This campaign draws a lot of ideas from various anime (recognize the name?), movies, books, video games, and RPG editions I've gone through over the years. It's meant to be a sort of persistent world, where characters continue to live when not being played, and multiple "campaigns" will effect the world as a whole until the endstate is achieved. I'll update this forum after each session with an overview and update to the world as a whole so each player can stay current even when not playing, and so people can send me some input or ideas that I should add/remove/tweak.
INTRODUCTION
Life before The Waking doesn't exist in the memories of Stonehaven's citizens. They simply wake up into existence, having been "grown" out of the stone in the central square of the massive fortified white city. No one knows what their life was before they opened their eyes, but the fact that each new citizen awoke a different age, and with different skill sets, lets them know that their life did, in fact, exist before they could remember it.
Stonehaven is a radial white stone city, with three towering circular walls defending progressively higher levels. Buildings in its defensive holdings are functional yet elegant, a style of sweeping architecture that imposes a sense of awe and humbleness to those who walk its streets. It sits like a beacon on a sprawling hilltop in the southern reaches of The World, a massive circular disc floating between, and yet connecting, the planar realms. In the clear blue sky one can see the faint outlines of a ceiling above this world fading away, almost transparent but always noticeable. To the distant north, an imposing circular tower extends from the lush green plains to the ceiling above. The horizon beyond at the edge of the world turns into a torrent of color, violently churning as the planes struggle for dominance. The populace of the city know that somehow they have a role to play in this extra-planar struggle, but what it is, or how they know it, is lost to them.
PLAYER CHARACTERS
Arianna- Half-Elf Druid 1- A free spirited wood-folk who takes Turok under her guidance and care.
Bruce- Human Ninja 1- A deathly shadow with a lithe and agile frame covered in midnight black armor.
Frodo Baggins- Halfling Rogue 2- A nimble rogue with an affinity for knives and uncanny ability to be unseen when desired.
Godzilla- Kobold Gunslinger 1- A highly opinionated Kobold gunslinger with a large worn blunderbuss slung casually over his shoulder.
Gronk Shieldpiercer- Half-Orc Ranger 2- An archer capable of moving his heavy frame silently through the trees before raining arrows on unsuspecting enemies.
Kevin- Half-Elf rogue 1- A sly fellow with an expert aim and proud stride.
Korra- Human Monk 3- A martial artist whose size betrays the skill behind her iron fists.
Kory- Gnome bard 1- A small woman with a voice of silk and an overwhelmingly imposing presence for one of such a small stature.
Kurs Yew- Half-Orc Barbarian 2- a towering greenskin rager wielding a fierce axe and a fiercer snarl.
Nicolas Cage- Human Rogue 2- A leather-clad man with a quick wit but a bit reckless and too clumsy for his own good.
Sephiroth- Aasimar Dread Necromancer 1- A poor soul who lost his betrothed and seeks to conquer death to bring her back.
Turok- Human Druid 1- A soul of the wilds, un-aware of social convention and ignorant of the ways of "polite society".
Wyatt- Human Fighter 1- A gruff man with a solid build, guarded by an almost impenetrable defense.
NOTABLE NPCs
Soren- Human Fighter Unknown- A bodyguard to Valareus and source of information to the adventurers.
Valareus- Unknown- A wise and regal man who rules Stonehaven. Often referred to as "The First".
KEEP NPCs
Alesana- Elven Ranger 3- A quick witted archer with a long elegant body and a near constant mischievous grin spread across her face.
Macragge- Human Fighter 3- This shield bearing warrior has a proud temperament with a physique to match.
Sebastian- Tiefling Sorcerer 3- A well kept man in a finely tailored suit with raven black hair and a piercing red stare.
Tairn Fellhammer- Dwarf Cleric 3- A religious healer whose large facial burns left his beard only able to grow on one side.
HEROIC KILLS
The Wolf-Mother- A twisted elven woman trapped halfway between her natrural form and that of a powerful wolf.
Abaddon- A bone-armored necromancer under the service of something far more sinister.
FLOORS
Level 1- A lush green plain extends outwards from the imposing Stonehaven city in it's south. The rolling plains are dotted with sprawling forrests, and to the east raises to an imposing mountain range before it drops suddenly into planar non-existance, and an unbelievably large rounded tower connecting to a faintly outlined "cieling" past the clouds. Various mundane wildlife roams freely over the grasslands, yet rumors of strange and unnatural howls in the distance spread throughout the city.
