The Red Widow | Play-By-Post (PBP)

The Red Widow | Play-By-Post (PBP)

The Dead rise in the Weeping Wood! Something old and angry stirs. The fate of Torven is in your hands! An asynchronous, play-by-post (PBP) adventure

TYPE

Campaign

LEVELS

3โ€“20

LANGUAGE

English

EXPERIENCE

Open to all

AGE

18+
1 SEAT LEFT
$20.00

/ Session

Details

1 player following this game

Play by Post (Asynchronous)

Billed Weekly / Tuesday - 12:00 AM UTC

Oct 27 / Session 8

Session Duration / 1โ€“3 hours

Campaign Length / 5โ€“40 Sessions

1 / 2 Seats Filled

Report Adventure

Money Back Guarantee

StartPlaying Money Back Guarantee

If your game doesn't happen, we guarantee a refund. Just reach out to StartPlaying Support. Refund Policy

Schedule

Tue, Oct 27 | 12:00 AM โ€“ Session 8

Tue, Nov 03 | 1:00 AM โ€“ Session 9

Tue, Nov 10 | 1:00 AM โ€“ Session 10

Meet your party members

1/2

About the adventure

Long has the Red Widow bided her time, preparing meticulously to exact her revenge and dominate Torven with an Army of the Dead. ๐Ÿ’€ Fight for your life! Sometimes mere survival is victory. ๐Ÿ’€ Investigate, explore and solve the mysteries of the Red Widow. ๐Ÿ’€ Navigate the complex politics of a potential allies. ๐Ÿ’€ Form and execute your plans to infiltrate and take the fight to the enemy If you love dark fantasy, gritty horror, apocalyptic landscapes, armies of the undead, imaginative worlds, emotionally complex role play, hard moral choices, and nail-biting combat, the Red Widow is for you! Torven is a fully realized homebrewed campaign setting, where the players' choices have historical consequences.

Game style

Play By Post

Roleplay Heavy

Realm Building

Rule of Cool (RoC)

Puzzle / Mystery Focused

Meet the Game Master

4.8

(6)

Queer
Neurodivergent
Published Writer
Educator

Less than a year on StartPlaying

8 games hosted

Highly rated for: World Builder, Inclusive, Beginner Friendly

About me

Hello! I'm Bellapax. (He/him or They/them.) I'm a writer, former academic philosopher, and six-year Dungeon Master. I've channeled that background into crafting D&D 5e experiences that hit different: Stories with genuine depth, layered moral and philosophical meaning, and combat that will actually challenge you. I love running games that operate on more than one level. On the surface: adventure, tension, and the thrill of the unknown. Underneath: real questions about power, identity, loyalty, and what it means to choose well when there's no clean answer. My worlds have texture and history. My NPCs have inner lives and competing loyalties. My moral decisions have real stakes on every side and no easy exits. At my table, you don't just read about the dilemma. You live its difficulties and its consequences. Whether you're navigating the politics of a fantasy empire, surviving the gritty streets of a city that doesn't care if you live or die, or facing down a villain who isn't entirely wrong, every session is built around *you*: your choices, your character and the story we can only tell together. My games are designed for collaboration, world-building, character growth and those cinematic moments that make people lean forward in their chairs. I'm here to help you create stories you'll be talking about for years. My table is proudly LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and beginner friendly.

View Profile โ†’
Character creation

Creating your character

Players will need to create their characters on dndbeyond.com (DDB), the official D&D website and its accompanying app. * Characters will start at level 3. * Use the standard (27) point buy for ability scores. (This is a selection in DDB.) * Use fixed HP for your hit points (not rolled HP). (This is a selection in DDB.) * Players may use any of the material available in my campaign on DDB. I am also open to discussing homebrewed items and character features. Character creation can be discussed and developed in Session 0, and I am always happy to help with character creation!

What to expect

Preparing for the session

To prepare for a game, you'll need the following: * A free account on Owlbear Rodeo, a virtual table top (VTT), used for maps * A free account on dndbeyond.com, the official D&D website, used for character creation and maintenance * A free account on Discord, a communication platform, used for hosting games I'm happy to help newcomers get these set up, and to help in character creation!

What Bellapax brings to the table

I provide access to all of the relevant D&D materials through dndbeyond.com. You need only a reliable internet connection, a computer or mobile device, and your imagination! While the rules are important, my games are focused on fun and story first and foremost. Your character and their backstory will be integrated into the overarching narrative and history of Torven. The setting is a fully realized open-world in which, players are encouraged to explore and investigate whatever they wish. I also provide art, maps (via Owlbear.rodeo), music and poetry (some original and some through links to Spotify and/or YouTube), emotionally complex and rounded non-player characters (NPCs), and more!

Homebrew rules

Table rules include: *Advantage on attacks from flanking for both characters and enemies *FAFO: Feel free to do as you like, but actions have consequences. (All of the important nonplayer characters (NPCs) have full stat blocks) *Rule of Lazy: It's ultimately up to players to remember their characters' details and abilities. I'll do my best to keep up with this sort of thing, but if we both forget, then opportunities might be lost. (Caveat: I always help new players keep track of their character's abilities.) * Rule of Cool: Rules are bendable. If you come up with something really cool that technically violates the rules of the game, I will likely allow it. The point is fun and story after all! * Player versus player (PvP) is allowed with the consent of all players involved. * Taking a potion is an Action, and administering a potion to another character is a Bonus Action If these rules don't make sense, fear not! I will explain them in Session 0.

Equipment needed to play

Internet

Computer or Mobile Device

Safety

How Bellapax creates a safe table

My basis approach to keeping players (and myself) safe and comfortable is to nurture an environment of open and honest communication. Session 0 includes a frank discussion of what to expect in terms of detailed content warnings, which are also provided in writing, and gives players an opportunity to declare things that make them uncomfortable and even to opt out of anything that might make them feel unsafe or uncomfortable. I am happy to adjust my game to accommodate players' needs. Once in game, I employ X, N and 0 cards that can be digitally messaged. I also make myself available for aftercare and/or debriefing through direct messages.

Content warnings

Body Horror
Gore
Drugs (addiction, use, withdrawal)
Alcohol Use
Blood
Character Death
Mass Death
Mind Control
Slavery
Warfare
Witch Prosecution

Safety tools used

Frequently asked questions