Vaults of the Broken Dream -- GURPS 4e Fantasy
In the depths of the Stormvault Mountains, ancient seals crack. Something older than mercy stirs in the dark.
$15.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Wednesday - 9:00 PM UTC
Feb 11 / Session 2
Session Duration / 2.5–3.5 hours
Campaign Length / 40–60 Sessions
4 / 6 Seats Filled
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Schedule
Meet your party members
4/6
About the adventure
System: GURPS 4th Edition Genre: Medium Fantasy, Mystery, Ruin Delving, Survival Set in the world of Orloth, this campaign centers on exploration, mystery, and survival amid the wreckage of a forgotten age. Centuries ago, a civilization of staggering achievement collapsed under its own brilliance and plague. The remnants of that world lie buried beneath stone and silence—machines that once glowed with impossible light, corridors where echoes sound wrong, and vaults where the air itself remembers. Now, the seals that once contained those places are failing, and what was buried begins to awaken. Players take the roles of wanderers, mercenaries, scholars, or exiles drawn north by rumor and ruin. Each seeks something different: knowledge, gold, absolution, or proof that the world still holds wonder. Together, they descend into the deep places of Orloth—through mountain passes, drowned halls, and ancient tunnels that predate memory. What they find may change not only their fates, but their understanding of what humanity once was. This is a game of ruin delving, moral choice, and quiet heroism. There are no destined champions here—only people in over their heads, doing what they can in a world that has already fallen once. The Vaults are dangerous but hauntingly beautiful: flickering lights on wet stone, forgotten murals, bones laid to rest beside machines that no longer work. Between fear and fascination lies the heart of the story. The tone falls between Low and High Fantasy. Magic exists, but it is rare, costly, and unpredictable. Steel, wit, and endurance matter as much as spells. Combat is tense and deliberate; choices in battle carry weight, and survival depends on preparation as much as bravery. This is not a world of constant heroics but of earned victories—where every torch, ration, and decision counts. Expect a balance of story-driven roleplay and grounded, tactical encounters. I value character depth and player creativity as much as exploration. The campaign rewards teamwork, problem-solving, and curiosity. There are secrets to uncover, dangers to face, and choices that determine what kind of person your character becomes when the dark closes in. System: GURPS 4th Edition provides realism and flexibility to match the tone of Orloth. If you’re new to GURPS, this game is beginner-friendly. I’ll guide you through character creation and the essentials of play. Expect clear explanations, consistent rules, and fair but challenging adventures. For players who enjoy: Grounded fantasy worlds with depth and history Tactical combat and meaningful consequences Exploration of lost civilizations and strange relics Characters shaped by moral choice and quiet courage The slow unveiling of ancient mysteries If you enjoy Dark Souls, Dragon Age: Origins, or The Witcher, you’ll feel right at home. Vaults of the Broken Dream offers offers danger, discovery, and moments of fragile hope in a world that still remembers what it lost.
