The Axe and Sickle is a great place to hang out and play some Dungeons and Dragons, OGL approved and without giving any money to WOTC (or even playing the recent edition). The sever is left-unity and only Socialist in membership, not theme. Anyone is welcome so long as you're willing to abide by our rules.
I'll just take a minute to cover a few things here before they get asked in the comments:
- Why 3.5?
Because it's what @Drewfro likes and grew up with and they made the server. /jk but for real
3.5 is the best system for west marches. It has a good breadth of skills and feats, and allows for downtime crafting and rewarding adventures.
- West Marches?
Yes, sort of. The original west marches format is one where players are exploring a place. There is a pool of players to pick from and games are held whenever the players can make it to them.
We alter this slightly. The A&S has a core pool of players and a DM team. The DMs post adventures they have crafted on a board. Players then self organize and discuss a time that works for them and the relevant DM, and form a temporary adventuring party that does the adventure on the specified day and time. You don't have to commit to a regular schedule, just to a specific adventure. Life does happen and sometimes things do fall through, but the vast majority of games happen, and often there are idle players online willing to hop in and cover drops.
It's a very manageable format that works well for bad schedules. Play every week. Play once a year. It's all cool.
- Homebrew and Worldbuilding?
The world is a homebrew setting created by Drew and expanded by the various DMs and players who participate in it in many ways, big and small. You can read the full homebrew rule doc here.
The Ohm Basin has plenty of lore now after two years of running along, and you're welcome to be a part of it.
There are a set of core books that are completely allowed, and a list of banned books that no one can use too. Every player is allowed an additional source book to draw classes, feats, and spells from. The general rule is the more recent the book is the more likely it's banned, as 3.5 suffered from a lot of power creep over the years.
- What can I do as a player?
Roll up a character and join games! Your character exists in the world, with friends, and enemies! Time passes in game along with the real world.
Organize! The A&S is player driven, with a martial union and other player made orgs. You can map the world, and help shape it.
And also maybe just hangout sometimes, if you feel like it.
- What do I need to play?
A working mic, an internet connection, and the willingness to learn! The game is run on a Foundry vtt instance hosted by Forge, all you need is a web browser. The DM team will walk you through character creation and help you get into the game.
If you want to get a sense for games before playing, after you've made a character you'll be able to listen in on games.
- Can I hang out without posting or playing in a game?
I mean you can, but we would really really really appreciate it if you played in the games and participated. Please? Pretty please?
Adventure awaits!