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Coriolis:The Great Dark - The Black Ziggurat [Beginner Friendly]
A missing space navigator envoy. A toxic moon. A Builder ruin called the Black Ziggurat—with unexplored secrets and potential dangers waiting within.
TYPE
SYSTEM
LANGUAGE
EXPERIENCE
AGE
$20.00
/ Session
Details
1 player following this game
Custom / Sunday - 6:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 3–3.5 hours
1 / 6 Seats Filled
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Meet your party members
1/6
About the adventure
Two-session adventure. No experience required. “Asherot wasn’t supposed to be alive. The Guild said the storms would melt a man to bone in minutes, that nothing could survive the crimson rain. But the beacon’s still pulsing from the surface, and someone—or something—is calling us in.” 🌀THE BLACK ZIGGURAT The Navigator’s Guild has lost contact with one of its envoys, whose shuttle is believed to have crashed on the toxic moon of Asherot in the Gamaru system—a world shrouded in crimson forests and endless corrosive rain. Also known to contain a Builder ruin called the Black Ziggurat, Asherot is a place few have dared to approach, and none have fully explored. If the envoy survived the crash, the Ziggurat would have been the only refuge from the acid storms that scour the surface. Your crew has been hired to locate the missing envoy and recover what you can—but what waits inside the ruin may be far older, and far stranger, than anyone expects. 🪐THE GREAT DARK Humanity once spread across vast networks of star systems known as Horizons, each linked by ancient Builder portals—remnants of a civilization dead for millions of years. When the Third Horizon fell into conflict and corruption, countless refugees boarded colossal Great Ships and fled into the dark, following a mysterious signal to a new expanse of stars: the Lost Horizon. There they built Ship City, hollowing out a vast asteroid and fusing their Great Ships into its core—a desperate bastion of steel and survival, forever hungry for the resources that keep humanity alive. Now, barely a century into colonizing this Lost Horizon, Ship City endures only through what its Explorers Guild can reclaim from alien worlds. You are one of those explorers—delvers who investigate and excavate Builder ruins, uncovering lost technology and vital supplies that might sustain humanity’s fragile refuge. Every mission into the Great Dark is a gamble—chasing discovery at the risk of ruin. ⚙️SYSTEM OVERVIEW Coriolis: The Great Dark uses a fast, narrative D6 dice pool system—roll your Attribute and Skill dice together, and any 6 is a success. You can push your roll for a second chance, but doing so risks draining your Hope through Despair. Physical injury lowers Health, as does exposure to Blight—a corruptive force left behind by the Builders that warps body and mind. The game blends tense survival with creeping psychological and spiritual decay, where every success feels earned and every failure leaves a mark. Supplies run thin, choices cut deep, and the dark between the stars tests what remains of humanity’s will to endure. All experience levels welcome. Questions before you book? Send me a message — happy to talk through it.
Game style
Hexcrawl / Exploration
Puzzle / Mystery Focused
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(25)
3 years on StartPlaying
64 games hosted
Highly rated for: Teacher, Knows the Rules, Creativity
Average response time: 11 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
Like a lot of people, I grew up at the table — high school, college, and the years after — both as a player and a GM. Then life happened, and the dice went quiet for a while. When I found my way back in 2022, I knew exactly what kind of table I wanted to build, and I have been building it ever since. I run Free League Publishing and Year Zero Engine games almost exclusively, and for good reason: they nail what I care about most as a GM. Tension. Consequence. A world that feels real and pushes back. Whether we are surviving the ruins of Twilight: 2000, chasing the edge of the galaxy in Coriolis: The Third Horizon or The Great Dark, hunting xenomorphs in Alien, or uncovering old horrors in Vaesen, every session is built around atmosphere, player choice, and consequences that feel earned. I also run Dragonbane, Blade Runner, Tales From the Loop, Tales of the Old West, and Invincible: Superhero Roleplaying, so if a corner of Free League or the Year Zero Engine has caught your attention, there is a good chance we can make it happen. My tables are beginner-friendly and LGBTQ+ friendly, full stop. If you have never touched a Year Zero Engine game — or any tabletop roleplaying game — I will help you get comfortable before we roll. If you already know the systems, you will feel right at home. My Information Technology background helps keep Foundry VTT and Discord organized and accessible, and when tech hiccups happen, we sort them out together. With fifteen years of tabletop experience across science fiction, fantasy, horror, western, superhero, and post-apocalyptic games — and several years of dedicated online GMing since returning in 2022 — I know how to keep scenes moving, help new players feel capable, and give veteran players room to be surprised. What I am after is a table where your choices shape the world, the atmosphere pulls you in, and you leave with a story worth retelling. The best thing I hear after a session is not “great GM” — it is players recounting what we built together, like they can hardly believe it happened. If that sounds like your kind of game, let’s play.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Pre-Generated characters will be provided from which to choose.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
◆ To play, you'll need a computer (not a phone/tablet) capable of running Foundry VTT, a free Discord account, headphones, a decent mic (headset mics are okay but standalone mics are preferred), a stable internet connection (1mbps+), and a quiet environment. ◆ A webcam is optional but highly recommended. ◆ A good attitude, respect for others, and focus are essential. Join my Discord server after booking, prepare your mic and space, and if you're new, feel free to review the Foundry tutorial [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0jfRtmuwxU ] and the YZE rules [ https://freeleaguepublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/YZE-Standard-Reference-Document.pdf ]. Join my Discord server, FreeVerse Studio: https://discord.gg/Y3cRVPRZSd I’m happy to assist new or returning players with rules and setup!
What FatherJ brings to the table
◆ Foundry Virtual Table Top (VTT) [Free for players] with premium modules/assets. Foundry is web based and has everything we need to run the game - the game system, character sheets, Interesting battlemaps, music, and sound effects are provided as well. Also some additional add on modules to enhance the system and user experience (like virtual dice). It is free for the players to connect and use. ◆ Discord server [Free for players] is used for voice with dedicated channels for group chat (online & offline) (a Discord account is necessary). ◆ VDO ninja for any webcam/video conferencing [Free for players]. It is web based. ◆ Themed PC tokens made from art you provide! A large library of awesome tokens, maps, artwork, music, and characters. Full Details and links will provided once you have signed up for a session. In each session, I will be prepared and excited to get started. I will do my best to ensure that all of my players are given chances at the spotlight and are encouraged to work together as a team. I will always be willing to listen as problems arise, and I am happy to problem solve issues if they occur.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Headphones
Platforms used
Safety
How FatherJ creates a safe table
Overall tone of game aims for PG-13, though may occasionally touch on R-rated content depending on subject matter. All players are encouraged to speak up if the tone drifts beyond their comfort zone. Safety and respectful enjoyment come first. A consent form is requested to be filled out prior to the session to understand boundaries and any particular triggering items (lines and veils). There is open door policy that you may step away from the session at any time without explanation. If possible, leave a quick “BRB” in chat and let us know when you return. You may also DM the Game Master (GM) directly at any time. Mid-point 10 min break Debriefing & Stars/Wishes
Content warnings
Safety tools used