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TAVRA - THE IRON RUSTS
The Southern Wilds stretch beyond the edge of civilization. Ancient ruins lie beneath the wilderness. Monsters rule territory no kingdom has mapped.
TYPE
SYSTEM
LANGUAGE
EXPERIENCE
AGE
$16.79
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Monday - 10:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 3–3.5 hours
0 / 6 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
Tavra is a dangerous, player-driven fantasy sandbox where you decide where to go, what risks to take, and what mysteries are worth dying for. Every expedition takes you farther from the safety of civilization. You decide where to go. You decide how far to push. And what you discover becomes part of a shared world. AT A GLANCE: - Tavra is a living world. The world will continue to grow and change as players explore it. - You don't need to commit to every expedition; bring a hunter when you're available, choose where you want to venture, and leave your mark on a living, evolving frontier. - A richly realized world: Tavra isn't a generic fantasy setting. A century ago, a cataclysmic series of wars nearly destroyed civilization. The fallout from these wars still scar the places and peoples of the world. Discover something no one else has seen. Bring back a story worth telling... Or become the reason future hunters know better than to follow in your footsteps! GAMEPLAY: Hunters will map unexplored territory, hunt dangerous beasts and monsters, recover lost treasures, and uncover the remnants of civilizations all but forgotten. Gather resources, grow in strength, and face the darkness, but beware! Although you may gain a temporary advantage over the things of the wilds, the tools of civilization are fleeting. Play works from a common map. Hunters decide where they want to travel to, and plan the expedition. Once they're ready, they inform the gamemaster, who will prepare an expedition. There is no preplanned story; players are in the driver seat. Getting to the dungeon is an expedition in itself. Expeditions begin with a hexcrawl through dangerous wilderness, where the party must navigate, manage resources, encounter threats, and decide how much risk they're willing to take before reaching their destination. Once hunters reach their destination, the delving begins. Descend into the subterranean layers, slay monsters, seize loot. Don't think the expedition isn't over when you find the treasure though - You still have to carry it home. THIS GAME IS FOR YOU IF... - You enjoy exploration and discovering things without knowing what's around the next corner. - You like making meaningful decisions rather than following a predetermined plot. - You enjoy resource management, dangerous travel, and tactical combat. - You want your discoveries and decisions to have persistent consequences. - You like the idea of a shared world where different groups of players contribute to the same ongoing campaign. THIS GAME MAY NOT BE FOR YOU IF... - You want a tightly scripted story or predetermined character arc. - You prefer the GM to tell you where the expedition is going. - You dislike resource management or the possibility of character death. - You want sessions to revolve around your individual character's storyline. Book your expedition and begin exploring Tavra today! For indeed, in these latter days, the old saying remains true... THE IRON RUSTS.
Game style
Hexcrawl / Exploration
Sandbox / Open World
West Marches
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
Less than a year on StartPlaying
About me
I have been a roleplaying gamer and a gamemaster since I was 15 - more than 10 years! I've run games for many tables, and many groups. I run player driven campaigns! My favourite campaign style is when i present a world to the players, and they make it their own. Roleplaying is about entering another world. I love to create an experience without a particular destination in mind, but which allows the players to pursue what interests them, whether that be exploration, the characters of the world, or becoming combat beasts. The settings I create are both broad and deep, and I pride myself on creating an experience that isn't about the world, but how the player characters fit into that world. My favourite part of roleplaying is creating a large cast of characters, and seeing who the players gravitate towards. Whether they be friends, co-adventurers, or rivals, it's a blast to get into character WITH my players! Another thing I love is encouraging player creativity, and trying to find ways to make the rules work with what the players are trying to accomplish. This is one reason I love GURPS. The flexibility of the system, combined with the depth of rules options means that I can almost always find a justification for whatever scheme they're trying to pull off. The best part of roleplaying is the relationships that it cultivates. Sitting around each week with a table of people, and sharing the highs and lows of the campaign is unlike any other form of storytelling.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
