Image by Giancarlo Siervo
Murder in Arabel - One crime. Six heroes. Endless tangled paths.
A family is slaughtered. The killers are caught. Case closed? Not quite. A hidden message, a missing body, suspicious guards-that's where you come in.
$24.50
/ Session
Details
Bi-weekly / Monday - 6:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 3–3.5 hours
Campaign Length / 16–20 Sessions
3 / 6 Seats Filled
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Schedule
Meet your party members
3/6
About the adventure
A custom murder mystery sandbox for expert players who thrive on immersive roleplay, tactical problem-solving, and cinematic chaos. Each highly customizable pre-generated character features a backstory deeply intertwined with the campaign’s events, NPCs, and fellow characters. Your strategy to unravel the truth will determine whether you solve the crime before time runs out—and whether you survive the city’s treacherous dark alleys. — The Deep Dice Reviews: “Made me fall in love with DnD all over again”—Sam “A true revelation”—Alessandro “Brilliantly written, run and experienced”—Jason “A new way to run pre-written adventures”—UnfoundFables “The world felt alive from minute one”—Psychfrancisco “All PCs were truly tied into the game”—Capuccina “Every choice matters”—BurnItAllDown “Made strangers feel instantly comfortable”—Vítor “By far the best DM I’ve played with”—Bluenose “Run, don't walk, to sign up”—Mike — You’re one of six rookie adventurers unexpectedly drawn into a violent murder investigation that has rocked the city of Arabel. Salvador Ortega and his two sisters were killed in their manor, leaving their fortune and merchant house without an heir. Two days later, the suspected killers were found dead in a warehouse—surrounded by stolen Ortega jewelry and valuables. Case closed? Not quite. An unsigned letter reaches Lord Commander Karin Lhal, prompting him to secretly recruit adventurers to uncover the truth. Now, you must race against time, tracking leads and interrogating suspects through Arabel’s dark alleys—only to discover you may be more entangled in the crime than you thought. As you unearth secrets from the city’s underworld, a larger conspiracy unfolds–along with mysteries surrounding the Ortegas. Whispers of undead and lycanthrope sightings fill the city’s bitter winter nights. Could they be connected to the crime? — 🧭 A Single-Plot Sandbox Freely explore the city’s open world, choosing your path according to your leads. There are countless ways the adventure may unfold. 🕵️♂️ A Murder Mystery for Mature Players Unveil a clever plot of greed, love, jealousy, and revenge–with layered characters, situations, and relationships. Inspired by Knives Out, Glass Onion, and Sherlock Holmes, this adventure is rich in suspense, twists, red herrings, and dramatic tension. 🧠 Choices That Matter Encounters offer multiple approaches—stealth, deception, ingenuity, or brute force. Your actions make your path forward easier or harder, rewarding attentive and creative play. 🧬 Character-Driven Storytelling The plot revolves around the player characters. Each has a backstory tightly woven into the mystery. You’ll develop your character arc alongside the main story, with recurring NPCs from your past and personal stakes that make you a true protagonist. 🛠️ Customizable Pre-Gen Characters Choose from six backstories and customize class, species, stats, and skills. Or select one of twelve unique builds (two per backstory).
Game style
Roleplay Heavy
Rules as Written (RaW)
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(101)
1 year on StartPlaying
90 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Knows the Rules
Average response time: 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
About me
My DM journey began at 12, leaning over the Black Box DnD set and sketching dungeons in school notebooks with friends. Thirty years later, I’ve turned that spark into a full-time path as a game designer and storyteller—creating immersive campaigns that players talk about long after the dice stop rolling. A few years ago, I left a career in strategy consulting and moved to Barcelona. That background trained me to craft layered narratives, design balanced systems, and navigate complexity—skills I now channel into building stories that balance freedom with structure. I’ve built The Deep Dice page on Instagram, where 10,000 DMs and players exchange ideas about deep-immersion play. I’ve published books on Dungeon Masters Guild with over 8,000 downloads—including The Ultimate Guide to Characters That Matter—and my upcoming campaign Murder in Arabel pushes the boundaries of character-driven storytelling in DnD. I’m drawn to themes of mystery, political intrigue, betrayal, and redemption—stories that feel human, nuanced, and emotionally powerful. My goal is always the same: to create that moment when players lean back, smile, and say, “Wow, that was incredible.” So pull a chair, roll some math rocks, and let’s craft those moments together.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Instead of character creation, Murder in Arabel features a character selection step, followed by an optional character customization. I’ll support you in both of those takes before our adventure starts. — What players say about The Deep Dice: “An amazing GM who made me fall in love with DnD all over again. Every NPC interaction feels unique. Every step and decision of the players feels significant.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Sam “A true revelation. The way the characters’ backgrounds are woven into the story is a complete game-changer. I had never built such strong connections with the other players so quickly and naturally.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Alessandro “Brilliantly written, run and experienced. From meaningful and interconnected backstories to well-designed characters, this was a killer good time.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Jason “Carving a new way to run pre-written adventures—every pre-made character can be played how you want.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ian (Unfound Fables) “The world felt alive from minute one. He masterfully balanced combat, roleplay, and exploration, making every single session feel like a whole, expansive epic.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Psychfrancisco “All PCs were truly tied into the game. Each of us drove the story forward for our own reasons, yet we still had to rely on each other.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Capuccina “Every choice matters. The tone is immersive without being overwhelming, balancing dramatic intensity and moments of levity.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ BurnItAllDown “He managed to make a room of strangers feel instantly a comfortable place to be in. He put us at ease and gave stage to each of us to have our own voice.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Vítor “By far the best DM I’ve played with. I find myself completely immersed each time I am at his table.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Bluenose “Incredibly creative, effortlessly flowing with off-the-wall ideas. One of the best—if not the best—worldbuilders and storytellers I’ve experienced in 20 years of D&D.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mike
💨 MISTY STEP ENJOYMENT GUARANTEE: If, after the first two sessions, you choose not to continue for any reason, you will receive a full refund with no questions asked.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
• Headset, Microphone, and Camera • Free Roll20 Account • Free Discord Account
What The Deep Dice brings to the table
• Six pre-generated character backstories that tie seamlessly into the main campaign plots. • 12 pre-generated character sheets (two per pre-gen backstory, one per core class) for your selection or customization on Roll20. • 62 gorgeous illustrations (like the cover above), specially commissioned for our campaign. • 13 tactical maps specially commissioned for our campaign, set up with dynamic lighting on Roll20. • Several cool and practical handouts. • Roll20 shared access to the 2024 D&D core rulebooks.
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Headphones
Internet
Microphone
Webcam
Platforms used
Safety
How The Deep Dice creates a safe table
Before our campaign begins, we'll have a short SESSION ZERO covering the following topics: • Get to know each other and share our expectations about the campaign. • Select and customize pre-gen characters. • Discuss a few campaign special rules and features. • Discuss campaign content and safety tools. • Introduce the campaign setting. • Review our schedule and agree on preferred channels for communication between sessions.
Content warnings
Safety tools used