Tales of Ephyra: Shatter Protocol | A Tech-Noir Heist One-Shot

Creating your character

Characters will be created together at the start of our session — no prep needed beforehand. All necessary books and world materials are provided directly in Foundry, so you don't need to own anything in advance. We'll be building at Level 10 using the core Fabula Ultima rulebook. The campaign is set in Glassmaw, the neon-lit corporate capital of the Glassworks Peninsula — so flavour your character accordingly. Think mercenaries, fixers, ex-corporate security, black market technicians, or anyone with a plausible reason to take a high-risk private job in a city where crime is organised and chaos is the only real offense. The one-shot is built around five crew roles — The Face, The Ghost, The Engineer, The Muscle, and The Wild Card. Come with a rough idea of which role appeals to you, but nothing needs to be locked in beforehand. We'll coordinate as a group at the table to make sure the crew covers its bases. No prior knowledge of Ephyra or Fabula Ultima is required. If you've never played the system before, you're welcome here — we'll get you up to speed quickly and the rules will make sense in play.

Preparing for the session

Before our session, you'll need a free Foundry VTT account and access to our server — I'll send you an invite link after booking. No special downloads required beyond a modern web browser. This is a one-shot adventure, so there's no ongoing commitment beyond our single session together. Come with a rough idea of which crew role appeals to you — The Face, The Ghost, The Engineer, The Muscle, or The Wild Card — but nothing needs to be finalised beforehand. We'll lock in characters together at the start of the session. No prior knowledge of the world of Ephyra is required. Everything you need to know will be woven into the game naturally — and all books and setting materials are provided directly in Foundry.

What MakotoMifuneGM brings to the table

I run narrative-focused, roleplay-heavy games where the story and characters come first. Expect distinct voices and personalities for every major NPC — in Glassmaw, everyone has an angle, and the people you meet will feel like it. Every session is scored with curated ambient music to match the tone — think neon-drenched tension in the Trefoil Market, the cold hum of corporate corridors, and the warm chaos of Dreadwood below. The atmosphere is part of the experience. All Fabula Ultima rulebooks are provided directly in the Foundry module — you don't need to own or purchase anything to play. Just show up ready to run a heist. I favour the Rule of Cool and lean into dramatic moments over strict rules enforcement. This is a one-shot built around a meaningful moral choice at its center — come ready to engage with the story and each other, not just the dice. The prototype is just a sphere. What you do with it is entirely up to you.

How MakotoMifuneGM creates a safe table

Player safety and comfort are a genuine priority at my table, not an afterthought. Here's how I handle it: Lines & Veils — At the start of the session we'll go over Lines and Veils together as a group. Lines are hard stops — content we won't touch at all. Veils are content that can exist in the story but stays off-screen. Everyone's input shapes the table we build together. X-Card — Available throughout the entire session, digitally in chat or held up on video — whichever feels most comfortable for you. No explanation needed, no questions asked. If the X-Card is invoked, we edit, skip, or redirect immediately. Open Door Policy — If something comes up mid-game that you'd rather handle privately, my DMs are open. You can step away from the table at any time, no explanation required. Aftercare & Debrief — We close the session with a short debrief to decompress, talk about what landed, and check in with each other as people. Shatter Protocol deals with themes of corporate exploitation, identity, and moral compromise — so taking a moment to land the plane together matters to me.