STL: Gateway to Dreams | D&D | Inspired by 'The Unsleeping City'
"Meet me in St. Louis, Louis. Meet me at the fair. Don't tell me the lights are shining Any place but there..."
$17.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Thursday - 8:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 3–4 hours
Campaign Length / 4+ Sessions
0 / 5 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
Enter the magical underworld of St. Louis, Missouri. Inspired by Dimension 20's 'Unsleeping City', St.Louis; The Gateway to Dreaming explores the histories, mysteries and quintessence of Saint Louis. Players will play as St. Louis natives and transplants plugged into the communities and cultures that make up the tapestry of the city -- both the mundane and the magical. Whether they be an arcanist of the Bissel Street, Grand Avenue, or Compton Hill Towers, a keeper of the fey of Forest Park, or a protector of new and old sacred and magical spaces like the Door of Return, Union Station, Treemonisha, Bevo Mill, or The Grafitti Wall.
Game style
Combat Lite
Roleplay Heavy
Puzzle / Mystery Focused
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(10)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
5 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Inclusive
About me
Looking for immersive games, well-woven stories, and a guide through the manifold worlds of story hidden within your very own mind? Look no further wanderer… Hello All! I’m Josh! I’m a Midwest based DM, MC, GM, and general enjoyer of running TTRPG’s. I run the gamut from cozy combat-lite/combat-free games to lethal horror games. I love running for all levels of player curating games to challenge advanced players and curating experiences for those dipping their toes into a game system for the first time. I have been a gamemaster for 8 years! Much of that time has been spent bouncing between running long-term campaigns for primarily experienced players and running one-shots and limited-term campaigns for beginners. I believe that storytelling has the power to build community and forge a sense of togetherness. Storytelling is an act of collaboration, collectivism, and community-building, which is enriched by uniting through empathy, and curating a space where all stories are welcomed and given voice. Outside GM-ing, I spend much of my time as a playwright and theatre-maker. I use the skills from that aspect of my life to enrich gameplay including, graphics, projections, soundscapes, effects, character materials, and occasional costuming or physical props. Anything that serves to build a better story together! We all have stories to tell, and I cannot wait to hear yours. See you at the table!!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Build and Concept for character creation will be one-on-one (either video call or chat exchange: player preference) to develop 'character relationship to world'. Session 0 will be building 'character relationship to character' and establishing group dynamics. [Character Creation and Session 0 Free!]
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Gameplay and Character Creation will happen over Discord! Once you join the server, you will be added to the channels for this game. After being added to the channel, reach out to me about setting up a character creation setting!
What Josh brings to the table
I'll be bringing in some visual aids (scene cards, digital maps, etc.) and some sound effects or soundscapes to help create a sense of immersion in the story. Also, as far as rules go, I am always a 'rules flexible' DM. Rules should serve the story we're telling. Rules as written provide solid guardrails for story, however are not universally useful. If we find something needs adjustment either in character creation or in between sessions, we can adjust it!
Homebrew rules
This game will be using primarily DND 5e 2014 rules with case-by-case exceptions (i.e. 2024 backwards compatible backgrounds and feats, certain spell adjustments, potentials for bastion mechanics, drawing/stowing rules). Third-Party content for character building is also welcome (at DM discretion). Critical Skill checks are in play! A Nat20 is a Nat20! Flanking gives advantage. Rule Flexible: (Rule of Cool Lite) Parameters are that the action is feasible, albeit outside of the implicit boundaries of the rule, AND, most importantly, are focused on advancing the story. So, we can adjust the margins of spellcraft or combat technique to reflavor it to a creative use when relevant to a character's story arc, but we will not be doing a NPC rail gun or any other maneuver that is outside the bounds of genre, story, and setting. There's no penalty to acting outside of your alignment, however, feel empowered to adjust your alignment as you feel it reflects the story you're telling!
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Microphone
Webcam
Computer or Mobile Device
Platforms used
Safety
How Josh creates a safe table
I'll be using the RPG Safety Checklist. I'll be transferring that into 'Lines and Veils' a set of language that explains where 'hard lines' of content that we will not touch on, and 'veiled' content which we will not narratively detail and will only ever keep on the periphery of gameplay if at all. From there in any instance where a scene may appear to head towards a 'veil' we will either avoid the content entirely or 'fade to black' on that narrative beat and move to the scene that follows. The following content warnings are elements present in the lore and content of the world that will be filtered and managed carefully based on outcomes from the Safety Checklist. If you have any questions regarding the Content Warnings I would love to address that while going over the Safety Checklist!
Content warnings
Safety tools used