The Crooked Moon ~ Folk Horror Campaign ~ LGBTQ+ inclusive

The Crooked Moon ~ Folk Horror Campaign ~ LGBTQ+ inclusive

Brave the dark wood, beware the witching hour, and weave your own dreadful folktale!

TYPE

Campaign

EXPERIENCE

Open to all

AGE

18+
About the adventure

πŸ’— Play with Meaghan J, a Dungeon Master with 4 years of professional experience, 80 5-star reviews, and nearly 1000 sessions of D&D run on StartPlaying.Games! πŸŒ™ The Crooked Moon brings Folk Horror to 5E, drawing inspiration from eerie Folklore, legendary Horror Films, classic Halloween Aesthetics, and more within a terrifying Campaign Setting of eternal night. 🌲🌳🌲 Explore Druskenvald, a mysterious realm trapped between dusk and the witching hour. Investigate the isolated valley of Wickermoor Hollow, where Superstitious Locals adhere to β€œThe Old Ways” and Long-Forgotten Horrors stalk the deepest woods. πŸš‚ Play as a party of Wayward Souls who must journey through the shroud aboard the Ghostlight Express to uncover the dark machinations of the Crooked Man. πŸŽƒ Rise again as one of 13+ Lineages of Druskenvald, mortal souls reborn in the land of endless night and changed forever. Choose between the pumpkin-headed Harvestborn, the rat-like Plagueborn, the murk-dwelling Deepborn, or any of the other Race Options inspired by Halloween pop culture. πŸ’€ Become an omen of doom with the Grim Harbinger Ranger, harness the power of witchcraft with the Horned King Patron Warlock, roll the bones and twist fate with the Sinner Rogue, or dive into horror with any of the other 13+ Subclass Options for all core 5E classes.

Game style

Rule of Cool (RoC)

Combat Heavy

Roleplay Heavy

3 NEEDED TO START
$35.00

/ Session

Details

Weekly / Sunday – 1:00 AM UTC

Campaign Length / 30–50 Sessions

2.5–3.5 Hour Duration

1 / 6 Seats Filled

GAME MASTER

Meaghan

she/her

5.0

(80)

This game will begin once 4 players have joined

Each player will be charged when a session starts.

Report Adventure

Meet the Game Master

5.0

(80)

DMs Guild Writer
Podcaster
LGBTQ+
Women/Femme Identifying

4 years on StartPlaying

949 games hosted

Highly rated for: Inclusive, Creativity, Storytelling

Average response time: 14 hours

Response rate: 100%

About me

πŸ˜„ Thanks for stopping by! My name is Meaghan, I'm a trans woman from southern California who specializes in providing a safe, inclusive table for all players to enjoy cinematic storytelling together. I've been a TTRPG player and GM since before the turn of the century. My passion is running TTRPG games within the genres of gothic and cosmic horror, as well as high and dark fantasy. My favorite official D&D settings are Ravenloft (for playing) and Dragonlance (for creating). I am the host of the Dragonlance Canticle podcast and the author of the DM's Guild Gold Medal adventure "Shadow of the Black Rose". My favorite non-D&D game is Alien RPG. As of March 2024, I have been running games professionally for two years. I have logged nearly 500 sessions on StartPlaying, most of which were run using Foundry VTT. Join one of my campaigns if you're looking for a consistent game run by an enthusiastic and experienced GM with a strong belief in professional ethics as well as creating a welcoming environment for female players, queer players, trans players, and neurodivergent players. Listen to what one of my players said about her experience playing Curse of Strahd with me: πŸ’» https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLJpXrUQ/ πŸ’» Here are a few reviews from some of my long-term players: 🎭 "Meaghan is a fantastic DM and storyteller who consistently delivers a great gaming experience. She's very good at improvising and rolling with the punches when we get off track. She rewards and encourages player creativity, even when creative solutions may throw a wrench in her plans or completely sidestep encounters. She breathes life into the game world and makes each and every area unique and memorable, and allows us to take our time to explore and discover the game world. This has overall been a positive gaming experience and I'm excited to keep playing with her!" - Ben, 100 sessions with me πŸ’‘ "Meaghan has been an amazing GM throughout our Into the Mists session every week. She sets the stage and utilizes tools that make engagement all that much better. She has even reached out to make sure I felt comfortable with my place and the dynamic between players (which I reassured her I very much do). She allows us to explore solutions and not be afraid to try our ideas out within the framework she sets." - Christine, 71 sessions with me ❓ "Meaghan is very helpful and patient, knowing that she had new players in her group she answered all questions but more importantly, went over things before hand and made sure we were all comfortable and didn't get hung up on any general "noobiness" and actually need to ask the questions. Very good storyteller, her passion for the material is evident and I very much look forward to the next session!" - Tav, 86 sessions with me πŸ€— "I can't say enough great things about Meaghan! She's an amazing DM and you can tell she puts a lot of time and effort into planning her sessions. Her maps and sounds really set the mood and it's easy to get lost in the story telling and atmosphere of the game. Especially with the variety of NPC's she brings to life. Not only that, but she truly creates a safe environment for players to learn, feel heard, and overall just feel included and welcome in session. I appreciate her patience too. I'm a new-ish player and sometimes have to ask obvious questions but I never feel bad about asking for clarification on anything. She definitely makes things fun and challenging for all levels of players though, not just beginners. Overall, I highly recommend Meaghan if you are looking for a safe, inclusive, well balanced gaming experience of which you want to immerse yourself and get lost in the environment. 10/10" - Jess, 68 sessions with me

