the kingdoms of the realm were colored over the domains to work backwards in this handdrawn draftRaces mapWith kingdoms established, it was important to find the boundaries between them where the most fighting might be. So these lines represent fronts.slavery in the realm mirrors the real Civil War, and this early map pointed out "free" and "slave" locations to map out its legality
To flesh out what the "Realm War" consisted of, it was important to devise the kingdoms, their races and cultures, and their conflicts, and where the major hot spots of the war were.
Introduction Letter to the Players (2017)
A gameplan written around session 8. The following 20 sessions would go according to plan. But after Drake's betrayal in Pteris, the group would skip Snobbite, instead opting for Galik.Also note the players skipped the planned Glendoveer Chapter.
Greetings Elite Players!
After nearly a year’s worth of deliberation and planning, I’m putting cherries on top of the plans for my next big thing. Tales of Quelmar is going to continue as a great open public space for anyone and everyone to make one-offs and spin-offs (and I will occasionally still host Tales). But my next personal project is a campaign done the old fashioned way. A very talented group of my friends who I think do the best job playing in a campaign I’m putting more work into than I ever have.
If you would like to be a part of this very exclusive campaign, I’m looking for a commitment of about a year minimum. That just means if you already have set plans to move far away in the next year, this campaign is not for you. Not even a little bit. Do not waste both of our time. This campaign is going to go for a while so that we can build characters at level 1 and see them grow and evolve over time into three dimensional characters worthy of telling stories with. There’s no end date or level cap in mind. We’ll keep playing until everyone’s dead, everyone's moved away, or everyone’s level 20. I’m hoping to do 2-4 games a month, on days that we can agree upon as a group. Not everyone needs to make it to every game, but everyone should make it to most (preferably 2 games a month min).
The games themselves will not be held at my place all the time anymore. I am working with Jesse on making a portable projector/sound system, and we should be able to trade off hosting responsibilities session-to-session. One session might be at Rachael's, the next at Thomas', the next at Ben's, and so on. If we find that one place works best for everyone, we can also just hold the campaign there. This is to give everyone the chance to host and also to keep commutes manageable.
This is a worthy commitment that I can promise will pay off, and I’m sure some of you who have done long campaigns in the past can attest to how exciting and immersive it can be to follow a character for a long time, especially when starting at level 1.
If this all sounds too daunting, it might not be for you. If it sounds incredibly exciting, please let me know you’re in, and I’ll add you to the secret group I’ve set up.
Always at your service,
DM James
Eve Gods
Over the first dozen sessions, figuring out who Eve's god would be came down to a small list. Nerull was eventually selected, channeling a "Shard" of Pelor's power. Before landing on that, other finalists included:
Is it a representative of Lolth fighting in her name?
Abandoned Plot Lines
Concept art from planning the final session
Isonhound
Help Smuggle spies across the sea to Glendoveer, escort Glendoveer migrants back to Champerty
Orris returns to Isonhound to face the war there head-on after fleeing.
Dusky
Discover Dusky's past, and help him forgive himself for his actions. - Abandoned after Dusky died
Fight Admiral Quesom, Dusky's arch enemy. - Abandoned after Dusky died
Osugbo
Attend classes at Corpsus Academy, complete with grades and new powers
Becoming noble and honorable heroes in Troverth by saving the city from the Balabag Plague, players instead immediately took an irreversible turn in honor by killing numerous samurai.
Find out how to fake titles in Troverth and use the forged titles to get access to the Emperor of Troverth, either to broker a deal or to assassinate him.
Pteris
Brave the Wilderness of Trudger and discover ancient dungeon of Giants that ties into pre-war Snobbite culture.
Arrive in the Snobbite Regality to track down the truth behind Drake's past (This plot line was re-purposed into a reunion one-off)
The Prakseesins (Drake and Morella) were supposed to discover that the Prakseesins were actually royalty in Snobbite, in a plotline that would have also revealed that their daughter was a Liver. The family tree (devised by player Jesse) can be seen below
Amusa
Prisoner's Dilemma used in session 12Plans were devised to potentially take the Oathwielders to Luggland, "A Place the War Could Never Touch" as a possible final place for Orris to retire, as part of his story involved hating the war and trying to escape it.
Old Session Notes
session 19
session 24
session 26
session 29
session 34
session 37
Session 2
Session 5
Session 10
Session 12
Session 13
Session 27
Session 21
Session 9
Session 20
Session 18
Session 16
Session 15
Session 14
Session 17
Session 38
Session 1
Player Contract
We agree to respect the other players and not treat anyone in an unpleasant, negative, or abusive way.
