General Overview
While there are many projects dedicated to MMORPG like setups, I’ve seen very few, if any, that have had the single, downloadable module in mind. That’s where I come in. My site will be where you can go to download a solid, well thought out, well debugged, (my family and friends are going to be my QA department) well written module. Most modules will be following a story arc that I’ve ‘DMed’ in PnP for sometime now, while some will have nothing to do with my main story.
What is this all about?
Well, there are two parts to my project. One is to run a persistent ‘OnDeath’ server. The second, is to make available modules for download.
A while ago, on the Interplay boards (about three or four boards ago) for Neverwinter Night, I noticed mention of an ‘OnDeath’ function for dead characters. And like a smack to the head from a broadsword, I got up off the floor, after about a day and a half of unconsciousness, then thought-YEREEKA! I can make an afterlife module, kinda like Planescape:Torment! (Note: For those of you who do not know what Planescape:Torment is, go to the Blackisle web site and look into it. It’s a little old but still very fun.) Then, as the miniscule rusty wheels whirled about in my tiny little brain, I thought why not make it persistent! I had an old motherboard that had both sound and video on the board. I had two or three monitors lying about, and a cable modem. I set out to save up my pennies and get a cheap cpu and a case to hold this Frankenstein project. Did someone say LINUX? Why not? I’ve never dealt with it before and from what I’ve heard it’s stable, low cpu intensive and best of all- FREE!
The following is the specs on my ‘Afterlife’ persistent server:
CPU: Celeron 633
OS: Linux, Mandrake 8.2
System memory: 256 meg PC100 SDRAM with sixteen shared for video
Video: Riva TNT2
Sound: Not sure, some “fly by nighter” based out of Korea.
Connection to the internet: CABLE MODEM!
Note: For those of you wondering if you should go get a cable modem or DSL- YES! Oh Yes! If you can afford it, get it!
What's this 'Afterlife' thing?
Well, I can't really go into this in detail right now. If I were, not that anyone would steal my idea, but there are certain aspects of the setting that I'd liked to keep secret in order for the player to fully enjoy. You understand. Right? Let's just say it does deal with the campaign adventures I'm writing.
Tangere, Alphatia, Thyatis; haven't I heard of those names before?
Yes. These were nations in the old Dungeons and Dragons boxed sets. (Basic, Expert, Companion, Master and Immortal) When I was fourteen or so, I "barrowed" these names for my adventuring world. Forgive me. I was young and not very imaginative. As time went by and the boxed sets fell to the wake of obscurity, giving way to the hardback rulebooks of AD&D that ran parallel to them, I continued to use the names. Up until now, my adventuring company has gotten used to the names and I continue to use them to this day.
About Me
I’ve been playing Dungeons & Dragons in some form since 1981 when it was first introduced to me in a 6th grade study hall at my middle school. My first character was a spell caster with a scimitar. I know. It was a little odd. But give a kid a break; I was ten or eleven at the time. I truly started learning D&D a year or two later when my mom brought me over to a friend of hers who had an older son that also played. However, he was playing it correctly. Soon thereafter I couldn’t put it down. I happened to mention it my eight years my senior brother, who was now in college, and his eyes sparkled with a spark that only two D&Ders could share. Soon, he was running me through his own adventures dealing with magical crystals and destiny. To this day, that was my best D&D experience ever. Thanks Aaron.
By this time I’d gotten my neighbor friends into too. But this did not last long. To their credit possibly, they would rather go play basketball or football then sit inside and imagine beating up monsters. I was now in high school and was meeting others with similar interests. It wasn’t long til I was spending Friday nights at my best friend’s house in ‘all nighters’ taking on ‘Against the Giants’ or ‘Tomb of Horrors’ or the infernal collection of feces that is ‘Expedition to the Barrier Peaks’. God! I hated that module. Slowly I found myself making up classes and testing them out with my gaming group or even go so far and make up my own stories until that was all I did. I now, unless it looks really cool, do not buy commercial modules. I make my own. That’s where Akadia and the Guardians came from. I’ve run my friends through once or twice either placing modules I’ve already got or making up my own for story purposes.
When word got out about Neverwinter Nights, I started to get all of my old mods out. Let me digress a moment, please. Ya know, being thirty-two years old has a way of seeing what you thought at the time was really cool and see it as childish and full of cheesy-Velveeta like plots. I didn’t have time to go through them til’ lately. I’ve been taking flying lessons and had to put my gaming on the back burner. I think the last time I painted a miniature was eighteen months ago. Now that I’m done with the lessons, yes I’m a pilot now. :D I can get back into gaming and Neverwinter Nights.
What I’ve posted on my site so far will give the fist timer enough info to get his/her feet wet. I don’t like giving away too much information and thereby spoiling it for the player. Also, it allows me to change things in mid-stride and have the player not be any the wiser.