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Make a Name: Rivals of the Netherdeep
Every summer, Jigow holds the Festival of Merit. This year you're finally old enough to enter. But so are five competitors exactly your age.
TYPE
SYSTEM
LEVELS
EXPERIENCE
Details
Weekly / Mon, 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM (UTC)
$45 / Session
Ages 15 to 17
0 / 5 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
Every year at the end of summer, the town of Jigow throws the Festival of Merit. Contests, prizes, food stalls, and the whole town out in the street until it's too dark to see. Your character has been going since they were small enough to sit on somebody's shoulders. They have watched other people win. This year they're old enough to enter. They've been practicing. Then they hear that other kids have come in from out of town. They're sharp and fast, and one of them is very good at the exact thing your character has spent all year practicing. That rivalry is at the core of this campaign. Five other young adventurers grow and level alongside the party across the entire story. They are not villains. They want the same things your players want, for reasons of their own, and whether they end up as friends, enemies, or something more complicated is genuinely decided by how your players treat them. Players who have watched sports anime, Owl House, Steven Universe, or shonen series will recognize the style here. This is a long campaign for teens ready for weight. Beneath the adventure is a real question: what does it cost to become the kind of person people tell stories about, and is it worth what you trade away? But hope is always in reach if you work together! Fights matter here. Characters can be seriously hurt and death is on the table, though I telegraph danger clearly and I do not kill characters without player consent. Players who prefer to talk, sneak, or outthink a problem will find this campaign has room for all sorts of approaches.
More details
Ages 15 to 17
The party will be made up of only kids ages 15 to 17, led by a vetted professional Dungeon Master. This game will be recorded for quality & safety purposes and saved securely for 90 days. To review the content allowed in this age band see our FAQ.
Plot & setting
The party begins at a town festival, and the events there put them in competition with five other young adventurers. They travel across a desert waste to towns, cities, and oceans. Expect fantasy combat against beasts, cultists, demons, and aberrations. Expect puzzles, negotiation, and social scenes with recurring NPCs.
Education
Game style
Schedule
Ongoing campaign
Weekly on Monday
1.5 hours
Once 4 players have joined, cuddlegutz (Sofia) will start posting upcoming sessions and they'll show up right here. Join now to save your spot, and we'll send you a heads up when everything's set.
Meet the Dungeon Master
cuddlegutz (Sofia)
5.0
(8)
2 years on Young Heroes
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Beginner Friendly, Creativity
About me
Hi, I'm Sofia (she/they). I've played TTRPGs for over 20 years and GMed various systems throughout that time. I run one-shots and campaigns of D&D, Root: The RPG, Avatar Legends, and other systems when opportunities arise. I'm a former teacher, run all age games at my local shop, and have run lots of games with my own kiddos. I'm skilled in supporting LGBT and neurodiverse youth, and I love teaching games to new players!
View more →Reviews from parents (8)
Reviews from parents and guardians
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Before Session 0: - Create a free D&D Beyond account - Install Zoom and test your camera and microphone - Nothing to read. No books to buy. I provide all game content. Before Session 1: - Have your character finished in D&D Beyond (we do this together in Session 0, so this is usually already done) Every session: - A device that can run Zoom and a browser tab at the same time. A laptop or desktop is much easier than a phone or tablet. - Somewhere reasonably quiet where you can talk out loud without feeling self-conscious or being distracted. This game involves speaking in character, and players who can't talk freely have a worse time. - Water and a snack.
What cuddlegutz (Sofia) brings to the table
I taught for over ten years, and I run games the way I ran classrooms: everyone gets airtime, nobody gets talked over, and we treat each other respectfully. What that looks like at the table: - Maps, tokens, monster stats, and all book content, provided through D&D Beyond. Players need nothing but a free account. - Distinct voices for recurring NPCs, especially the five rival adventurers, who I treat as characters rather than encounters. - Rule of Cool over rules-as-written when a player describes something genuinely clever, but consistent rulings so nobody is guessing what works. - Milestone leveling. No XP bookkeeping. - Previous session recaps at the start of each session so nobody has to remember everything.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Webcam
Platforms used
D&D Beyond
D&D Beyond is the official digital companion platform for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. It offers character building and management tools, content collection, navigation, and organization, and a suite of virtual tabletop tools like encounter builders, and maps in both 2D and 3D.
Zoom
Zoom is a videoconferencing software used for video and telecommunications around the world by businesses, governments, and of course, RPG groups! It's a simple, functional, and ubiquitous program for reliable video chat.
D&D Beyond Maps
D&D Beyond Maps is the official virtual tabletop of Dungeons & Dragons 5e. It integrates users' content from D&D Beyond to allow players to create and run encounters. It's currently in beta testing.
Safety
StartPlaying is committed to providing a safe and fun space for kids to break into roleplaying games with our team of professional Dungeon Masters.
Vetted Dungeon Masters
We review every Dungeon Master's application and require background checks for them to work with kids.
Reviews from parents
We require Dungeon Masters to submit at least 3 reviews from previous games they have run.
Recorded sessions
We record kids' sessions for safety and review. You can access recordings for up to 90 days after the session has run.
Identity Verification
Your Dungeon Master will verify each player's identity at the start of each session before letting you into the call.
Secure Payments
All payments are done through Stripe, one of the most secure payment processors in the world.
Dedicated Trust & Safety
Our team works to ensure that every player has a welcoming, safe, and fun experience. We are ready to assist if needed.
How cuddlegutz (Sofia) creates a safe table
Lines and veils (people's boundaries on topics that make the game not fun for them) are set in advance (either in SPG message or during Session 0) and I send the list to parents afterward so you know exactly what I've agreed to keep off the table. Nobody has to explain why. A no is a no. During play I use X, N, and O cards. Players can type X along with something that's a problem for them in the Zoom chat at any time, including privately to me, and the scene changes with no debate and no attention drawn. We take a break at the midpoint of every session, and players can also take breaks as they need without repercussion. I also run debriefs at the ends of sessions, so we can praise each other for cool moments, talk through any tough feelings that came up, and share things we hope for in future sessions. On character death: I never kill a character without the player's agreement. There is always a way out: a rescue, a resurrection, a cost paid instead. Danger is real and I telegraph it clearly, but a player who isn't ready to lose a character will not lose one. If that's a worry for your kid, it's handled.
Safety tools used
Additional tables
0 available
Frequently asked questions
$45.00
/ Session