great game.

I have made a player packet in WORD if you want to send me your email. I just got Hexographer yesterday and am busy transferring my hand written map to that. Once I finish that I will send out.

Welcome aboard!

[sonofotho]

Hey redwullf - Player's Guide should be in your Inbox!

[redwullf]

Hey redwullf - Player's Guide should be in your Inbox!

I've received it and started looking it over. Thank you!

[Bard]

Hi Sonofotho:

I'm new to the forum and, returning to RPGs after a long hiatus. I've been following OSR blogs intently for several months, and I'm really burning to get into a game. Back in the day my experience was with Moldvay/Cook and 1st edition AD&D, hence my interest in LL/AEC. I have the rulebooks, dice, etc., and I can be relied upon to post daily. PC death doesn't bother me at all – I see it as part of the game and just another opportunity for heroic flair and panache.

Would you be willing to have a pseudo-newb playing in your game?

If you'll accept me, my preference, like Redwullf's would be for play-by-post, and you can send me any necessary pre-game materials at:

bard2941@yahoo.com

[sonofotho]

Hey Bard,

Your bio sounds an awful lot like mine. Glad to have you aboard. Will ship you the file right away.

Charles

[Bard]

Most excellent! I'm glad to be on board and looking forward to reading the file.

[Thakazum]

If this turns into a pbem, I'm very interested.