Blood Beneath the Smokes! Sword & Sorcery! Short arc or Campaign

Blood Beneath the Smokes! Sword & Sorcery! Short arc or Campaign

The Thieves Guild & the Beggars’ Court are locked in a shadow conflict that threatens to ignite the city. Gold changes hands. Knives are drawn!

TYPE

Campaign

LEVELS

3–13

LANGUAGE

English

EXPERIENCE

Open to all

AGE

18+
4 SEATS LEFT
$27.50

/ Session

Details

Bi-weekly / Tuesday - 4:00 PM UTC

Mar 24 / Session 2

Session Duration / 3 hours

1 / 5 Seats Filled

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Schedule

Tue, Mar 24 | 4:00 PM – Session 2

Tue, Apr 07 | 3:00 PM – Session 3

Tue, Apr 14 | 3:00 PM – Session 4

Tue, Apr 21 | 3:00 PM – Session 5

Tue, May 12 | 3:00 PM – Session 6

Meet your party members

1/5

About the adventure

Blood Beneath the Smokes can be played as a Short arc campaign or come play for the long haul in Aereth, the world created by Goodman Games for Dungeon Crawl Classics Urban Sword & Sorcery šŸŽ² Game Type Levels: 3–13 (hardened survivors welcome) Tone: Gritty, lethal, and morally compromised šŸ“œ The Hook The privateer Crimson Tempest slips into harbor under false colors. Its captain, Verek Duskthorn, replaced the dread pirate Quenn—and some say the ship itself still remembers those crimes. Now Verek walks the knife-edge streets of Punjar, the Tarnished Jewel of the Southlands. A war is coming. The Thieves Guild and the Beggars’ Court are locked in a shadow conflict that threatens to ignite the city’s slums. Gold changes hands. Knives are drawn. Secrets rot beneath the streets. Verek was hired for one simple task: Kill the Beggar-King. It did not go as planned...🩸 What Went Wrong... Deep within the Beggar-King’s fortress, a slaver’s trap snapped shut. Chains. Darkness. The stink of the undercity. Verek escaped—but escape is never free. Now, beneath the choking ash clouds of the Smokes, steel rings in forgotten tunnels. Slavers die screaming in the dark. Old routes awaken. And something ancient stirs below Punjar, hungry for the blood already spilled. āš”ļø What You’ll Play Players step into a living urban nightmare, fighting through: --The Undercity Beneath the Smokes – slave pens, forgotten sewers, charnel tunnels --Criminal Factions at War – beggars, thieves, fences, and worse --Hard Moral Choices – who deserves saving when everyone is guilty? --Classic OSR Lethality – traps, corruption, desperate heroics, sudden death Expect: --Brutal close-quarters combat --Social intrigue with knives drawn --Slavery rings, black markets, and guild politics --Consequences that echo through Punjar’s streets šŸ§™ System & Style --Adventures written for the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG (Goodman Games) style of Sword & Sorcery --Luck burns, mighty deeds, spell corruption, zero mercy --Old-school rulings, cinematic violence, fast pacing --Characters matter—but the world does not care if they live šŸ•Æļø Content & Tone Notes This adventure includes dark fantasy themes: crime, slavery, poverty, corruption, and violence. Handled seriously, never flippantly. šŸ‘„ Players Wanted Fans of Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser, Lankhmar, and Southlands grit Fans of Conan the Barbarian Players who enjoy agency, danger, and consequence No DCC experience required—only courage to face a hard world āš“ Final Word Punjar is bleeding. The Beggar-King still breathes. And the undercity knows your footsteps. Come see if you and the crew of Verek Duskthorn can survive.

Game style

Rule of Cool (RoC)

Theater of the Mind

West Marches

Sandbox / Open World

Dungeon Crawl

Meet the Game Master

5.0

(20)

Published Writer
Teacher/Educator
Game Designer

2 years on StartPlaying

442 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Knows the Rules, Storytelling

Average response time: 24+ hours

Response rate: 100%

About me

I run story-rich, player-driven adventures. You bring the characters—I’ll bring the world—we will make it ours together. My GM style is relaxed, story-rich, and collaborative. Whether you want kick-down-the-door dungeon crawls, exploration, westmarches, horror, or mysteries in the dark, I’ll tailor the game to your players. One-shots are brisk and punchy, delivering a complete adventure in a single session. Campaigns are dynamic and sandbox-style, shaped by your preferences, backstories, and play style. I’ve run many games and campaigns across a variety of systems: • D&D • Dungeon Crawl Classics • Mutant Crawl Classics • Call of Cthulhu • Traveller, • Top Secret • Shadowdark • Mƶrk, Cy_Borg, Pirate Borg My shelves are stacked with classics and modern gems alike—I’ve got you covered. If not, I can run it. I’ve run games for everything from bachelor parties to birthday surprises, corporate team-building events to reunions. My tables are welcoming, flexible, and focused on making sure everyone has fun. The best games are forged in shared challenges and the camaraderie that comes with them. Let’s tell some amazing stories together!

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Character creation

Creating your character

Character creation will be on D&DBeyond and Discord. Pre-made characters are available or can also be made with me on Discord (scheduled live session or via message) using D&DBeyond. I will send you an invite to the campaign on D&D Beyond and Discord.

The current party

The next session will be 10 February. The party is currently comprised of a 3rd Level Tiefling, split class as a Rogue/Wizard.

What to expect

Preparing for the session

The Theater of the Mind (audio portion of the adventure) will occur on Discord supplemented by images and battle maps as needed. You will need an account on Discord. Access to the dedicated server will be open prior to the game. Owlbear Rodeo may be used. No subscription is necessary. Characters will be made or provided on D&DBeyond. Pre-made characters are always available. Players will make characters during session zero; or, we can make one prior to the game session.

What Mark brings to the table

I am bringing decades of games experience, a robust community, in depth characterisation and the flexibility to adapt to player styles and choices. I will provide free access to a rules and guide you through character creation on D&DBeyond. Tthe narrative will be supplemented with images and maps on the Discord Server. Access to Battle maps and tokens will be open on Owlbear Rodeo. No account is needed by the player.

Homebrew rules

We will craft the house rules we want to play in the first session...or play by the rules as written. You decide! Sword & Sorcery games are fun with luck, fleeting luck and modified critical hits...but we can play they way you want!

Equipment needed to play

Internet

Computer

Microphone

Safety

How Mark creates a safe table

Each player will be provided with a private Discord channel for the discussion of issues or concerns before, during and after sessions. The content warnings will vary depending on the game choice, but it is highly likely the game will have levels of violence involving player characters and non-player characters, with death always being a possibility. SAFETY TOOLS 惻During Session 0 we will discuss Lines and Veils. 惻A 10 minute break will occur roughly halfway through the session. Additional breaks are always available on request. 惻Further details of all tool implementations are provided within the discord server. Feel free to ask any questions for clarification. Nice statement on lines and veils. Thought about plagiarizing… Many games includes dark and potentially disturbing themes. While the setting can be grim, my goal is for play to be safe and enjoyable for everyone. Please direct message me anything you’d like veiled (using ā€œfade to blackā€ mechanics popular in movies) or set as a hard line. During play, if something feels uncomfortable tell or message me. If needed, ask me to check my DMs. We can pause or retcon anything to restore positive play.

Content warnings

Safety tools used

Frequently asked questions