Journey to Center of the HEART (Beginner/LGBTQIA+ Friendly)
A series of deadly tremors spit up a man claiming to be King of Cintelspew, and now you must venture into the fetid caverns below to verify his claim.
TYPE
SYSTEM
LANGUAGE
EXPERIENCE
AGE
$18.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Wednesday - 1:30 AM UTC
Session Duration / 2–3 hours
Campaign Length / 8–12 Sessions
3 / 5 Seats Filled
Top Game Master
One of StartPlaying's top-rated GMs, a player favorite and highly recommended.
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Schedule
Meet your party members
3/5
About the adventure
The mountain-side city of Cintelspew is rocked by a series of deadly tremors, opening yawning caverns that seem to stretch deep into the very heart of the world itself. After a man emerges from one of the caverns bearing a royal seal proclaiming him as the long-lost king of Cintelspew, a team of explorers are dispatched into the caverns to confirm the document’s authenticity. Over 8-10 sessions, you and your fellow explorers will travel deep down into the dark crevices of the earth, where untold horrors salivate over your every step… This campaign will contain overt horror themes - perfect in the lead up to Halloween! A free session zero will cover safety tools including Lines & Veils. Great for players new and old to Heart: The City Beneath!
Game style
Dungeon Crawl
Roleplay Heavy
Theater of the Mind
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(30)
2 years on StartPlaying
109 games hosted
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, Inclusive
About me
Hi, I'm Sam! I'm an award-nominated GM and player who's been enjoying tabletop games since being introduced to them in middle school. I've been running games for players both old and new since 2015, and have completed several multi-year campaigns, as well as a string of shorter games. I was the GM of "Pest Control", an actual-play Monster of the Week show that has ran from 2018-2025, and I have been a regular performer on several other shows including "Hijinks & Handlebars" (Kids on Bikes, 2018-2020), "$2 Creature Feature" (2021-2026), and “The Monster’s Playbook” (2025). I have experience running D&D 5e, Daggerheart, Monster of the Week, Beam Saber, Kids on Bikes, Kids on Brooms, Monsterhearts, Icarus, Alice is Missing, The Ground Itself, Blades in the Dark, The Quiet Year, Dungeon World, Good Society, and more. I'd love to help make your next campaign unforgettable!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
We will walk through the rules of the game and the creation of our Explorers as a group during our Session 0, but everyone is encouraged to bring 1-3 character concepts with them so we have a place to start.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Everyone should have the following: - A computer microphone of some kind (I would also strongly recommend a webcam) - A Zoom account - A Discord account - Access to Google Docs
What Sam Richardson brings to the table
This game will be run exclusively using "theater of the mind". However, my GM style leans into the Rule of Cool - I want to encourage you to make the fun choice, not always the safe one!
Homebrew rules
We'll be using the following homebrew rules for this campaign: ZENITH BEATS - Everyone should start with one of their Zenith Beats in addition to their two normal Beats.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Sam Richardson creates a safe table
Session 0 will be a free session to go over the game, rules, setting, tone, and player characters as well as initial conversations about Lines & Veils, and the creation of physical X/N/O cards to be held up or messaged during play. Regular, ongoing check-ins will occur throughout the game (especially on the introduction of any new disturbing elements) to make sure everyone remains comfortable at the table - with the option to change any campaign content that is too objectionable for any player.
Content warnings
Safety tools used