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Reviews (80)

Proficiencies

Players say this GM is great at:

Inclusive

Creativity

Storytelling

Maxwell avatar

Maxwell

Played 186 sessions

She was very knowledgable and had great communication walking everyone through the first few steps and set expectations and was proactive with each player to make for A exciting game. Can't wait for next session!

Tav avatar

Tav

Played 164 sessions

Meaghan is very helpful and patient, knowing that she had new players in her group she answered all questions but more importantly, went over things before hand and made sure we were all comfortable and didnt get hung up on any general "noobiness" and actually need to ask the questions. Very good storyteller, her passion for the material is evident and i very much look forward to the next session!

Benjamin W avatar

Benjamin W

Played 157 sessions

Meaghan is a fantastic DM and storyteller who consistently delivers a great gaming experience. She's very good at improvising and rolling with the punches when we get off track. She rewards and encourages player creativity, even when creative solutions may throw a wrench in her plans or completely sidestep encounters. She breathes life into the game world and makes each and every area unique and memorable, and allows us to take our time to explore and discover the game world. This has overall been a positive gaming experience and I'm excited to keep playing with her!

Matt avatar

Matt

Played 144 sessions

If you have the chance to have Meaghan J run a game for you it will be a blast. There is a little bit of everything from role-playing to battles to games. She is also good at making everyone feel like they're in the spotlight equally with the other players. You will be immersed into the world she offers to you.

Brendan Kavanaugh avatar

Brendan Kavanaugh

Played 123 sessions

We largely have free reign on the story, though not without consequence. It's always interesting to see a GM adapt to different parties, and Meaghan does it very well. I really like the campaign setting she's created, and enjoy the characters in it. She also provides plenty of opportunity for "rule of cool" moments.

Dj avatar

Dj

Played 119 sessions

Very helpful to new players and helps them get to know everything and fit into the game. Very good at setting the scene and having detail where it should be and not over explaining. Nice and varied pacing some moments of tense action paired with some nice role playing and relaxing moments.

Character creation
Creating your character

Players will be invited to begin discussing character concepts with the rest of the group on Discord before Session 0. Once you have a solid concept in mind, you should create your character on D&D Beyond, choosing from the D&D 2024 player options and the Crooked Moon player options (no other sources permitted).

What to expect
Preparing for the session

You will need to create an account on Discord (for chat and voice), D&D Beyond (for character creation and management), and Forge-VTT (the site where the game is hosted) if you don't already have one.

What Meaghan brings to the table

- Challenging combats that embrace the tactical rules without limiting the fun - Ambient music and combat music to set the mood - Unique art for NPCs and locations - Access to all the Crooked Moon player options on D&D Beyond - Foundry modules to automate character management and math - A Discord server with over 100 fellow D&D fans - Free one-shot and playtest games for my active players

Equipment needed to play

Internet

Computer

Microphone

Headphones

Safety
How Meaghan creates a safe table

During our Session 0, we will discuss our Lines & Veils for the campaign. You will also be invited to anonymously submit additional Lines & Veils. The Foundry system we will be using includes an X card module which allows players to anonymously stop play in case of uncomfortable/triggering events. After each session, we will share Stars & Wishes to provide each other with constructive, positive feedback.

Content warnings
Blood
Body Horror
Cannibalism
Character Death
Clowns
Cults
Death
Fire
Gore
Illness
Insects
Language/Cursing
Mind alteration
Murder
Mutilation of Corpses
Snakes
Spiders
Violence
Safety tools used

Frequently asked questions

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