Dark Heart of the Woods - Level 2 Draw Steel 3-Shot Adventure

Creating your character

Before the session begins, you should have a Level 2 hero ready to go. You’re free to either create your own using the Draw Steel rules, or use one of the pregenerated characters (PDFs for which I can provide). If you create your own character, you may take a Complication as long as you run it by me first, as some include features that don’t make sense for a few-shot like this. At the start of this adventure, your character will have 0 Victories and their maximum amount of recoveries. In addition, give your character the Title “Local Hero” and select one of the benefits it provides. You also have 250 project points, which you can use to craft various treasures before the events of this adventure. This is on top of any project points you gain from your career. For project sources and prerequisites, you have access to any of the 1st-Echelon Treasures. If you are a returning player from one of my other games, you may use a character from those games of the appropriate level, along with any Treasures or Titles you have acquired. Instead of the prior guidelines, you gain 200 project points in addition to any you have already, and can select one project source and prerequisite to have acquired before the events of this one-shot (1st-Echelon Consumables and Trinkets only). If you are not familiar with any of the rules mentioned above or have questions, I am happy to help with any part of the process (time permitting).

Preparing for the session

You will first need an account for Discord, which will be used for communication and voice call during sessions. It will also have channels with information you can look over but these are in no way required material. When you sign up for this game, you will receive a message/email from StartPlaying with the Discord link and a link to a Google Form I’d like you to fill out. Which VTT we will be using is to be determined. I believe the Codex, the official Draw Steel VTT, does offer the best experience. However, I understand that the cost and the technical requirements may be a barrier to some, so this is not required. If we decide against using the Codex, I will default to using Owlbear Rodeo, which works in-browser. At some point before the first session, I will also need you to pick a token to represent your character in the VTT (virtual tabletop). I have several tokens already that cover a wide range of different character concepts that you are welcome to pick from, or you can send me a piece of character art if you find something that better fits your concept (I can then make the token myself). I tend to exclusively use the circular tokens with character art in a frame.

What Zee brings to the table

I will provide the PDFs of the pregenerated characters should you choose to use them, as mentioned under Character Creation. As far as my style of running the game, I typically try to provide a fairly immersive experience with in-character voices and detailed descriptions, while still keeping things light above table. While normally I ascribe to the rule of cool, I will mostly be adhering to the rules as written since most of the people at the table are still growing accustomed to the rules (myself included). Draw Steel is intended to be fairly tactical, but my goal here is not to overwhelm anyone, much less kill their character. I’ll also be playing ambient music and audio tracks to help immerse you into the world of the game.

How Zee creates a safe table

When you sign up, you will receive a link to a Google Form serving as a check list of Lines and Veils for topics that might come up in this adventure. There will be space for you to list any of your own boundaries in case there are topics I have not thought of that you don’t want to see at the table. During sessions, there is a general Open Door policy, meaning any player can step away, disconnect from the call, etc. and rejoin at any time without judgement. If you need to leave for your own safety and well-being, or if something just comes up, please do so. I will not tolerate any player harassing another should they choose to do this. Finally, at the end of each session, I like to do Stars and Wishes to gauge what went well during the session and what the group is looking forward to. If you’re unfamiliar, the idea is that you talk about something you really enjoyed during the session (your star) and something you want to see in future sessions (the wish). I’m also open to receiving feedback outside of session time, you’re welcome to message me through Discord or StartPlaying with any questions or concerns.