Lightforged: A Nobledark Fantasy Setting- Free First Session
Genesys | Campaign
About the adventure
The world is on the brink of ruin. Once vibrant lands are now choked by dark magic, and the ancient forces that held reality together have long since fractured. The Ancients, a mighty people whose greed for power shattered the world, have left only remnants of their glory scattered across a dying landscape. From these ashes rose the races of today, each clinging to faded memories of a better time, yet unable to stop the creeping decay that threatens all life. As the unhealed wound left by the Ancients’ folly grows, swallowing entire villages and releasing unspeakable horrors, whispers of hope persist. Some still believe in the Creator's promise to end this darkness, but such a light is fleeting. In this world of despair, only the bravest—or the most desperate—dare to rise against the tide. Will you seize the fading light and forge a path through the shadows, or will you succumb to the ever-encroaching darkness? The choice is yours. Welcome to the world of Lightforged, a noble dark setting for the Genesys RPG system. This home-brew setting embroils players into a world in desperate need of heroes. Face terrifying monsters, meet new and exotic races, and explore a world as rich and diverse as the people who inhabit it. New to the Genesys System or tabletop RPG's? No problem. I am an experienced game master who has run games for brand new players and seasoned veterans alike. I would love to help tell your story no matter your experience level. First Session is always free! Try it before you buy it!
Game style
Theater of the Mind
“Theater of the Mind” uses little to no visuals for scene settings and combat. Instead, the narrative imagery comes from the Game Master’s descriptions and character action and movement comes from Players’ descriptions.
Combat Heavy
“Combat Heavy” games emphasize the combat mechanics within their systems over roleplay or puzzle solving. There are frequent and longer battles with enemies and a greater emphasis on tactical game play.
Roleplay Heavy
“Roleplay Heavy” games place the focus on the story, the characters, and the world they live within, and tend to lean hard into the various roleplaying elements of the game. These games will frequently find the party talking with NPCs, exploring the personal elements of their backstories, or even having emotional moments around the camp fire.
This campaign can take many forms. Listed below are some styles of gameplay and story arcs that I have developed for this world. This is not an exhaustive list and we can always create something brand new from scratch. Searching for the Lost Heir: To prevent war between two nations, the rightful heir to the elven throne must be located and returned. However, dark forces conspire to ensure that never happens Building a Settlement: Tell a smaller story on the frontier of civilization as leaders of a small town trying to carve a better life out of the wilderness. Explore an open world filled with potential boons and threats to your people and write your legend as heroes. Escaped Slaves on the Run: You and your fellow players have escaped whatever dark menace held you captive. Now, stay one step ahead of your pursuers and seek a way to survive in a harsh world. Treasure Hunters: The possibility of untold riches have drawn many adventurers to their doom, but you're different. You can feel it. You were destined for great things and uncovering the hidden treasures of the past is only the first step. However, when you stumble across something with potentially world ending results, how will you respond. Cursed Relicts: You came by your cursed relicts by different means, family heirlooms, stolen treasure, an unfortunate chance, but none of your lives will ever be the same. Will you give in to the dark voices that whisper of untold power, or will you fight to free yourself of your burden and seek the long road to redemption. Lightforged: Take up the oaths of the servants of the Creator and strike out to protect the innocent and right the wrongs of a dying world. In the darkest night, even the smallest light shines brighter than ever.
5.0
(7)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
9 games hosted
Highly rated for: World Builder, Creativity, Storytelling
Average response time: 4 hours
Response rate: 100%
Game Master Reviews (7)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
World Builder
Creativity
Storytelling
Daniel Song
New review
Played 2 sessions
Josh is a lot of fun. He's got a great understanding of the system, a detailed well-built world, some fun characters, and is a fair GM.
Christopher
Played 8 sessions
Josh is absolutely fantastic. I’d never played before and he guided me through character creation and a starting adventure. In session one characters were already doing creative and amazing maneuvers, and Josh kept everything flowing with amazing energy and sense of fun. Would definitely recommend!
