The Clockmaker’s Garden
A prominent artificer has gone missing and his workshop has begun emitting a strange, violet smog that corrupts life and machine.
$15.00
/ Session
Details
Once / Thursday - 11:30 PM UTC
Apr 23
Session Duration / 3–3.5 hours
0 / 5 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
The Clockmaker’s Garden: A Daggerheart Learn-to-Play Adventure The winter frost has finally melted, bringing a brilliant, magical spring to the realm. But not everything blooming in the city is entirely natural. When a renowned local artificer goes missing, their sealed offices begin spouting strange smog releasing a mysterious, shimmering pollen into the streets. The city guard is completely baffled, and they need a group of brave heroes to investigate. Will you navigate the wild overgrowth and magical traps to uncover the truth behind this corruption of nature? This one-shot adventure is designed from the ground up as a welcoming, beginner-friendly introduction to the Daggerheart roleplaying system! Whether you are a seasoned veteran of other tabletop games or have never rolled a polyhedral die in your life, there is a seat at this table for you. We will walk through the rules together step-by-step in a low-pressure, supportive environment. You will learn how to use Daggerheart's unique "Hope and Fear" dice mechanics to fuel your character's abilities, solve puzzles, and engage in cinematic, fast-paced combat. Our session will feature a balanced mix of narrative roleplay, hands-on investigation, and tactical encounters, all structured to gradually teach you the game. I like to run tables where player creativity is heavily rewarded and the "Rule of Cool" reigns supreme. You will get to negotiate with eccentric locals, experience the thrill of leveling up your character mid-session, and work as a team to uncover the mysteries of the enchanter's tower. Just bring your imagination and a willingness to learn—I will provide the vibrant, high-fantasy world waiting to be explored!
Game style
Puzzle / Mystery Focused
Combat Lite
Roleplay Heavy
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
4.9
(8)
1 year on StartPlaying
3 games hosted
Highly rated for: Knows the Rules, Teacher, Creativity
About me
Hi! You can call me Shaj (rhymes with dodge :-) Like I imagine for many others, finding Critical Role soon after they started Campaign 1 was my introduction to this amazing TTRPG gaming world I did not even know existed. I soon become hooked on all kinds of streamed live-play videos and podcasts. After a few years, I got the nerve up to play instead of watch. Thanks to StartPlaying, I found a place to play. Over the years, I met a lot of amazing folks (DMs and players) who were patient with me and helped me love the actual creating of something via roleplay. Some games i joined followed the structure of a published story...others completely invented. Regardless, I grew to love the storytelling and the best part of TTRPG: participating in that storytelling. After a couple of years of that, I realized I wanted to try my hand at guiding others in telling a story. Again, one of my DMs took a chance and let me assist him while he ran games teaching me his method for game design. My goal...take what I learned from him and all the DMs I have played with as well as the great DMs I've watched and listened to for years and build a set of stories that will draw you in and engage you, make you laugh, maybe cry a little, hopefully surprise you and enable you to create with others like you and me. My hope? Join me and let's tell a great story together.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
In the days leading to gameday, instructions and guidelines will be provided via the Discord channel for our one-shot. You can join the Discord server by scanning the QR code in my GM profile. You can create your player sheet in Demiplane OR use our Foundry Servers to build the sheet right in our game servers. If you do choose the Demiplane route, you will just need to send me a link to your character in advance so I can recreate in our servers.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
When you sign up, a Discord link will be provided if you are not already a member of The Saga Forge. To create a Daggerheart character, use Demiplane to create one. I will need this ahead of time so that I can add it to the vtt we use. For the actual game, we will be using The Forge VTT which is Foundry's browser based version, so no install required. We will be using Zoom (or possibly Discord) for audio/video.
What Shaj brings to the table
A fun and intriguing story with memorable characters! I will hopefully give you guys equal time in both Roleplay opportunities as well as puzzle/combat situations. If I get the player sheets far enough in advance, I will play on (or against) some of your characteristics to provide personalized opportunities to shine. As for the vtt, it will hopefully lend to your experience of the story with both visuals and sound effects as the game progresses. Finally, items might be awarded that persist with your character should you use them again with any of The Saga Forge games by any of our GMs!
Homebrew rules
Luckily with Daggerheart, there is already wide latitude to help me as the game master and you as the player to have flexibility that lends to Rule of Cool opportunities. I am certainly open to any ideas players might have on this subject.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Headphones
Platforms used
Safety
How Shaj creates a safe table
This game is meant to be a beginner friendly experience, however, I will ask anyone who signs up in advance to let me know if there any sensitive topics. I will also use the Deck of Player Safety to help anonymize this.
Content warnings
Safety tools used