r/startplaying

My name is Yaga and I've been a professional Gm for over 15 years.

I've run hundreds of games for many different players in dozens of systems from D&D to Vaults of Vaarn to Pathfinder and everything in between. i have 3 games ready on StartPlayingGames, each one on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, 8pm to 12am EST. Grand Exploration, Demon Lord Hunting, and Undead Armadas!

What players can expect:
a safe caring environment to enjoy D&D with strangers online. i tolerate no bigotry, hatred, or negative vibes at my tables.
Vast Campaigns to explore, shaping the world as you see fit. all my campaigns are grand in scope. most campaigns go to level 20
Handmade Maps and magical items to fill your eyes and characters pockets.
Complete and Total player freedom. Just cause you sign up to fight a demon lord doesn't mean you HAVE TO. start a bakery for all i care, go hogwild
A SHARED WORLD D&D experience, i have 5 other tables playing in this campaign setting. you will hear of their exploits and they will hear of yours, you may even see their characters exploits in the world around you. my campaigns are built for the players to shape and break.

Players will have access to the vast majority of content on D&D beyond for character creation utilizing either the 2014 or 2024 ruleset.

The games are set in my homebrew world of Iazigar, on the continent of Dahl'Vatharre. Heavily inspired by D&D lore! so for you D&D lore nerds like me youll see some familiar concepts and hear some names.

https://startplaying.games/adventure/cmpe772vt00cbjx04r096a6lz

This Is my Friday game. Of Sludge and Slime: The Demon Lord Juiblex has been unleashed on the material plane, can you stop them before he assimilates everything in their path? Gather allies and form armies to stop the Tide Of Slime before it's too late. (a goal oriented campaign, players can expect selfish city rulers who will only help if their own needs are met and armies of slimeified monsters to slay, a very standard D&D romp perfect for that classic D&D feel)

This is my Sunday game. Creeps on the Coast: Invasion of the Rootbound Legion. AVAST! The undead have begun washing ashore and terrorizing coastal villages and cities. Entire towns have been wipe from the map, joining the ranks of this undead armada. Find the source of these creatures and put a stop to it before this scourge musters its forces and moves inland!
(a pseudo-megadungeon campaign. the party will take time saving towns, gaining allies, pushing the undead scourge back and preparing resources before pushing into the home of the undead and fighting their way to the evil that sleeps there)
https://startplaying.games/adventure/cmpe7gvoq003vjr04xv6ke60a

THINGS PLAYERS WILL NEED:
D&D BEYOND-you dont need a subscription or anything. its just for character sheet management

DISCORD- for voice and text chat

A FORGE VTT account-THIS IS IMPORTANT. where i live i am unable to host FoundryVTT games because of my internet. FORGE is a server host for foundry. its COMPLETELY FREE. the only person who has to pay for it is me, which i gladly do.

A FRIENDY DEMEANOR!

https://startplaying.games/gm/kingyaga
Here's a link to my SPG profile. Come Create Stories With Us!

If you've read up on Outgunned and are interested on giving the system I try, I'll be running the introductory one-shot Race Against Time via StartPlaying.games on Sunday, March 3rd at 5pm EDT!

https://startplaying.games/adventure/cmo26ngui00r2l604inqnjwqp?ref=cmbu0adjb0000zaxblg6lqsti

Four heroes meet in a diner and wait for their contact, an eccentric and paranoid young man who is convinced the end of the world is coming. Supposedly, a secret briefcase filled with apocalyptic and horrific plans is being moved tonight, but he won't say how or why over the phone. He set an appointment at a coastal diner just outside of LAX, but your contact is already 30 minutes late...

With four pregenerated characters, you'll work together to fight grunts, race cars, blow things up, shoot guns, and accomplish all your other favorite action tropes!

If you're interested, feel free to hop in! The price is $15 for the session. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

I get that StartPlaying.Games is a business for the DMs. They need retention, so they often need to bend further than DMs for home games would.

