Checking interest in Iron Heroes

[Habbalah]

I'm just checking the pulse of the community to see how many people would be interested in running or playing in an Iron Heroes campaign. For those who don't know much about the campaign world you can find out more at:

https://www.ptolus.com/cgi-bin/page.cgi?mpress_IL

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_heroes

If you have any other questions then let me know. If I run anything, it won't be until mid December when I'm out of school for the holidays. But, I could start playing at any time.

[Habbalah]

Hmmm...interest seems to be low. Actually around zero.

[Beronar]

What is your timezone? Are you planning on running the campaign on weekdays or weekends? During the day or evenings?

[Ram Tyr]

IH looks promising, though I haven't found anyone running it at a convenient time.

Later.

[Elf]

Agreed as to what is your time zone?

[Habbalah]

Yea! Responses!

Ok, good questions all. I'm in the central time zone (GMT-6 (I think)). I'd prefer to run games on the weekends. Friday evenings can be ok, but just about any time on Saturdays and Sundays will work for me. I could even run games during the evenings on weekdays but they would probably have to be short because of work in the morning.

Right now plan is to run a short premade adventure just to get people into running Iron Heroes and get a feel for how the game runs. Then we would move into a more open, unscripted campaign. Players would be allowed to make new characters at the end of the adventure in case they made something that they're really not into playing. So, no one is stuck with a character forever just make something that sounds interesting and see how it goes.

My campaigns usually have mature themes so if you are offended by sex, drugs, prostitution, slavery, and other nastiness, then you probably don't want to be in my campaign. But, I think Iron Heroes is a great campaign world for this kind of setting. I also like to focus on roleplaying. Though Iron Heroes is great for its expansion of combat, I still prefer characters with depth, personality, and motivations. This is especially true when we go to the campaign world where I rely on my players to provide a lot of the ideas of the campaign. This is a world and a campaign setting that is created with the idea that the players could become kings and world leaders all on their own, so motivations are important.

I'm trying to finish up this semester of school so I probably won't be ready to run anything until after Dec 5 (my last final). I also want to warn you that though I'm not new to roleplaying and DMing, I'm a total n00b when it comes to Fantasy Grounds. I haven't found many games to play in, so I haven't had much time to learn how everything works. So, I'd appreciate any help in that arena too.

Let me know if you have anymore questions and feel free to PM me if you want.

[Blue Haven]

I would like to try :) i even have the Ruleset for FG 1.05f but i never learned how to play Iron Heroes lol :) i guess you can count on me...

[Habbalah]

Great! Glad to hear it. I think when we have more folks, then we should all get together in IM and chat more about the game.

In general, IH isn't much different than regular DnD except for two major diffeerences. First, magic is rare, unreliable, and dangerous. So, the magic systems work totally different. Also, the game is set up that there isn't any need for a magic user or a cleric type. Because there are no clerics, there is no healing during combat. There are no potions of healing or wands of cure light wounds. Whatever hits you take in combat you have to deal with on your own. Also, magic items are very rare. Even a dagger +1 would be considered an epic item.

This lack of magic also has other impacts. For instance, in DnD you need piles and piles of gold to pay for all of these expensive magic items you're going to need against monsters. But, because you can't just run down to your magic shop and buy a vorpal greatsword of firey burst (or even a dagger +1) then a masterwork weapon or armor might be the most expensive thing you own and you might carry that with you for many many levels. So, the treasures tend to be downplayed. You don't need to find a solid gold statue to fund your adventures, a simple silver chalice will do.

Another big difference is that there are no other races besides humans. You can take background traits that will help customize your character and can even mimic some of the ability score adjustments of the other races, but other than that we're all just human here. Dwarves, elves, and halflings haven't been discovered yet, if they exist at all.

There are other differences, such as armor gives damage reduction instead of AC bonuses, but in general, if you know 3.5 rules, then you'll catch on to IH pretty quick. The biggest differences are in the attitude and feel of the game rather than in the system rules. Basically, if DnD is based on Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, then Iron Heroes is based on Conan.

[Elf]

You can count me in for Friday or Saturday nights, and mature themes do not bother me. Iron Heroes and Arcana Unearthed are settings that intrigued me. I have the IH ruleset and the IH book so I all I need to know is the time.

[kicktothehead]

I for one would love to be involved. I have heard nothing but good things about Iron Heroes. I am available at night to play, any time after 7pm est if you are interested.

[Habbalah]

Great! Sounds like we have 3 players. I'd like to have one more, but if necessary I'll run a PC/NPC as a filler. I'd like to hear more about the characters that people would like to play. If you know IH, then feel free to pick a class and traits and what not and post a character here. If you're not that familar with the campaign world, then just post the sort of character you'd like to play and we can work out the details one on one.