Level 2- Two moons sail the sky as the sun circles the horizon, never fully rising or setting, leaving it in an eternal sunset. Whisps of black smoke-like clouds trace through the near night sky, their abnormal pattern leading them all towards the huge circular pillar in the center of this floor, suggesting there is more to them than natural events would create. The air feels heavy and thick, and it is impossible to see farther than a few miles into the ever present pale grey fog.
TWEAKS, ADDITIONS, AND CORE RULES
Players can create characters using races from the Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 core rulebooks and supplements, Pathfinder core rule books and supplements, and my own custom homebrews (based on the Final Fantasy universe). However, purposely "breaking" the game with cheesy builds isn't fun for anybody, so keep it within tolerable limits.
Characters will be created using a 15 point "buy" system.
Perma-death is in effect. If a character dies, he's gone for good. New characters shape themselves out of the stone pillars that grow in Stonehaven's Dream Ward.
All new characters start off at level 1
Characters can use down time (real time between gameplay sessions) to craft or perform their professions. Time in the game world happens 4x faster than real time when not playing for this purpose.
NPCs and other player groups will have parties exploring and changing the world, so players will feel like they are a part of a living world and their efforts make a real difference to more than just their characters.
Players can create an "alt" to play in different sessions or experience different play styles, however each player can only play one at a time. Alts that aren't being played will continue to live and adventure on their own between sessions. Players can have no more than one main character and one alternate character at any given time (one of the previous characters has to die, permanently retire, etc before a new one can be created, no going back).
5% experience bonuses will be given to players who accurately roleplay their character (i.e. no out of character knowlege, keeping in line w/ chosen alignment, reacting to events realistically, etc.), being punctual to sessions, bringing a model or picture that accurately portrays their character (with effort put into it, printing the first picture google brings up of "elf ranger" doesn't cut it), and a session voted MVP. 1% experience bonuses will be given to players who do extraordinary feats or find game altering additional content during a session, such as finding that secret door to a huge treasure trove or saving a routing party by killing the dragon with a natural 20. Bonuses stack, so players are encouraged to actively participate in making each session memorable.
If a character dies, all of his equipment and magic items are liquidated. 1/4 of this money ends up going to the new character that player rolls, as an "awoken inheritance" since the new character is born from the death of a hero. The rest of the money gets added to the Keep funds without the donation bonus character money would normally have. Other players cannot loot a dead players corpse and scavenge items they had their eye on, so don't think about killing off other characters for that Flaming Longbow +2 they picked up.
Players can CREATE any magic items they have the ability to craft, as per the rules. However, they cannot "gift" said items to other players' characters, unless under special circumstance approved by the DM. All magic items have to be purchased, and no player can sell an item for less than half its value to another character (they can, however, charge as much as they would like above that). Mundane items (such as standard armor and weapons) can be gifted freely to other players. Magical items FOUND while adventuring can be swapped freely between characters.
Players use the Strain/Injury HP variant system
Optional side plot mechanics
Forerunner Legacy
Ancient magical tomes full of forgotten knowledge, holding many mysterious and powerful secrets if one could only decipher them...
Forerunner Primers discovered- 6/26
Forerunner Primers deciphered- 0/26
Black Stone Keep
A previously ruined and abandoned castle made of dark, nearly black stone that has been liberated by the party from goblin excavators, and given as reward by The First for ending a goblin invasion.
Various roles can be filled by NPCs that give bonuses to the keeps growth. Players can fill these roles if they forgoe any other activity between sessions such as crafting, exploring, hunting, or working a profession. As the keep expands, additional options will open up to allow for specialized buildings to train the players and the keep guards, as well as increased static income. The keep generates 1% of its total value each week, then a Stability check and Economy check is rolled against the keeps Control DC(which is determined by its size and staff). For every +5 the results surpass the control check, the keep produces an additional 1% income. Failing a check reduces the income by 1% (rolling a 1 always fails the weekly check due to unforseen circumstances such as a poor harvest or natural disasters). The staff is paid out of this final percentage before a final amount is determined and added to the keeps treasury. Players also get 10% of the amount generated as additionaly income as the keeps owners (not taken out of the amount of money generated). Players who wish to add money to the treasury may do so, and their amount donated is doubled before being added to the amount the keep has to spend. Players vote as to which upgrade will be built each week, up to 40,000gp worth of construction can be completed in a week if the keep treasury can afford it. Players can add 100gp per player level to gain an additional vote.
