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Travis grinned at those gathered around the table. “Welcome to Dungeons and Dragons! A few of you have played before but most haven’t, and eight is a big party, so it’s going to be an interesting time for all of us. I’m starting you off at level four because so many of the really neat features come in at levels three and four, and level one characters are so squishy it’s possible to kill them with one bad dice roll, which I don’t want to do. The first step in character creation is choosing a species. There’s a lot of variety, so go with whatever grabs your fancy, you don’t need to all be the same.”
As the eight players flipped through the species options on their PADDs, Trip grinned. “I can play as a dragon-man? Hell yeah!”
“Hmm, what’s a Tiefling?” Mike mused quietly, tapping the screen to look at the description.
“Mountain Dwarves get a boost to Constitution, that could be handy,” Hoshi murmured to herself.
T’Pol tapped at her screen, looking at the sub-species of Elf available, considering carefully before selecting an Eladrin.
Phlox perused several options, then turned his attention to Travis. “Can a Half-Orc be good?”
Travis nodded. “Yeah, of course! Older editions of the rules had set alignments for some species, but this edition doesn’t - and even if it did I’d say to ignore that. No species is entirely evil or good - people are individuals, just like in real life.”
Malcolm grinned slyly as he selected a Tabaxi, knowing it’d pair well with the class he was intending to select.
“Yeeeeeeesssss, I can be a Hobbit!” Liz said with a chuckle as she found the Halfling option.
Janelle grinned. “We can be short twins! I’m going for a Forest Gnome.”
When everyone had selected their species, Travis said, “OK, next up is class, which roughly translates to Starfleet’s divisions - it gives a general direction for your career. Some things might pair better than others with the species you’ve selected, but you can be anything you want. Also take a look at subclasses - you get to choose those at level three, and it might help you choose your class if you know which subclass fits the character you want to build. A subclass is more like the specific field you work in - like how Engineering and Security both fall within Ops, or Communications and Exobiology are both Sciences. Those of you who are first-timers should probably stick with a single class until you’re confident with playing and have levelled-up a bit, but if you’ve played before then you’re welcome to multi-class.”
Malcolm immediately scrolled to Rogue and selected three levels with the Inquisitive subclass, then added a single level of Paladin.
Equally quick off the mark and also choosing to multi-class, Janelle opted for a Path of the Totem Warrior Barbarian, combined with one level in Bard.
“There are so many options,” T’Pol remarked.
“It can be a bit overwhelming,” Travis agreed with a nod, “but the beauty of options is you can find something that’s a good fit for how you want to play.”
Mike considered thoughtfully, then nodding to himself, selected a Circle of the Moon Druid.
Liz opted for a College of Lore Bard, while Hoshi chose a Rune Knight Fighter.
“Our short girls are going to kick so much butt,” Hoshi remarked.
Laughing, Liz shook her head. “You’ll be tall compared to Janelle and I.”
Phlox chuckled to himself as he chose a Life Domain Cleric, as did Trip as he opted for an Artillerist Artificer.
“I think I can play this?” T’Pol said uncertainly.
Looking at the Order of Scribes Wizard, Travis nodded. “That’s a great choice for you!”
“Alright,” Travis said. “Next is alignment. It’s important that you choose an alignment that fits how you intend to play your character, but it can change as the campaign progresses, you’re not locked into it like you are with species and class. Everyone is either Good, Neutral, or Evil - which should be fairly obvious - and then you’re also either Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic. The bad guys are evil, so don’t pick that, but you can be good or neutral as you prefer. A Lawful Good character feels a duty to do what society considers to be the right thing - whether that’s local laws, those of their homeland, or an organisation they belong to. Neutral Good characters work within the rules when they can, but don’t feel as restricted by them - generally speaking they care about helping others and find noble causes appealing. Chaotic Good characters follow their conscience, and if that happens to mean breaking the law then they’re not bothered by that. Robin Hood is a great example of Chaotic Good - stealing from the wealthy to help the poor, and overthrowing the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. For a Lawful Neutral creature, obeying the rules is more important than helping those in need or the temptation of evil - a soldier who never questions orders might be lawful neutral. True Neutral characters are more focused on balance and tend to be very pragmatic, working towards whatever seems best at the time. And then Chaotic Neutral characters prize their freedom above just about everything else. One of my favourite characters I played started out as Chaotic Neutral but shifted to Chaotic Good several levels in.”
When they’d all selected a starting alignment, Travis walked them through the remaining steps of character creation, then grinned and said, “OK! That’s the first stage done. Next is deciding how you want your character to look. There’s a program on your PADDs that will let you design their appearance, including clothing, armour, weapons, other gear, and companions if you have them. If your character has several weapons you might want to just choose one or two for their look, to keep things simple. Have a play around with it between now and our next session, and we can print tokens to put on the game map once we get to actually playing. The captain’s offered to help me with making the miniatures for the campaign, so I’m looking forward to setting it all out once it’s ready.”
