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Welcome to Desert Bluffs: original longform sandbox MOTW mystery

Welcome to Desert Bluffs: original longform sandbox MOTW mystery

Monster of the Week | Campaign

About the adventure

Welcome to Desert Bluffs (Monster of the Week) 🔎 A Longform, Narrative-Rich, Sandbox Mystery Welcome to Desert Bluffs, a small town hiding big secrets. Strange occurrences, eerie happenings, and unexplained phenomena are just the beginning. This isn’t just a monster hunt—it’s a living, breathing mystery where your choices shape the story. 🕵️‍♂️ What to Expect: A Deep Sandbox Mystery – 20+ locations, 100+ NPCs, and no set path. The mystery unfolds how you decide. Heavy Roleplay & Storytelling – As players, you’ll help craft a season-long TV show narrative. Freedom of Investigation – Clues are scattered throughout the town, but where and how you look is up to you. Exceptional Roleplay Rewards – Play well, and you may earn Luck point rewards. 🎭 Game Details: System: Monster of the Week (Standard Rules) Platform: Discord (Theatre of the Mind) Schedule: Every other Tuesday, 9 PM – 12 AM UK time. Recruiting early for campaign starting no earlier than Tuesday 13 May 2025. Seats: 6 total (game will run when we reach 4 players) Safety Tools: Pre-game safety checklist, skip/rewind/pause mechanics, and an open-door policy This is an original and play tested campaign, written and refined to deliver a compelling mystery. If you love collaborative storytelling, investigation, and a town full of secrets, then Desert Bluffs is waiting for you. 🔗 Join Now!

LGBTQ+
Neurodivergent
Published Writer
Artist
Women/Femme Identifying

2 years on StartPlaying

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Additional details

How to prepare

Players will need a stable internet connection, a relatively quiet place to play from, and a Discord account. Invites to the Discord server we will use in play will be sent when you've signed up. You do not need a webcam, but a microphone/headset is very useful to reduce background noise. We use form fillable PDFs for character sheets. All core mechanics of the game system will be provided on the Discord server as a memory aid.

What I provide

I’m a ‘yes, and’ kind of ref with a dash of ‘rule of cool’. I believe the best stories are those we tell together, where your wild ideas are celebrated and your characters truly shine in their spotlight, in a safe and welcoming environment. You can expect plenty of room to tell your own part of the collective story and an equal share of the spotlight.

Gameplay details

Players have access to their own private Discord server. Safety information and safety checklist which all players must contribute to before play is available as soon as players join the server. This will be talked through during session zero in conjunction with character creation. During play we will have a few minutes at the beginning of each session to get comfortable before play and a few minutes for debrief at the end. A scheduled break halfway provides decompression space. Players may ask to skip, rewind, or fast forward to avoid points of discomfort that come up in game session (verbally or by message on Discord), and there is an open door policy (any player may step away without notice without prejudice). The Keeper will check in for bleed during play during particularly intense moments.

Content warnings

• Alcoholism

• Blood

• Body Horror

• Car Accident

• Character Death

• Death

• Devils / Demons / Fiends

• Guns

• Illness

• Insects

• Kidnapping

• Medical Issues

• Mental Illness

• Real World Religion

• Spiders

• Trauma

• Violence

Safety tools used

Aftercare

Bleed

Breaks

Debriefing

Lines and Veils

Monte Cook RPG Consent Checklist

Open Door

Session 0

X, N, and O Cards

How will character creation work

Players will have access to available character playbooks as soon as they join the Discord server and can discuss in advance with the other players what playbook they'd like to use, as only one of each playbook will be allowed in play at any one time. Choices will be confirmed and posted to Discord using form fillable PDFs during session zero. Starting level characters only. Stats are chosen by player from those available on the playbook. Welcome to Desert Bluffs is an entirely original mystery. Players are welcome to read the main rules if they have them prior to the game starting, all core mechanics will be provided on the Discord server as a memory aid.

Players can expect

Combat / Tactics

Medium

Roleplay

High

Puzzles

Medium

Experience level

Open to all

Platforms used

Discord

2 NEEDED TO START
$15.00

/ Session

Each player will be charged when a session starts.

Details

Bi-weekly / Tuesday - 8:00 PM UTC

3 Hour Duration

2 / 6 Seats Filled

Requirements

Experience required: Open to all

Age: 18+

This game will begin once 4 players have joined