Game style
Combat Heavy
Dungeon Crawl
Tactical / Crunchy
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
4.8
(13)
2 years on StartPlaying
26 games hosted
Highly rated for: World Builder, Creativity, Storytelling
Average response time: 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
About me
I am a long-time role-player and GM in his mid-50s. I started playing role-playing games because I loved reading speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, and horror), and enjoyed it so much that I wanted to be involved in it. I wanted to be more than a spectator. This led me to being a player. But, I also had my own vision of the perfect game, and I hadn’t found it. The best way to find it would be to construct it myself. Thus, a GM was born. I played AD&D and GURPS 2nd Edition in the 80s and 90s, both as player and GM. I took some time off from gaming, though, as the real world intruded. I got married, a career, and a child and gaming took a backseat. I played RPG computer games, and I loved them, but they are limited to programming. Gaming with actual people has an ebb and flow, and the only restrictions are imagination and the real world. In 2020, when the world was falling apart and we were confined at home, I needed social contact, and decided to get back into RPGs with real people online. I researched VTTs, and started out with D&D 5th ed and Roll20. Five years later, I have expanded my horizons to GURPS 4th ed, and then to Foundry. I am a traditionally published author of speculative short fiction, and am a story-teller at heart. My favorite fantasy is A Song of Ice and Fire, and my favorite SciFi is The Expanse and the (2005) Battlestar Galactica. I like my fiction intense, gritty, deep, and morally complex. I have a developed sense of humor, and love wit and wordplay. I am a compulsive communicator, and when it comes to gaming, well-organized. I am also liberal, politically aware, and fully inclusive.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Character Creation Character creation for Vaults of the Broken Dream is a collaborative process that combines personal storytelling with careful mechanical design. The goal is to build a character who not only functions well within the GURPS system, but also belongs naturally to the world of Orloth—a setting of lost civilizations, fragile alliances, and quiet heroism. All characters are created using GCS (GURPS Character Sheet), a free and widely used digital tool designed specifically for the GURPS system. This allows each player to track stats, traits, and gear easily while ensuring that characters remain consistent with the campaign’s balance and tone. Character creation will take place in two stages: Private Consultation: Each player will meet with me individually before the first session to discuss concepts, mechanical options, and how the character fits into the world. This step is relaxed and conversational. We’ll shape the story and personality first, then refine the numbers. Session 0: Once the group has formed, we’ll gather for a full-session discussion to introduce characters to one another, finalize mechanical choices, confirm party balance, and establish early connections between player backstories. This ensures that the group begins as a cohesive team rather than strangers sharing a table. All statistics are determined using the GURPS point-buy system: 150 Character Points (net) for the base template. Up to –40 points may be spent on Disadvantages. Up to –5 points may be spent on Quirks. This allows players to customize their characters freely while maintaining parity across the group. Players are encouraged to create heroes, explorers, and wanderers who feel real—flawed but capable people facing extraordinary circumstances. Ideal characters are those with both practical skills for survival and meaningful personal motivations for entering the Stormvault. Approved Books and Supplements: GURPS Basic Set (Characters and Campaigns) GURPS Magic GURPS Low-Tech GURPS Dungeon Fantasy (core volumes and professions) GURPS Power-Ups (selected material as approved by the GM) These provide all the tools needed to build balanced, grounded adventurers who fit within the tone of the campaign. Players are welcome to draw inspiration from other GURPS materials, but any outside options must be reviewed and approved to maintain consistency with Orloth’s technology level and themes. Setting-Specific Resources: The Discord server hosts dedicated character creation threads containing Orloth-specific templates, racial traits, regional notes, pantheon information, and cultural guidelines. These resources help players root their characters in the world’s lore and history from the start. By the time Session 1 begins, every player will have a fully realized, mechanically sound, and narratively integrated character ready to descend into the dark.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Programs 1. Modern web-browser for the VTT 2. GCS -- GURPS Character Sheet for character creation Accounts 1. StartPlaying account 2. Discord account, and have Discord ready for voice 3. a The Forge account (for Foundry) and a web-browser to play on Foundry VTT
What Sir Squirrelbane brings to the table
I use ambient sounds/music and battle-music for combat. I conduct intense tactical combat. GURPS combat will take longer than it does in D&D and Pathfinder. I try to stick to RAW, but if rules take too long to look up and work through, I will make things up to keep the flow going. So, a combination of RAW and Rule of Cool.
Homebrew rules
GURPS is a framework system. No sane person would try to use all the rules, and it would take too long to detail all the ones I do and don't use. Suffice to say, within combat I like to use the facing rules, use "torso" as the default Hit Location but allow players to target non-torso locations if they want to at the appropriate hit location penalties, and don't use the Bleeding rules. Powers, using GURPS Powers, are created by me in consultation with the players. GURPS Powers, though internally balanced, are not externally balanced with other GURPS rule sets and thus need to be regulated to ensure that the created Power is balanced.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Headphones
Platforms used
Safety
How Sir Squirrelbane creates a safe table
I will go over all player conduct and safety expectations in Session 0. X, N, and 0 are all messaged via Discord I have an open door policy, and can talk with players outside game sessions.
Content warnings
Safety tools used