The City Takes Its Due

The City Takes Its Due

The lamps burn low, the ghosts whisper, and only the desperate thrive. Claim your turf in the haunted city of Doskvol.

TYPE

Campaign

LANGUAGE

English

EXPERIENCE

Beginner

AGE

18+
3 NEEDED TO START
$25.00

/ Session

Details

Bi-weekly / Saturday - 2:00 AM UTC

Session Duration / 2–3 hours

0 / 4 Seats Filled

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This game will begin once 3 players have joined
About the adventure

You are a scoundrel, or just someone trying to claw their way out of the mud, looking for a glimmer of hope in a bleak life. Duskvol is a city in perpetual gloom. A grimy, cursed, smog ridden metropolis beset by crime, instability, and darker (and older) things in the shadows. I'll be your guide, and antagonist, as you seek to unyoke yourself of your demons and vices - and pursue a better life, however you see fit. You'll face rival gangs, shifting allegiances, unpleasant--but necessary--deeds, and supernatural reckonings. Will your survive? Will you rise to stardom in the underworld of this broken city and find yourself free? Or will you, like so many, drown in your own aspirations and find yourself yet another nameless, soulless, corpse. Let's find out.

Game style

Theater of the Mind

Rule of Cool (RoC)

Meet the Game Master

5.0

(5)

Game Designer

1 year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Voices

About me

Welcome to Vow & Void, where myth and horror entwine — and the only way out is through! My name is Matthew and I run theater-of-the-mind campaigns for players who crave story over stats, consequence over combat, and meaning over min-maxing. Whether it’s a dying knight’s last quest in Mythic Bastionland, a desperate heist under the gaslights in Blades in the Dark, or the final hours aboard a haunted starship in Mothership, every session is designed to leave a mark — on your character and on you.

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Character creation

Creating your character

Every crew starts somewhere ours begins with Session 0, where we’ll build both your character and the bonds that tie the group together. You’ll receive access to our Discord hub and Roll20 room, where sheets and tools live, and where our story starts to take shape. If you’d like more time to flesh out your scoundrel’s motives or ties, you’re welcome to book a one-on-one session with the GM before we begin. Should you join the story already in motion (and it’s less than 48 hours before a session), you’ll jump in with a pre-generated character for that week’s score. A personal character creation call will follow soon after to weave your scoundrel properly into the ongoing tale. New players are encouraged to chat with the crew on Discord about ideas, hooks, or rivalries before locking in their final sheet.

What to expect

Preparing for the session

A Roll20 account and Discord account. A functional microphone is, of course, a must!

What Matt brings to the table

My focus is on collaborative storytelling and clear stakes. We’ll use Blades in the Dark’s flashback and position/effect mechanics to keep the pacing tight and the fiction coherent. Therefore there will be no wasted rolls, no filler scenes. I encourage players to drive the fiction: propose daring plans, start trouble, and narrate success or failure creatively. I’ll meet that energy with strong world reactions and opportunities for character growth. Expect light ambient music, clear visual references on Roll20, and space for roleplay. I’m not a by-the-book GM meaning that I’ll prioritize flow, emotion, and consistency over nitpicking mechanics. You bring your imagination and your ambition. I’ll bring a world that bites back. Also! For my home-games I've been capturing the audio and turning it into compelling dramatic write-ups and post-session breakdowns, if you consent to audio being recorded I can do the same for our adventures together.

Equipment needed to play

Internet

Computer

Microphone

Safety

How Matt creates a safe table

Life in Doskvol isn’t gentle. This game leans into R-rated themes — violence, language, and the darker edges of human ambition. That said, my priority as GM is always player safety and comfort. We’ll use safety tools to set clear boundaries, and I encourage open communication at all times. If something ever feels off or too intense, message me anytime or schedule a call. The story should challenge you, not harm you.

Content warnings

Safety tools used

Frequently asked questions