Recruitment

[Peacemonger]

Recruitment

Mechanics

Starting Level: 3

Starting Ability Scores: Standard Point Buy

Allowed Material: All official WotC material. Unearthed Arcana that's the most recent version assuming it wasn't made official. Third Party materials pre-approved are: Blood Hunter, The Isles of Sina Una, The Legends of Tal'Dorei, Tales of Obojima. Other Third Party case by case so long as it's not broken, and it's not too cumbersome for me to understand.

Starting Equipment: Don't worry about starting equipment. I feel too often that questions over starting magic items, gold, etc. can bog things down and take up a lot of time during recruitments when it has little bearing on who will be picked. I'll work with those applicants chosen on starting equipment once selections are made. If it does make a difference on what character you'll submit, I'll probably go with 1-2 minor magic items and whatever mundane equipment people want, starting gold to fit the character's story.

Other Restrictions: No, so long as the character submitted fits the spirit of the game (as per the game description). Play what you want, what you think others will enjoy to play with, and what you think will be competitive to get selected.

Additional: Each character begins with an extra feat. This feat replaces any feats granted by backgrounds found in some of the later books in 5e.

Edited April 22 by Peacemonger (see edit history)

[Peacemonger]

What to Include in your Application (and Why)

Basic Mechanics -> Name, Lineage, Class, Background, Height, etc.

Just need the essentials. Mechanics will play little role in who I select, I just want an idea of what I'm working with. I have selected two players of the same class in past games (though not three). So if someone wants to play say an Eldritch Knight with a greatsword and another is playing a shield-wielding Battle Master, probably fine if both are at the top of my picks. If two players both want a dashing Swashbuckler Rogue with similar skills for expertise with a similar backstory... might just go with only one of them.

Character Portrait

This game will be a mix of theater of the mind for smaller/simpler combats, and will have maps for larger/more complex combats. As such a character portrait goes a long way to help, and there's endless fantasy portraits to choose from. I'm pretty open to different styles, just no blatant fan-service-y pics please.

Description -> Physical Appearance, Voice, Style, Mannerism, etc.

In part, just want a good visual for characters for my own personal immersion into the story. In part, what I'm looking for here is writing quality, can applicants paint a clear, vivid picture or not? Doesn't have to be flowery and over-the-top, just well-written. (Aim for 2-4 paragraphs)

Personality -> attitude, hopes, dreams, fears, humor, perspective, beliefs, etc.

This is THE MOST IMPORTANT section for me, it will have the largest impact on who I ultimately select. I am interested in well thought out, nuanced, dynamic characters that will be able to thrive in a variety of situations and environments, who will be interesting in success, failure, and everything in between, during moments of levity, tragedy, etc. (Aim for 3-5 paragraphs)

Background (Knives Approach) -> plot elements that can be incorporated into the game to personalize it

Please follow the Knives Approach found HERE. I do not need long backstories for this game. I am more interested in having intriguing plothooks that I can pull out to make the story meaningful for characters. In past experiences, I've found long backstories are often more problematic than helpful as they get drawn out too long, have contradicting information, and/or essentially give the character their full hero's journey before the game starts. (Aim for 7-12 knives, those key things you'd like to be included or considered for the game directly or indirectly)

Game Commitment -> reasonable posting rate you think you can commit to, link to games you've been in for a long time, etc.

This is a new thing I'm asking for. In my last attempt at a longer, epic game half the players ghosted, and so learning my lesson feel that there needs to be something about being able to post and stick around. Those who've played in my games know I'm pretty chill will people need breaks, and that said I really do need people to be able to be active most of the time. Need something, preferably a history of other games, but short of that, some sort of description to why you feel confident you can keep up with the game.

My hope is to start the game fast with at least a post a day, most days, to get through the start and get everyone invested. After that, hoping for 2-3 (or more) posts most weeks, with the occasional missed week, even missed month, understandable. To be clear, this is less of a hard rule I'll mandate, and more good practice on what will make for a fun, successful game. After all, real life does and should come first. If there's time to on top of that to commit to an online RPG, great! If not, no judgement, but I'd gently point someone to look at games intended to be slower and more casual than this one.

