The Quiet Year - A Map Making Game
One quiet year, with which to build our community and learn how to work together. Come winter, the Frost Shepherds will arrive and the game will end.
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About the adventure
For a long time, we were at war with The Jackals. Now, finally, we’ve driven them off, and we’re left with this: a year of relative peace. One quiet year, with which to build our community up and learn again how to work together. Come Winter, the Frost Shepherds will arrive and we might not survive the encounter. This is when the game will end. But we don’t know about that yet. What we know is that right now, in this moment, there is an opportunity to build something. This is a map-drawing game. You collectively explore the struggles of a community, trying to rebuild after the collapse of civilization. It’s a game about community, difficult choices, and landscapes. When you play, you make decisions about the community, decisions that get recorded on a map that is constantly evolving. Parts of the map are literal cartography, while other parts are symbolic. Players work together to create and steer this community, but they also play devil’s advocate and introduce problems and tensions into the game. - Beginner player friendly! - Character driven, exciting roleplay - Strong narrative storytelling and worldbuilding - Uses voice acting skills to bring NPCs to life - Engaging combat, everyone gets to do something cool - Uses background music to enhance gameplay/atmosphere
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
About me
Hi, I'm Athena. I'm 26, female, and queer, with a love for my cats, videogames, and tabletop roleplaying games. I've been playing D&D since 2017, and it's a hobby and an obsession that has only gotten stronger over time. I've run enough games and campaigns to know how to make sure everyone has a good time, and I can only get better through practice. I'm happy to learn about your characters, figure out what excites you about the world or the story, and just run hog-wild with it. I like roleplay and character driven stories, and my favorite official campaign is Curse of Strahd. Definitely related, my favorite D&D realm is Ravenloft, with the Domains of Dread being a particular fascination of mine. Fun fact: the first campaign I ever played in was called Oops! All Bards, and everyone was a bard.
View Profile →Reviews (32)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Creativity
Inclusive
Teacher
I've only played one game with Athena but in that one game, I've found that she is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to DND lore and rules. She is uniquely creative and driven and is probably one of the most reliable DM's you'll ever find. She is also great and bringing NPC's to life as well as letting the story and gameplay flow around her players. If you want a structured and well-made game that also allows for tons of creativity Athena's your girl.
I've been in the TAZ Balance campaign with Athena for around 8 months and every session is a blast. Each game is fun with plenty of room for player creativity. Her rules lite approach helps a ton to keep the sessions easy going. I'm new to DnD and she was very accommodating. I would recommend her as a GM to anyone looking for a casual, energetic, and a little chaotic time.
Athena is really great! We are a few sessions from completing our campaign and I still appreciate that she is able to wrangle our rambling somewhat while letting us goof around. She is really helpful for newer players and inclusive of everyone. I love the group she's fostered in this game and will always remember it fondly.
Genuinely, one of the greatest dms I've ever had. She creates such amazing worlds to play in, plus allows for enough in-game shenanigans to be really fun while still driving the plot. The games have such an inviting atmosphere where everyone gets to do something memorable. In general, she's a really cool person and I am so glad I get to play in her games.
Character creation
Creating your character
There will be no need to create characters for this game, as we will be representing the community at a bird's eye level. We don’t embody specific characters nor act out scenes. Instead, we represent currents of thought within the community. When we speak or take action, we might be representing a single person or a great many.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Required: - Headphones - Working Microphone (headphone or computer mic acceptable as long as the audio quality is decent) - Discord account Optional: - Webcam
What AthenaxVio brings to the table
- Map on Owlbear Rodeo - Handouts - Character Voices - Ambient Music
Equipment needed to play
Headphones
Internet
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How AthenaxVio creates a safe table
Absolutely no bullying, sexual harassment, racism, hate speech, queerphobia, or prejudice will be tolerated. Any player that engages in these behaviors will get one (1) warning, and if the behavior continues you will be kicked from the game and you will not receive a refund. There will be a mandatory 10 minute break halfway through the session for bathroom, refilling drinks, snacks, etc. but always feel free to ask for a break at any time. I'll be providing an optional feedback poll at the end of the game.