Learn Shadowdark- Kill Your First Wyrm  - Free First Session!

Learn Shadowdark- Kill Your First Wyrm - Free First Session!

The north dwarves were first but the beast comes ever closer. The beast may soon be here! Will you heed the call to protect them from fey and worse?

TYPE

Campaign

LEVELS

2–5

LANGUAGE

English

EXPERIENCE

Beginner

AGE

18+
4 NEEDED TO START
$6.00

/ Session

Details

2 players following this game

Weekly / Thursday - 12:00 AM UTC

Session Duration / 3–3.5 hours

Campaign Length / 5–8 Sessions

0 / 6 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

This game will begin once 4 players have joined
About the adventure

The forest dwarves were first. The beast may soon kill and eat your neighbors. Will you heed the call to protect them from fey and monsters far worse? No one wants to leave the town's walls. With the humans out of the forest, fairies have taken over, and now the goblin king Hogboon seeks to claim the entire forest as his new kingdom. This is an old-school compatible module for characters level 2 - 4, in which your characters leave the safety of home and adventure through the fairy-haunted woods outside the town, delve into dangerous dungeons, and hopefully, slay a dragon.

Game style

Hexcrawl / Exploration

Dungeon Crawl

Puzzle / Mystery Focused

Roleplay Heavy

Game themes

Meet the Game Master
Neurodivergent
Game Designer

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Beginner Friendly, Inclusive, Rule of Cool

About me

I’ve been creating characters since I was twelve—starting with Basic D&D and a reckless halfling thief—and for the last decade I’ve been running, playing, or reading RPGs constantly. I’ve played or run over eighty games, from classics like D&D and Marvel Super Heroes (FASERIP) to modern favorites like Dolmenwood, Mothership, and more. I’ve run countless one‑shots and short campaigns, and I design games myself. Beginners are welcome, and I’m committed to making my tables welcoming to women, neurodivergent players, and LGBTQI+ players. I run games with diverse friends and convention groups, so this isn’t new for me. I use the simplest tech needed, with video preferred to keep the focus on people rather than platforms. You don’t need to know the rules or build the perfect character—I’ll help you learn as we play. I value engaged play: curiosity, risk‑taking, relationship‑building, and pursuing interesting stories rather than waiting for the GM to dictate the path. Bring curiosity, respect, and willingness to participate, and I’ll meet you with a world ready to respond.

View Profile →
Character creation

Creating your character

We will generate characters together using the Shadowdark random character generator. Generate 3 and pick 1. Send the JSON file clipboard of the character to me via Discord of your favorite BUT keep the other 2 as backups. This will automate your character sheet. Send me a screenshot of a pic on here or discord for your character / token ahead of session 0 or I will choose a default picture for you. Use the following link for Shadowdarklings.NET campaign settings: https://shadowdarklings.net/settings/sources=CS1,CS4,SD,SG&ancestries=1,2,3,4,5,6,7&classes=1,2,3,4,7,8,9,15,5,6

What to expect

Preparing for the session

Please have a working microphone, stable internet connection and head full of ideas. Playing with camera on would be appreciated, but is not obligatory. Discord for audio / video

What GM My Guy (Mike I) brings to the table

You can expect distinct NPC personalities, and passionate role-play, and a GM that rolls with whatever the group is keen to do, while I teach you the rules. The world is filled with memorable characters, locations that feel alive, and rewards and consequences for your actions. Music is used sparingly but ambient sound is more common. I use only enough to support my GMing, rather than distracting me from your reactions. Combat is dynamic, tactical, and built to feel like part of the story but as low level old-school gaming, it may be wiser to avoid conflicts and make allies instead. I always reward creativity, awareness, and interaction with the environment, as much as anything on your character sheets I tend to play with my camera on so you can catch emotions and facial expressions of every creature living in my worlds.

Homebrew rules

Almost nothing is impossible in my games and I will play RAW (rules as written, except where we agree otherwise. If I don't remember a rule at the time, I will adjudicate it quickly and then follow up later during a break regarding any discrepancies. Any incorrect ruling against your character will be fixed or compensated for if they are found. You can expect a GM that is happy to go with the flow of the narrative and invent on the fly and I'll see to it that there is always a way forward

Equipment needed to play

Internet

Computer

Microphone

Webcam

Safety

How GM My Guy (Mike I) creates a safe table

Session 0 discussion, Lines & Veils ahead of session 0 and at the start of each session, and Script Change. I will discuss these the first 5 min of any session with a new player onboarding.

Content warnings

Fire
Freezing
Small Spaces (Claustrophobia)
Violence
Xenophobia
Snakes
Spiders
Animal Death
Blood

Safety tools used

Frequently asked questions