[Peacemonger]

Process

1. Ask any and all questions you have about the game, setting, application process, etc.

2. Create your application including all of the above.

3. Let me know you're ready for a review.

4. I'll give one review per application. The review will include:

• CHANGES - Those aspects of a character that are problematic or mechanically incorrect that will need to be changed for a character to be competitive.
• CONSIDERATIONS - Those aspects of a character that do not need to be changed, but do require extra thought and care to make sure it works such as a character who steals often, who expects to be the leader, anything else that can go awry if not handled with care.
• CLARIFICATIONS - Those aspects of a character I'm not 100% I'm interpreting correctly and want to double check.
• QUESTIONS - I'll ask specific questions to try to flesh out your character, see if you the player understand your character enough to answer well, and to see if some of my hopes/concerns are right or not. Please take some time and thought with the questions as the answers are the second most important thing behind the personality when I select players. After all, roleplaying games boiled down are the GM asking players what do they do, and the players answering the question.

5. Finally, after I review the application I'll provide a scenario and ask you to write a short scene of your character in it. This replaces any sort of pre-game IC found in other games. It'll let you show how your character engages in the world in a scenario more tailored to them that's not dependent on other applicants.

 

And done!

 

Deadline to START an application and be considered is TBD.

Deadline to COMPLETE an application is TBD.

I will pick 5-6 characters on TBD.

 

My Selections

First off, it's subjective. We all have our preferences and biases, and I by no means claim the PCs I'll pick will be the objective "best". To be as fair and transparent as I can, here's how it usually goes down behind the scenes:

1. I remove any character that seems problematic in one or more ways.
2. I separate those characters that have a strong description, interesting plothooks I can work with, and who I feel can commit to the game from those who I feel don't quite reach the bar. Likely also look at the writing sample here too.
3. I then usually have a couple or a few characters who I know I'll pick based on the strength and nuance of their personality section and their responses to the questions.
4. For tiebreakers for the remaining spots, usually go back to things like the plothooks, likely the writing sample, and also look for party balance less about mechanics, and more for personality and tone. Which characters do I think will be complement those I've already chosen from a narrative perspective?

Edited April 22 by Peacemonger (see edit history)

[Peacemonger]

FAQ

Can I submit more than one character?

No. If a character idea isn't working out, you can start over again with a new concept, but only one application at a time, please.

Are you sure all of the above is allowed? What about [insert strange lineage/class/background concept here]?

Yes, you may submit that. Here's the trick... characters who belong to more "standard" lineages and classes tend to focus more attention on how their Human Fighter or Elven Ranger is nuanced and unique. The Plasmoid Wu Jen Mystic type characters tend to focus on how they're different on the surface and skip the nuance. Who they are matters more than what they are, and so if you want to pitch a very different concept, remember to not forget about the nuance of who they are. This particular game doesn't require traditional, core lineages to feel right (though it's perfectly acceptable as well). What this game needs are deep, flawed, dynamic characters regardless of lineage, class, and background.

What about [insert strong build here]?

I am fine with builds that are stronger. My ask is to not break the game. For example I don't mind flying lineages, flying is fun. Now, if you try to make a flying sniper, maybe add some extra movement speed... that breaks the game as designed. Eloquence Bards are very, very good with social rolls at low levels, and that's all good. Just don't expect to Persuasion/Deception to get whatever you want, whenever you want, and an excuse to do dumb things with little to no risk or consequence. Want a Bladesinger with a Monk dip, we can talk about it and figure out how to get what you want without brushing off any and all standard attacks. These are just a few examples.

What if I don't fully know my character's personality yet, want to find out during the story?

Yes! That's great! You should still at least have a starting baseline, should be able to write out the 3-5 paragraph personality section on what you do know. It won't capture all parts of who your character is, but can at least give both of us enough of an idea to consider how their story might go.

What if I want to tweak the rules like take a fighting style that's not usually provided for the class, and have a spell that counts as different kind of damage than normal?