Keep value- 23,300gp
Weekly staff expenses- 10gp
Keep treasury- 1179gp 1sp
Control DC- 6
Stability bonus- +15
Economy bonus- +15
Bonuses provided- none
Staff
Soldiers (stats-10,10,10,8,8,8)- 10 T1 (1g/week upkeep)
Steward (+stat mod of choice to economy or stability)- Sebastian +4Cha to Stability
Councilor (+Wis/Cha to economy)- Tairn +4 Wis to Economy
General (+Str/Cha to stability)-
Grand Diplomat (+Int/Cha to stability)-
High Priest (+Wis/Cha to stability)- Arianna +4 Wis to Stability
Magister (+Int/Cha to economy)-
Marshal (+Dex/Cha to economy)- Korra +4 Wis to Economy
Royal Assassin (+Str/Dex to stabiity)- Frodo +4 Dex to Stability
Spymaster (+Dex/Int to economy or stability)- Alesana +4 Dex to Stability
Treasurer (+Int/Wis to economy)- Turok +3 Wis to Economy
Warden (+Str/Con to stability)- Macragge +3 Con to Stability
I dig it. Embrace the metagame!. THis makes me think of Log Horizon. If you dont mind reading subtitles, check it out, little less melodrama then SAO, but just as great.
cowleymen wrote:
Session 1-1 Results
A small group of people wake up standing in a large white stone courtyard, filled with neatly trimmed hedges and various half completed stone statues. None of them have any memory of how they got there, or of who they even were prior to waking up. Memories come in scattered fragments, and not much more than their name is clearly remembered.
A regal looking grey haired man greets them with a small contingent of armed personal guards, wearing similar, although not as extravagant, red and white armor that he wears. He introduces himself as Valareus, the first to “wake up” in this world, and as such people look to him as their leader and advisor. He refuses the title of King, instead preferring to be called “The First” saying that the welfare and safety of those he greeted into this world was more important than titles and royalties. He explains to those standing in the courtyard that this is their waking, and tells of the unfortunate events that led to this. People in The World, as people call it, are born from the stone when someone else dies, growing from a marble pedestal for a week before waking up a flesh and blood person, although not a reincarnation of the deceased. Those that wake up are of a large assortment of races, ages, and professions, leading people to believe that they must have come from some other world into this one. For 17 years this cycle has continued, and although there are some that have attempted to figure out this mystery, the majority of the populace is content with surviving; unworried about a past they cannot remember.
Until recently, The World was a peaceful place, with nothing more than mundane animals to hunt and crops to tend. Then the goblin hordes descended on Stonehaven. The western approach to the city is plagued with conflict, and those that were capable of taking arms struggled to its defense. Many were lost, and many those that awoke did not have the combat prowess of their predecessors, so a dire situation is on the horizon. This groups awakening is the result of an unexpected raid on a farming hamlet to the east, far removed from the conflict and thought relatively safe so far from the city walls, and Valareus asks those that may remember the hold of a sword or the draw of a bow to accompany one of his guards to investigate, as he cannot spare any more men from the cities defenses.
Those that answered were a mixed assortment of characters. Tairn Fellhammer is a Dwarf cleric, whose large facial burns left his beard only able to grow on one side. Macragge, a shield bearing Human fighter, has a proud temperament with a physique to match. Alesana is an Elven ranger with a long elegant body and a near constant mischievous grin. Korra is a Human monk whose size betrays the skill behind her iron fists. The First gives the group materials and equipment for the journey, and tells them their safe return is more important than the reclamation of the fallen hamlet.
One of The First’s guards acts as a guide to the farming community, but what the party finds at the raided town is nothing that should have been expected two days march from the city. It is nearly completely burned down, fields razed and cattle slaughtered, with a large host of goblins still uncharacteristically occupying the ruins. The group assaults the first, and largest, group of goblins gathered around a small bonfire, sending the rest of the surprised town scrambling for the hills. Upon investigation of the hamlet after the battle, the group discovers that all of the goblins wear an odd ivory trinket with the face of a beautiful woman on one side, and a fierce wolf on the other. Korra suggests they investigate further and follow the fleeing goblins into the mountains, to which the party and guard agree.
