The Perfect Role Playing Game

[Kristian]

I realize I may be getting a bit off topic here, but when did you have your first game set in Khoras?

[blackfire83]

Ahh, I see! So Phendar is sucking up! Not a bad plan.

-Dan

[Phendar]

Ahh, I see! So Phendar is sucking up! Not a bad plan.

-Dan

That's one way of putting it

I will be the ubiquitous roamer, having the off-handed ambiguous reference.

[Maiazuru]

I really like AD&D, myself. I've been playing games for two years on friday, and it really allows me to forget the sometimes frustrating job I have, and take time with good friends.

I wouldn't change anything to AD&D. Its PERFECT to me. 

[avisarr]

Yes, I agree. I'm sure role playing is a great escape for all of us. Real life can sometimes get SO frustrating. Especially the day job. I think "escape" is the right word. You can "escape" from real life for a little while and play in a fantasy world - whether it's a book, a web site, a role playing game or a video game - it's nice to get away for a few hours.

Even building Khoras is like an escape for me. I enjoy building it as much as I enjoy role playing with friends.

I know it may seem like I come down hard on D&D sometimes, but it will always be the first role playing game for me. Really. I did a little Traveller earlier, but D&D was the game that I adopted as my own and played for DECADES. Heck, I still play it. I'm a bit annoyed by some of the stuff Wizards of the Coast has done with versions 3.0 and 3.5, but overall, it's still a fun game.   No matter what the rules are, if you are hanging out with good friends and fighting some big monster that's REALLY kicking your butt, you can't help but have a great time.

[Kristian]

I realize I may be getting a bit off topic here, but when did you have your first game set in Khoras?

Ahem 

[avisarr]

Oh geez, that was aimed at me wasn't it?    I totally missed that question. 

Ok, when did I run my first game in Khoras? Good question. I'm gonna have to give you a little history. I can tell already this is going to be a long answer.

I wrote the Avisarr campaign in college. That was in 1990. I started writing it (I remember this distinctly) over Christmas break, December 1990. Trivia Fact: The "Avisarr" was the very first piece of Khoras that was ever written. That's the "soul gem" for Draxorith, in the nation of Duthelm. I think the only official Khoras entry for it is under the Draxorith page, in the Ogre Gods.

Anyway...  that first bit of writing soon blossomed into a full campaign that ran through the second semester of school that year. We ran it in TSR's "World of Greyhawke". We had about seven players and, I must admit, it was a blast. Best campaign I had ever run. Then we took the summer off. The truth is that we had ALMOST finished it, but not quite.

Over the summer, I kept the players tantalized with letters about their characters and the campaign. (Yep, actual paper letters... this was back in the days before email had become common).

When school resumed, we had the big final battle and wrap session. I had spent the summer gathering gifts and, during the final session, gave each player a cool gift that was, in some way, related to their character. The archer got a beautiful black arrow, the elven thief got a dagger, the cleric got his holy symbol, etc...

Throughout that school year (August 1991 to May 1992) some one else was the game master. I continued to play, but just as a player. During that year, I organized my notes from the Avisarr campaign and began working on my next campaign - "The Warriors of the Mark". Around September, I started working on a new campaign. I decided early on that I wanted to create my own world. Although I liked the World of Greyhawke, there were many things I wanted to change. I figured it was just time to create my own. (Several of my players were very familiar with Greyhawke) I thought it would be fun for the players to explore an entire new world.

The other reason was that I wanted to be able to write short stories or books based on our campaigns and I didn't want to have to worry about copyright infringement. Many of my notes from the original Avisarr campaign formed the basis for this new project. I started with the Avisarr notes and began working on a whole new world. I worked on it during that school year.

I continued to work on Khoras during the summer of 1992, but also began writing my next campaign. The Warriors of the Mark campaign was written even as Khoras was evolving. When school started again in August of 1992, it was my last year there. I was a senior. I knew I had only one more year of living with those friends. So, I wanted this last campaign together to be a good one. We actually rented a cabin in the woods for our first session. I handed out "information packets" to the players prior to the first night of gaming so they could get a little background on the new world. And it was that night that I unveiled Khoras for the first time to players.

So, to answer your question, the Warriors of the Mark campaign was the first official game run in Khoras. I ran it beginning in August 1992 and it ran until May of 1993, when we all graduated. Khoras continued to evolve while we were gaming that year.

After graduation, Khoras continued. I worked on it, off and on, over the next year. I played other adventures in it with other groups and friends also ran their adventures in it. My friend, Mark Price, often jested with me that I had such a detailed and elaborate background for my stories and novel, but that I hadn't actually started the novel.

I finally began working on the novel in 1995. The novel, various short stories, several magazine submissions and a few poems were written. Khoras was always there though. No matter what campaign we were running, no matter what piece of fiction I was tinkering with, I always ended up coming back and adding a bit more to Khoras.

In 1997, I put up a personal site and Khoras was one section of it. Mark insisted that I change the web site so that it was focused on Khoras rather than just a personal web site. Because Khoras was the most interesting part. And I soon realized he was right. So, later that year, I modified the web site so that it was just an online campaign world.

Khoras has been online ever since. Over the years, it has grown, but the core nations and cities and races are very much as when they were first written. We've had lots of different games in it. Dozens of players have come and played with us. Several people have taken the reins and run their own games in it. It used to be that I would just tinker with Khoras whenever I had some time and inspiration. But nowadays, I try to upload at least one significant thing each month. That's where the Monthly Spotlight comes in.

I never did finish the novel.    But I'm proud of what Khoras ended up becoming. Mark often says that "technology caught up with Dave". What he means by that is, I was writing a background to a novel that hadn't been written yet. For years, Khoras was just a stack of notes and binders and maps sitting on a shelf. It was this ridiculously elaborate world that no one was seeing. And he (and others) often wondered why I put so much effort into a world that was seen by so few. But eventually, the internet and the world wide web came along, and suddenly there was this easy way to share Khoras with other fantasy writers and gamers and... well, everyone. So there you have it. The birth of a humble world.


Well, this was a very long winded answer to a simple question, but I've enjoyed this walk down memory lane.

[Lance]

I was about to turn 7 and had just moved to Louisiana... I COUNLDN'T READ AT READ! Edit:Wow... What I really meant to say was, "I COULDN'T EVEN READ." Don't know what happened there.... </edit>

Anyways, on to more important matters.  That is a much appreciated background story, and I must admit, as a history major, I always have a hankerin for anything of the sort. 

[avisarr]

So, 1992.

Um... yes... 1992.    (he says sheepishly)

[Kristian]

Indeed it is. Thanks for the story.

I must say, the more time I spend on these forums, discussing Khoras, the more I want to play in it again.  Maybe some time soon.

[Animus]

Oh gosh, Yes, I forgot to mention that.Sorry!  I did get that donation. Thank you very much. It was a total surprise. I loved it. Thanks!

It gave me an idea. I am thinking about putting a donation button on the site. I want to keep Khoras free and open for the world. Always. But if any gamers out there feel that Khoras is worth a small donation to cover the costs of keeping it online, then I want to give them that opportunity. So, I think I'm going to provide a simple "Donation" button somewhere. I'll get around to that eventually.

Hello David,

Thanks for putting together this fantastic world. It's been an inspiration to my homebrew efforts since 2000, when I found your site (I still have that map you sent - awesome).

I came to the site today and just regiestered for the forums and found this thread. I think that you really need to put a donation button up. I know your doing this for FREE but there are those of us out there who would love to reward your efforts with the simple click of a button .

Thanks again.