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Learn to Play Critical Role's New Game! 🏳️🌈-friendly
$30.00
/ Session
Details
Once / Thursday - 11:00 PM UTC
Jun 8
Session Duration / 2.5–3 hours
3 / 5 Seats Filled
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Meet your party members
3/5
About the adventure
Perhaps you've grown up knowing that creatures lurked in the shadows. Perhaps in the war you fought monsters with human faces and those far stranger. Perhaps another mystery led you to the secrets that live beneath the bustling streets of Newfaire. One way or another, you came to join Candela Obscura, a secret society fighting to protect Newfaire from the encroaching corruption and extradimensional power of The Bleed, which warps minds and bodies alike. You'll need all your wits as your circle of investigators delves into the unknown so that their neighbors might life safe in blissful ignorance. Agents are drawn from all walks of life - Criminals, Scholars, Magicians, Explorers, for the threats of the Bleed are myriad and its power insidious. Newfaire bears the scars of war, the growing pains of emergent unionization struggling against militarized police and the cruel manipulations of the rich. And as industry barons and unethical scientists push the boundaries of what is possible, terrors of all sorts slip in through the cracks... -- Play Critical Role's new investigative horror rpg with a GM that helped create it! (I was a Game Development Consultant on Candela Obscura.) I'm an expert at improvisational GMing, so I'll be able to tailor this campaign to your characters and your actions to make the story your own. :) This game's system draws heavily on that of Blades in the Dark, which happens to be my specialty. My author website: https://michaelrunderwood.com/
Game style
Theater of the Mind
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(19)
4 years on StartPlaying
109 games hosted
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Storytelling, Creativity
About me
Hi! I'm Mike, a professional science fiction and fantasy author (writing as Michael R. Underwood) as well as a ttrpg designer and actual play creator. It takes a lot of hats to make it as a creative these days. :) My author website: https://michaelrunderwood.com/ My most recent work is as one of the designers of Daggerheart (credit: Additional Designer), Critical Role's fantasy RPG from Darrington Press. I was a game design consultant and additional writer on Candela Obscura and my sci-fi comedy game The Only Logical Solution is Hijinx was published in 2022. I'm also developing Let's Go Steal an Ending: a Forged in the Dark RPG based on my novella series Genrenauts. As an actual play producer, I was a nominee for the Best Game Master (Actual Play Video) award at the 2023 New Jersey Web Fest for my work on VALLOWARD (which was an official selection at five web festivals). I've been playing ttrpgs nearly my whole life. RPGs were a major part of how I learned to tell stories, make friends, and imagine possibilities in what the world can be. I worked in a game store all through college, I wrote my master's thesis on ttrpgs, and I co-hosted an actual play show (Speculatesf.com) for six years. As a professional author, I love games that prioritize storytelling, cool worldbuilding, and collaboration. I grew up with D&D and I'm especially fond of Powered by the Apocalypse and Forged in the Dark games like Blades in the Dark, Masks, Thirsty Sword Lesbians, Scum & Villainy, etc. Some of my other favorites include Heart, Exalted, 7th Sea, and Boy Problems. All of my game listing images and in-game art assets are human-made. Find my writings about and Daggerheart-compatible designs at patreon.com/michaelrunderwood
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
We will collaborate during session zero to create all of the player characters and and the circle as well as calibrating our safety tools/content preferences.
Once joining the game, you'll get an invite to my games Discord and I will send a Lines & Veils questionnaire to facilitate content calibration.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
You will need a microphone that you can connect to your computer and use on a Zoom call. You'll need a free Google account and internet connection strong enough to be on Zoom and use Google sheets at the same time (again, just a free Zoom account at https://zoom.us/signup#/signup). A webcam is encouraged but not required.
What Mike brings to the table
I will bring the Candela Obscura rules, play aids, and years of experience with games in this style.
Platforms used
Safety
How Mike creates a safe table
The content warnings selected represent options that *may* emerge in play. Content preferences and how we'll use safety tools will be discussed in a short session zero before play. Players can expect a cinematic game with dynamic action, big stakes, and desperate ambition.
Content warnings
Safety tools used