Maybe? With questions like these my response is usually, "Don't sweat it, we'll figure out how to let you play what you want". This won't come into play for who I'll pick, so like equipment, prefer to sort this out once selections are made.

But what if I REALLY want to write a full backstory?

Sure, go for it. I won't stop anyone from adding more to their application, but my ask is for quality over quantity. A well-written backstory will not hurt anyone's chance of being selected. A long, tedious, contradicting, problematic backstory will remove a character from consideration.

How about a joint background with another applicant?

I'm fine with this, though I will give some time once selections are made for the chosen players to decide who knows who and past relationships, if any. I will weigh each application separately, so there's a chance I'll pick one character and not the other.

I have [insert large number] of questions... is that okay?

Yes, many questions is fine. Now, there's a difference between I have an idea for a "noble" character and want to understand better about how nobility works, education, caste systems, political structures, etc. and "am I going to be picked? how about now? what about now?" Questions relevant to creating your character and seeing if the game is the right fit are all good.

Can I disagree with one of your rules or guidelines?

Sure. Understand these are things I've picked up over several games and years of gaming, but I do change my mind/get convinced to try something out. Debates are healthy. That said, debates, at least for PbP games, I've found are better short and sweet. Make your case, I'll respond, bring some counters if you feel it's relevant, then I'll make a final decision.

Why no Pre-Game IC?

Honestly, pre-game IC threads are not my favorite. I'm happy to participate if someone else's recruitment asks of it. However, in my experience something usually goes wrong. Two PCs get into a heated and personal argument, someone does something cringe, someone drops and leaves the applicant they were talking to left hanging, someone tries to hog all the attention, etc. It then leaves everyone else having to roleplay around the problem. Still, seeing someone actually roleplaying with their character is useful to make selections. Therefore, as an attempt to find the best of both worlds, asking for the writing sample after I review each character.

What will help me get selected?

I think between the explanation of the character process, this FAQ, and the setting information, should answer most of this. Otherwise, a few things that though not required, I've found I lean towards when making selections include:

• Having some normal, mundane qualities like a job, a family, a hobby, something other than adventuring and fighting to make them seem like a more whole person. Your character should be more than just their combat abilities.
• Characters that have a fork in the road ahead AND the player is flexible whatever direction it takes. In other words, having some sort of plothook that the player will let the game/story decide what happens. This will give me clear ways to make interesting, tough choices with full player agency.
• Characters that feel like they're still near the beginning of their journey. In this game the PCs aren't necessarily a beginner at adventuring, but still feels like their story has yet to be told. This is a matter of matching the game start.
• Characters with flaws, who will make the "wrong decision" now and then for story purposes. Characters who always try to make the "correct" decision usually fall short, which can cause tensions IC and/or OOC.
• Characters who feel like they can give space to others, that though will take their moments, will also step out of the spotlight so others can have their moments as well. It's a collaborative storytelling game, everyone should have their moments, shouldn't be a single main character.

What should I avoid to help me get selected?

Same as above, but on the flip side. Things that people can try, but should know I don't normally end up picking due to my own preferences/biases are:

• Primal hunter/savage types that are all business and no laughs. Overall this type of character is valid and fine, just from experience I always find when push comes to shove I don't pick this classic type of character compared to others.
• Straight up goofballs or cutesy characters that "tawk wike dis!" that don't appear to be able to take anything serious. I love having humor in characters and games, but am cautious of complete pranksters as any joke can get old fast, and some moments need to be serious.
• Anyone from real-world Earth. Just not interested in breaking the fourth wall this way.
• Second person narrative. Pretty rare but I find I don't like being told what I'm doing as a reader.
• Starting drama OOC during recruitment. If there's a problem let me handle it, and if I'm not, feel free to send me a message to let me know the concern. Once again, it's a collaborative storytelling game, causing OOC drama is about the easiest way for me to remove someone from consideration.

Edited April 22 by Peacemonger (see edit history)

[Peacemonger]

Applications

Player Name	Character Name	Lineage/Class/Background	Blurb	Status

 

Edited April 21 by Peacemonger (see edit history)