However, I am currently trying to decide if a game I have been in for six months (and spent $750 so far on) is worth continuing. At least two months of the game have been spent having in-character conversations about how X character acting against the party isn't acceptable.

Three different characters have completely derailed the game. After a few weeks, they make it uncomfortable enough that myself or another player has to make a formal complaint. Then, there is an explosion, the table has a couple weeks to realign, and then a new player get added to the game and fucks everything up again because "it's what [their] character would do."

I'm getting pretty sick of paying $30 a week to teach people who think they're the next D20 star that there is a difference between "yes and" and sociopathy...

Any advice? Any DMs out there actually keep a table of people who play politely together without the need of major in-character drama?

(Edited for grammar after posting.)

ᴀꜱʜᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴀꜱᴘɪʀᴇ

^(Flee the fall of an ancient civilization by fighting through the fires and flames that are sweeping across this snow-covered mountain valley nation!)

♛ ᴄᴀᴍᴘᴀɪɢɴ ꜱᴛʏʟᴇ ♛

Combat Complexity: ☠︎︎☠︎︎☠︎︎ ^((3/5))

Combat Frequency: ⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️ ^((4/5))

Roleplaying: 🥀🥀🥀🥀 ^((4/5))

Logistics and Exploration: 🗺️🗺️🗺️ ^((3/5))

Dungeon Crawling: ☠︎︎☠︎︎ ^((2/5))

Time and Frequency: Wednesdays at 7 PM EST - 11 PM EST, Weekly

Cost: 25 USD per session

Platforms used: Discord and FoundryVTT

Requirements: Microphone and Webcam

Current Player Slots: 1/5

Starting Level: 2

Game page: https://startplaying.games/adventure/cmqf3es2j005mla042tuooy1g

DM Credentials: https://startplaying.games/gm/wintersong

Discord Contact: argentauthor

The world of Winterheart is filled with fraught and fury! As the world stands upon the precipice of oblivion, fleeing refugees must learn how to move past the trauma of a lost life and forge a new one together. Join your fellow players as you attempt to flee from the center of a nation-ending catastrophe and reach safety, making friends - and enemies - along the way. As the nation of Aspire is seared to ash, your party will have to make difficult decisions as you battle ferocious monstrosities, avoid bandit ambushes, navigate a population of frenzied citizens, and battle a bitter winter! Manage your time, your resources, and your strength as you struggle to make your way across the nation to the city of Wyldbark, where you just might be able to flee the ruined nation and find safety once more - after you battle through the Wyldheart Dungeon, of course!

This campaign features themes of horror, diplomacy, deceit, community, and sacrifice, which will serve as the anchors holding the party together and keeping their escape from failing. Individual player skill levels are not important - what’s most important is the willingness to work together, as a group of players, to keep the game engaging and party connected! This table is looking for energetic people who are willing to join conversations without having to first be called upon, who are willing to contribute to the stories of their fellow players and take the time to be a part of both the each party members’ narratives as well as the grander world of Winterheart itself!

This campaign will focus primarily on combat, diplomatic role play, and making critical story choices. There will be many times when the party will have to decide whom they will save, and who will be left to fend for themselves. The outcome of the battlefield will sometimes be determined before the party even arrives, based on the choices they've made up until that point. The campaign will involve a small amount of resource management and wilderness exploration, but it will primarily focus on tactical-driven combat scenarios and intense moments of roleplay and drama. Each character’s backstory will be seen throughout the campaign, so it will be important to pay attention to your fellow players and learn about the characters they have made, since the threats they will be facing might not be apparent to you without understanding the person fighting by your side!

We will be sticking to the 2024 5.5e rules as written as much as possible, with some minor gameplay changes to help players manage the session behind the screen (spotlight mechanics, for example). This campaign will ramp up with time, with the stakes starting out small and eventually spiraling into something truly epic. Throughout the campaign, there will be depictions of blood and gore, intense action scenes, scheming NPCs that are willing to lie and cheat to get ahead, and a blend of both Lovecraftian and thriller horror genres that will become more apparent over time.

