Jul 1, 2023 2:56 am
These are Dark Times for Urth. A shadow creeps across the land to corrupt, warp, and destroy whatever it touches. As the light dies and the darkness reigns, the world speeds toward annihilation. Is this really the end? Is it the apocalypse long foretold by prophets and madmen? Or is the end not so certain?
Perhaps. Perhaps not.
Welcome to a Land in Shadows. The Gods are distant powers. There are hidden worlds, magic is real, and mortals live many lives.
Science and technology have made great strides, despite the world being filled with terrible monsters. There are clockworks, steam power, railroads, firearms, and more (think mid-1800s for tech and fashion), as well as fantastical creatures like the aloof (and often cruel) fae, noble centaurs, norse-like giants, tricky devils, and demons from out of this world.
And last and certainly not least - the Empire burns as the shadow of the Demon Lord spreads across the lands. As the Demon Lord's influence grows stronger, the fabric of sanity subtly fades.
-------------------------------
Welcome to Shadow of the Demon Lord, a dark and gritty fantasy horror. This system is an amalgamation of Warhammer Fantasy and D&D 5e. Written by Robert Schwalb and published by Schwalb Entertainment.
I'm Bookrat, your Horror Master.
In this PBP game, I'll be running Tales of the Demon Lord. This is a published full campaign running from Level 0 to Level 10. This campaign was written with the original Kickstarter for the system, and it was the first full campaign released. It primarily takes place in the city of Crossings and the surrounding countryside.
Anyone is welcome to join. You do not have to own the book. You do not have to know how to play. New and old players alike are welcome to join any of my games. Character death should be expected, although through clever play and a bit of luck, you may survive. My first game had zero deaths! You could survive, too! (But you probably won’t).
For more information, see the Game Details over on the game forum!
SotDL is a D&D-like game that uses a d20 mechanic, and combines it with insanity and corruption mechanics. You have four primary attributes (strength, agility, intellect, and will). You primarily interact with the world by roleplaying, but if the outcome of something is uncertain or interesting, then we may require a roll of the dice (d20). You’ll either make an "attack roll" if it's related to another creature, or a "challenge roll" if it is not related to another creature. Your d20 may be modified by Boons and Banes (d6) which will add or subtract to your roll based on the situation.
As you level up, you’ll gain talents which can make certain rolls easier, make others' rolls harder, grant access to magic, or provide other interesting avenues for interacting with the world.
At level 0, all you have is your Ancestry (human, orc, goblin, clockwork, etc…). Your ancestry determines the talents you gain at Levels 0 and 4. Then, based on your rolls and the events that happen during the starting adventure, you’ll level up to 1 and select your Novice Path (warrior, rogue, mage, etc…). Your novice path dictates the talents you gain at levels 1, 2, 5, and 8. At level 3, you’ll use the experiences you’ve had in game to select an Expert Path, which determines your talents at levels 3, 6, and 9. Finally, at level 7, you’ll select a Master Path, which grants you new talents at levels 7 and 10. The game ends when you complete the level 10 adventure.
Tales of the Demon Lord does have combat in it, so if you’re the type of player who gets bored easily by detailed combat scenes in games, you may not enjoy this game. That said, getting into a fight is often discouraged, and it’s likely your PC will become heavily injured and potentially die. Each chapter will have a primary goal for you to accomplish, and you do not always have to rely on fighting to accomplish those goals.
If you are familiar with the terms Combat as War vs Combat as Sport for game design, I consider Shadow of the Demon Lord to be more on the Combat as War style of gameplay; preparation and set up are the keys to victory. Assuming an even footing against an enemy is a surefire way to die quickly.
Morality is questionable in this system; you're free to play heroes and criminals, gentle souls and petty jerks equally.✅ How to Apply.
I have a standard set of rules and agreements for games I run. To apply to this game, all you have to do is read the following spoiler and make a post in the recruitment thread saying that you agree to my rules!
Once you’re in the game, there’s a character creation thread that details the rules for making a character. Much of the character generation process is randomized, so do not come up with a concept first or you will be disappointed that the rolls you ended up with do not match the concept in your head. Roll first, create second.
If you do not own the core book, you can purchase it on DriveThruRPG (it's only $19, or $10 for the player's guide), or you can ask me for help. I'll happily explain various ancestries you can choose, tell you what you need to roll to generate your PC, and give you the results of your rolls.
I’m looking for 3-8 players. If there are fewer than 8 players in my game, then you can apply! This recruitment thread will remain open the whole campaign.
This game is descriptive and requires players to have input and to be descriptive themselves. I know we all get lost in the single line posts as games go on past a few weeks, but to make this game thrive, you have to put in some effort.
