Shadows over the East - Dark FR Open world
Dark sandbox in a dying land. Your choices reshape the East — factions remember, oaths matter, and the veil between worlds grows thin.
$15.00
/ Session
Details
2 players following this game
Weekly / Tuesday - 2:00 AM UTC
Jun 9 / Session 28
Session Duration / 2.5–3.5 hours
3 / 5 Seats Filled
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Schedule
Meet your party members
3/5
About the adventure
Shadows over the East A Player-Driven Sandbox in the Unapproachable East The lands of the East have endured a long, bitter decline. Demon cults whisper in the shadows once more. The noble courts of Impiltur and Damara rot from within — nobles trading oaths for coin while the Church of the Triad wanes beneath the weight of corruption. To the north, the broken tribes of Narfell cling to survival amid the haunted ruins of their demon-binding past. To the south, the Great Dale teeters on chaos — its northern reaches infested with fiend-spawn, while the druids of Leth guard their forests and trust few outsiders. And across it all, the veil between worlds grows thin. Things that should not be slip through, leaving only fear and ruin in their wake. Salvation — or damnation — will not come from kings or gods. It will come from those who choose to act. A living world shaped by its people This is not a railroad. There is no predetermined path. The East has factions, secrets, and crises — but where you go, who you trust, and what you fight for is entirely up to the table. Alliances formed here have weight. Oaths broken here have consequences. The world remembers what you do. What kind of game is this? Roleplay-heavy with meaningful combat — fights happen, but they mean something Sandbox — you drive the story, not the other way around Dark and grounded — hope exists, but it has to be earned Character-first — your backstory, your faction ties, and your personal goals will shape the campaign's direction The tone Dark realism with flickering hope. The East is weary but not lost. Every session carries personal stakes — faith, legacy, survival, and what you're willing to sacrifice to protect what matters. New players The campaign is at session 26 but new characters are welcome. Session Zero gets you caught up, connected to the world, and introduced to the party before your first session. The existing players are experienced and welcoming. Current party: warrior, paladin, rogue · Level 4 · Two seats open
Game style
Roleplay Heavy
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Sandbox / Open World
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
4.7
(9)
4 years on StartPlaying
45 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, World Builder, Teacher
About me
I picked up the DM screen in 1985 because nobody else at the table wanted to. Forty years later I'm still behind it — and I wouldn't have it any other way. I ran games through the late 80s and 90s until my son was born in 1999. I stepped away for 21 years, came back as a player for five, and have been running games again for the last three. That time on the player side of the table changed how I DM. I know what it feels like to have your choices ignored, your backstory forgotten, and your character treated like a token on a map. I don't run games that way. Even now I still sit down as a player at least once a week — I never want to lose that perspective. What I care about most is simple — I want your character to feel like a real person living in a real world. Not a collection of stats working through a plot. A person with history, relationships, and something to lose.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Species: Human, Dwarf, Halfling, Elf, Gnome, Orc, Tiefling, Dragonborn. Others by discussion. Classes: All 2024 & 2014 classes plus select alternates available through Roll20. Stats: Standard Array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) · Max HP at levels 1–3 Your character starts in the East, not passing through it. Choose a homeland: Damara, Impiltur, Narfell, or the Great Dale. Then choose a faction tie — something that roots your character in the region: * A church or temple seeking to reclaim faith and order * A thieves' guild surviving and thriving amidst the corruption * A mercenary company fighting for coin, honor, or survival * A wizards' guild or circle of old mentors * A merchant house navigating shifting alliances * A noble lineage, fallen or low-born, struggling for relevance * A knightly order striving to restore justice in a broken land Come to Session Zero with a concept in mind — who your character is right now, what they've lost or what they're protecting, and why they're still standing when so many others aren't.
The current party is a warrior, paladin, and rogue at level 4, about to enter tier 2. They are an established group but welcoming to new characters. Think about how your character might naturally connect with a fighter-type, a holy warrior, or a skilled thief — and what role you'd like to fill in that dynamic. The party currently has no arcane caster and no dedicated healer, so those are natural gaps if you want to slot in cleanly — but play what excites you, the story will make room.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Before Session Zero, have a character concept ready — your class, species, homeland, and faction tie. You don't need a fully built character sheet, just a clear idea of who this person is and why they're in the East. Install Discord and test your microphone. Create a free Roll20 account if you don't have one. After booking you'll receive an invite to the private Discord server and access to the Roll20 campaign. Session Zero runs about 30-45 minutes and is free. We'll build out your character together, cover lines and veils, and work out how you connect to the existing party. Come with questions. Attendance and communication This is a shared commitment — five people are showing up every week for you. If you know you'll be late or absent, notify the group in Discord as soon as possible. Life happens and we understand that, but silence is not acceptable. Give the table the same respect you'd want in return. Missed sessions If you need to skip a session you are responsible for marking yourself absent on StartPlaying before the session to avoid being billed. When a player is absent their character fades into the background for that session — the story continues and you won't be left behind. Consistent absences: There is no hard number of missed sessions that triggers a conversation, but if attendance becomes a pattern the group will have input on how to handle it. This is a table, not a subscription — everyone's time and investment matters equally. Cancellations and refunds: StartPlaying's standard refund policy applies. If you need to leave the campaign entirely please let the GM know directly rather than simply dropping — it helps the group plan and keeps the door open for a clean exit.
What Jim brings to the table
A private Discord server for voice, session scheduling, and between-session roleplay. A Pro Roll20 account with multiple sourcebooks and compendiums available for character creation and reference during play. Session Zero is included — we'll build your character together, establish your ties to the East, and make sure you're comfortable before your first session. I run a living world. Between sessions the East keeps moving — factions shift, rumors spread, and your downtime choices matter. You'll never show up to a session where nothing has changed.
Homebrew rules
Roleplay as skill challenge: If you describe what your character is doing rather than just calling for a roll, the DC goes down. Good roleplay is rewarded mechanically. Luck Points: A Tales of the Valiant mechanic that gives players a small pool of points to influence outcomes. Takes the edge off brutal moments without removing tension. Downtime leveling: Gaining a level takes in-world time. You can play through it or let it pass in the narrative. Leveling feels earned rather than arbitrary. YoYo healing: Dropping to zero and bouncing back up has a cost — levels of exhaustion accumulate. Going down in a fight has real consequences. Rules as written in combat, rule of cool in roleplay. Combat runs by the book — it keeps things fair and tactical. Outside of combat, if you can sell it with good roleplay, we can make it happen. No flying mounts or magic shops. This is a grounded, low-magic economy. Equipment is earned through play, not purchased. Magic items are rare and meaningful when they appear. Rules are a guide, not a cage. If a rule gets in the way of a great moment, we talk about it. Rulings favor story and fun over strict RAW.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Headphones
Platforms used
Safety
How Jim creates a safe table
Lines and veils are discussed openly in Session Zero so everyone knows the table's boundaries before play begins. Hard limits: No sexual content of any kind. Fade to black: Used whenever a scene reaches a point that doesn't need to be played out in detail. Character death is possible. This is a dangerous world and choices have consequences. Death will be meaningful when it happens, not arbitrary — but it is on the table. Mature and respectful play expected. This campaign explores dark themes — corruption, loss, moral ambiguity. Players are expected to engage with those themes thoughtfully and with consideration for everyone at the table. If something is uncomfortable, say so. We handle it like adults.
Content warnings
Safety tools used