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Tales of Astera: The Northern Wildlands (Tuesdays)
Explore the vast world of Astera across four regions in this immersive, multi-campaign epic—where your story shapes the world, and your mini is earned
$30.00
/ Session
Details
2 players following this game
Weekly / Wednesday - 12:30 AM UTC
Jul 22 / Session 166
Session Duration / 3–4 hours
6 / 6 Seats Filled
Top Game Master
One of StartPlaying's top-rated GMs, a player favorite and highly recommended.
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Schedule
Meet your party members
6/6
About the adventure
Embark on an Epic Adventure in the World of Astera! Join a game over three and a half years in the making, set in the rich, immersive world of Astera, where five unique campaigns unfold simultaneously! South Imaea: The Mongoose Crew has been navigating the treacherous lands of South Imaea, a region riddled with powerful beings, cunning factions, and deep, personal challenges. Heroes here must explore, battle, and unravel the mysteries that haunt this tumultuous land. North Imaea: In the untamed wilds of North Imaea, two new groups of heroes face an escalating conflict between warring factions. The tension is high, and the stakes are higher as they are tested against looming threats in this fierce and unpredictable setting. The Isles: Far to the south, beyond the borders of Imaea, lies The Isles—a tropical paradise shrouded in mystery and danger. Adventurers here will embark on new voyages across the open sea, uncovering secrets and challenges in this exotic and unexplored region. Abravar: East of Imaea, in the land of Abravar, the newest campaign is set in a world driven by politics and industrial evolution. Here, the party must navigate a complex landscape of power struggles and decide who to support in this high-stakes, politically charged environment. Each campaign is deeply rooted in character-driven storytelling, with extensive use of player backstories to shape the narrative. Players have the opportunity to create not only a richly developed character but also a custom mini (usually via HeroForge) for use in physical combat scenarios. Plus, players who stay with the campaign for four months will receive their own painted mini of their character, crafted by the DM! If you have any questions or need more information, don’t hesitate to message me (the DM)!
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(55)
5 years on StartPlaying
674 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Visual Aid
Average response time: 10 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
Hey there! You can call me Joe (he/him) and I would love to be your Dungeon Master! Since I started playing Dungeons and Dragons 8 years ago I always felt the DM's chair just felt the comfiest (it's the cushy arms, I think). I have been running games for 5 of those years and have truly fell in love with the art of storytelling. Most of my games are built on intense story immersion with 60% focus on character backstory and development, 30% strategy and 10% hilarity (maybe an extra 10% suspense to boot). Feel free to check out the fun we've had on our YouTube stream for It's A Long Story! Along with running the games I love to build terrain and paint! Every encounter we face will be supported by visual elements to help fuel the story... especially for those of us that need a boost in the visual imagination dept! Campaigns will also be using your personally designed minis (from Heroforge) as your characters for these encounters. Stick with the game long enough and you might get another version sent to your mailbox.. at no extra cost to you!! Each game will be run in Evmux using a mic and camera (mic at least for the players). We will be streaming our games on Youtube and Twitch for your friends and other players to see (with your permission, of course). Feeling safe and heard is paramount to our games so there will always be steps taken (x-cards and other safety tools) to ensure everyone can just enjoy the game worry-free! Just bring your character and that beautiful imagination! Let's get lost in a new dimension!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
The character’s levels will be determined based on where other characters are currently at in the campaign. Extended backstory strongly encouraged for DM’s use in setting the story!
Welcome to the untamed frontier of North Imaea! A country filled with beauty and terror aligned with populations branching from the southern kingdoms as well as budding communities declaring their own sovereignty. The only known looming threat are on the roads between! Strewn with beasts and monstrosities, some familiar, others never before seen by man; you, by personal or employed means, will be tasked with dealing with these obstacles as the future of enlightened civilization is at stake! Will you be a foothold in the advancement of the modern age or align yourself with the entities that have called this land home long before you? And at what cost? -New Campaigns will start at level 3 with an added boon decided in conversation with the DM (me)! -Twilight Clerics are banned (sorry!!) -homebrew needs to be discussed with DM -spelljammer races need to be discussed with DM
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Webcams and mic is required. Characters will need to be created on D&dbeyond. Each session is run through Discord (chat) and streamed through Evmux.
What JoePlaysD&D (from It's A Long Story) brings to the table
DM will provide setting, physical terrain encounters, and minis!
Homebrew rules
Rule of Cool. Crits are max damage plus the roll.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Microphone
Computer
Webcam
Platforms used
Safety
How JoePlaysD&D (from It's A Long Story) creates a safe table
Individual session 0's will be set up to make sure it's a good fit for player and to understand their character's backstory that we will be adding to the campaign!
Content warnings
Safety tools used