So based on that, I request that all players strive for the following:
Posting Rate. This game will be played at a minimum of one post per day. Possibly more. I often post multiple times per day just to answer questions and post reactions to something a player is doing. If you can't/won't post for a day, then expect to be botted or skipped so the story can move forward (generally, I bot those who give me a heads up, and I skip those who are absent with no word). Also, please don't be that person who thinks "once per day" is posting at 11:50 pm and then again at 12:10 am, and then doesn't post again for nearly 48 hours.
Push Post. At least every other post should be a "Push Post." That is a post that moves the story forward and allows for other players to react. Avoid posts that just say, "I follow along" or "We could do this if others want." If you're just following, include a description about how you feel and what emotions others can see on your face as you travel. If you have a suggestion for the group, then either post in Discussion or just go ahead and do it.
Emotions. Your posts should include the emotions of your characters. How are they feeling at that moment in time? Even if you only have a one liner, please include one emotion in the line. PBP games don’t translate the horror genre very well, so including emotional descriptions in your posts will go a long way to help with the environment of this game.
Don’t wait for others to make a decision. I'd prefer it if we weren't all waiting on someone else to make the decision to do something. I’ll play by the "2 people in agreement" rule, where as soon as I see two players agree to a course of action for the group, that’s the direction we’ll go in the game. If people start stalling, I'll make Something Bad Happen in game, just so we can bring interest back into the game.
Give a Heads Up. If you can't post for a period of time - even if it is one day - please tell us! It takes less than 30 seconds to use your phone and drop a line. "I’m super busy today, I won’t be able to post," or "I’ll be gone this weekend, please bot as needed." There’s rarely a good excuse for why you can’t give others any notice. Be courteous and let us know.
Join the Discord Group. I have a discord chat for my games. I use it to keep in touch with my players, to allow players to more easily contact me, as a backup site to play in case this website is down for a period of time, and just a place for us to chat.
Quitting the Game. It’s ok to quit. Any reason is acceptable. Just give us a notice so we’re not waiting on you. Maybe you’re too busy with life, maybe you don’t like the system, maybe you don't like me. It’s ok. Any reason is ok. I can handle criticism and I will accept literally any reason for why you want to leave the game. Just be mature, be an adult, and let the group know you’re bowing out. What isn’t ok is to just disappear. Don’t be that guy.
Please post that you agree to my rules in this recruitment thread. Any requests to join my game without an agreement to these rules will not be accepted.
Lastly, this is a horror fantasy game. Role-play appropriately. :)
Thanks, and I hope we all can have fun!Additional information requested by this site:
✅ Game Duration
I expect the campaign to take about a year and a half. Last time I played this campaign, we completed it in 13 months with daily posting and active engagement from all players.
✅ Character Restrictions.
No restrictions. You can use any official book. Almost all 3PP books are allowed, just bring it by me first, because there’s some stuff I’d like to nix or nerf in the 3PP realm. You can see (almost) all the published material in my homebrew reference guide.
If you are brand new to the game, I strongly recommend you limit yourself to just the core book; there's not really any power-creep in this game, despite dozens upon dozens of supplements; I consider the vast majority of the ancestries and paths to be relatively balanced. You could practically choose options at random and you'd end up with a viable and fun character to play. (I've done this).
✅ Adult Content or Controversial Themes.
This is a horror game. You will be subjected to various themes of horror. Blood, gore, and body horror are certain. There’s also other occasional adult themes, such a politics, religion, hypocrisy, betrayal, sex, sexuality, torture, child sacrifice, and more.
✅ Acceptance of marginalized groups. This game is explicitly friendly to LGBT and any other minorities or marginalized groups.
Look, Shadow of the Demon Lord is a game where the best heroes and the worst villains are forced to work together to stop the apocalypse and save the world from extinction. You to play pretty much any personality and morality of character; you can be a good guy or a bad gal or an evil bloke or an asshole or whatever you want. Character drama is fun and I encourage good drama between the characters and NPCs.
But as a player, don’t be an asshole. I don't put up with bullies and jerks, and I will call you out. If you come to one of my games and start stirring shit, I can and will kick you from the game and file a complaint with the mods, who may or may not remove your account. Don’t be a dick.
One final note:
I plan on running this game fairly "barebones." I’m not planning on adding much that’s outside of what’s written in the campaign. So if you want a lively and rich game, bring it. Put in the effort and introduce things to the world that make it a richer game. I’ll happily work with you on things you want to introduce.
When I was a player in this campaign, we brought so many things to the game that ended up making it one of the best campaigns I had ever played in. Our characters had personal problems, marital problems, a spousal affair, a wedding ceremony, a tear-filled funeral, a "coming out" ceremony, the birth of a child, people falling in love and falling out of love, an assassination, a successful blackmail scheme, two PCs regularly trying to kill each other, and so much more. There were politics and betrayals and relationships and an entirely new villain that sucked out people’s souls by making them become depressed until they committed suicide… and this was all the stuff the players brought to the game.
