 Safe Space Freehold is a place where anyone can relax and be fully self-expressed, without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or unsafe on account of race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, gender assigned at birth, cultural background, age, or physical or mental ability; a place where the rules guard each person's self-respect and dignity and strongly encourage everyone to respect others. Harassment and discrimination receive zero tolerance in this game. |
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What is Freehold?
We sometimes encounter misinterpretations made by applicants as to precisely what sort of game Freehold is. To that end, we have included here a brief description of the game and enumerated some features for ease of understanding.
Freehold is a large game; in terms of long-term, consistently running d20 System games, it is likely one of the largest ones on RPoL to feature a group of iconic, dedicated players. At any given time, Freehold is typically home to a minimum of twelve to fifteen players or more, and many times that number of characters with fully-fleshed personalities, agendas, and in-game impact. With players and GMs both allowed to field multiple PCs, Freehold is quite active, and there is usually something to keep everyone busy. Particularly active threads can seem overwhelming at a glance, but we try to maintain standards and practices of play that make it easy to monitor conversations and encounters in which one may be engaged, so players can elect to avoid metagaming by skipping over messages in which they aren't involved, or choose to read along with other characters for fun and flavor.
Freehold is semi-sandbox. What does this mean for players? We try to keep the action and intrigue of Freehold player-driven rather than GM-driven (although GMs still provide encounter hooks and write the framework for many major plot arcs); most of the time, this means that characters are free to go about their in-game days as they see fit, and create their own encounters by seeking out other PCs or exploring the game area in search of challenges. Thanks to our wishlist mechanic, players can look forward not only to custom-tailored content in the game, but also to a vote in how the development of Freehold, itself, might play out. Of course, the action regularly comes to Freehold, but usually, players are free to pick and choose what plot arcs and encounters they'd like their PCs to be directly involved in.
Freehold is a town- and community-building game. The original concept for the setting was to try and nurture a frontier settlement in an uncivilized land, and we continue to make that idea the center of everything we do. No matter what size it may be, Freehold will always have growing to do, not to mention a vast array of current and potential allies, enemies, and challenges. The people rely on powerful, experienced, and well-intentioned PCs to lead and protect them when they cannot do so themselves, and PCs rely on one another to ensure their continued ability to do just that. Characters who disrupt the function of day-to-day society for selfish or unimportant reasons will quickly find themselves unwelcome (though clever characters who favor subtle plots and machinations may go undetected). PCs need a reason not just to be in and around Freehold, but should also be motivated to stay there and to be invested in the community and its growth and prosperity.
Finally, Freehold is both a Forgotten Realms and a Pathfinder game. It is set in Ed Greenwood's Forgotten Realms, on the world of Abeir-Toril, the continent of Faerûn, in the region loosely known as the Shining South. More specifically, the game region includes Veldorn—the Land of Monsters—and large parts of the surrounding areas (Durpar, Estagund, Luiren, and the Shaar). However, mechanically, we rely on the newer Pathfinder crunch as opposed to Forgotten Realms flavor, and players should preferably be familiar both with the history, lore, and geography of the Realms and the numbers and character options of Pathfinder.
What Freehold Is Not
Though the ever-improving features of RPoL are always better enabling us to more effectively advertise Freehold and to provide enhanced indicators of its nature and parameters to potential applicants, questions still occasionally arise. We have tried to preemptively address a few of the most frequent misconceptions below.
"Freehold" does not mean "freeform." Freehold is a d20 System game utilizing both Forgotten Realms and Pathfinder rules, and applicants should understand this and expect to keep a complete character sheet and whatever notes are necessary to enable mature and responsible play.
Freehold is not a game for quitters. We pride ourselves on being a dedicated, motivated, and long-term community of players who are invested in their characters and in the history and future of the game. While a game is not a job and there is certainly room for more casual players, people who are "just passing through" or who quickly flake or flounce only hurt the game and generate both paperwork and ill feeling. Only players who enjoy committing themselves to a game that might last many years, wherein whole lifetimes of characters might be played out, should apply.
Freehold is not about "roll-playing." Because we are a community, we really do make a genuine effort—through both mechanical inroads like PC wishlists and creative outlets like complex roleplaying—to make room for all types of characters and to ensure that, sooner or later (and preferably with relative consistency) each and every PC gets a chance to shine. Munchkins and twinking are frowned upon, as min/maxing your character ought to be unnecessary in a game where epic roleplaying is the focus. It's perfectly fine, and even encouraged, to have a character theme (unique PCs are often easier to include in GM plans!), but if you feel an urgent need to possess scores of 18 or higher in every attribute or plan on multiclassing wildly across the board to achieve a "perfect" character, then Freehold is very likely not the right game for you.
Finally, Freehold is not a campaign focused on one character or a small group of PCs. With the spotlight firmly on the trials and tribulations inherent in raising a city at the borders of nowhere, community is key, and players should understand and be prepared to roleplay—through appropriate characters and motivations—the need for cooperation in order to ensure survival. Grandstanding and showboating are not only tacky, but can also be legitimately dangerous in a game of this type, and players or PCs who are constantly grabbing for glory or who are motivated solely by the desire to outshine others will not fit in well in Freehold, and will quickly find themselves ostracized in-game or even asked to leave entirely. As mentioned above, we try to make certain that every individual gets their heyday (or more than one), but pride and laurels shouldn't be your first and foremost character (or player) goal—at least, never to the detriment of our sense of community and the survival of Freehold and its citizens.
Game World
The region near Freehold is complex in geography, and contains a variety of biomes for PCs to experience. Each includes its own wildlife, monsters, flora, and resources; the primary uniting factor of them all is the oppressive heat of the Shaar. Characters should be prepared and equipped to survive in the arid plains and near-desert of Veldorn and surrounds—applicants should keep in mind that PCs must travel through the region to reach Freehold, so they oughtn't be surprised by the environment, as they must have experienced it during their journey prior to arrival (except in spectacular, specific circumstances).
We recommend that applicants browse the culture and history of places near the game region (Durpar, Estagund, Luiren, and the Shaar, among others) before requesting to join Freehold, although it's not mandatory. The best source for the most current information on those locales is Shining South (Reid, Thomas M., et al. Wizards of the Coast 2004). Remember that character and player knowledge of the game area should be separate for PCs originating outside the region.
Veldorn and the Shaar are very hot places. Bes sure to review the official Paizo rules for hot weather!