tRails of Doom: Horror on the Orient Express
1923: The Orient Express crosses Europe, and what it transports could either save the world or destroy it. Now boarding.
$21.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Saturday - 11:30 PM UTC
Session Duration / 2–3 hours
0 / 6 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
In the early 1920s a threat is rising. A sinister man is searching for an artifact that holds great power. One broken into pieces and spread out across Europe and beyond. The players take on the role of a group of everyday "investigators" dragged into battling a cultish conspiracy bent on world-wide horror, destruction, and the annihilation of mankind. Thankfully for the investigators the Orient Express can take them across the continent. In doing so they desperately hope to find the artifact and destroy it before it ends up in the hands of the cult. This campaign has over a dozen scenarios, ranging from 1920s Europe, to the French Revolution, and even into lands beyond our mortal realm. Certain scenarios will provide pregens, but in the majority players will get to make their own investigators (or use pregens). Do you have what it takes to board the Orient Express and engage in a race against the greatest threat the world has ever seen? Join this epic campaign. No experience necessary. But beware. Horror and madness hide around every corner.
Game style
Roleplay Heavy
Puzzle / Mystery Focused
Combat Lite
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Theater of the Mind
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(5)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Inclusive
About me
Hey, I'm Jake. Published author, certified book coach, and a GM for nearly three decades. I write horror, fantasy, and scifi for a living, and I love to run games in those genres as well. I prefer a balance of RP and combat. And I believe above all, entertainment is the most import part of these games. If everyone has fun, that's all that matters.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Session zero will be where we create our investigators. You can get an idea of what you want to make by checking out Dhole House and making sameple characters. It's important to make a well-rounded group that can work together so solve myseries, deal with Eldritch horrors, and survive going mad in the process. The Keeper's Rulebook 7e is the book to pick up to help get you started. The Investigators Handbook has additional options. These will the only books you could need for the game. However, the books will be provided when online and logged into Fantasy Grounds.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Have a Discord account. https://discord.com/ Download Fantasy Grounds (now free) and make an account. https://www.fantasygrounds.com/home/FantasyGroundsUnity.php And this site is Dhole House where you can practice making Cthulhu characters: https://www.dholeshouse.org/ This will be voice channel only game so no camera is needed, but a headset or earbuds are a necessity to drown out background noise.
What Jake A. Strife brings to the table
I will provide The Keeper's Rulebook, and the Investigator's Handbook in Fantasy Grounds. If you want a sample of how a Cthulhu game goes, get a copy of Alone Against the Flames. Pdf or whatever format you'd like. I roleplay the NPCs and try to voice them the best I can. But when it comes to accents, I likely won't be doing those. Expect this game to be fun and scary at the same time. I'm an laid-back GM. I'm on your side. I don't want your characters to did or go mad. I want them to survive till the end. My main goal is to entertain. ... That said it is possible to die. This isn't D&D. You don't want to fight if you don't have to. You'll have an average lf 10hp. A gunshot can do that in one go. And a critical hit with a blade can too. Brain over brawn. But at the same time, conflicts are sometimes inevitable.
Homebrew rules
Some rules will be altered. Automatic weapons, chase scenes, and outnumbering in combat. You'll have your luck points to help you succeed. I may grant extra as special rewards for Roleplaying, and cool or heroic actions that succeed.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Headphones
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Jake A. Strife creates a safe table
Session Zero discussion. Talking before the game for 10 minutes. Talking after the game if anyone needs for 15 minutes. If anything is too much, message me on Discord and we can talk through it.
Content warnings
Safety tools used