Here's the character starting stuff:
We'll use any of the Iron Heroes books and ONLY the Iron Heroes books. If you something else in mind, then let me know and we can see if we can work it out. But, otherwise, I want to try Iron Heroes in its pure form.

Ability scores are generated with the point buy system in the 3.5 DMG except that the starting ability scores are 10 instead of 8. Players will have 24 points to spend.

Everyone starts with two traits, but only one can be a background trait.

Remember, all skills are class skills, but be sure to check your skill groups. Also, some skills work differently in IH, so be sure that the skill does what you think it does.

A special note on crafting: don't blow them off. In a game where there are very few (if any) magic items, mundane items become much more important. Also, armor and weapons can get expensive to make and repair. I also tend to have down time between adventures and between adventures which allow characters to go off and do their own thing for a bit. This can be a Thief using her Bluff and Diplomacy to start up a few business deals or an Armiger using his Craft (metal tools/trinkets) to make a kick *** suit of armor.

All characters start with two feats at 1st level. But, remember that the Feat Mastery system may mean that you aren't qualified for all feats based on your class.

All characters start with 100gp.

I don't worry about encumberance within reason.

I'll write up more about the background of the campaign world tomorrow.

[Elf]

...
Ability scores are generated with the point buy system in the 3.5 DMG except that the starting ability scores are 10 instead of 8. Players will have 24 points to spend.
...

Just so I am clear... This means that to go from 10 to 11 costs 1; 11 to 12 costs 1; etc up to 15; going from 15 to 16 cost 2 and going from 17 to 18 costs 4?

This is for those that do not have the IH PHB (page 17 has this method)

[Habbalah]

Yes, use the method on p. 17 in the IH PHB. Sorry for any confusion.

[Elf]

As for character...

Hunter is my first choice for a class will wait for world background though before I make a decision.

[Habbalah]

Brief History
Human history as it is currently known only goes back a little over a century. Up until that time, the world was dominated by the Masters. No one alive today really remembers the Masters, what they were, or what they did. Some believe that they were an ancient race of mortals that wielded magic as easily as a human warrior wields an axe. Others believe that they were gods and worship them as such. But, everyone knows for certain that there was a great war that covered the whole world.

No one really knows what the war was about, who started it, or even who fought it. Some people believe that humans were created by the Masters to fight in the war. Other people believe that humans were enslaved and forced to work for the Masters. But, what is known is that the war ended about a century ago and all of the Masters have disappeared, leaving behind cyclopean, ruined cities, twisted monsters that roam desolate wastelands, and great treasures just waiting for adventurers foolish enough to collect them.

Geography and Local History
The region in which the campaign will take place is known as the New Coast. It comes from the fact that about a century ago a battle in the great war caused a gigantic seismic shift which caused the ocean to rush miles inland. A small farming village called Malador existed on top of a hill some 20 miles from the nearest coast. The massive tidal wave moved across the land, destroying the eastern half of the village (and the hill it was on) and turned the farming village into a coastal fishing village in a matter of days.

The first few generations after the flood, the village did not change much. The farmers tried their hands at fishing without much luck. There was also a sudden influx of refugees as people from the surrounding area were driven out by the newly formed Ghostlands and Grey Steppes, more remnants of the Masters’ war.

But, about 50 years ago, there was a discovery that changed Malador. Some fishermen seeking bigger schools of fish went far away from the coast. What they discovered were the spires of an ancient city sticking out of the sea. Curious, they dove down to investigate and found treasures worth more than a boatload of fish. After that, many others tried their hands and people were turned from paupers to princes overnight. However, it was quickly discovered that ancient traps and new dangers were also to be found in the city, which became known as The Drowning Towers.

By this point, the city had grown and its original inhabitants had grown wealthy. Also, the news of The Drowning Towers had spread around and adventurers from the surrounding area had come to Malador to find their fame and fortune. So, the city set up a system in which anyone can go to the towers, but Malador keeps one half of all the treasure that is brought up.

The area around Malador is composed of the Malador River, which runs near the city and Bleakwater Wood, a forest that surrounds the city. Just to the north are the Grey Steppe, an area that was once lush and fertile farms that were turned to arid dust during the Masters’ war. Further north, the steppe turns into a true Ghostland in which a man would be choked to death on the burning dust and ash, assuming other horrors don’t find him first.

Further to the west of Malador lies the kingdom of Borat. The capital and largest city of this state, also named Borat, is less than half the size of Malador. However, in total the kingdom has a population size five times that of Malador and is ruled by a man calling himself King Darragan.

