Homebrew Setting! | 1930's Noir Steampunk! | Crime & Mystery!
The world is steam, cogs, and smoke. Much of the natural vegetation has long since receded into the uninhabited area of the world. Now it fights back.
$30.00
/ Session
Details
3 players following this game
Weekly / Sunday - 11:00 PM UTC
Oct 18 / Session 28
Session Duration / 3–4 hours
Campaign Length / 12+ Sessions
5 / 6 Seats Filled
Top Game Master
One of StartPlaying's top-rated GMs, a player favorite and highly recommended.
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Schedule
Meet your party members
5/6
About the adventure
Welcome to a 1930s-inspired industrial metropolis where steam-powered clockwork towers scrape enchanted skies and ancient magic fuels a revolution. In this sprawling city, arcane engines run on captured elementals, airships carry cargo across mystical lakes, and the line between progress and exploitation has never been thinner. But the gears of industry are grinding to a halt. A revolutionary cult of druids, nature clerics, and eco-extremists has declared war on the city's factories. They've sabotaged refineries, assassinated industrial magnates, and liberated bound elementals by force. Their charismatic leader demands the complete dismantling of the city and the return of the region to its natural state. To the powerful industrial alliance, they're dangerous terrorists. To the dispossessed and enslaved, they're freedom fighters for a stolen world. You are caught in the middle of a powder keg about to explode. Your Choices Will Shape the Future: This is a campaign about moral complexity and player agency. There are no easy answers and no clear villains. The industrial powers have created prosperity and innovation but built it on the suffering of enslaved elementals and destroyed ecosystems. The nature revolutionaries fight for legitimate justice but through methods that threaten thousands of innocent lives. Will you defend the city's industrial marvels and the workers who depend on them? Join the revolution and accept the cost in blood? Or forge a third path—brokering peace, uncovering lost technology, and transforming both sides before catastrophe consumes the city? What to Expect: Noir Investigation & Political Intrigue - Navigate competing factions, uncover conspiracies, and build alliances in a living world where your choices have lasting consequences Tactical Combat with Stakes - Set-piece encounters featuring environmental hazards, faction warfare, and objectives beyond "kill all enemies" Gray Morality - Every faction has blood on their hands and legitimate grievances you'll have to reckon with Rich Steampunk Setting - Explore factory districts, criminal undergrounds, wealthy manor houses, druidic strongholds, and ancient sky-cities Player-Driven Story - Your decisions drive the narrative. Side with any faction, betray them, or chart your own course. The world reacts and remembers Perfect For Players Who Enjoy: - Morally complex stories where there's no "right" answer - Political intrigue and faction play - Unique settings that blend familiar and fantastic - Campaigns where player choices genuinely matter - Character-driven narratives with personal stakes
Game style
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Sandbox / Open World
Roleplay Heavy
Puzzle / Mystery Focused
Meet the Game Master
4.9
(21)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
126 games hosted
Highly rated for: World Builder, Storytelling, Creativity
Average response time: 2 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
Hi! My name is Ethan, and I'm hopefully your new GM! I've been GMing for 9 years, and what started because I couldn't find the kind of table I wanted to play at quickly turned into one of my favorite things in the world. Since then, I've run several long-form homebrew campaigns including mysteries, political thrillers, high fantasy epics, all in worlds built completely from scratch. I specialize in handcrafted worlds and player-driven stories. My games feature custom maps, campaign lore, memorable NPCs with distinct voices, ambient music, cinematic encounters, and stories that actively incorporate your character's history, relationships, and choices. I love tactical combat, but I'm a Rule of Cool GM first. If you come up with something creative and awesome, I'm usually looking for a fair way to let you try it. Just as importantly, I want my tables to be places where people can relax, be themselves, and enjoy the game. I run welcoming tables for players from all kinds of backgrounds and experience levels, use clear safety tools and boundaries, and have zero interest in gatekeeping the hobby. Whether you've played D&D for ten years or you're still figuring out which die is the d20, you're welcome here. I'm a lifelong nerd, a military veteran, a husband, and a dad. Outside of running games, I'm usually spending time with my family, cooking, gaming, or inevitably building yet another fantasy world. If you're looking for a GM who takes the game seriously without taking himself too seriously, I think you'll fit right in.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
We will create characters during Session Zero. Characters will start at level 3 and will be created via DNDBeyond. Stats will be either rolled or point-buy.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Please create an account on DNDBeyond, Roll20, and Discord if you do not have them already. All links are provided within my Discord channel once you join!
What Ethan (GM Viper) brings to the table
I bring a cinematic, player-driven approach to D&D. You'll explore Coghaven—a 1930s inspired city where steam engines run on captured elementals and druids have become revolutionaries. Expect a campaign that blends noir investigation, political intrigue, and high-stakes action with genuine moral complexity. Your choices matter. I run a living world where factions act independently—if you don't intervene, events unfold. There are no predetermined "right" answers to the campaign's central conflict. You can side with industrialists, join the revolution, broker peace, or chart your own path entirely. Rules & Combat: I use RAW as a foundation but embrace the Rule of Cool for creative solutions that enhance the story. Combat is tactical and consequential—I design encounters with environmental hazards and faction dynamics. Victory isn't always about defeating enemies; sometimes it's about preventing catastrophe or winning hearts and minds. Tone: Gray morality is central. Both sides of the conflict have legitimate grievances and blood on their hands. I don't do mustache-twirling villains—expect complex NPCs whose motivations you'll understand even when you oppose them.
Homebrew rules
Any homebrew rules can be discussed and decided on during our session zero. Some examples of homebrew rules that I use are; -Drinking potions is a bonus action -Critical hits deal Max damage + Rolled Damage -Custom revivify rules and death rules
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Ethan (GM Viper) creates a safe table
Lines and Veils document pre-session zero, a session zero discussion regarding other aspects of the campaign, an anytime open-door policy, and a session debrief with stars and wishes after each session.
Content warnings
Safety tools used