If you’re a veteran looking for something new, or if you’re a new player trying to capture the essence of tabletop gaming without following a strict adventure module, then this is what you’re looking for! This game will be a blend of traditional dungeon-crawl and exploration-based travel, intense tactical combat, and modern storytelling and gameplay mechanics. If you are unfamiliar with all of the rules, that is not a problem - I am an experienced DM with over 500 sessions under my belt for Dungeons and Dragons 5th/5.5 edition. Combat scenarios, especially early on, will be designed to give players an opportunity to try new ideas and discover the full mechanics of the 5.5 system - including some mechanics many don’t normally interact with, such as using environmental elements to cause hazards and traps and using basic supplies to conserve character resources and influence the battlefield.

Players will also be given the current Winterheart Campaign Module, a work-in-progress proprietary third party module that is exclusive to Wintersong Games players! Explore up to 5 new classes, each with multiple subclasses, and enjoy hundreds of new feats, backgrounds, weapons, magic items, and a completely revamped firearms combat system that trades movement and action economy to deal deadly blows to your targets! As more of the system is completed, paying players will receive updates, new systems, and more all for free!

If you think this is the campaign for you, go ahead and respond here in this thread or hit me up on Discord at the username argentauthor. You can also contact me on StartPlaying.games at https://startplaying.games/gm/wintersong. Feel free to message me if you have any questions regarding the campaign!

Character Creation:

We will begin creating characters at level 1. We’ll be using tools provided by the DM and from the VTT platform to make our character sheets, and after this, we’ll be doing a session 0 encounter before leveling up characters to level 2 as the official launch of the campaign. Character creation resources will be provided, from books to tutorial videos. Most official and partnered Dungeons and Dragons content will be allowed, but keep in mind if there is a 2014 5e book that has received an update in 5.5/2024, we will be using the updated version. Material published prior to the 2024 rules update will need approval from the DM, which will normally just require slight modifications before it’ll be ready (such as needing to accommodate for weapon masteries). In addition, several new Wintersong Games classes - such as the melee-spellcaster support Argent class - will be available upon Session 0 for players to choose from.

Players get to choose how they would like their stats, either from an array or from a generous roll system. Players may choose between the stats of 15, 15, 12, 12, 10, and 8, or they roll. Our roll system uses 4d6 - players drop the lowest of the die, and the resulting number is the ability score. They perform this 7 times, and drop the lowest total result to get their 6 stats.

Inclusivity Statement:

I pride myself on maintaining a community of players dedicated to standing against bigotry against others. If you stand in opposition to people because of their ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or nationality, then you stand in opposition to not just this community, but myself personally. We do not want you at the table. I don't want you at the table. My tables are inclusive, and I will vigorously fight to keep it that way.

Hello Chooms!

I'm Campbell (He/Him) and in honor of Free RPG Weekend I would like to invite you to a Free beginner friendly original one shot of Cyberpunk Red called Easy Money / Hard Luck.

When: Sunday June 28 @ 12:30pm EDT

Where: Discord and Owlbear Rodeo

Sign up link and full info can be found here: https://startplaying.games/adventure/cmqvi2yyr003yjm047t303y50

Synopsis: Even though the radiation levels have cooled, times are still hard in Night City. Management Conglomerates squeeze their tenants for every EuroDollar they can for rent. Bribery is just another form of civic life. It is easier to find a braindance of someone eating a Michelin -Burijisuton Star meal than it is to find regular fresh food. Yeah the Time of the Red is tough. But a Fixer by the name of Easy Ed is going to make it a bit better for you Choomba. He just called you and a few of your associates for a quick job. Low risk, good pay and a boost to your Rep. What could possibly go wrong with a little delivery?

Easy Money / Hard Luck is a beginner friendly one shot for Cyberpunk RED. Your characters will have to use their wits, luck and style to survive in Night City.