We agree that the purpose of this game is to have fun, to be respectful, and supportive of one another to achieve this goal.
We agree that we will act as team players REGARDLESS of what our characters might be up to in game. Character deviation in the group does not mean player deviation from the campaign.
We will respect the boundaries of our fellow players and the DM and will peacefully and without rancor withdraw from the group if we find we cannot, or prefer not to, respect boundaries. If a player cannot have fun, the other players will respect that person’s decision to leave.
We are open to new experiences, within limits, and will strive to explore and grow as gamers. We will not whine and cry, but will endeavor to play the game in a fair manner, progressing the game even as negative events, setbacks, or the unexpected happens. If a character loses a leg, we will endeavor to progress, and not rage-quit or immediately roll a new character.
If the first few games played with a new character are unsatisfactory, we reserve the right to scrap our experimental character and draw up anew.
The DM will not “Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies” or similar to the group.
Stealing salt and vinegar chips from the DM can result in immediate unconsciousness of in-game characters.
Players will endeavor to ensure they do not use or share character knowledge in a meta context.
Players will not cheat on dice rolls or use out-of-character information to their or the other players’ advantage.
Mental conversation should be held with one or two fingers held to the temple, and in-game conversation that occurs otherwise is considered out loud.
Players may not offer tactical advice in scenarios during which their own character is not present.
The games we play will be determined by group vote and decided by dates which occur the soonest and have 3 or more players available.
We accept the possibility of failure. We endeavor to compromise and ensure that each player and the DM play a game they will enjoy.
This is a campaign expected to last a minimum of 1 year, barring devastating events.
Computers at the table will be used solely for campaign purposes, the players and DM reserve the right to ban usage of computers on a player-to-player basis dependent on proper usage.
And for fuck’s sake stop playing clicker idle games on the side so that every time it’s your turn I have to smack you upside the head…
Players are not expected to bring snacks and or drinks to the table, but are encouraged to do so.
IOUs for food money/pizza money/gas money/etc. will be paid out swiftly and at an agreeable time.
If player(s) arrive late, we will agree to wait up to one half hour (30 minutes) before starting.
Barring emergencies, we agree not to bail from a game within 24 hours from the start time.
If a player or DM misses 6 consecutive sessions without good cause, a vote will be held to remove them from the campaign.
We agree to the following variant and house rules.
Carrying capacity, ammo, hunger, and thirst are not generally tracked.
Players may not carry any singular item that weighs three times their own weight.
Carrying count max is limited to the space available in their sheet inventory
Flanking occurs when a line can be drawn between 2 players adjacent to an enemy that crosses into the enemy’s space, with the exception of races that have “Pack Tactics”, which any ally adjacent to the enemy grants flanking bonuses.
Diagonals will be considered 1.5 spaces, or 7.5 feet.
Inspiration points may be used to reroll any die, not just d20 rolls, or may be used to impose disadvantage on an oppositional roll.
Critical hits offer the option of doubling a damage roll or rolling all dice twice.
After a year’s worth of playing and 200 hours at the table, I hope you will be able cherish the adventures we had in the future and hold the memories of this once in a lifetime journey close.
I know at times it was daunting, there were arguments both at the table and away from the table. Times where some characters almost walked away. But surprisingly every character that lived made it through to the end. You all found characters you fell in love with and stories you wanted to tell through them. It was an honor (not like the Troverthian kind) to serve you at my table and help you discover your adventure, and find the ending on the final page of the story.
I know there was talk of this going on and on until we were level 20 or dead. But I think level 9, here at the Citadel, is the only way this campaign could have ever ended. The Goalposts were never the level caps, but the ending to your personal stories. Your commitments paid off in our final quest tonight.
I hope tonight we found endings to bring tears or smiles to all of our faces. Though the Oathwielders are broken up, their impacts on Quelmar will live on through other campaigns, tales, or written stories that will continue to be a part of the Quelmar fabric forever.
Please stay in touch as you were hand selected for this campaign as a player I knew deserved my best efforts, and you definitely gave your best back. It was an honor and a pleasure to go on this quest with you and to form such wonderful memories. This was exciting, immersive, and everything I wanted out this year.
And keep going with D&D. Though I may not be DMing you much in the future, you are a joy at the table and any DM would be blessed to have you as a player. Find stories elsewhere, hopefully in Quelmar, but even if they’re in other worlds and places, your RPG skills should be well spent.
I thank you for everything we’ve accomplished this year. Until our next adventure.
