The Seventh Thrall of A DCC 0-level Funnel!
Stennard is starving! The forest is corrupted! Can you save the people?!?
$30.00
/ Session
Details
Once / Monday - 12:00 AM UTC
Mar 16
Session Duration / 3 hours
0 / 4 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
Stennard: Born to Starve, Chosen to Die A Dungeon Crawl Classics 0-Level Funnel Tone: Grim, desperate, brutal, darkly human Experience: High lethality, emergent storytelling, black humor The Land Is Failing. So Are the People. The rains will not stop. The crops have rotted in the fields. Magic festers instead of heals. Stennard squats in the western foothills like a dying animal — hungry, afraid, and turning on itself. The old certainties are gone. Faith is thin. Law is cruel. Survival is the only virtue left. You are not heroes. You are bakers, beggars, herders, dogs, gravediggers, and children of famine. You carry pitchforks, knives, broken tools — and just enough hope to get yourself killed. This is your first day of adventuring.... Most of you will not see the second. What Is a 0-Level Funnel? In Dungeon Crawl Classics, characters are ordinary people, not trained adventurers. Each player controls multiple peasants, townspeople or even a noble...as determined by the fate of birth. Death is frequent, fast, and often absurd. Survivors earn their class through action, choice and happenstance. The story emerges from failure, sacrifice, and hard decisions If you live long enough to become someone — you’ve earned it. What You Can Expect 🩸 High lethality — death is common and meaningful 🔥 Morally grey choices — there are no clean solutions 🕯️ Weird, dangerous magic — feared and distrusted 🌾 Famine, corruption, and social collapse 🎲 Fast character creation (we roll together at the start) 📖 Strong narrative focus driven by player decisions Victories are small. Survival is the reward. Who This Game Is For ✔ Players who enjoy grim fantasy and dark folklore. ✔ Fans of old-school RPGs and emergent storytelling. ✔ Those who enjoy black humor and chaos. ✔ Anyone curious about DCC funnels — no experience required. New players welcome. I’ll teach the system as we play. Content & Safety Notes This game includes themes of: Famine & desperation Violence & death Body horror and corruption Social cruelty and injustice We’ll establish clear boundaries before play. My Game Mastering Style... I run games that are: Player-driven and reactive Fast, lethal, and fair Focused on atmosphere and consequence Faithful to the spirit of Dungeon Crawl Classics I don’t pull punches — but I don’t railroad either. If You Survive… If any of your peasants live, they will emerge changed — scarred, hardened, and ready to step into the wider horrors of the Stennard region. This funnel can lead directly into further Stennard-based adventures… if anyone is left standing. 🕯️ You are no one. 🕯️ The world is ending anyway. 🕯️ Let’s see what you do with it. ______ This video on the Stennard Chronicle Sandbox Campaign by the author is worth watching: https://youtu.be/mmItB_FpGb8?si=2R16wAhebJb-jK6W
Game style
Dungeon Crawl
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Theater of the Mind
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(20)
2 years on StartPlaying
430 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Knows the Rules, Storytelling
Average response time: 5 hours
Response rate: 83%
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 • Mörk, 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!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Pre-made characters are available or can also be made with me on Discord (scheduled live session or via message) using D&DBeyond. You do not need to know anything about character creation, how the game works, or anything about the game. We can cover all of this together. I will send you an invite to the campaign on Discord. I. This a low-fantasy, grimdark horror setting. II. Money is on a copper standard. Goods are limited and expensive. You will need to acquire every item you wish to possess in-game. III. Food is scarce. Only high-moisture fruits and vegetables survived until harvest. Fresh meat, eggs, and dairy consistently spoil. IV. There are no elves, dwarfs, halflings, or similar species here. V. Canines are very important to the success of humankind. This is reflected in their inclusion as player characters. They are still just dogs as we know them and should be played as such. VI. Magic is mysterious, dangerous, and feared. Its use is risky and will draw unwanted and sometimes violent attention. VII. Magic users will not be handed a list of spells. Lists assume that magic is understood and controlled. It is not. VIII. Faith-based magic is accepted, but rare. Performing miracles will draw the desperate to you. Demanding too much of your deity will draw their disapproval. Common deities are Delvyr (light & knowledge), Wyshalar (survival), & Gorhan (valor & vengeance). IX. Do not attempt to fight every threat. You will not survive. Instead, you will be rewarded for taking risks and engaging with your environment. You are here to create memories. X. Character death is normal. Do not get too attached. Always have another character waiting to step in. As the final step suggests: live fully and die gloriously!
This is a private game for a dedicated group. If you are interested it can be run at other times. You are all in service of the Old Man of the Tower. An adopted family of foundlings, orphans, outlaws, and misfits, you are each in your own way unsuited for town life. Instead, you have made your home here in Nyrwood, toiling in the shadow of the sage’s tower. The tower is a simple stone affair, surrounded by a huddle of fields, thatched animal pens, and smoky hovels: your homes and workshops. It is a small, simple life, but in the warmth of the late-autumn sun, it seems enough. Today, that life comes to an end. Deafening shrieks shatter your reverie and chilling shadows pass overhead. A trio of mounted vulture-things swoop overhead, blotting out the sun. The lead rider, armored in furs and chain, and wearing a horned great helm, stabs the serrated tip of his long spear towards you and his mount gives a shriek. A pair of the riders wheel and dive out of the sky, the wind whistling over their wings, as their master alights atop the tower. Lances whistling, they dive towards you!
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. Some players also enjoy the background music and effects of Syrinscape. A free account is now required for you to log into the site. Once you have the free account, a pregame link will provide you the immersive sounds. While fun, the music and sounds are not required. Characters will be made or provided on Discord. Pre-made characters are always available. Players will make characters at the start of the game or session zero if a campaign. In the alternative, a character can be made prior to the game session. This video is worth watching: https://youtu.be/mmItB_FpGb8?si=2R16wAhebJb-jK6W
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. There will provide free access necessary rules. Character creation is on discord. Premade characters can be provided. The narrative is 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, sanity and modified critical hits...but we can play they way you want!
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Internet
Microphone
Platforms used
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 ・During Session 0 we will discuss Lines and Veils. ・A 10 minute break will occur roughly halfway through the session. Additional breaks are always available on request. ・Further details of all tool implementations are provided within the discord server. Feel free to ask any questions for clarification.
Content warnings
Safety tools used