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Castaways: Survival, and Secrets, on Smuggler's Shiv?!
You board the ship Jenivere somewhere on its journey south, but a sudden storm and some shenanigans leave you shipwrecked on the isle Smugglers Shiv
$20.00
/ Session
Details
Bi-weekly / Monday - 12:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 2–3 hours
Campaign Length / 5+ Sessions
0 / 5 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
Hi adventurers! If you're a fan of Lost, Indiana Jones, Lara Croft or the lore of Ancient Golarion, then join me for the Serpent's Skull 1e Adventure Path. While the first book takes place on a desert isle, where survival and cooperation are forefront, Smuggler's Shiv reveals secrets that eventually lead the heroes on a race to discover a lost city deep in the jungle known as The Mwangi Expanse, and a missing link to the history of the ancient world, and lost cultures, religions and races.
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(17)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
2 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Teacher, Inclusive
Average response time: 4 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
Greetings fellow gamers, I'm new to StartPlaying, but have been running games for more than 25 years, mostly d20 fantasy. For the last 15 years, I’ve mainly run Pathfinder 1e Adventure Paths for a stable of 20 regular players. I run a mix of monthly and weekly games, as well as limited-run games. Through the support of a kind and dedicated community, I was able to make this a small business during COVID, when I left my career in journalism. I currently run a variety of ongoing games including Pathfinder (1e and 2e), Delta Green, and Call of Cthulhu, and have just kicked off a World of Darkness game (Werewolf). I have run Blades in the Dark, Runequest and Traveller before and would like to play more of these games if interest exists. For the past four years I've supplemented my business with a 5e kids program (Summer camps and afterschool), but no longer have a venue for this. I'm currently looking for adult players for shorter games (1-5 sessions) to work toward forming groups for weekly, bi-weekly or monthly games starting in the New Year (2026) if not sooner. I'm a flexible and responsive GM, adapting to different styles and tones of play as needed. I love when story is king and lean toward narrative over mechanics. I try to be a benevolent GM and say yes to players whenever possible. I want to challenge my players, without punishing them.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Please come with a couple of ideas to the free Session 0, and feel free to reach out with questions in the meantime. But here are some important details to keep in mind: This is largely a wilderness (jungle) campaign, with several underground excursions. The early chapters will have no villages/places to shop/temples and things like rations and ammo will be tracked to that point at least. We'll use the point buy method High Fantasy (20 points), per page 16 of the Core Rule Book. You may choose a skill at first level as a Background Skill, but it has to be something that you could use to make a living in someway: craft/profession/perform/survival or something of that ilk. But if you can (creatively) justify it, I'll pretty much accept any skill. You will get a free rank in that skill each level starting at first, but the skill cannot be changed once chosen. Any PF1e class, race, spell, feat, archetype etc. found on Archives of Nethys (https://www.aonprd.com/) is typically available in my games. I always reserve the right to veto things that don't fit, but I rarely use that veto.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
You'll need a Roll20 account, a character idea or two, and the willingness to play a character forced to trust the other PCs, and a handful of NPCS, as you all strive to survive and be rescued from haunted, and inhospitable island, rumoured to inhabited by a cannibal tribe, pirate ghosts and flying creature, its shrieks heard y passing ships on calm nights.
What Dave B brings to the table
An experienced GM who is mid campaign with another group, and had so much fun, I wanted to run it again. The opportunity to play a great surviva based game, where ancient secrets are worth more than the gold they may contain. The chance to tell a great story, maybe make some new friends and immerse yourself into a scenario where you and your fellow players could become the explorers who found Golarian's El Dorado, Atlantis or Machu Picchu. Optional sound fx/music through Syrinescape.
Homebrew rules
I have several, but all will be up for discussion during the free Session 0.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Dave B creates a safe table
As I want this to be survival themed, with tinges of horror, we will set lines and veils during the Session 0 and constantly check in with the players.
Content warnings
Safety tools used