Old-School
Open-table
Dungeons &
Dragons for Busy Adults

The Black Gate is an eldritch ritual which transports us across the cosmos to another world. We will map the unexplored wilderness, investigate ruins, battle monsters, outwit puzzles, discover secrets, amass treasure and try to survive. This is a sandbox campaign with a focus on wilderness exploration and dungeon crawling in a science-fantasy setting.

This game is designed to give curious players a chance to experience ‘old-school’ D&D while allowing busy adults to play in a long-term campaign without committing to playing every time.

Pals of all experience levels are welcomed!

HOW IT WORKS

Right now, the game is invite only which means the DM needs to approve a player before they can join. If you’ve been invited by Fred you’re in the right place, if you’re in the game and you have a friend you’d like to join then let Fred know.

Because each session is a separate adventure the players can change from week to week. This ‘open-table’ format means there is no commitment required to play and the larger pool of players makes it more likely we can have a full game every time so we can sustain the campaign's momentum long term.

When a game gets put on the schedule all the players will get notified. RSVP to reserve a seat, which are assigned first-come first-serve. Five seats per game. If you played last time you might get bumped for someone who didn’t. This makes sure everyone gets a chance to play.

No commitment is required to play. If it sounds interesting sign-up and snag a seat, drop-in and check it out. If you like it, play when you can.

OLD SCHOOL RULES

We play with the rules from the Old School Essentials books which are closely modeled on the ‘Basic/Expert’ ruleset for Dungeons and Dragons first published in 1981. These rules are much simpler and more flexible than modern D&D. You will learn them in no time, I promise.

That said, the campaign is going to play pretty differently from 5th edition D&D. Characters have less powers and abilities, and there are no ‘skill’ scores. There are a lot less rules and mechanics in general. Instead the players and the DM will rely on our judgement to determine what the characters can do. If its reasonable that your character could do it ‘in real life’ then they can probably do it in the game. These kinds of games reward ingenuity and problem-solving more than tactical combat prowess.

There is no pre-planned plot, just a world for you to explore. A lot of encounters will be ‘random’, they are rolled for on tables and will be a surprise to the players AND the DM. This means the game is not ‘balanced’, you will encounter creatures and situations that are deadly dangerous and you may not be able to survive by taking things head-on.

A WORLD OF DANGER

Old school D&D is not heroic fantasy, at 1st level your characters are not very powerful at all. If something would kill you in real life it can kill your character in the game. In fact, your characters are going to have to work very hard to stay alive.

You must take danger seriously and think strategically. You can’t win every fight, so you have to be creative and find ways to stack the deck in your favor. Remember, an ‘even fight’ means you only have a 50% chance of surviving, so act accordingly. And ALWAYS watch out for traps… Characters will die if you aren’t careful.

SESSION STRUCTURE

Making a new character is quick and simple. You can do it on game day before we start. You don’t need a complicated backstory, you’ll get to know your character through playing them. The longer you can keep them alive the more attached you’ll get and the higher the stakes will rise!

Before each session the players will consult the shared world map and decide on a destination for their journey. This might be a dungeon, ruin or lair they already know about, or it might be a totally unexplored region of the map.

Every session starts at your stronghold, where you can finalize preparations for the journey before launching across the cosmos through The Black Gate ritual. You must return through The Black Gate to your homeworld stronghold before the end of the session. Otherwise, you risk getting stranded… or worse.

The more treasure your party brings back the more powerful your characters become, every gold coin is worth one experience point. Treasure can also be used to buy equipment, hire henchmen, research magic, and improve the stronghold.

Between sessions, you can read reports on what happened and the shared map will be updated with new discoveries. Players who write reports will get bonus XP and gold for their characters.

Logistics

Right now, we play at Fred’s house on Saturday or Sunday mornings, 10AM-2PM.

Arrive at 10AM on game days to get settled, introduce ourselves, chit chat and make new characters. Game starts at 10:30 and runs until 2:00 with two breaks. Please plan to limit using your phone or smoking to a break, once the game is started.

Dice will be provided if you need them. Bring a notebook for making your character, drawing maps and keeping track of other important info.

Tea, coffee and sparkling water will be on hand. Light refreshments will be served but you are always welcome to bring your favorite snacks or drinks to share. If you are going to drink booze please limit yourself to two drinks.

Hope you join us!

If you have any questions email:

dm@theblackgate.net

or you can text Fred at 206-856-6125