Make the game come alive.
Perhaps. Perhaps not.
Welcome to a Land in Shadows. The Gods are distant powers. There are hidden worlds, magic is real, and mortals live many lives.
Science and technology have made great strides, despite the world being filled with terrible monsters. There are clockworks, steam power, railroads, firearms, and more (think mid-1800s for tech and fashion), as well as fantastical creatures like the aloof (and often cruel) fae, noble centaurs, norse-like giants, tricky devils, and demons from out of this world.
And last and certainly not least - the Empire burns as the shadow of the Demon Lord spreads across the lands. As the Demon Lord's influence grows stronger, the fabric of sanity subtly fades.
-------------------------------
Welcome to Shadow of the Demon Lord, a dark and gritty fantasy horror. This system is an amalgamation of Warhammer Fantasy and D&D 5e. Written by Robert Schwalb and published by Schwalb Entertainment.
I'm Bookrat, your Horror Master.
In this PBP game, I'll be running Tales of the Demon Lord. This is a published full campaign running from Level 0 to Level 10. This campaign was written with the original Kickstarter for the system, and it was the first full campaign released. It primarily takes place in the city of Crossings and the surrounding countryside.
Anyone is welcome to join. You do not have to own the book. You do not have to know how to play. New and old players alike are welcome to join any of my games. Character death should be expected, although through clever play and a bit of luck, you may survive. My first game had zero deaths! You could survive, too! (But you probably won’t).
For more information, see the Game Details over on the game forum!
[ +- ] How to Play - a quick and dirty overview for newcomers
SotDL is a D&D-like game that uses a d20 mechanic, and combines it with insanity and corruption mechanics. You have four primary attributes (strength, agility, intellect, and will). You primarily interact with the world by roleplaying, but if the outcome of something is uncertain or interesting, then we may require a roll of the dice (d20). You’ll either make an "attack roll" if it's related to another creature, or a "challenge roll" if it is not related to another creature. Your d20 may be modified by Boons and Banes (d6) which will add or subtract to your roll based on the situation.
As you level up, you’ll gain talents which can make certain rolls easier, make others' rolls harder, grant access to magic, or provide other interesting avenues for interacting with the world.
At level 0, all you have is your Ancestry (human, orc, goblin, clockwork, etc…). Your ancestry determines the talents you gain at Levels 0 and 4. Then, based on your rolls and the events that happen during the starting adventure, you’ll level up to 1 and select your Novice Path (warrior, rogue, mage, etc…). Your novice path dictates the talents you gain at levels 1, 2, 5, and 8. At level 3, you’ll use the experiences you’ve had in game to select an Expert Path, which determines your talents at levels 3, 6, and 9. Finally, at level 7, you’ll select a Master Path, which grants you new talents at levels 7 and 10. The game ends when you complete the level 10 adventure.
Tales of the Demon Lord does have combat in it, so if you’re the type of player who gets bored easily by detailed combat scenes in games, you may not enjoy this game. That said, getting into a fight is often discouraged, and it’s likely your PC will become heavily injured and potentially die. Each chapter will have a primary goal for you to accomplish, and you do not always have to rely on fighting to accomplish those goals.
If you are familiar with the terms Combat as War vs Combat as Sport for game design, I consider Shadow of the Demon Lord to be more on the Combat as War style of gameplay; preparation and set up are the keys to victory. Assuming an even footing against an enemy is a surefire way to die quickly.
Morality is questionable in this system; you're free to play heroes and criminals, gentle souls and petty jerks equally.
I have a standard set of rules and agreements for games I run. To apply to this game, all you have to do is read the following spoiler and make a post in the recruitment thread saying that you agree to my rules!
Once you’re in the game, there’s a character creation thread that details the rules for making a character. Much of the character generation process is randomized, so do not come up with a concept first or you will be disappointed that the rolls you ended up with do not match the concept in your head. Roll first, create second.
If you do not own the core book, you can purchase it on DriveThruRPG (it's only $19, or $10 for the player's guide), or you can ask me for help. I'll happily explain various ancestries you can choose, tell you what you need to roll to generate your PC, and give you the results of your rolls.
I’m looking for 3-8 players. If there are fewer than 8 players in my game, then you can apply! This recruitment thread will remain open the whole campaign.
[ +- ] Bookrat’s Rules for Playing This Game
This game is descriptive and requires players to have input and to be descriptive themselves. I know we all get lost in the single line posts as games go on past a few weeks, but to make this game thrive, you have to put in some effort.
