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Message From The Front

Message From The Front

Only War RPG | Campaign

About the adventure

This is a stand-alone, short-term campaign, intended to run 6-10 sessions. It is also able to serve as the intro to a full-length campaign, so the option is available to continue beyond that point, for any players who choose to. This game is set in the 40K Universe on the planet of Lornorth Secundus, where a rebellion has broken out. Players will be members of the Imperial Guard trying to slip through enemy lines quietly to warn their fellows of the overwhelming enemy forces approaching. Knowledge of the 40K Universe is helpful, but not essential, and I can point new players in the right direction for useful information. "My clerk has examined the records, and we lasted three hours under that assault. A shameful display for us all. Rest easy, guard. I've made the necessary executions already. If you're listening now, the time has passed for punishment, and now we must turn our thoughts to redemption. These bunkers were meant to be last resorts, but there is an old saying from Terra. No plan survives contact with the enemy. This is especially true when the enemy has a dozen tanks and support vehicles we didn't know existed. We're just lucky the rebel scum don't know where all the bunkers are. That's one secret we have from them. Still. We shouldn't be having to play this card so soon. And there are no communication lines to the outside world. No. We have to do this how humanity has done everything. Through sheer force of will and courage. Names have been drawn. Those of you selected for this task will be carrying with you the hopes of the regiment, and of the Imperium. If my clerk's calculations are correct, a small group of you can still outpace the enemy and get word to high command of the situation. Your first priority is to make contact and forewarn them of the increased enemy presence. Your second priority is to request relief for us and let us fight another day and fight for our redemption. If no relief is sent within four days time, then it is our duty to redeem ourselves. If we can only do so by dying gloriously, we shall." - Commissar Carswell (Image attribution: Freepik) P.S. See the google document link on my profile for other possible Only War games available to book

LGBTQ+
Neurodivergent

Less than a year on StartPlaying

5 games hosted

Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, Inclusive

Average response time: 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

Additional details

How to prepare

Players will need a microphone of some kind to talk through voice chat on a Discord server I'll provide, and while I heavily prefer players have a webcam and have it turned on, that won't be strictly necessary. Once you have access to the discord server, you can also get more access to the setting-specific documents I've prepared. I will be having discussions with any prospective players before accepting them into the game, so please be prepared to just briefly chat about what kind of game you want to play and questions are very welcomed so that we can all arrive at Session 0 prepared and without any illusions. I'll be giving everyone their consent checklist as part of that discussion, so that it can form the basis of our safety discussion in Session 0 as well, and so that anyone that struggles with the open discussion is still going to have their issues addressed. I can provide you with PDF copies of the rulebooks to look through, but you wouldn't need to read through any of it in advance, I am fine with teaching as we go. It could still be very useful to read pages 6-26 of the core rulebook for more insight on the setting if they are unfamiliar, and pages 28-38, as those cover the basic mechanics of playing Only War moment-to-moment. Read more than that if you wish to get a headstart, but most of the other relevant material will be covered as part of group character creation. Other splatbooks that I'll be providing are going to be used primarily for character creation purposes, and are just more options rather than fundamentally changing gameplay.

What I provide

Firstly, for this game specifically, I am planning on running a short, self-contained arc as a sort of 'pilot episode' so that everyone can get more comfortable with the rest of the party, with the setting and system, and at the end of that arc I will have the option for people to continue into a fuller campaign, or if they prefer for any reason, to step away instead. More generally, my main focus as a GM is story and roleplay and I only write my own campaigns. I run an inclusive table, and actively encourage diverse player groups to bring different perspectives to the table. I use the rules as my base point, and will typically stick to them as written, or as homeruled in advance, but I am flexible enough to amend them when the rules prove to be at odds with everyone's enjoyment or with the kind of story being told. I tend to start hands-off, and allow my players as much freedom as possible to approach things as they wish, then make the scene responsive to your choices, focus most on what matters to you, and tailor each game, scene by scene to the party and the players. I love to do character work with my players if you struggle with fleshing out your character or need to know more about the scenario. I do character voices whenever possible and I encourage but don't require players to do the same. My challenges tend to be more based on social, political, or even philosophical difficulty, making difficult decisions and piecing together information. In general I do not kill player characters, but have more specific rules regarding that, see my profile for more information. I can provide access to PDF copies of the rulebooks for every game I run. I use Kenku FM to stream music through discord and always make a playlist, and I have a subscription to the Obsidian Portal campaign management tool, so my players can use it for free. Please see my profile for more details on all the above points!

Gameplay details

I use Red/Yellow/Green card in place of X/N/O's, and they can be messaged to me privately or said verbally. Session 0 will include creating characters together so we can discuss if anything we create crosses lines for others. I will be sending everyone a consent checklist prior to session 0 as part of first discussions with any potential players. A lot of the campaign is still to be determined, so while other triggers may be introduced, I can use our discussions to avoid anything relevant to those at the table. The listed content warnings are just the things that are unavoidable with the premise and setting given. My Open Door policy is a general one, not just for safety measures, but for anything players would like to discuss. It's something I urge players to use if they have any safety concerns though, and I will never be upset if you come to me with a problem. I will be happy for the opportunity to help.

Content warnings

Safety tools used

Aftercare

Lines and Veils

Luxton Technique

Luxton Technique Discussion

Monte Cook RPG Consent Checklist

Open Door

Session 0

Stars and Wishes

X, N, and O Cards

How will character creation work

Character creation will be done as a group as part of session 0. I encourage people to have a character concept ready, and would also recommend having more than one just in case, but the actual mechanics of character building will be gone through together over discord. This is so that players unfamiliar with the system get to take part in the process and learn as they go without feeling singled out, and so that everyone's characters complement each other. Creation will be done by the rules as written, and players will get to choose their regiment, either from a predefined list, or by creating one collaboratively. This will determine certain flavour aspects of your backstory, starting gear and bonuses. Player stats will be determined by point buy.

Players can expect

Combat / Tactics

Medium

Roleplay

Medium

Puzzles

Medium

Experience level

Open to all

Platforms used

Discord

3 SEATS LEFT
$15.00

/ Session

Each player will be charged when a session starts.

Details

Weekly / Thursday - 7:00 PM UTC

Mar 27 / Session 6

3-3.5 Hour duration

2 / 5 Seats filled

Schedule

Thu, Mar 27 | 7:00 PM - Session 6

Requirements

Experience required: Open to all

Age: 18+

This game will begin once 3 players have joined