Into the Gloaming | Learn to play Shadowdark!
The forest is ancient. The darkness is hungry. Your torch is flickering.
$17.50
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Friday - 12:00 AM UTC
Session Duration / 3 hours
Campaign Length / 20+ Sessions
1 / 5 Seats Filled
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Meet your party members
1/5
About the adventure
Welcome to the Gloaming, a realm where towering black trees choke out the sky and mist-addled bogs swallow the unwary. Here, fragile bastions of mankind huddle behind torchlit palisades, praying for deliverance from the horrors that hatch from the forest's cursed marrow trees. The Knights of St. Ydris range out from their deepwood conclave, waging a desperate, losing war against these demons and their servants. But the darkness isn't just outside the walls. The Knights' leader, Inquisitor Justinia Morvin, suspects a traitor in their ranks—a rot from within that threatens to extinguish the last lights of civilization. This is the world you stumble into. It is desperate, lethal, and ripe for heroes (or scoundrels) willing to brave the dark. You come from another land, marooned here for reasons made murky in your mind. The Gloaming awaits. Will you light a torch against the darkness, or be consumed by it? The Game Style: High Stakes, Player Driven This game is run on the Shadowdark RPG engine—old-school gaming sensibilities with modern, streamlined mechanics. Torches matter, darkness is deadly, and cleverness is better than a high stat block. The Gloaming awaits. Will you light a torch against the darkness, or be consumed by it?
Game style
Combat Heavy
Roleplay Heavy
Hexcrawl / Exploration
Sandbox / Open World
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(6)
2 years on StartPlaying
4 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Knows the Rules, Teacher
About me
Hello! I’m a storyteller at heart. Before I was a GM, I was a writer, focused on cosmic horror and suspense. That passion for atmosphere and exploring the unnatural runs through every game I run. By day, I’m an educator, a role that’s made me an organized listener committed to building a positive, collaborative environment where everyone’s voice is heard. My GM philosophy is simple: we build the story together. Your characters are the protagonists. Their choices and goals drive the narrative. I don’t tell my story; I create a living world for you to challenge, change, and make your own. My favorite games share core elements: high stakes, meaningful choices, and a world that feels alive. I love building a palpable atmosphere—whether it's the creeping dread of a modern conspiracy, the tactical tension of a high-stakes combat, or the fast, deadly thrill of old-school exploration.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
This campaign uses characters built with the Shadowdark RPG core book or Shadowdark RPG free Quickstart book (available on DriveThruRPG). You can also use classes from the Cursed Scroll 1 book including the cursed Knight of St. Ydris, the Witch, and the Warlock. I can provide you with that information upon request. Do not read Cursed Scroll 1 as it contains major spoilers for the hexcrawl. Characters begin at 1st level. We’ll generate characters and roll for abilities during our session zero. For this campaign, we will host our character sheets and roll dice on FoundryVTT.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Shortly after joining our campaign, you will receive a message from me inviting you to our Forge Hosted FoundryVTT server and my discord channel. Do not worry about notification spam from the discord channel, it is exclusively for games I host. Each game has its own locked text and voice channel.
What Charlie brings to the table
True Agency in a Dangerous World I specialize in running games where your choices genuinely matter. I don't believe in "railroading"; I believe in consequences. If you decide to burn down the Jarl’s longhouse or try to talk to the drake instead of fighting it, the world will react authentically. For Beginners & Veterans: Whether you are a tactics veteran or this is your first RPG, you are welcome here. I am patient, prepared, and love teaching the system. Tone & Style: As a horror writer, I excel at descriptions that stick with you. Expect distinct NPC voices, atmospheric soundscapes, and a game that balances "Rules as Written" fairness with the "Rule of Cool" creativity. The Vibe: We will play hard and laugh often. My tables are safe, inclusive spaces to experience a dangerous, gritty game.
Homebrew rules
-You do not lose a spell for the day when casting a spellcasting check until you successfully cast the spell at least once for that day. -Modified version of 'pulp' mode, involves more luck tokens for players -If a character dies, the player's new character joins at the same level but with experience reset to 0. -Ability scores are rolled for character creation, but the player may allocate their rolls as they wish. Standard 'if no score exceeds 14 you may reroll' applies.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Charlie creates a safe table
“Pause for a Minute” During this campaign, at any time, a player or the GM can say “pause for a minute” to stop the current conversation. This can be used for anything from “I really don’t like this thing in the game” to “I don’t understand why we’re in this dungeon.” Use it freely to clarify the direction of the game and address any concerns. Content, Lines, and Veils This campaign contains the following subject matter: grim lives, body horror, human sacrifice, and death - lots of death. This campaign contains the following material veiled off screen and only conducted by villains: torture, bondage, slavery. This campaign will not have any of the following: non-consensual sexual contact or harassment of players or NPCs, player-initiated taking of slaves, torture, racism, misogyny, transphobia, or homophobia. Characters in this campaign work together to defeat the shadows of the darkness. Characters will not steal or fight with one another, although they may disagree. You seek the fellowship of your companions to face the shadows in the darkness together.
Content warnings
Safety tools used