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Bastion of Hope: Learn to Play with one of the Designers!
Dragons and Necromancers rule the world with sorcery and spite. But in the newly-free country of Bastion, a defiant few stoke the flames of revolution
$30.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Tuesday - 12:00 AM UTC
Session Duration / 2.5–3 hours
4 / 4 Seats Filled
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Schedule
Meet your party members
4/4
About the adventure
"We were raised to obey. But now we have the power to decide our own fate." - Chainbreaker Xorai Learn to play Daggerheart with one of the game's designers and collaboratively create an epic fantasy story of defiance, espionage, and liberation! For a thousand years, dragons and necromancers have ruled without mercy. Using cloud-scraping towers to siphon magic away from the populace, they've carved the world up into personal fiefdoms that they squabble over across generations. Everything changed five years ago when the goddess Chorae broke the divine pact of neutrality and imbued a hundred followers with her power. These champions destroyed one nation's towers, taught the populace to use their magical gifts, and slayed their draconic petty king. The country was reborn as Bastion, the first free nation in a millennium. But the country's struggles are far from over. Your group's patron is one of the few remaining divine champions that led the revolution. They need you to fight off invaders, seize the dragons' hoarded relics, and turn the tide so that Bastion is the first land to overthrow their tyrant, not the last. Can you stoke the fires of freedom and spread them to the world, or will the memory of your deeds be buried beneath the rubble of your homeland? -- This custom hopepunk campaign takes place in my own fantasy setting. The party will play a pivotal role in the fate of Bastion, the one free nation in a world ruled by immortal tyrants. I'll take what you're excited about and build on it to interweave your creative interests with the campaign plot using my storytelling skills as a game designer and novelist. The first arc will be four sessions (session zero +3) with the potential to continue in a full campaign (25-40 sessions). My author website: https://michaelrunderwood.com/ -- Credits Art licensed from Depositphotos
Game style
Roleplay Heavy
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(19)
3 years on StartPlaying
105 games hosted
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Storytelling, Creativity
Average response time: Under 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
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
Characters will be created together in-session during our session zero. We will also cover character relationships, safety tools, and a discussion of tone/content players want from the campaign. Pre-generated characters are available upon request.
This game will launch on May 26th and has one spot remaining! Character creation (including background and connections) will be done during session zero along with safety tools.
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. A free Roll20 account (https://app.roll20.net/create-account). An internet connection strong enough to be on Zoom and use Roll20 at the same time (you can get a free Zoom account at https://zoom.us/signup#/signup). A webcam is encouraged but not required. After joining the game, you'll want to join my Discord for planning/between-game discussion (I will send a Discord invite via SPG).
What Mike brings to the table
Encyclopedic knowledge of the rules as one of the game's designers, the Demiplane and Roll20 materials for online play, beautiful maps and splash screens, unforgettable NPCs, a unique fantasy world, and a epic fantasy trilogy-scale plot drawing on my skills as a professional novelist.
Homebrew rules
As Daggerheart is a game of rulings over rules, there will be some small variations in the rules that come up when circumstances demand.
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Microphone
Internet
Headphones
Platforms used
Safety
How Mike creates a safe table
Session zero will cover safety tools, walk through character creation as needed. We'll establish character bonds, the group's relationships to one another and to other groups. The content warnings listed encompass a range of what *could* but will not necessarily show up. Our Lines & Veils will be a living document and we have tools for in-the-moment check-ins.
Content warnings
Safety tools used