Not far from the town the party discovers a newly carved path through the crags with numerous trails of goblin footprints left on it. Following the path the party comes upon the remains of a castle carved from black stone. Some of the goblins are frantically trying to explain the situation to a large and fierce looking gnoll flanked by large wolves with glowing green eyes. Hordes of goblins excavate stone from the base of a large ravine where the castle sits, and the party gets the jump on the leader. A fierce and bloody fight ensues on the bridge leading to the main gate of the castle, with Korra delivering the final blow to the beast. As it dies, the brass pendant he wears, identical to those of the goblins save its different material, begins to glow from the eyes and mouth a sickly green smoke. Then, in a flash of green light, an explosion emanates from his body and all remaining goblins wearing the pendant fall dead, large black scorch marks covering each of their chests coming from the pendants, which were cracked or destroyed in the explosion.
Upon searching the bodies and the ruins, the party doesn’t discover any other clues behind this anomalous raid, apart from a seemingly out of place tome in a crudely built chest next to a collapsed cave in the castles center. The pages of the tome feel unnaturally well kept despite its outward neglected appearance, as if someone took great pride in its care but was somehow unable to treat its bindings. It gives off a slightly relieving and comforting feel when held, and the pages are full of a strange writing with pictures of elaborately dressed and exotic women cleaning what appears to be a shrine, with many pictures of foxes with painted faces, making it appear like some type of religious tome dictating the care and worshipping practices of some kind of fox-god temple.
When news is brought back to The First, he remarks that while he has noticed many goblins on the front lines wearing similar pendants, he has yet to see them fighting side by side with wolves or gnolls, as they are generally skittish of such larger and fierce creatures. He mentions this news could be used on the front lines, and could change the pace of the struggle in their favor if it could be exploited. When told about the book, his eyes light up and he tells the party of what a great find this could be for Stonehaven, explaining that this could be a Forerunner Primer, a magical tome imparting a piece of the language and coding of a race that he believes occupied the world before his awakening. The runes in this book, and the two others tomes that were already discovered, can be found all over the world and on the various magical artifacts found within it. He tells the party that this is worth looking into, for the discovery of gnolls leading goblins in a location with such a rare artifact cannot be simple coincidence.
Session results
Enemies slain- 15 Goblins, 3 Wolves, 1 Gnoll
Party slain- None
Notable loot- 19g 7s 7c per character, Primer 3 (1&2 by default)
Experience after bonuses- 700 per character, 805 Korra
PRIMER 01
The pages of this tome feel unnaturally well preserved despite its outward neglectd and worn appearance. Its as if someone took great care but could not keep all the elements at bay. It gives off a slightly relieving feeling when held, and its pages are full of pictures of praying and cleaning women. Next to these pictures are images of foxes with cunning eyes and painted faces, suggesting it might be some kind of religious text detailing the care of some kind of fox-worshipping temple. However, one passage seems more worn and studied, and stands out from the rest of the pages. It reads:
Z=J
PRIMER 02
This solid black leather bound book is far heavier than its size would suggest, as if some external force is pulling it to the ground. Red script on grey pages wraps around images of weight scales, coins, and daggers. An eerie feeling of being watched falls on the reader, almost like they are being read by the pages in return. Periodical ledgers sprinle the pages, keeping unknown records between instructional manuscripts. The opening page has silver writing over an image of a demon headed scale, it reads:
D=T
PRIMER 03
An occasional wisp of frost and fog seeps from the icy bindings of this narrow tome. The silver script seems emotionally scribed, and its pages are stained with occasional watermarks, possibly tears. Handling this book sends shivers to your core, and gives off an overwhelming sense of loss and sorrow, with just a hint of vengeful rage. The last entry in the book presents a different tone than the rest, written with much more anger than the rest, reading:
T=D
PRIMER 04
This book is bound in a pale pink coral binding, and its greenish pages smell of salt and fish. It feels slightly damp to the touch, as if it was recently pulled out of water and has yet to ever dry out, yet despite this the writing on the pages remails clearly legible. Sketches of strange sea creatures cover every available margin, and grisly "trophies" of these beasts are occasionally attached throughout the book. One page has a large iridescent scale engraved with:
U=O
PRIMER 05
This copper bound tome seems to give off a soft humming noise and always makes your hair stand on end when handled. Script is tightly packed beneath reliefs of violent storms and natural disasters causing tremendous damage, and in each image a robed mage stands in the clouds with a proud face staring below. One image is of just his portrait, wreathed in clouds and lightning, a terrible piercing gaze on his face. Below it reads:
W=Z
Session 1-3 Results
With the death of the Wolf-Mother, the goblin conflict on the edge of the city came to an end. Frodo,Gronk, Korra, Kurs, and Nicholas spent the week following their return resting and refitting their equipment, taking time to enjoy the peace and quiet before returning to the ruins to see what it was that Valareus’ troop had uncovered while clearing its wrecked stone remains.
