Re-learning D&D, new to 3.5e

[thud]

I've recently gotten interested in D&D again after a very long hiatus (last game was 2nd edition in '94). I'm learning the 3.5e system slowly, but I'm wondering if it's possible to develop a campaign for just a DM and 1 player that would be more than just a string of minor random encounters. My wife is interested in playing again also, but her last game was probably in the mid-80's (1st edition, not sure if it was AD&D or Basic rules.).

All our gaming buddies have either moved away or lost contact, and we don't know enough people locally who'd have enough time or enough interest to get a campaign going in-person.

I have no experience as a DM, but I'd like to develop an Eberron campaign starting in the Eldeen Reaches (Druid/Ranger-centric in the beginning) and expand from there, eventually involving aberrations. I was going to start off with Forgotten Forge, but since she's more interested in playing a Druid, I figured the Reaches would be a better starting point, even if it involves a LOT more work developing the storyline/setting on my part. Would also help to be familiar enough with the 3.5 system to be able to run a game (of course), so I'm working on that. I'm approaching this more as a creative pursuit, so I'm hoping I can do this with an eye more toward roleplaying/storytelling than getting bogged down in game mechanics/optimizing/rules lawyering/powergaming, at least for the time being.

I've already received a suggestion to try PbP, so I'm looking into that as well, but my job requires me to be on the road for 4-8 weeks at a time, long hours with not much time or energy for anything aside from a shower, quick meal, and sleep during off-hours, so it would be kinda hard to mantain a regular campaign, even with PbP. Still, I'm up for it in between hitches.

Any suggestions are welcome.

[Palanan]

That sounds like a brutal job schedule. You do pipeline work?

If you're completely new to 3.5 (and I remember that feeling well) you might want to start with a very basic prewritten module, just to get yourself comfortable working with the rules in a live setting. Pretty sure there's a first-level adventure in the back of the Eberron Campaign Setting, and there's also Shadows of the Last War (http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Dungeon-Dragons-Roleplaying-Adventure/dp/0786932767/). You may already be aware of these, but I'd recommend starting with something like this if it's your very first foray into running a 3.5 game.

As for finding a group in your area...depending where you live, you might want to try Meetup, since most large-ish urban areas in the U.S. will have a couple Meetup groups dedicated to RPGs. It's hit or miss as far as the people you find, but worth a try if you haven't already.

[urkthegurk]

My advice for 3.5, or any game really, is this: if you want to make it story-focused, you need to work with the rules rather than against them. You need to go with the flow, and tweak the rules for the kind of game you're getting at.

Otherwise, despite all your avoidance of powergaming, you'll be distracted when the mechanics don't do what you think they're going to do (like if you make really badass fighter who gets taken out in one round by a save-or-die spell...) Its a game world with save-or-die spells, teleportation, and mortals reaching godlike levels of power on a fairly regular basis. Adversaries and regular people should account for that.

You don't have much to worry about with a druid, though. They're basically impossible to make un-optimized; they can fill any party roll, stronger than a fighter in melee, they've got spells... So its an excellent class for a solo game, really

[Chronos]

Designing an adventure works mostly the same way in 3.5 as it ever has. It depends more on your storytelling ability than it does on mastery of the game system.

[SillySymphonies]

I'm approaching this more as a creative pursuit, so I'm hoping I can do this with an eye more toward roleplaying/storytelling than getting bogged down in game mechanics/optimizing/rules lawyering/powergaming, at least for the time being.
So if I understand correctly, you are not interested in game mechanics (i.e. class tiers), rather in the art of DMing? The best (D&D-specific) DMing advice on the internet can be found at the aptly named 'Lessons from DMing with my GF (http://community.wizards.com/forum/whats-dm-do/threads/1004776)', which is especially useful concerning solo campaigns.

[thud]

That sounds like a brutal job schedule. You do pipeline work?

Turnarounds; mechanic craftsman, aka "Boilermaker". Average work week is 7 10-hour days throughout the turnaround. If we're lucky we get a fatigue day every 14 days. :smallbiggrin: Pays the bills, though.

The module in the back of the ECS was what I had intended to use to start off the campaign for my first as a DM, but I don't know how well that would work with a Druid PC in the party. I should probably learn more about the rules before making such an assumption. It's possible a druid PC could do just fine even in an urban setting.

We're not really in a large urban area, so Meetup doesn't really show any results for our town (Lake Charles, LA). We have a couple of local Facebook friends that are familiar with D&D, but they don't really have time for it these days.


My advice for 3.5, or any game really, is this: if you want to make it story-focused, you need to work with the rules rather than against them. You need to go with the flow, and tweak the rules for the kind of game you're getting at.

That's what I was wondering, is how much I'd need to tweak things to avoid detracting from the story and setting; much appreciated. The tip about druids is good to know as well. She selected that class with no input from me, just from reading the PHB.


So if I understand correctly, you are not interested in game mechanics (i.e. class tiers), rather in the art of DMing? The best (D&D-specific) DMing advice on the internet can be found at the aptly named 'Lessons from DMing with my GF (http://community.wizards.com/forum/whats-dm-do/threads/1004776)', which is especially useful concerning solo campaigns.

Well, I know I'll have to learn the game mechanics, but I guess what I meant was more how to use them without getting overly focused on them. It shouldn't be much of a concern if it's just myself and 1 player, but if I'm running a campaign with more players, it could derail very quickly. Thanks for the link, I will definitely check that out.

[thud]

The best (D&D-specific) DMing advice on the internet can be found at the aptly named 'Lessons from DMing with my GF (http://community.wizards.com/forum/whats-dm-do/threads/1004776)', which is especially useful concerning solo campaigns.

Tons of thanks again for the link! Plenty of ideas there, that should keep me busy plotting for weeks to come. :smallbiggrin: