Outlaws of Alkenstar

Outlaws of Alkenstar

A ragtag band of gunslinging outlaws get their hands dirty in the greasy alleyways and whisky-soaked saloons of Alkenstar, the City of Smog.

TYPE

CAMPAIGN

LEVELS

1–11

EXPERIENCE

Open to all

AGE

18+
2 SEATS LEFT
$22.00

/ Session

Details

Weekly / Thursday – 11:30 PM UTC

Jul 10 / Session 5

Campaign Length / 30–50 Sessions

3–4 Hour Duration

4 / 6 Seats Filled

Schedule

Thu, Jul 10 | 11:30 PM – Session 5

Thu, Jul 17 | 11:30 PM – Session 6

Thu, Jul 24 | 11:30 PM – Session 7

Thu, Jul 31 | 11:30 PM – Session 8

Thu, Aug 07 | 11:30 PM – Session 9

Thu, Aug 14 | 11:30 PM – Session 10

Thu, Aug 21 | 11:30 PM – Session 11

Thu, Aug 28 | 11:30 PM – Session 12

This game will begin once 3 players have joined
About the adventure

A ragtag band of gunslinging outlaws get their hands dirty in the greasy alleyways and whisky-soaked saloons of Alkenstar, the City of Smog. To get revenge on the mogul who destroyed them, the renegades will have to stick up an illicit bank, foil a crooked shieldmarshal, and escort a reclusive inventor to safety. All the while, countless rough-and-tumble rivals aim to waylay the party and seize the inventor's latest concoction: pyronite, an explosive substance with the potential to change the face of the world. In a city where the clockwork guards are literally as tough as brass, the antiheroes will need true grit to dole out overdue justice. If you liked the TV shows Deadwood or Firefly, then this campaign is for you! The party ain't necessarily evil, but they ain't so worried about following the law when corrupt folks in power get to decide what that word means.

Game style

Combat Heavy

Roleplay Heavy

Rules as Written (RaW)

Meet the Game Master

3 years on StartPlaying

210 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, World Builder

Average response time: 9 hours

Response rate: 100%

About me

Hey there! I'm Gamersaurus Lex, a longtime player and GM who owned a local game store for about a decade. I am a happy-go-lucky extrovert that spent the last decade of his life running a FLGS and professionally nerding out with gamers of every age and disposition. I love running games with lots of excitement, fully realized NPCs, and a true open sandbox approach, even when we're running an established module. You want to ignore the module's storyline and chart your own course? I will make it happen! Prefer to play in one of my homebrew campaigns set in the Moonsea Region of the Forgotten Realms? Buckle up, you're in for a wild ride! I have decades of experience introducing new players to the hobby, at my game store, conventions, and at my home table, so you couldn't be in better hands if you're just starting out with TTRPGs or if you're switching systems. I have been a pro GM for about 20 years, and only recently started offering my services online with StartPlaying. Veterans will enjoy my games, too, especially with all the Easter eggs that pop up in every session. I tend to run D&D 5e, Pathfinder 2e, and Starfinder these days, but I have plenty of recent experience with 3.x, Savage Worlds, GURPS, and the many varieties of the Cypher System. And, let's be honest, given time to prepare, I can run any system if there is a group that really wants that system.

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Character creation

Creating your character

Join my Discord server: https://discord.gg/adkCzF6S86 I'm /u Gamersauruslex Characters start at 1st level. Plan to use the free archetype variant rule (kicks in at 2nd level, but fun to plan ahead). The first rule of PC creation is: Make sure your character has a strong motivation to join a party and pursue the common goal. With Outlaws of Alkenstar, you've been screwed over in some way by Ambrost Mugland (one of the most powerful underworld kingpins in Alkenstar—at least to hear him tell it). The second rule of PC creation is: Make a character the other players, the GM, and you will enjoy spending 3-4 hours every other week with. You'll want to peruse the Outlaws of Alkenstar Player's Guide PDF, a free copy of which is available on my Discord server.

What to expect

Preparing for the session

You'll need a mic (webcam optional) for Discord and a computer that can run ForgeVTT (web-based version of FoundryVTT) in your browser (Chrome works well). You'll also need a free account at ForgeVTT.com.

What Gamersaurus brings to the table

I am a storyteller and we are going to tell the story YOU want to tell. I create scores of NPCs and try to give them all unique personalities, voices, habits, and motivations. Despite the use of an established Adventure Path, no two campaigns have the same plot, because I customize everything for your PCs. You don't have to be the heroes and you don't have to take every quest. You can be the good guys, the bad guys, or a little of both - it's up to you! As a general rule, I reward investigation, planning, and social interaction, but in this campaign, I will also be providing in-game rewards for leaning into the tropes of the Western genre. The more you know (and the more friends/connections you have), the better armed you will be for what might be lurking around the next corner. I always reward players who come up with unique or creative ways to solve problems, and there are no stupid questions (e.g., "Can I swing across the room on the chandelier?" "Heck yeah, roll an Acrobatics check!") I generally follow the rules as written, along with some modifications to keep the game moving (e.g., if the battle is clearly won, rather than sit around for another 4 rounds whittling away at a monster's HP, I may ask if "How do you want to end it?"), but I am also not opposed to the Rule of Cool, especially in climactic moments! My games are high on RP. For important NPCs and factions, I track attitudes and reputation. Sometimes, combat can be avoided with a well-timed diplomatic offer or intimidating threat. That said, my combats are challenging and interesting (lots of modified monsters and varied settings) and character death is always a possibility. If you want to use a voice or accent, that is awesome, but you are also free to narrate your character's actions in the first or third person: e.g., "Beatrice is suspicious of this haughty noble and tries to direct the conversation to learn more about his background" or "I don't believe him, but I want to convince him that I do." As far as resources go, I use FoundryVTT on ForgeVTT (so you just need a free account at the ForgeVTT website and not your own copy of FoundryVTT). I have a subscription to Demiplane's Pathfinder Nexus for creating characters, but most of my players use Pathbuilder. I also use a ton of add-ons and other services, such as Syrinscape, dScryb, assets and mods from content creators on Patreon (Michael Ghelfi, Czepeku, Mr Primate, TheRipper93, etc.) for awesome maps and art, and even some custom-created maps and tokens and customized art from the original Pathfinder modules (all of which I own).

Homebrew rules

* You don't lose your hero point if your new roll is lower. *Ronald the Rules Lawyer's version of Aid (more generous) *Ronald the Rules Lawyer's version of Recall Knowledge (more flexible) Free Archetype Variant (not homebrew, but it is a variant)

Equipment needed to play

Internet

Computer

Microphone

Headphones

Platforms used
Safety

How Gamersaurus creates a safe table

This adventure involves outlaws and crime and all of the blood and guts you might expect from a gritty Western. We'll have a session zero where we agree on the lines to be drawn and veils to be raised (i.e., anything terribly horrifying will likely take place "off screen").

Content warnings

Safety tools used

Frequently asked questions