Creating your character

Once you join up you will be provided with PDF Tenebria World Guide, which includes world lore, and character options. As well you will get an invite to the private Discord channel. Once the group spots are filled we will arrange a (free) session zero to discuss the game, world lore, safety and game content and create characters before we schedule a first session.

Preparing for the session

You will need a decent quality microphone or headset. You will also need a Discord account, and a dependable computer capable of acting as a client for Foundry VTT. Check your machine against the minimum spec requirements at the following link if you are not sure (A low-mid range gaming PC should suffice): https://foundryvtt.com/article/requirements/ Foundry contains all of the player facing Shadowdark game rules, so copies of the book won't be required for play. We will go over character creation during our session zero, and do character creation inside of Foundry VTT.

What Jeff brings to the table

We’ll use Discord for voice chat and Foundry VTT for characters, dice rolls, and in-game chat. The campaign features occasional custom artwork, ambient sounds, background music, and a mix of tactical battle maps and theater-of-the-mind for encounters; key moments may include bespoke maps, handouts, and illustrations. Some visuals may incorporate generative AI as a base or reference, but all are heavily over-painted and refined. I’m an experienced professional artist, so you can expect intentional, polished pieces, not slop. The game hews close to Shadowdark Rules, which are rules light and there's always room for Rule of Cool. I’ve been running games for a long time, and while Tenebria can be brutal for your characters, the focus at the table is simple: everyone has a good time, even when things get horrible.

Homebrew rules

I am still nailing down the exact house rules, but will likely use a few of the more popular ones for Shadowdark. We can discuss this at session zero as I am flexible if the group prefers a more pure Shadowdark experience.

How Jeff creates a safe table

I run an inclusive game, and everyone is welcome. Each player will need to fill out a copy of the "Monte Cook RPG Consent Checklist" during our session zero to indicate any topics they do not want included in the game. Due to the open nature of the world and plot lines, and the fact this is a grimdark game with horror themes, any number of topics could come up. I also tend to run a highly fluid game and as such, many events or topics are not planned in advance. That said, I will do my best to make sure anything listed on the checklist sheet as a 'hard no' is steered away from in the game and generally keep things somewhat between PG and R at worst. Provided below under 'content warnings' are topics that could happen at some point during the campaign, that doesn't mean they will or will be described in graphic detail. The session zero is a perfect place to discuss further and ensure this is the right game for you. I do tend to lean into horror-themes and depictions of violence on occasion.