Tales from the Oracae: The Steam City

Blades in the Dark on Roll20, Discord

About the adventure

On the continent of Sarthis, in the mineral-rich country of Marth, there is a town named Bellenaire. Neither the capital nor a place of significant trade, it has stayed mostly off of the map of the near-warring kingdoms around it. However, a recent discovery has caused a new Scientific Age - one destined to bring about calamity and to start causing whispers among Marth's allies. Deep deposits of an element called Fleuriom have been discovered in sequestered mines just miles away from the bustling city and the element's properties spell wonder for its finders. It acts as a magic dampener - rendering the Arcane nearly impossible around it. As soon as it was found, the city transformed. Magic was left at the door, and Science replaced it. Great inventions of steam began to take hold, marvelous things that filled the sky and toppled buildings as easily as it built them. Fleuriom acted as the catalyst, scientists soon discovering that not only did it negate magic, but it did something else quite queer - it was capable of holding immense amounts of pressure. Every engine within the city would come to sport the new Steam Ball, a sphere made of pure Fleuriom that held astronomical amounts of pressurized water within. The miracles of this element not only heralded phenomena beyond magic, it brought with it new waves of crime as well. You and your crew represent one of the new factions vying for power. The crime that comes with Steam is evolving daily, every big group in the area learning new ways to scheme, scam, and scuffle their way to the top. You are fighting not only against other criminals, but the new Steamworks organization as well - a militant and spiraling towards fascist "Big brother" style government that seeks to end all crime in the new city. Assemble your crew, climb the crime ladder, and become a big name in Tales from the Oracae: The Steamwork City! This is a Blades in the Dark adventure.

Additional Details

How to prepare

You should have a microphone, as well as a roll20 and discord account. You need mild technological skills to be able to use a roll20 character sheet. All character details will be laid out in there.

What I provide

We will play on a variety of maps with ambient music and noises to help us get in and stay in the mood. I leave my door open for anyone to ask me questions at any time and I can guarantee a warm, welcome atmosphere and quick resolution of any disputes had at a table.

Gameplay details

The tags associated with this game are not guaranteed to happen - merely a possibility that they could. I use safety cards that can be anonymously drawn directly to the table top so you can stop, pause, fast forward, rewind, or play to your heart's content. Before that even happens though, I use an RPG checklist and a session 0 to establish boundaries.

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

Aftercare
Bleed
Breaks
Debriefing
Lines and Veils
Monte Cook RPG Consent Checklist
Open Door
Session 0
Stars and Wishes
X, N, and O Cards

How will character creation work

Characters will be made together in session 0 where we will explain the system and how it works and answer any questions before 1 on 1 character creation and party building exercises.

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
• If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.