Everyone thanked Travis and headed off, chatting about their characters and what they hoped to do with them.
With the basic rules explained, preferences discussed, and characters created, the first session of play arrived with a model of a blue dragon sat in the centre of the table. Flashing a grin at his players, Travis began.
“It’s a busy night in the Purple Pheasant, and you find yourselves seated at a long table with seats along both sides, surrounded by strangers. Your reasons for visiting this city vary widely, and some have travelled much further than others to be here, yet you all felt the call of affordable meals and comfortable beds on this fine evening. The Pheasant offers a menu with a primary focus on poultry birds, but also offers vegetarian options, beverages both alcoholic and not, and egg-shaped desserts in souvenir cups which may be purchased for a small additional fee. I’ll ask you to now describe the person the others see. Malcolm, if you’d start us off.”
Malcolm grinned and said, “near what might be the head or foot of the table - depending on how such things are defined - you see a Tabaxi man with brown fur which is longer and darker on his head than elsewhere, almost like the hair of Human. His pale green eyes seem to catch the light the way a cat’s would, and he wears leather armour in a rich blue with dark red accents, and a brown leather chest piece. Sheathed at his side is a scimitar along with two daggers, and you get the distinct impression that this is a man who knows how to use them.”
Smirking, Hoshi went next. “Opposite the Tabaxi man is a Dwarf woman, her red hair braided neatly to keep it from her face, and freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her fleece-lined jacket is draped over the back of her chair, revealing dark blue leather armour, finely worked in the Dwarvish style. A pair of handaxes are sheathed at her belt, and an empty holster suggests she owns a larger weapon not presently on her person.”
Liz smiled when Hoshi finished and said, “beside the Dwarf woman is a young Halflng woman whose red hair is so long you might wonder how she’s managed not to sit on it. Her leather armour is also blue and finely worked, though of a style that suggests she may be a performer rather than a warrior. This impression would be supported for those who can see the shape of a violin case, its strap hooked over the back of her seat. Her silver eyes watch all, almost as though waiting for someone larger to tell her she is unwelcome here - and a retort ready upon her tongue if they do.”
Phlox nodded when his turn came, saying, “opposite the Halfling woman is a Half-Orc man with olive green skin and dark hair bound with a stick, the lower half of which has been shaved away to reveal a deep purple tattoo which looks as though it may hold some significance, not merely an adornment. His robes are grey and purple, trimmed in places with golden piping. He seems perfectly at ease despite being the only member of his species in the tavern, and smiles cheerily at anyone who glances his way.”
With a quick grin Mike said, “beside the Half-Orc is a Tiefling man, his dark brown skin having what looks like fiery undercurrents. His curved horns and short tail spikes are copper, and his hair is black and wavy - shorter than than of his neighbour but shaved in a similar fashion to show a gold tattoo of a stylised sunburst. His attire appears to be made entirely of leaves and other plant matter, yet it also looks like fabric or leather, depending on the way the light catches it.”
Janelle gave Mike a wink before beginning. “Opposite the Tiefling is a Gnomish woman of about the same height as the Halfling beside her, with short red curls which she repeatedly tucks behind her ears. She wears sturdy clothing in shades of green, and a greataxe almost as large as she is rests against the back of her seat. Handaxes that look like they’d be well suited for throwing are sheathed at her belt, and you may get the impression that she is far mightier than her size would indicate.”
T’Pol looked faintly nervous when her turn came, and Trip gave her a reassuring smile before she began.
“Beside the Gnome is a woman who appears to be mostly Elvish, though her ears are longer and more slender, coming to finer points like many Fey have. Her golden eyes are also more like those of the Fey, and a blue owl seated on her shoulder is further suggestion that she is no ordinary Elf. She wears scholars robes of rich purple, with the shape of a wand showing in a specially designed pocket. Her hair is blonde and wavy, coming about halfway down her back, and two small braids keep it from falling in her face.”
Trip grinned, giving T’Pol two thumbs up before beginning his own description. “Opposite the Eladrin woman is a tall emerald-green Dragonborn, with long horns on top his head that end in blue points. His tail has sections of blue as well, and he’s got that curled around so nobody trips over it. He’s damn handsome and he knows it, offering a smile to anyone who does the same, and a wink to any pretty ladies who catch his eye. He wears leather in several shades of brown, with a whole load of pockets and pouches that sound like he might be carrying an entire toolkit on his person. He’s got a large crossbow leaning against his thigh, and anyone sitting close enough will see it’s not your average model - obviously modified to fire multiple rounds rapidly without the usual slow process of reloading. He’s ordered one of the big share platters and is rapidly making his way through the meat and veggies, looking like he might eat the whole lot himself. Which is fine, because y’all bought your own meals, but if you asked to try a little piece of something he’d probably offer you a bit. He’s hungry, not mean.”