Having adequately prepared for what might lie in store at their destination, the players set out on a clear temperate day to the eastern mountains, reaching it peacefully with no sign of threats anywhere on the visible horizon. They arrived at the farming hamlet to find occupied by a small contingent of soldiers working to repair the salvageable houses, and clearing away those that were beyond repair. Standing at the entrance to the town, on what road remained leading out of it towards Stonehaven, was a singular figure dressed in a finely tailored black suit, with raven black hair and piercing red eyes.
The man introduces himself as Sebastian, appointed steward of the lands and properties of the party, in charge of managing the repair and rebuild of the keep in the group’s absence and according to their wishes. As he introduces himself, a sleek black panther can be seen behind him being chased through the town by a small feathered raptor, two leather-clad druids chasing frantically behind them. With a sigh that reveals this event has been all too common recently, and that he does not approve, the steward announces them to be Turok, a newly arisen Human Druid with little in the area of societal knowledge, his few memories being of an isolated tribe with no outside interaction; and Arianna, a Half-Elf Druid who awoke a few weeks prior and has taken Turok under her mentorship. The two have been assigned under Sebastian’s care until the group arrived at the keep, at which time he has been instructed to give them guidance to adventure with the Saviors of Stonehaven. The party agrees willingly, already having a few masters of the wild in its number and proud to add more.
Sebastian took the group up the winding road cut into the mountains steep banks until they reached the area where the keep once stood sentinel. Now, with most of the broken and unsalvageable stone removed from the crumbling walls, the keep was noticeably smaller than the party had remembered it. However, in its core stood a newly erected series of wooden walls and short guard towers, various sized tents filling its interior. He told the group that this will be the foundations for rebuilding the once proud structure, which has been Black Stone Keep by the soldiers clearing it due to the stones unusual dark color.
After a short tour, for the keep itself was not much more than a defended hexagon box now, and giving Nicholas back the now translated diary he had pulled from the Wolf-Mother’s quarters, he took them to the back of where the fortifications stood. Past the rear gate extended a long, expertly crafted tunnel, engraved with elaborate pictures and languages that stretch back eons, many of which have been long lost to the memory of living races. It takes nearly half a day to walk the length of the wide stone corridor, but when the group reached the end they didn’t quite know how to process the odd site in front of them.
The tunnel ended leading into a 400 foot wide circular chamber, extending endlessly above them. Around its perimeter are 20 archways, each 20 feet wide and 30 feet tall, with one of the arches leading into the path they had just walked up. Each of the other arches has a large, mirror like metallic face filling its interior, giving a perfect reflection of the room inside. In the very center of the room is a large metallic pulsing structure, energy warping and arcing within a series of rotating and revolving concentric rings. When Arianna touched the construct, energy pulsed out of its core, arcing to the walls and sending arcane torrents storming out above it, lights and energy soaring up the impossibly tall interior of the cavernous room. In a blinding flash of light, the construct suddenly stoped pulsing, and one of the mirrored surfaces of the room’s arches now showed the image of a town in twilight instead of a reflection of the room like it did before.
Walking towards the arch, Gronk extended his hand, seeking the surface he knew should be there, but he continued moving forward with no resistance, walking straight into the center of the town he was looking at. The rest of the party followed, now standing in a town square under two moons, the sun slowly circling the horizon instead of setting as it should.
Almost immediately the group had a feeling of unease, as the town was far too quiet for this time of day, especially after such a large stone gateway suddenly became active in its town square. They began scouting out the area, discovering that many of the buildings interiors were covered in a thick layer of dust, none of which had been used in what could have been decades, and a small lumbering group of decaying bodies walking the nearby graveyard.