Religion and Whatnot
As things stand now, religions are very disorganized. There are no well established churches. In fact, gods as we think of them in most D&D games do not exist. Rather, these are ideals that people follow that are given some kind of name. In other areas, animism and shamanism are more common. Cults pop up regularly and every once and a while an Arcanist or a Spiritualist will appear and try to form his own cult. But, this is a time in which the majority of people don’t really see the point in worshipping anything at all.

As far as info for characters, the details have been intentionally left out. Part of creating your character should be adding a bit to the world. For instance, if you are playing a Berserker, you should also say a bit about the area from which he came. Maybe he belongs to a nomadic tribe that lives along the fringes of the Grey Steppe and worship the animals that live there. Feel free to create a bit of your culture to fit in with your character. I will have the final say, but as long as it isn’t too disruptive to the other players and doesn’t violate the feel of the campaign world, then I’ll most likely approve it and try to get it into the campaign somehow.

[Blue Haven]

Sorry but i can´t play :( i´m out...
Thanks anyway for the help :)
Bye

[Archamus]

This posting made me curious about IH so I went and bought it. So far I like it, a lot. I'm very interested in joining the game. Unfortunately I'm moving in February and once I move I will be out of town on the weekends, so will not be able to play on Friday, Saturday or until the afternoon on Sunday. If the game is during the week or in the afternoons on Sunday I can play though.

Elf you said that you can play on Friday or Saturday, did that mean that those are your only available days?

[Ram Tyr]

When the time comes to determine the day and time of the campaign sessions, please let me know. If it is at a convenient time, I am in.

Later.

[Habbalah]

Great! I'm glad there's more interest out there.

On the day and time, how about Tuesday evenings? I can probably start around 7pm central (GMT-6). Another option is that we start playing on the weekends and when February rolls around then we just switch the day and times. I'm reluctant to do that because it's based on the hope that in a few months everyone's schedules will still mesh. So, I'd like to come up with something now and stick with it. If we go with Tuesday evenings, then the first game session will be on Dec 11 (after my classes are done). Let me know how that works for all of you.

If that sounds good to you, then send me a PM with an email address with which I can contact you and maybe we can get together on IM and work out the details of your character before we all meet for the first game.

As far as which classes will fit into the game, I don't think there's a class in IH that WOULDN'T fit into the game, so don't worry about that too much. The only reluctance may be in one of the magic using classes, but that's just because the magic system is set up that if you roll poorly (yes, you have to roll to cast spells they don't just happen like in DnD), then you will take hit point or ability score damage. So, one bad roll could kill or cripple your character. Also, because magic is so rare in this world, I will only allow one spell casting character in the party. Whoever sends me the best character background and concept will get to play that class.

[Elf]

Monday, Friday and Saturdays are my available nights; Tuesdays does not work as that night is booked.

[Habbalah]

Monday's work for me too. How about everyone else?

[Archamus]

Mondays will work for me. Now I'm going to have to start working on a character.

[Elf]

What are you thinking of Archamus? After going over the IH book and the history, I am still leaning towards the Hunter with Archer as a second choice.

[Habbalah]

Hi guys. I've set up the Game Calendar for our campaign. I'm calling it Iron Heroes on the New Coast. The day and time is set for Dec 10 at 7pm. Please join the calendar and vote for that day and time.

I'm also trying to get a campaign forum set up at Four Ugly Monsters. I'll let you know more as that gets set up.

[Archamus]

I'm between the Harrier and the Weapon Master, but I think I'll most likely pick the Harrier.

[Habbalah]

All of these character classes sound good to me so just send me the stats and backgrounds of your characters soon so I can look them over.

I'd like to find at least one more player before we start, so hopefully we can get someone else in.

[Habbalah]

Ok, I got a character from Archamus. I'll let him post as much as he wants about his character here so everyone can see what to expect.

I still need to hear back from Elf and I would like to have one more player and then we'll be ready to go.

[Elf]

Decided on a Hunter... working on some background details... then will PM to you tomorrow or later tonight.

[Habbalah]

I've gotten characters from Archmus and Elf. We have a harrier and a hunter. There's still room for one or two more characters, so if anyone else is interested, then please let me know.

[Habbalah]

Hey guys,

We might have a new player, which will give us our third. But, I haven't had a chance to get with him and write up a character yet. And I until know what he's playing, I won't be able to write up my NPC/PC character. We were scheduled to start gaming tonight, but I'd like to postpone it until next Monday night at 7pm. Then we'll have everything ready to go.

[Elf]

What is the scoop? I have not heard anything in over a week.