RUNNING A DPoNI CAMPAIGN

So you've read over the rules, and are keen to try them out. You've looked through the setting, and found a bunch of ideas in there that have you all revved up. You've got friends keen to build their very own DINO-PIRATES. You're ready to run this game!

Now what? Well, here's what you need to get started:

Resources

The Rules

The first thing to note is that there isn't currently a print version of the DPoNI rules, so we recommend you buy a copy of Green Ronin's very excellent True20 Adventure Roleplaying book. It's a great game and well worth the small investment. Then review the online DPoNI rules and note the differences: in particular things like Stunts, Scenes, the Maneuver Bonus, Generalists, and the Damage system are all either new to DPoNI or substantially altered from the True20 version. Look them over and make sure you have a good grasp.

Maybe have a look through some of our posts about the rules on our Scratch Factory blog. We've gone into some detail about various rules, and the thinking behind them, so that'll help you get your head around those changes.

Mul Kwende knows ALL the secrets...

Some Basics

We've assembled a variety of resources to help you get a game going. Of course there's the official DPoNI Character Sheet, which you can print off and use. There's also a Google spreadsheet that does all the calculating for you. We strongly recommend getting a copy of the True20 Narrator's Screen from the fine folks at Green Ronin, and then printing off the DINO-PIRATES Screen Replacements in order to hack the screen to include all the essential DPoNI rules.

Opening Adventures

If you'd like to kick things off with a pre-generated adventure, of course you can buy the by-now-legendary-or-reasonably-close SLAVE QUEEN OF THE RUINED CITY, but it's also perfectly feasible to just browse through the setting info and come up with some ideas. There's even a "One-Page Dungeon" in there you can help yourself to and use as a starting point. Need a bad guy? Just use our handy Villain Generator -- pick a type and a level and boom! statblock!

Character Creation

Likewise, if your players are having trouble coming up with characters, point them at the six pre-generated folks we've provided and let them use those.

Insupportable Self-Promotion

It's not absolutely necessary, but these DINO-PIRATES OF NINJA ISLAND playing cards are so awesome, why WOULDN'T you buy a deck?