Late-Night 4e Campaign

DEMON CASTLE PAROUSIA Prologue Chicago. Autumn, 1999. It's the last autumn of the millennium, and the city is coming apart. People are stockpiling water, canned food and cash. Television warns that banks, power grids and phones could fail at midnight on New Year's Eve. Everyone is counting down, and not everyone believes the lights will stay on. People are disappearing. It started with night-shift workers, the homeless and runaways, and now ordinary families are going missing too. The reports go nowhere, and the police have no answers. The stories are getting stranger: shapes moving across rooftops, howling near the rail yards, bodies found drained and pale, broadcasts that cut in at 3 a.m. with voices no one can place. Most people laugh them off, but fewer are laughing every week. And the city is turning on itself. End-times preachers shout down skeptics on street corners. Neighbors buy guns to protect themselves from each other. Every group blames another for the attacks, and trust is breaking down block by block. Three companies seem to have a hand in everything in Chicago right now, and to the public they're the pillars holding the city together. Blackmoor Industries is an old-money empire that owns property all over the city: towers, docks, warehouses, new developments and funeral homes. It holds the Vanguard contract and pays for the city's protection. As people leave or vanish, Blackmoor quietly buys up what they leave behind. Carmilla Dynamics is a cutting-edge pharmaceutical and biotech firm. Its free clinics, blood drives and medical trials come with glossy ads that promise longer, healthier lives. In the poorest neighborhoods, its clinics pay cash for blood. Vesper Corporation is the city's biggest media company, with TV and radio stations and newspapers. It runs the Y2K-readiness campaign, and it's the voice telling Chicago what to fear and who to blame. New preachers are appearing in soup kitchens, shelters and on street corners, preaching that the world is ending and a Shepherd will lead the faithful through the dark. Their followers call themselves the Flock and wear a red thread around the wrist. They take in the poor and the lonely, and some who join are never seen again. Meanwhile, domestic terrorism is on the rise. Churches burn, substations go dark, and bombs go off in public places with no warning and no clear motive. Every week brings a new attack, and every group in the city blames another. Nobody feels safe anymore. Under the chaos, an underground network trades in off-the-books work. Brokers, fixers and contacts pass jobs along by pager, payphone, email or a note slipped under a door. The jobs used to be ordinary: guarding a shipment, finding a debtor, getting something out of the city quietly. Lately they've changed. Now it's finding people who went missing, getting into places that are locked and guarded, and asking questions about the companies everyone else is afraid of. Some of the people who took those jobs haven't come back. But the pay keeps rising, and someone always says yes. Most of the city will never learn what's behind the chaos. But a few people who answered the same call are about to be brought together, and what they find will pull them past the headlines and the companies into something far older, something that has been waiting in the dark. Before the year is out, they'll learn what Chicago has been hiding.

Frostgrave is a skirmish war game in which players act as wizards with their warbands and compete to claim treasures.

Previously, on The Star Hoarder's Cache: Fade into the party hurriedly discussing their plan while fleeing a burning Space Freighter "If it's a choice between joining Pirates, the Rebels or the Law... I'm for the Rebels." Cut to an impeccibly dressed businessman leaning on his mahogony desk "A new ship? That's quite the favor, my friends. Luckily I have just the job for you..." Fade up as we look into your character's eyes, focused straight ahead "There's no way, Val! That shot is impossible!"  "It's still the best we have." Hey everyone! I’m Alan, and I GM for a group of lovable misfits online. We've been together around 3 years now, and are getting ready to launch our next grand sci-fi campaign: The Star Hoarder's Cache! If you love deep character development, witty table banter, and adventures where your choices genuinely shape the story, we’d love to meet you! We’re currently looking for 1–2 dedicated roleplayers to round out our crew. The Campaign Hook: Think Guardians of the Galaxy meets Firefly, Mass Effect, and Treasure Island. Expect a scrappy, found-family crew chasing legendary fortunes across uncharted frontiers. The tone balances high-stakes galactic intrigue, sharp comedic banter, and meaningful character arcs. Your past catches up with you, the galaxy reacts dynamically to your decisions, and every crew member has a vital voice in where your ship flies next. We used the Adventure Path 'Murder in Metal City' to onboard us into SF2e, and are ready to tackle a homebrew campaign. About the GM & Table Style The Style: I bring 3 years of GMing experience backed by a long history studying improv at Second City. That means dynamic scenes, distinct NPC personalities, and an adaptive GM approach where player creativity, humor, and bold ideas are rewarded. The Current Crew: Our table consists of two women, and four men. (Including me, the GM) We're looking for another 1-2 players to round out the table, cis-women preferred. Immersion & Focus: To maintain high energy and uninterrupted roleplay during game night, our sessions are recorded and privately uploaded so that only table members have access. This allows me to stay 100% present in the moment while ensuring every player decision, inside joke, and plot thread is captured accurately between sessions without breaking the flow for note-taking. The Atmosphere: We are an inclusive, collaborative, and communicative group. We share the spotlight, support each other's character arcs, and prioritize fun, respectful storytelling above all else. We utilize safety tools like X-Cards and establish clear boundaries/lines & veils ahead of time. If a session is likely to involve heavier depictions of potentially difficult topics, I make a point to remind everyone of the X-Card options and check in with players ahead of time. Campaign Length: Our table enjoys campaigns around 12 sessions long. We've run four of them so far using PF2e. I try to focus on an overarching narrative while weaving in the backstories and goals of the party members. Some backstory plots get resolved along with the main campaign; while others are given clues and breadcrumbs into our next campaign. Logistics & Requirements System: Starfinder 2e / Pathfinder 2e We started as a PF2e group, and after 3 years; are trying out SF2e. The two systems are practically the same, except for minor tweaks Platform: Foundry VTT for gameplay, Discord for out-of-character crew banter. Schedule: Twice per month, running on a weekday evening (Mon, Tue, Wed, or Thu based on group consensus), 6:30 PM – ~11:00 PM CST. Tech: Clear working microphone, reliable internet, and a PC/browser capable of running Foundry VTT smoothly. Webcam use is encouraged, but optional. Age: 21+ I aim to run a PG-13/Sometimes 'R' rated table. We focus on keeping things friendly, with strictly zero-tolerance for bigotry or toxic behavior. How to Apply: If you want to join our crew, send me a direct message with brief answers to the following: Experience: What is your background with Pathfinder 2e, Starfinder 2e or tabletop RPGs? (Beginners to the system are welcome!) Playstyle: What draws you to TTRPG's; Combat/Strategy, Improv/Character development or creating a Shared-Storyline? Table Dynamic: What energy do you hope to bring to the table in our story-driven campaign? Applications will remain open until we find the right fit, followed by a brief, casual chat on Discord to make sure we're all on the same page before jumping in. (We'll go over table expectations, a short tutorial for using FoundryVTT, any Off-Limit topics, etc.) Looking forward to welcoming you to our table!