Image by Brian Terrero
The Delian Tomb; Learn to Play Draw Steel
Goblins plot a dark ritual to claim a buried relic. Can your band of heroes stop them before Broadhurst falls?
TYPE
SYSTEM
LEVELS
LANGUAGE
EXPERIENCE
AGE
$20.00
/ Session
Details
Once / Tuesday - 1:00 AM UTC
Aug 26
Session Duration / 3–4 hours
1 / 5 Seats Filled
Report Adventure
StartPlaying Money Back Guarantee
If your game doesn't happen, we guarantee a refund. Just reach out to StartPlaying Support. Refund Policy
Meet your party members
1/5
About the adventure
The Delian Tomb is the official starter adventure for Draw Steel, a new heroic fantasy RPG about bold choices, tactical battles, and shaping the world through your actions. In this one-shot, goblins have captured a villager and begun a dark ritual inside an ancient crypt. It’s up to your band of heroes to draw steel, face the monsters within, and stop the threat before it spreads. This adventure is built to teach the rules as you play. You’ll pick from pregenerated heroes, starting simple and unlocking new abilities as the story unfolds. Each encounter introduces mechanics step by step, so you can jump right in without needing to prep or study ahead of time. Expect a mix of tactical combat, dungeon exploration, and meaningful choices. My GMing style is collaborative and story-driven: I’ll bring the maps, monsters, and music, while you bring your creativity and play your hero boldly. Together we'll have some fun with one of the newest and most important D&D competitors on the market today!
Game style
Combat Heavy
Dungeon Crawl
Rules as Written (RaW)
Tactical / Crunchy
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(97)
3 years on StartPlaying
589 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Teacher, Storytelling
Average response time: Under 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
About me
My first experience with TTRPGs was two and a half sessions of Rolemaster. If you know that system, you know it's not the greatest starting point for a beginner. Added to that, our GM was trying to run this game while taking care of a newborn and finishing up med school. Despite the rocky start, I was hooked, but I didn't know anyone else at the time who could run a game at all. So I started my own D&D campaign and have been GMing ever since! I run RPGs for the stories, the surprise, and the drama. My goal is always to create an atmosphere where the whole group can explore the stories that interest them. My favorite moments in any game are when things feel cool, cinematic, heartfelt, or badass. That moment when the barbarian leaps through the wall of flame, clothes smoldering, screaming in rage. Or that moment when the Netrunner finally breaks into the top-secret mainframe to loot secrets from the rich and powerful, as a desperate firefight rages around them. But most importantly, the very best moment is when I can tell that the players have forgotten that they're sitting in a chair at a desk, and are having a shared experience that takes them away from their lives and which they'll remember for years. But I've never been satisfied with just a standard D&D campaign or two; I've run games in a dozen or so systems at this point, and I'm always excited to try new ones! I even have experience running custom one- and two-player campaigns, which can be a great way to have a more in-depth, character-driven experience, and also help to alleviate scheduling difficulties. If you're interested in something like that, please feel free to message me or hit the button that says "Book GM," and we can start talking about the specifics!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
For this one-shot, we’ll be using the pregenerated heroes provided with the adventure. Each player will pick a hero, give them a name, and jump straight into play. These pregens are designed to start simple and grow more complex as the adventure progresses, so you’ll learn the system step by step without needing to prep ahead of time. By the end of the session, your hero will feel fully fleshed out and ready for future adventures if you choose to keep playing. No outside books or prior rules knowledge are required, all you need to bring is your creativity and willingness to dive in!
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Before game day, you’ll just need a few basics: - Discord account (free) for voice chat. Headsets or push-to-talk are recommended to cut down on background noise. No webcams needed. - Owlbear Rodeo account (free) for our virtual tabletop. I’ll provide the room link before each session. - Character sheet: I'll provide a PDF of the pregenerated character that you choose! That’s it! No other software or subscriptions required.
What Colby brings to the table
I’ll bring everything else: maps, tokens, rules references, and guidance on learning the system. I’ve got some Owlbear Rodeo tools installed to make resource tracking easy, so you won’t have to erase and rewrite constantly. My GMing style leans toward collaborative, story-driven play with a good dose of tactical combat. I’ll keep the rules clear and consistent, but I’m flexible when a clever or cinematic idea comes up. Expect a mix of tense dungeon encounters, choices with consequences, and moments where your heroes can shine. I also provide ambient background music and sound to help set the scene, but otherwise we’ll keep the focus on the story, not production values. Character voices may pop up here and there, but I keep things light and easygoing, so you don’t need to be a voice actor to have fun here!
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Microphone
Computer or Mobile Device
Platforms used
Safety
How Colby creates a safe table
This adventure includes some sensitive themes: kidnapping and ritual sacrifice, undead and corpses, spiders/insects, and body horror. If any of these subjects are particularly difficult for you, feel free to message me about the details of the system, and we can see if we can avoid anything you'd be uncomfortable with! I use an open door policy: if anything ever makes you uncomfortable, you’re always free to step away from the game, no explanation needed. The goal is for everyone to feel safe and enjoy themselves.
Content warnings
Safety tools used