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character sheets, noteook, braille dice, regular dice on a table

DOTS Adventuring Party 

*Note to the Reader: This started out as a social media campaign where the amount of shares, likes, and comments would count towards our XP. We grossly underestimated the engagement and maxed out at level 20 after just a few weeks!! We'll keep the page up as it's something fun to read and learn more about us, but we're not counting XP*

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As all good stories do, ours begins in a small tavern. Nestled in the woods far from any cities, this is a simple place to rest up and prepare for the rest of your journey. Many different people come and go through the tavern taking with them the various rumors and stories of the area. While just a temporary stop for some, others seek this place out for specific information they can’t find anywhere else. Legend tells of a wise old man who visits occasionally, spending his time talking to those who would listen and sharing stories never before told. As luck would have it you see him as you enter. He is nestled in his favorite chair, staring in to the fireplace as he sips from a mug. He feels your gaze on him and looks up, catching your eye.

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Hello and Merry Meet! If you’ve made it here, you must be seeking information. What is it you wish to know? The members of the DOTS party you say? Hm…I seem to recall quite a bit about them actually. Pour yourself some ale and come sit by the fire. Let me tell you the tale of how DOTS came to be.

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What started as a way to make tabletop RPGs more accessible to Jack’s blind and Braille reading friend D, the idea quickly grew into a full project the local community got involved in. Braille dots were the focus at first, giving it the “DOTS RPG Project” name. Many months were spent embossing Braille books and designing various other gaming aids that revolved around Braille. Once we got the dice out to the public though, the DOTS RPG mission has started to evolve into so much more. We’ve quickly realized that the gaming community is extremely welcoming to new ideas, especially those that open up games to other players that may not have been able to enjoy them as much previously. Not only are our efforts welcomed, but they are very strongly desired and searched for, along with any other accessibility improvements to TTRPGs. In the future our goals are to work towards any type of accessibility friendly items or ideas. We won’t be creating things only for the blind and visually impaired but also for those who are d/Deaf, HOH, have any physical limitations like low mobility or motor functions, have conditions like dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, or anything along those lines. As people with no disabilities, it may be a challenge for us to figure out what types of things may help, or what disabled individuals need. That’s where you come in! We love getting suggestions, advice, new ideas, and all this awesome feedback that helps us see things differently and understand the needs better.

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What about the adventurers themselves, you ask?

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Since RPGs are such a big part of what we do, we wanted to give you a peek into our own personal notebooks. The character you decide to play can speak volumes about your personality, whether you create someone that is your polar opposite or someone that is an extension of yourself, it’s always interesting to see the decisions people make.
Jess primarily DMs 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons games, while Jack focuses more on the player side of the table for different RPGs and board games. As we go on this adventure with everyone we thought it would only be fitting if we shared our characters with you, and started a campaign together!

artist unknown. character art of half elf woman. pale skin, shoulder length dark purple hair. metal headband, earrings, necklace.

Jess (Guild Master/Social Media Sorcerer) – Arinae
My character Arinae (a as in apple, rih as in river, nay as in neighbor) was created many years ago back in my 3.5e days, and has traveled with me through multiple campaigns and editions. She has changed and evolved along the way, but she is by far my favorite type of character to play as elves and sorcerers have always had an important place in my heart. I am a story teller by nature (as this entire page should show!), and her backstory is one that would be my ideal story if it was of myself. I have always loved all things magic, fantasy, and mystery so I poured quite a bit of my own heart and soul into her creation. Very much like myself, she has taken on the best and worst parts of me. It’s been interesting exploring my own growth and development over the years through my character, learning about drive and determination versus solitude and self doubt.

artist unknown. human with pale skin and dark hair, wearing a hooded cape and body armor. bow and arrows on the back, one dagger in each hand

Joey (Master Artisan/R&D Rogue) - Lucky

Lucky is an amalgamation of all my RPG characters and how I play games as a whole, tied in with my own personality. Anyone who knows me can tell you I always go for the archer/ranger/sniper; the Lone Character who enjoys the stealth missions and helping out his friends, especially from a lofty perch. He also encompasses the Robin Hood mentality of taking what is necessary from those with too much and giving it to people who have lived poorly as he has.

image copyright paizo publishing. small sprite like humanoid creature. shoulder length spikey green hair. green and silver full body medium armor. holding wooden staff, casting magic

Jack (DOTS RPG Project Founder/Design Druid) – Jilli
Clerics had always been my go-to class, but a few years ago I discovered the Witch class in a Pathfinder game my buddy and I played in. He and I played a pair of witch sisters…we had the best time double teaming monsters! When Jess came up with the idea of sharing our favorite characters and creating a DOTS campaign, I knew I wanted to play another witch-like character. Since 5e doesn’t have an official witch class, I went with a Druid that I will play as a Hedge Witch. I am an avid LGBTQ+ Ally and my wife is an incredibly beautiful, intelligent, and empowered woman, so I wanted to create a character that celebrated all of those things. Jilli, in many ways, is a reflection of myself in that we both enjoy life, love to help people whenever we can, and we love to make people smile and laugh.

I hope I was able to give you the answers you seek. They are an adventurous and courageous young group, still in their beginnings. I heard they have brought others into the fold recently, but I don’t know much about them yet. If you wish to know more, I can get a message to them through my ravens.

 

The rest of our party will be shared in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on our social media pages! For anything else you need, we’re here to help however we can! Whatever your question, head over to our Contact page and send us a message

 

I do know they need as much help as they can get since they have many challenges quests ahead. Maybe you could lend them a hand?

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We wouldn’t even be on this adventure if it wasn’t for all of you amazing people that have shown their support so far, so we want to include you in our campaign to make gaming accessible for everyone! Since everything we learn is coming from our fans and supporters, it’s only natural that you are the ones who give us our experience! At the end of each week, Jess will tally the amount of likes, shares, and retweets on posts for that week across Facebook and Twitter. Comments and replies will be worth double, since conversation and feedback is what helps us learn even more! That number will become the experience our characters earned, and be applied to our character sheets so we can level up. Help us learn what we can do to help the disabled gaming community, how to improve the things that already exist, and what new things we need to invent to make it even better. We’re counting on you! Join us on this amazing and exciting adventure as we take small steps to make big changes in the gaming community!

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Thank you for taking the time to listen to an old man tell his tales. I wish you luck on your own quests, wherever you are headed. Should you need more information, you can find me here if you know where to look. Keep an eye out for this symbol, four dice in front of an open door. I will always be nearby.

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