Tides of Deceit

Creating your character

Character creation in Tides of Deceit is built to serve the campaign’s heart: a living, breathing world where every player is the sole author of their own story. There are no prefab heroes here. Instead, you craft someone who belongs to the setting, shaped by its history, culture, and conflicts, while also carrying their own ambitions and flaws. We begin with conversation. You tell us who you want to play and why, and together we fit that concept into the world of 2276. From there, we use a mix of structured steps and open-ended prompts. You’ll choose a background that explains where your character comes from, what skills they’ve picked up, and what ties they have to the people and places around them. Then you’ll select a starting career, which determines their initial role in society—soldier, merchant, thief, student, or countless others—and sets the stage for how they can grow. More important than numbers, however, are the answers you give to the questions we pose. You’ll work through a set of prompts designed to uncover your character’s inner life. What do they want more than anything? What will they risk to get it? What fears haunt them? Which bonds hold them to others? By the time you’re finished, you won’t just have a list of stats and skills—you’ll have a person who thinks, speaks, and acts in ways that make sense within the world. We encourage detail. Every character has a name, an age, a place of origin, and a set of defining traits, but they also carry scars, habits, and contradictions. We look for flaws that cost something real, whether in wealth, reputation, or safety. We ask you to consider how your character survives, what they value, and how others might see them. This gives us a foundation for meaningful play, because in Tides of Deceit the world reacts to who you are, not just what you can do. Once your background and role are set, we guide you through the final mechanical steps. Attributes and skills are assigned, talents and equipment chosen, and any special circumstances—lineage, heritage, or faction ties—are woven into the sheet. At every stage, we help ensure the mechanics support your vision, not the other way around. The result is a character who belongs to the living world as much as any other player, with strengths and weaknesses that matter both on the page and in play. More than that, it is someone who will grow and change as weeks pass, as choices stack, and as consequences ripple outward into the greater campaign. Tides of Deceit characters are not adventurers waiting for a quest. They are people with dreams, debts, secrets, and desires, standing at the edge of history. From the very first session, the story is already theirs.

Preparing for the session

You'll need to join our Discord: https://discord.gg/maledictae

What Whiskey brings to the table

What I provide my players is a living world that feels authentic, unpredictable, and responsive. I do not lead you through a pre-written plot. Instead, I set before you a city and a world already in motion, with ambitions, rivalries, and schemes unfolding whether or not you act. Your presence disrupts this balance, and the choices you make determine how the world shifts in response. This is a sandbox with teeth, one where consequences are real and every action carries weight. The experience I create is grounded in gritty realism. I describe the reek of canals, the chill of sea fog, the texture of old timber and smoke. These details matter, because they root you in the world. Magic and monsters are not common set pieces. They are rare, dangerous, and fundamentally unsettling, which makes their appearance unforgettable. My narration leans into atmosphere and subtext. I will not tell you exactly what to think or feel. I trust you to read between the lines, pick up on nuance, and draw your own conclusions. I do not rely on gimmicks like character voices or soundtracks. The immersion comes from the writing itself, the way scenes are painted with detail and weight, and from the seriousness with which I treat your choices. The world is your stage. You will breathe it, taste it, and feel it through the words I choose. Mechanically, I stick to the rules as written unless they interfere with immersion or realism, in which case I use established house rules. This is not a Rule of Cool game where spectacle overrides consequence. It is a game where preparation, ingenuity, and roleplay are rewarded, and where dice serve to resolve uncertainty rather than dictate the story. I will always ask, “What do you do?” rather than, “What skill do you roll?” Combat, when it happens, is dangerous and intense, but not constant. Every fight is high stakes, because the world is fair but not forgiving. There is no plot armor. If you succeed, it will be because you earned it. If you fail, the consequences will be lasting and meaningful. This is not adversarial play, but it is unflinching. Above all, I provide trust. I trust my players to bring characters who want something, who risk something, and who engage with the world. In return, you can trust me to provide a campaign that takes your story seriously, weaves it into a larger tapestry, and never undercuts the weight of your choices. If you are looking for a game where your character matters, where victories feel earned and failures carry scars, and where the world itself feels alive, then this table is the place for you.

Homebrew rules

We have developed a lovely campaign guide that discusses house rules and the like far better than I can in this simple text field. The link to it is on our Discord (discord.gg/maledictae).

How Whiskey creates a safe table

This campaign is not designed as a “safe space.” Tides of Deceit is an 18+ game that deals openly with adult themes, moral ambiguity, and the darker sides of human nature. Violence, corruption, sexuality, betrayal, poverty, and cruelty all exist here, because they are part of a world modeled on the grit and complexity of history. I do not indulge in gratuitous shock value, but I do not soften the edges of the setting either. The game is meant for adults who can engage with challenging material thoughtfully and without flinching. What you can expect at my table is respect. I respect my players by presenting an authentic world, not a sanitized one. I respect them by avoiding empty provocation or cheap exploitation, but I also respect them enough not to blunt the campaign into something tame. Characters may find themselves in situations that are dangerous, compromising, or morally uncertain. This is part of what gives weight to their choices and meaning to their victories and failures. I do not use safety tools like X, N, or O cards, nor do I provide “lines and veils” documents. Instead, I set clear expectations up front. This is an adult game with adult material. If you join, you should do so with the understanding that your character will be tested by the world, and that not every situation will be comfortable. If that is not the kind of experience you want, then this is not the table for you. What I will not do is blindside you with cheap cruelty or indulge in content for shock alone. I avoid the gratuitous, because restraint is more powerful than excess. When adult material arises, it is purposeful, fitting the world and the moment. Scenes are written to be immersive, tense, and evocative, not exploitative. The goal is to create drama that feels real and consequential, not indulgent or sensational. After each session, I make myself available to talk through what happened in play. If something hit harder than expected, or if you want to unpack a choice your character made, you are welcome to reach out. I treat these conversations as part of the craft, a chance to make sure the game continues to feel meaningful rather than overwhelming. This is not an experience for the timid. It is an experience for players who want their stories to carry weight, who are willing to wade into complexity without expecting it to be softened for them. If you are looking for something raw, immersive, and challenging, then you will be at home here.