So based on that, I request that all players strive for the following:
Posting Rate. This game will be played at a minimum of one post per day. Possibly more. I often post multiple times per day just to answer questions and post reactions to something a player is doing. If you can't/won't post for a day, then expect to be botted or skipped so the story can move forward (generally, I bot those who give me a heads up, and I skip those who are absent with no word). Also, please don't be that person who thinks "once per day" is posting at 11:50 pm and then again at 12:10 am, and then doesn't post again for nearly 48 hours.
Push Post. At least every other post should be a "Push Post." That is a post that moves the story forward and allows for other players to react. Avoid posts that just say, "I follow along" or "We could do this if others want." If you're just following, include a description about how you feel and what emotions others can see on your face as you travel. If you have a suggestion for the group, then either post in Discussion or just go ahead and do it.
Emotions. Your posts should include the emotions of your characters. How are they feeling at that moment in time? Even if you only have a one liner, please include one emotion in the line. PBP games don’t translate the horror genre very well, so including emotional descriptions in your posts will go a long way to help with the environment of this game.
Don’t wait for others to make a decision. I'd prefer it if we weren't all waiting on someone else to make the decision to do something. I’ll play by the "2 people in agreement" rule, where as soon as I see two players agree to a course of action for the group, that’s the direction we’ll go in the game. If people start stalling, I'll make Something Bad Happen in game, just so we can bring interest back into the game.
Give a Heads Up. If you can't post for a period of time - even if it is one day - please tell us! It takes less than 30 seconds to use your phone and drop a line. "I’m super busy today, I won’t be able to post," or "I’ll be gone this weekend, please bot as needed." There’s rarely a good excuse for why you can’t give others any notice. Be courteous and let us know.
Join the Discord Group. I have a discord chat for my games. I use it to keep in touch with my players, to allow players to more easily contact me, as a backup site to play in case this website is down for a period of time, and just a place for us to chat.
Quitting the Game. It’s ok to quit. Any reason is acceptable. Just give us a notice so we’re not waiting on you. Maybe you’re too busy with life, maybe you don’t like the system, maybe you don't like me. It’s ok. Any reason is ok. I can handle criticism and I will accept literally any reason for why you want to leave the game. Just be mature, be an adult, and let the group know you’re bowing out. What isn’t ok is to just disappear. Don’t be that guy.
Please post that you agree to my rules in this recruitment thread. Any requests to join my game without an agreement to these rules will not be accepted.
Lastly, this is a horror fantasy game. Role-play appropriately. :)
Thanks, and I hope we all can have fun!
✅ Game Duration
I expect the campaign to take about a year and a half. Last time I played this campaign, we completed it in 13 months with daily posting and active engagement from all players.
✅ Character Restrictions.
No restrictions. You can use any official book. Almost all 3PP books are allowed, just bring it by me first, because there’s some stuff I’d like to nix or nerf in the 3PP realm. You can see (almost) all the published material in my homebrew reference guide.
If you are brand new to the game, I strongly recommend you limit yourself to just the core book; there's not really any power-creep in this game, despite dozens upon dozens of supplements; I consider the vast majority of the ancestries and paths to be relatively balanced. You could practically choose options at random and you'd end up with a viable and fun character to play. (I've done this).
✅ Adult Content or Controversial Themes.
This is a horror game. You will be subjected to various themes of horror. Blood, gore, and body horror are certain. There’s also other occasional adult themes, such a politics, religion, hypocrisy, betrayal, sex, sexuality, torture, child sacrifice, and more.
✅ Acceptance of marginalized groups. This game is explicitly friendly to LGBT and any other minorities or marginalized groups.
Look, Shadow of the Demon Lord is a game where the best heroes and the worst villains are forced to work together to stop the apocalypse and save the world from extinction. You to play pretty much any personality and morality of character; you can be a good guy or a bad gal or an evil bloke or an asshole or whatever you want. Character drama is fun and I encourage good drama between the characters and NPCs.
But as a player, don’t be an asshole. I don't put up with bullies and jerks, and I will call you out. If you come to one of my games and start stirring shit, I can and will kick you from the game and file a complaint with the mods, who may or may not remove your account. Don’t be a dick.
One final note:
I plan on running this game fairly "barebones." I’m not planning on adding much that’s outside of what’s written in the campaign. So if you want a lively and rich game, bring it. Put in the effort and introduce things to the world that make it a richer game. I’ll happily work with you on things you want to introduce.
When I was a player in this campaign, we brought so many things to the game that ended up making it one of the best campaigns I had ever played in. Our characters had personal problems, marital problems, a spousal affair, a wedding ceremony, a tear-filled funeral, a "coming out" ceremony, the birth of a child, people falling in love and falling out of love, an assassination, a successful blackmail scheme, two PCs regularly trying to kill each other, and so much more. There were politics and betrayals and relationships and an entirely new villain that sucked out people’s souls by making them become depressed until they committed suicide… and this was all the stuff the players brought to the game.
Make the game come alive.
Last edited July 3, 2023 3:39 pm