CHARACTER CREATION Character creation takes place over Discord. I'll provide everything you need and walk you through the process step by step. You DO NOT need prior experience with the Dungeon Fantasy RPG or GURPS. New and experienced players are equally welcome. If you're already familiar with character creation, you're welcome to build your own character. Hunters are built on a 62-point budget, with up to -50 points in disadvantages and up to -5 points in quirks. Hunters should be human and may not take supernatural or exotic advantages, with the exception of Magery. The goal is to keep the hunters grounded in Tavra's setting while leaving plenty of room for different kinds of hunters. NEW TO CHARACTER CREATION? New players are encouraged to use one of the provided Novice Class Templates from Delvers to Grow. These templates give you a ready-made foundation for your hunters without requiring you to learn the entire character-creation system first. Character creation typically takes 20-30 minutes. You do not need to own this supplement. I'll provide the necessary information during character creation, and no purchase of any supplement or rulebook is required to participate. If you want to explore the system on your own, Delvers to Grow is available from Warehouse 23 and DriveThruRPG: https://warehouse23.com/products/delvers-to-grow-core-book-pdf https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/365842/delvers-to-grow-core-book The game uses the rules from the Dungeon Fantasy RPG rules kit. You can learn more about the game on Steve Jackson Games here: https://www.sjgames.com/dungeonfantasy/ Not sure what to play? Don't worry about it. We'll figure it out together on Discord.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Before joining, make sure you have an account for both discord and Roll20. Communication takes place through Discord. Once you join the campaign, you'll receive an invitation to the campaign's Discord server. The Discord server is the hub for Tavra between expeditions. This is where you'll find campaign updates, coordinate future expeditions, communicate with other players, and participate in the ongoing life of the shared world. Roll20 is where the expedition happens. Exploration and combat will be handled through Roll20, including the maps and other tools needed during an expedition. You'll receive everything you need to join the game and get set up. Before your first expedition: 1. Join the Tavra Discord server using the invitation provided after joining the campaign. 2. Complete character creation with me over Discord, or send me a hunter you've built yourself using the campaign's Character Creation guidelines. 3. Create or join your Roll20 account and make sure you can access the campaign. 4. Coordinate your first expedition with the other hunters and decide where you want to venture. 5. Join the expedition on Roll20 and begin exploring. Don't worry if you're unfamiliar with either platform. I'll help you get set up before your first expedition.
What Solomon brings to the table
My goal is to give you a world worth exploring, meaningful choices to make, and the freedom to decide what stories you want to find in it. WHAT I PROVIDE Tavra is a setting I've been building for several years, and this campaign is an opportunity to explore it from the ground up. You'll be exploring a world with its own history, cultures, factions, conflicts, ruins, monsters, and mysteries. Much of that world exists beyond what your hunters initially know. I won't hand you a setting guide and expect you to memorize it - instead, you'll uncover Tavra through play, expedition by expedition. As your GM, my job is to provide the world and let you decide what to do with it. I won't put you on a predetermined path. You choose where to go, what to investigate, and how much danger you're willing to accept. I'll portray the world, adjudicate the rules, and respond to your decisions. Expeditions are focused on exploration, tactical combat, and resource management. The wilderness is dangerous, and information, supplies, and preparation can matter just as much as your hunter's innate abilities. The challenges you face will be problems to solve in character - not obstacles designed to force you toward a particular outcome. Most importantly, your discoveries matter. When you uncover a forgotten ruin, map a new region, encounter something previously unknown, or make a choice that changes the world, that becomes part of Tavra's ongoing history. Other players may eventually follow the trails you leave behind. A DANGEROUS WORLD Hunter death is permanent! If a hunter dies during an expedition, you'll create a new starting hunter and return to the frontier. The danger is what gives your decisions weight. Knowing that an expedition can end badly - and that turning back is always an option - is part of what makes bringing something valuable home feel like an accomplishment. On the other hand, hunters aren't expected to meet every obstacle with brute force. Not every enemy can be defeated in a straight fight - not at first, anyway. Creative thinking, clever use of resources, and a willingness to engage with the game's mechanics can allow cunning players to overcome challenges that initially seem insurmountable. The game world is tough, but fair. You aren't the chosen heroes, but neither are your enemies invincible. Monsters can be outsmarted, dangers can be avoided, and seemingly impossible situations may have solutions that aren't immediately obvious. The path of the cunning hunter is long and winding, but it holds many rewards...
Homebrew rules
There are no significant homebrew rules. The game will use the Dungeon Fantasy RPG rules as written, with only minor rulings or clarifications as needed during play. As described above, starting hunters will use the Novice templates from Delvers to Grow. The relevant character-creation material will be provided, so you do not need to own the supplement to participate. The goal is to keep the rules consistent and predictable so that players can focus on exploration, decision-making, and surviving the wilderness.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Solomon creates a safe table
Players will be provided with and help maintain documentation of proscribed activity/content on the discord server.
Content warnings
Safety tools used