They opted to attempt to bait and ambush the undead group, and quickly succeeded in removing them as ever being a threat again. Following the undead tracks lead the group to the entrance of the mausoleum in the graveyards northeastern quarter. When the group began walking into its cold stone interior, the braziers magically ignited bright green flames to light the way. As they explored a series of bone covered tunnels deeper into the earth below the graveyard, Frodo came across an elaborate stone door, its complex locking mechanism no match for his expert lock-picking skills, but he was ill prepared for what lay on the other side.
Standing in a large carved cave, strewn with bones and runed glyphs, stood a towering, yet emaciated, figure clad in bone armor with a large copper tome in his hands. The figure said in a booming voice “How dare you wander into my hold! I, Abaddon the Despoiler, will not let you stop what is in motion. You cannot begin to dream of the horrors I will loose upon this world at your failure!”
The group scrambled into the room after the mausoleum entrance slammed shut behind them, zombies and skeletons shambling out of connecting rooms towards them while Abaddon began casting otherworldly spells. As the group approached the undead creature, they accidently triggered a warding glyph at his feet, wracking their brains with horrible images of their worst fears recognized. Pestilence and disease poured from Abaddon’s body, circling the group but unable to find a hold in their determination. Scar, the raptor companion of Turok, managed to sunder the armor from Abaddon’s chest, and as he fell, unable to hold his body upright without his armors support, Nicholas cleanly separated the head from his body, which Kurs promptly smashed underfoot.
Abaddon’s body crumbles into ash and dust as he died, leaving behind a piece to some sort of circular object, its images and runes too vague to discern without more pieces. Arianna picked up the metallic copper tome, and realized it gave off a faint humming noise when held, and makes her hair stand on end. Script is tightly packed beneath reliefs of natural disasters causing tremendous damage, and in each image a robed mage stands in the clouds with a proud face staring below. One image stands out as just his face, wreathed in clouds and lightning, with runes inscribed below it that impart a small piece of knowledge to the reader.
The undead horde crawling from their tombs also fell to pieces when Abaddon died, leaving the bone strewn corridors eerily quiet as the magical flames slowly began to go out. After a second check of the crypt to ensure that all the dead were in fact still dead, the party returned through the portal, heading back to Black Stone Keep to recover and begin preparations for exploring more of this new world and its mysteries. Upon arriving at the keep, Sebastian greeted them with news that hundreds of statues had begun growing throughout Stonehaven after they had opened the portal, and knows that the two events have to be somehow connected. He also says that the keep is ready to begin repairs and expanding, and the party orders the keep expanded to the north and south to fully encompass the available land space cut into the side of the ravine.
Session Results
Enemies Slain: 7 zombies, 2 skeletons, Abaddon the Despoiler
Enemies successfully avoided: 15 zombies, 13 skeletons
Party Slain: None
Notable Loot: Forerunner Primer 05, Gronk- Ring of Persuasion (+1 competence bonus on Charisma based checks), Lesser Cloak of Resistance (+1 on all saving throws)
Experience after bonuses: Arianna 1199, Frodo 1175, Gronk 1246, Korra 1234, Kurs 1246, Nicholas 1269, Turok 1234
Keep funds generated: 294gp
PRIMER 15
This dusty old tome is covered with cobwebs, and no amount of cleaning seems to remove them. A sickening crawling sensation covers all the skin in contact with the book, and numerous images of spiders of all kinds might be a clue why. A woman with the lower half of a giant armored black widow, and the upper half bearing onyx black elven features, wears a crown and wields a menacing snake headed whip, surrounded by words woven into the page with spun spider silk, reading:
Y=O
where did that alphabeta come from? it looks pretty familiar. And pretty.
Unfortunetly i brought up the idea of a meta heavy campaign like this and the over all response was that it was interesting and different, but over all there are already plenty of video games that do that and stil have decent stories going on with them as well.
Most of the mechanics were pulled from the Pathfinder Kingmaker campaign and the Ultimate Campaign book, but the meta rules are a hash of ideas thrown together that have yet to be proven lol. The idea behind having a persistent world in this campaign is the large group that wants to play in it, but shifting and conflicting schedules make a small consistent group impossible. This gives everyone a way to have their characters interact and grow until they can make it to a game, without breaking the system.