If you want to know more about me check out my bio here: https://startplaying.games/gm/campbellk

I designed this oneshot for abolute beginners to PF2e to teach them about the system's basics in this oneshot.

the game will be run Tuesday 6AM GMT

The game is obviously free but you will need to join the Startplaying game from this link: https://startplaying.games/adventure/cmquv399i0051jp0421m5qx42
(against site ToS for me to run for someone outside of site, inconvenient I know but it is what it is)

Fixing the Results is a game about the Silverrun arena, an arena that prides itself on only having volunteer gladiators on its roster. The arena's current champion is Marduk the Cruel of Orcish descent, someone who got his title ironically by rarely killing his opponents. Leaving them to heal from their injuries.

The pre-written characters all have their own motivation to be here, for reasons as personal as connecting with their heritage and impersonal as a simple job. Though these motivations are always open to being changed by the players piloting them.

This is a new dnd campaign set in the Tales from the Yawning portal campaign hosted by my friend with six years as a gm looking for two more players to start new or experienced players are welcomed to join and this is a paid campaign $5 a session and here's the link to the startplaying page and welcome on in https://startplaying.games/adventure/cmqibbw85005hjo0483lugzeh

This is a new dnd campaign set in the Tales from the Yawning portal campaign hosted by my friend looking for two more players to start new or experienced players are welcomed to join and this is a paid campaign $5 a session and here's the link to the startplaying page and welcome on in https://startplaying.games/adventure/cmqibbw85005hjo0483lugzeh

For some reason, I appear to be the only GM on StartPlaying.Games who is facilitating Fiasco games. Plenty of players have already learned to play, and I have a large number of different playsets available to players in the coming weeks.

Jocks vs Nerds (College students in conflict)

Low Fantasy (New-ish adventurers getting themselves into trouble)

Wild West Horror-Comedy (Frontier folks encountering dark magic)

More playsets coming soon. All for only $6.00 (USD) per player.

My GM profile page

​"The rain in New Hades doesn't wash away the sins; it just makes the streets slick enough for a quick getaway. In this town, magic isn't a miracle—it's just another hustle."

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​Are you tired of standard medieval fantasy? Trade in your longsword for a snub-nose arc-pistol and your shining armor for a trench coat. I’m launching a gritty, 1920s noir-themed D&D 5e campaign set in the sprawling, smog-choked metropolis of New Hades, and I'm looking for a few good grifters, private eyes, and bootleggers to join the crew.

​In New Hades, the Weave Act of '19 made unlicensed magic, potions, and spell scrolls strictly illegal. Now, underground "Spelleasies" run by powerful syndicates serve up black-market Potions of Heroism while corrupt beat cops look the other way for a handful of silver.

​What to Expect

​Noir-Flavored 5e: Classic classes adapted for a hard-boiled world. Play a Rogue Private Investigator, a Glamour Bard lounge singer, a Wizard illicit "chemist," or a Paladin untainted by city corruption.

​Homebrew Arsenal: We’ll be using custom mechanics for magitek firearms, including Arcane Repeaters (Tommy guns) and elemental-powered V8 motor-carriages for high-speed getaways.

​Morally Gray Roleplay: Navigate a city carved up by the Sylvani Syndicate (the Elven mob) and the Ironjaw Outfit (Dwarven/Orc muscle). Your choices will dictate who rules the underworld and who winds up at the bottom of the harbor.

​Heavy Narrative Focus: I love tying character backstories directly into the city's factions and mysteries.

​Campaign Details

​System: D&D 5e (with setting-specific homebrew)

​Platform: Discord for Voice/Chat & Roll20 for VTT

​Time: [Sunday/3:30pm/CDT]

​Experience Level: All experience levels welcome! Whether you're a veteran or brand new, if you love the noir aesthetic, you'll fit right in.

​Vibe: 60% Roleplay & Investigation / 40% Tactical Combat.

​How to Apply:

Click the link ⬇️ https://startplaying.games/adventure/cmqv2jn5d0023l4046i75xp9g?ref=cmpqbx7jq00owjy0411hgvuqs

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