Image by shutterstock
Depths of Moria - The Balin Expedition
Join the infamous expedition to regain the lost dwarven city from the Shadows of evil that lurk over it. Will you rewrite fate?
$30.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Saturday - 1:00 AM UTC
Apr 18 / Session 14
Session Duration / 3 hours
3 / 6 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
Schedule
Meet your party members
3/6
About the adventure
"They have taken the Bridge and the Second Hall. We have barred the Gates but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes.... Drums. Drums in the Deep. We cannot get out. A Shadow moves in the dark... We cannot get out." ~ Ori's final report in the Book of Mazarbul Join the infamous expeditions into Moria to reclaim the ancient dwarven city from the orcs and shadows that lurk in the darkness. Though your stay is doomed, you could change the tides of fate and rewrite the history of Middle-Earth. In order to do this, you must: <> Repel the endless hordes of the enemy as you reclaim your stronghold. <> Seek methods to quell the legends in the Shadow. <> Fight epic battles against monsters of myth. <> Crawl through the mountain kingdom as you discover the ancient secrets in the dark.
Game style
Hexcrawl / Exploration
Realm Building
Roleplay Heavy
Sandbox / Open World
Tactical / Crunchy
Combat Heavy
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(23)
4 years on StartPlaying
501 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Inclusive, Knows the Rules
Average response time: 4 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
Some dragons hoard gold. Others hoard gemstones. While I never will turn down such hoards, I hoard stories - a hoard that grows with each passing day. As a long-term roleplay writer, I enjoy creating new stories and curating prewritten ones to fit the tone or purpose of my stories, parties, and games. I have been type-roleplaying for many years, being part of the forum roleplay groups back in the age of Gaia Online and other similar groups. Since then, I have been writing posts that expressed the inner workings, the active actions, and the pointed conversations of hundreds of complex characters. This is only amplified when compiling them together to form a story that is reactive and interactable from a group seeking the next dawn. I have a corgi familiar named Fenrir who often enjoys giving me the Help action and is a mini-celebrity amongst my players, often having a related npc or party pet that represents Fenrir and his antics. I value narrative context and will do my best to fit the mechanics to the narrative you want. This has led me to curating and crafting custom content - often referred to as homebrew - for several games, players, and even other game masters. I do my best to not include AI generated imagery in my live games, choosing to not use such images for advertisement and actively replacing any edge/unknown cases with commissioned pieces, and often support growing artists in my communities. I also do not use AI in any of my play-by-post messages. This provides a raw experience to my creative inspirations.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Character creation happens as guided in the Cosmere System, though ancestries will be swapped to more thematic ones based on the Lord of the Rings universe. While Dwarves of Durin's Folk are the more likely to go on this adventure, others may be accepted or brought along as long as reasoning can be given. Players are expected to come up with reasons to stay in this journey in the long run. Due to the nature of this adventure, players are highly recommended to form bonds with one another early on and have goals associated with the progression of the story.
This game will not begin until the end of my current campaign, which is set to end on November 7th (US-Central).
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Players will need access to the Core Rules, which I can provide if you do not own yourself. You will also need to have a free account on the following programs: - Roll20 - Discord - Google Drive (for shared book content) Finally, players will be expected to be able to read English to review any alterations to the rules for play in Moria, found in the roll20 game. A link to everything will be provided to the players in discord.
What Onyx (Megan) brings to the table
Players will gain access to all player options available in the game along with alternative ones created by myself. Players will also experience an evolving game that changes with your decisions, realistic NPCs who holds goals, concerns, and personal agendas, and fights that will be challenging, but thematic as decisions made will shape the story combats forward. As a GM who has ran on roll20 for some time, you also gain the benefit of a 10+ year Pro supporter on the roll20 platform.
Homebrew rules
We will be using custom Ancestries related to the Lord of the Rings setting that will be provided to players.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Onyx (Megan) creates a safe table
Safety tools are used both in Discord and in the game itself. While we can all agree that Tolkien's world has many dark aspects and problematic takes, that as a fantasy to enjoy separate from our world, we should still strive to play in a safe fashion. During session 0, I will go over with players any safety concerns folks have and feel willing to share upfront while also allowing players to message me privately on issues they might have. There will also be check ins frequently to ensure players are still having fun. If you are joining midgame, I do require a session 0 to be had prior to starting the game in order to catch your character up to speed, cover any safety requests, and make sure you understand any of the changes the game or story has had.
Content warnings
Safety tools used