Travis laughed, and nodded. “You do all have meals on the table in front of you, and the waitstaff are attentive without being pushy - if you wanted something more you’d soon be able to order it, but they’re not bothersome like some tavern staff can be. You’ve all booked rooms for the night, and the Pheasant is known for catering to people of all shapes and sizes, with different sized beds and rooms. Halflings, Gnomes, and other people of short stature can reach everything easily in their smaller rooms, while Half-Orcs, Dragonborn, and other taller folks have no need to stoop, or sleep with their legs hanging off the end of the bed in the larger ones. Standard size rooms are also available for Elves, Tabaxi, and other people of middling size, and smaller folks who wish to share with them are welcome to do so.”
Pausing to take a drink of water, Travis flashed another grin. “Are you all ready for me to get you started on becoming an adventuring party?”
Nods and murmurs of agreement went around the table, and he grinned again.
“The harbour city of Oceangate is aptly named, and has long held a reputation for safety and lawful conduct amongst both its citizenry and many visitors. The law-keepers are known to be firm but fair, with penalties for infringements based on a percentage of wealth, so that those of means do not simply consider them a purchase of permission, and the poor are not unduly burdened when pushed to desperation. In recent months however, rumours have begun to circulate of a criminal underbelly - the piracy and lawlessness of the neighbouring ocean coming to infringe upon the livelihoods and comfort of the land-dwellers. Depending on which version of the rumour you hear, it may be said that the largest and most fearsome band of brigands are known as The Tempest - while other versions speak of a dragon of the same name - ancient and blue, its power over lightning making it a menace whether over sea or land. Your meal is interrupted by a pair of law-keepers, both Human in appearance. The shorter of the two is a bald woman with piercing blue eyes, and she addresses your table with the voice of authority.”
After another sip of water, Travis continued in a higher-pitched voice. “Just need to get all your names, and how long you intend on visiting Oceangate, please folks. Standard procedure for all newcomers in these parts.”
Trip grinned. “Akakios Makris is my name. Planning on being here a few days at least, though it might be longer depending on how things go.”
“Ciarán Gallagher,” Mike said. “Not sure how long, but at least two nights, I already paid for those.”
Phlox smiled. “My name’s Avera. I don’t have a clan anymore, so just Avera is good please. Also paid for two nights.”
Malcolm affected a serious voice and said, “Akimitsu Katashi, waiting on the Enterprise to sail into port, so the length of my stay is dependent on the gods of sea and sky.”
Hoshi gave Malcolm a smile then said, “Lapis Torshield, hoping my nephew Jasper will send word of his arrival soon so that we may continue our journey.”
Liz smiled and said, “Eowyn Silverblossom, of the Silverblossom Seven. My sisters will be arriving on the Endeavour, I came ahead to organise our accommodations for a tour of the region.”
Janelle affected an accent different from her usual, saying, “Poppy Juniper Olive Mahogany Laurelia Burrows - though you may prefer to only write Poppy Burrows, there is never enough space on official paperwork for Gnomish full names. I’m hoping to depart two days hence.”
T’Pol gave a nod when it came to her turn and said, “Gwendolyn Lloyd. I’ve come to visit the library, so the length of my stay relies upon my finding the sources I am in search of.”
Travis grinned, and affecting the law-keeper’s voice again, said, “thank you all. If you have any need of our services, our office is the one just across the way, with a large open gate over a blue background. The city planners were not terribly imaginative when issuing official signage, but it is at least easy to describe. We hope that you enjoy your stay in Oceangate.”
Sipping his water again, Travis then spoke in his usual voice. “We might leave it there for tonight - you’ve all met each other now, and you know about the pirates and the dragon. I can force your hands into teaming up next session, and then you’ll have to decide what to do about the threats to the city.”
Grinning, Trip stood and stretched. “That dragon is wicked - I’m not even sure it deserves the name ‘miniature’, because there’s nothing mini about it!”
Travis nodded. “My Dad made the dragon when I was a kid, it was my favourite big bad whenever we played. I’m looking forward to you all seeing what the captain made though, we’re gonna have so much cool scenery, and I’ve got maps planned, and all sorts. Combining digital and physical is great, I don’t have to make everything.”
“Thank you for an enjoyable start to the game,” T’Pol said, giving Travis a grateful nod.
“Yeah, that was an excellent way to kick off,” Janelle agreed. “You’re a real natural at this.”
Blushing slightly, Travis grinned. “Thanks!”
Hoshi, Malcolm, Phlox, Liz, and Mike all expressed their appreciation as well, then the group said goodnight and headed away, excited for the continuation.
