Learn to Play Ringmaster
You're bound to a dark, supernatural circus. When an angry mob comes to tear the Big Top, will you save your home or watch your prison burn with glee?
TYPE
SYSTEM
LANGUAGE
EXPERIENCE
AGE
$10.00
/ Session
Details
Once / Saturday - 11:30 PM UTC
Oct 17
Session Duration / 1.5–2.5 hours
1 / 6 Seats Filled
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Meet your party members
1/6
About the adventure
Step right up and join the designer for RINGMASTER, a Descended from the Queen story game for 2-6 players that unfolds in just two hours, with no prep and no need for prior experience. Highly replayable, every game has a very different feel. Each player will receive a complimentary copy of the official Ringmaster Roll20 module. The physical game is available through IPR, Compose Dream Games, FLGSs, and DriveThruRPG. Through evocative prompt cards, you’ll explore how you first came to the circus, what binds you to the troupe, and the complicated relationship you share with the Ringmaster. Choose up to three Circus Cards to shape the universe you live in, and weave a shared tale of mysterious origins, strange events in the circus, and the fragile bonds that hold your strange little family together. As the story builds, a crisis looms. The troupe will be tested. Loyalties will fray. Secrets may spill. And each character must decide who they truly are when the crisis is revealed. The circus is calling. Do you dare step inside the ring?
Game style
Roleplay Heavy
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Theater of the Mind
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(6)
3 years on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Beginner Friendly, Rule of Cool
About me
Hello, I am Pascal (he/him). I am a game designer and have been GMing for over 25 years. I started with D&D, Star Wars, and VtM, switching to indie TTRPGs in 2018. I enjoy running Fate / Fate of Cthulhu, Trophy Dark, Psi*Run, Scum & Villainy, Apocalypse Keys, and Descended from the Queen games such as Ringmaster and Oh Maker. I run indie RPGs at conventions, online, and in person. I design games under Spotless Dice Games. I have published multiple supplements for Fate of Cthulhu and designed Ringmaster, a Descended from the Queen story game about a dark and supernatural circus. I am currently working on Remnants of Fate, a sci-fi existential horror game. You can find a review of my latest game, Ringmaster, at Cannibal Halfling Gaming (https://cannibalhalflinggaming.com/2025/06/09/ringmaster-review-a-circus-troupe-descended-from-the-queen/). BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/pg-yyz.bsky.social Website https://SpotlessDice.Games
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Once the players have agreed on a circus theme, they will choose a broad character concept, which will be fleshed out and revealed gradually during the game. You may be surprised by who your character truly is as you answer the various prompts before you.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
No preparation or rules knowledge is required. Players will require a Discord account and a free Roll20 account to join the game.
What Pascal brings to the table
Players who complete the session will receive a complimentary copy of the Ringmaster Roll20 module at the end of the session (DriveThruRPG account email address required to send complimentary codes). I have run Ringmaster at GenCon, Big Bad Con, Festival Draconis, PAX Unplugged, and Terminal City Tabletop Convention, as well as online. Every story has been different and surprised me with twists and turns. I help players discover their circus, universe, and characters by asking follow-on questions and ensuring players share the spotlight.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Pascal creates a safe table
Ringmaster has built-in safety tools in the rules, and uses the X card. A player never has to answer a prompt card and can pass it to others. If a prompt card or other content troubles a player, they can X it and it is removed from the game.
Content warnings
Safety tools used