Arden Vul | Open Table

Want to explore ancient ruins, uncover cosmic secrets, and maybe get rich doing it? Join our drop-in friendly Shadowdark campaign delving into the legendary Halls of Arden Vul!
We meet bi-weekly to explore a massive ruined city filled with mysteries, treasures, and strange factions. Each session starts in the frontier town of Gosterwick, where you'll gear up and plan your expedition into the ruins above. No ongoing commitment required - show up when you can, your character persists between sessions!

## What You'll Do

• Explore interconnected ancient ruins with multiple factions and hidden secrets
• Navigate politics between halfling gangs, mysterious wizards, and stranger things
• Solve puzzles, map dangerous areas, and hopefully return with treasure intact
• Make meaningful choices about where to explore and who to trust

## Game Details

• System: Shadowdark (streamlined old-school D&D) [Quickstart rules]
• Experience Level: Complete beginners welcome - we'll teach you everything
• Character Creation: Quick and simple, or we can do it when you arrive
• Style: Dangerous but fair - smart play beats lucky rolls
• What to Bring: Just yourself! We provide dice, sheets, and snacks

## New to RPGs?

Perfect! Shadowdark is designed for newcomers. Think of it as collaborative storytelling where you describe what you want to do and roll dice to see what happens. Combat is tactical but quick, and there's always more than one way to solve problems.

## House Rules We Use

A few tweaks to make the game more fun:

• Spellcasters get a break: You don't lose a spell until you've successfully cast it at least once
• No torch timers: Players can't use phone timers to track torches - you have to pay attention!
• Lighting torches in the dark is hard: Requires a tough skill check when you can't see
• Old-school mapping: I'll show you what you can see right now, but if you want a permanent map of where you've been, that's up to you to draw! (Totally optional, but some folks love it)

## New to Old-School Gaming?

A few tips to help you thrive:

• Think like a person, not a character sheet - Describe what you want to do, don't just look for the "right" skill to roll
• Combat is dangerous - Sometimes running away, negotiating, or finding allies is the smart move
• Ask lots of questions - The more you know about your surroundings and the factions, the better decisions you can make
• Get creative - There's usually more than one way to solve a problem, and clever solutions often work better than brute force
• Take notes - Arden Vul is full of interconnected mysteries that span multiple sessions

Questions? Message me anytime. Whether you're a total newcomer or longtime player, I'm happy to chat about what to expect. See you in Gosterwick!