Srg
Josh’s world building ability is perhaps without equal. Intricate backdrops that he seamlessly incorporates your character and their backstory into. This, with the flexibility to adapt his world to incorporate the players and make the session truly collaborative.
Sean Tucker
This man's stories got me into RPGs. He makes sure everyone at the table is involved and is having fun. He is EXTREMELY patient and will guide you through everything from character creation to end game abilities. He gives you choices but also provides a narrative path, so it doesn't feel so overwhelming. I wish I could give more stars.
Sythithra
Longtime group game master. Always excited to share his world and have the game world and story respond to player choices and desires. Excellent story teller and always welcoming and ready for a good laugh. Excellent use of maps and music. Would highly recommend.
Jesse
I was completely new to the Genesys system when I started playing with Josh’s group but he was a very patient teacher and I picked it up quickly. Now it’s my favorite system and he is my favorite GM! Josh’s homebrew settings are rich and complex with lots of opportunities to explore and choose your own path. His style is collaborative and he creates story-driven games with a good balance between roleplay and combat. Also, he’s just a really great guy who genuinely cares about his players. 10/10 would recommend
Additional tables
1 available
Weekly / Thursday - 10:00 PM UTC
Apr 3 / Session 10
4 / 6 Seats filled
Additional details
How to prepare
Players will need at least a mic and preferably a webcam for our sessions. They need to have access to discord and google drive so I can share documents with them. It is encouraged for players to read the one pager documents before session 0 and come with some ideas for character concepts. I will be happy to communicate with players beforehand to help them flesh out any character concepts and discover how their characters fit into the larger world.
What I provide
I have all of the official Genesys books that I can make available to my players, along with dozens of community created supplements that can be used to enhance our game. Since this is a home-brew setting, I will also be providing my own one-pager documents on the lore of this world, the different races, and how magic works in this setting. I have custom character sheets, career and specializations, and a custom weapons/armor/gear document. I will provide all of these via a shared google drive. I tend to primarily use theater of the mind, but will also occasionally provide maps for reference and immersion. I love getting into character and will do my best to bring NPC's to life through a variety of dialects and voices (Even when it produces hilarious results). I will also provide ambience music to set scenes and add to the ambience. We will be utilizing discord for our voice and video calls. I try to strike a balance between the rule of cool and rules as written. I want things to happen in our game that are unlikely and fantastical, but while still feeling grounded and plausible. Striking this balance can often be a compromise and that's how I like to run my games.
Gameplay details
During Session 0 we will go over the setting and potential content. I do not intend to include all of the listed content warning themes, but in a dark, gritty world players may encounter evil, trials, and danger. If any of these themes do appear in my games, it is always my intent and my expectation for players that these issues be treated with respect and maturity. That being said, if any of my player express discomfort with one or more of the potential themes we may encounter, I will tailor my game to make sure they can participate in a safe and fun environment. We will establish lines and veils around any potentially disturbing content. I will maintain an open door policy and encourage my table to take at least one break during sessions lasting longer than 2 hours. Finally, we will debrief at the end of sessions to discuss how everyone is feeling, how their characters are feeling, and their stars and wishes.
Content warnings
• Alcohol Use
• Blood
• Body Horror
• Devils / Demons / Fiends
• Violence
• Slavery
• Prejudice
• Death
Safety tools used
• Breaks
• Debriefing
• Lines and Veils
• Open Door
• Session 0
• Stars and Wishes
How will character creation work
We will make characters as part of session 0. I will help players make new characters to start this game. We will be using the custom careers and talent trees I created for this setting. While it's important that players create characters to fit the tone and setting, I will also be adapting the campaign to fit their unique backstories and character designs.
Players can expect
Combat / Tactics
Medium
Roleplay
Medium
Puzzles
Low
Experience level
Open to all
Platforms used
• Discord
• RPG Sessions
$15.00
/ Session
Each player will be charged when a session starts.
Details
Weekly / Sunday - 7:00 PM UTC
3-4 Hour duration
1 / 6 Seats filled
Requirements
Experience required: Open to all
Age: 18+