Player Primer (Session 0)

## Introduction

### Welcome Players!

The Lost Wilds is a D&D game in the style of Ben Robbins' West Marches game. It is a collaborative game setting where numerous player characters reside in the same starting location.  Rather than the Dungeon Masters planning game sessions and determining what will happen, players coorinate their own schedules and decide on places that they would like to explore and let the DMs know.  This allows for adventuring parties to be ever-changing and for the lore of the world to be passed down from person to person as it is discovered.

### Rule One:

* You are an adventurer because you feel a strong call in your bones to adventure. The boredom of a calm life doesn't appeal to you – you are driven to leave behind the safety of civilization and explore the wilds to make your name. Regardless of what drives you, you are driven. You choose where to go and what to do. There will be a handful of obvious choices, but you don't by any means need to take them. The adventure is in your hands.

### Other Guidelines:

* Players can suggest or join sessions on an at-will basis. There is no assumed *set party* – characters can adventure in many different groups.
	+ Furthermore, If you have adventured with another player in two consecutive sessions, you may not adventure with them again until playing a session with different players.
* Each session is presumed to be self-contained. Players venture into the wild, find or are found by adventure, and return home each session (sessions will ideally run 4-6 hours).
* New characters start at level 1. Characters keep whatever gold and XP they earn from session to session, and characters may (until further notice) group with other characters of any level.
* Every character starts each session in Firkin's Landing. If characters have not returned home by the end of the session, they automatically return after play has ended.
* Players are penalized a cost of **1GP/Lvl per mile** they must travel back home after the end of a session.
* The world of the Lost Wilds persists beyond each session. If players have made a change in one session, other players will see that change if they follow the same path in a later session.
* The town of Firkin's Landing is, for whatever reason, safe. Adventure is found beyond civilization's edge. Characters can rest here between sessions and come to no harm. Adventure is found *only* in the wilds beyond.
* Characters will earn downtime days which will be able to be spent on activities that the characters can do while not actively adventuring.
* Players are encouraged to write narrative journal entries detailing each adventure. This will serve to pass along information to other players and increase the social aspect of the game. It will also earn players an experience point bonus! **This should be done within a day or two of adventuring!**
* No map will be provided. Players will be required to create and share a map of the Lost Wilds. DMs will hold onto a digital copy for safekeeping, but no corrections or revisions will be made by except by players.

## Character Creation

* All new characters start at level 1.
* All published races and classes are allowed.
* Use the standard array of ability scores. (15,14,13,12,10,8)
* Variant rules are typically allowed, but ask ahead of time if it's not listed here:
	+ Variant Human
	+ Variant Half-Elf
	+ Variant Backgrounds (no retainers feature, however)
	+ Encumbrance