Into the Borderlands
Out in the fringes of civilization stands a lone keep; it's denizens thought to be the sole inhabitants until now. The Caves of Carnage awaits...
About the adventure
Out in the fringes stands a solitary keep that holds the denizens of the nearby Caves of Carnage at bay. Recently, a mysterious Cult has set up a staging ground in the Caves to raid nearby towns, and unfortunately, your town is the next target. From commoners to brave adventures practically overnight, you will need to make out a dangerous but fruitful living in the Borderlands as you attempt to look for answers regarding this hideous cult. Into the Borderlands is a classic West Marches style dungeon crawl that will take characters from levels 0-5 using the Shadowdark RPG rules sprinkled with homebrew from other OSR style games such as Index Card RPG, Old School Essentials and Deathbringer. Are you brave enough to venture into the Caves of Carnage to emerge victorious or will your name be added in the long list of victims foolish enough to be undone by the creatures within?
Game style
Dungeon Crawl
West Marches
Game themes
$12.00
/ Session
Details
Bi-weekly / Thursday – 12:30 AM UTC
Campaign Length / 10–15 Sessions
3.75–4.25 Hour Duration
0 / 8 Seats Filled
GAME MASTER
The Dungeon Dork
he/him
5.0
(8)
Each player will be charged when a session starts.
Report Adventure
Meet the Game Master
Less than a year on StartPlaying
2 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Voices
About me
I pride myself in having passion to entertain people and provide escapism as a proprietor of interactive and improvisational story telling. I have been playing TTRPGs for 21 years and have been GMing for 14 years. I bring commitment to my craft, passion for entertaining, oh! And I do voices!
View Profile →Reviews (8)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Creativity
Storytelling
Voices
P. D.
Played 1 sessions
TDD hosts an amazing DC20 session! We were all new to the system, but with TDD at the help, everything went super smoothly with plenty of action and laughs. Between his fun demeanor, open nature, and incredible voices I was immediately drawn into the story. Can't wait for the next one!
Fish
Played 1 sessions
My first experience with the new DC 20 system. I had a lot of fun! He was great at guiding us through a new system without us getting bogged down, it was a fun session, and an enjoyable story. 10/10 will play with again. Allowed for player voices to be heard, made the combat super engaging for everyone, very considerate DMing.
Kristen Cleroux
I have been playing with Joey as our DM for about two years now. He is a very enthusiastic, dramatic and energetic storyteller. He is very descriptive, which makes it easier to feel like you are actually in the game (I am not an imaginative person so this helps me a lot). I appreciate the way we get updates before each session, as well as opportunities to pause when we need clarification. He is very helpful in making sure that you get all of your turns and that you use them to the best of your characters ability (this is very helpful for new players or those that aren't very good, but still enjoy playing). At the end of each session, he makes sure that everyone had a good time and we get a recap, in case there was any confusion or if anybody had any questions. I always look forward to our sessions!
Jayrodadon Kinch
This is a guy that sticks to the rules but doesn't poo-poo all over creative ideas, but does bend the laws of physics/common sense, for story flow and "the rule of cool"
Nerd_Onward
Dungeon Dork is one of the best story tellers out there! I’ve had the pleasure at being at the table with this man for years, both side by side as a player, he as my DM and I his. He has a way with words and descriptors, not to mention his super power for witty humor, he is a fantastic DM/GM, one of the best I’ve seen!
Leah S
Joey is a fantastic GM! He is incredibly supportive of players, including new players. He sets the bar high for voices! I highly recommend Joey for anyone's table.
Character creation
Creating your character
Because we're starting off with a Gauntlet for 0 level characters, you will create 4 sets of statistics using 3d6 rolled down the line (reroll ones) Once you've signed up for my Discord, you'll be brought into our Shadowdark channel to collaborate with your fellow players and I for help and ideas. You can also message me personally to tell me what you want out of the game for your character and what sort of story arcs you'd like to play out based on your character’s desires, fears and backstory. You can easily make your character here on www.shadowdarklings.net
What to expect
Preparing for the session
A basic online streaming set up (microphone, web camera, etc) is encouraged by not required. If all you have is a laptop, phone, or tablet with a working camera and microphone, that's all you need!
What The Dungeon Dork brings to the table
What I bring as a performer: I have an unhinged passion for theater and acting. My whole teenage years were spent on the stage putting on performances for others. I went to college for film and theater that unfortunately never came to fruition but I am a cinemophile all the same. While I act less, I still perform by way of costuming; I immerse myself into the character to become that character. You can expect that same kind of dedication here! I love doing voices and while I've debated with the idea of getting into voice acting, TTRPGs is a great way to work those muscles so to speak. Film has taught me a lot about transitions tempo and techniques that I try to translate into story telling elements to evoke a similar response as you would have watching a movie. What I bring as a DM: I can provide a digital copy of the core rules along with a character sheet. Owlbear Rodeo will be used as our default VTT as it is very versatile, has a user friendly interface and is FREE for all players. I will provide a link to my Discord channel to use to coordinate sessions and run voice / video chats for each session. Lastly, though not required, I will also provide a Spotify Jam Session link each session of play for added ambiance work thematically appropriate music What I bring as a person: I am a friendly ball of manic energy. I recognize it can be a little Intimidating to some but ultimately I want to be your friend and collaborator! I want to have fun, but I have WAY more fun if you do! I want to foster open and friendly creative collaboration to see what kind of tale we can weave!
Equipment needed to play
Microphone
Internet
Headphones
Platforms used
Safety
How The Dungeon Dork creates a safe table
As a Game Master, my priority is always the wellbeing of my players. I want to provide a unique and memorable experience through the use of my love of theater and drama. My philosophy is steeped in tone and tempo; as such I will make rulings to that effect on the fly based on my knowledge of the game rules and how they can be used to achieve the ambiance needed. Lastly, characters drive the narrative and each challenge is made for a reason and never done with the malicious intent to punish players or their characters. Creative problem solving is by no means a requirement but it will greatly benefit character survivability.