Dead Man's Chest
First Event: "All For One."
Prelude:In a prelude video published predominantly on TikTok, the players see that the contents of an important chest have been replaced with a brick, and a note with a single picture: An eye with a very recognizable set of scars slashed across it. Scars belonging to a young man named Calder Grail.
|
I. Manhunt.Through another video posted on TikTok, players see that the stolen content of this chest is a small fortune. A small fortune that has been hidden, and the search for Calder Grail is on. Players will receive their first letters following this video.
|
|
Wanted: Calder GrailAzrai created a wanted poster for this game, modifying a photo of themselves in costume and using vintage engravings and block prints lifted from old books. Distressed and printed on vintage paper, the poster is used in the video to communicate the gravity of what Calder Grail has done.
This photo was posted in the Dead Man's Chest discord as these posters go up around the city of Waterdeep. Calder is laying low, hiding from city guards, and the treasure is hidden. With this, the setup is complete and the story is ready for the players to enter the scene. |
II. An Offer From An Old Friend
On-boarding. (SPOILERS AHEAD!)
|
In live roleplaying games we start with a process referred to as on-boarding. During this process players are introduced to each other and the game world, rules and the basics of gameplay, and are given story prompts or the option to establish relationships that encourage them to engage. This usually happens in the form of workshops before the game starts.
For Dead Man's Chest, players were given a QR code within the first letter that took them to discord channels made for the game. The channels detailed the rules, setting information, and included spaces where they could post character bios, strategize out-of-character, and even send brief in-character messages. They were also given a guide to each letter's contents. This allowed for the actual letter to be as in-character as possible, and gave a space for the players to ask questions or learn about any historically inspired elements of the letters. |
Welcome ScrollAn out-of-character message for the player giving a brief reminder of the setting, a few key mechanics, and what players can expect. The game is inspired by Realms Apart, a DnD narrative show that Azrai co-stars in, and the golden age of piracy. They are given the QR code that takes them to the group chats and discord channels that go into more detail about the functionality and setting. The message is printed on aged paper, on top of a faded vintage engraving featuring a sea serpent crushing a sailing ship. The edges of the message are burned, rolled up around a beeswax candle, and secured by a tie sealed with a compass in red wax.
In this message, players have received their onboarding information but also a simple yet effective atmospheric element- candle light. Themed design and setting the scene, to Azrai, is just as important as the story itself. Every element of these letters has been carefully chosen, down to the different paper weights. |
|
Scene Bottle
|
|
Wrapped in linen and tied with twine, players received a small glass bottle containing what looks like seaglass and a message. The "seaglass" is actually scent beads from Adventure Scents in "Pirate Ship." Adventure Scents are often reminiscent of scents created for theme park attractions, invoking an atmosphere just as much as (if not more than) accuracy.
The message in the bottle contains another QR code. When scanned, it starts a 35 minute audio track of sailing ship soundscape and ambient music one might hear on a voyage with the characters in the story. Between this bottle and the welcome scroll, players have a scene set with lighting, sound and smell. |
Ship's Articles and Sending Stone
|
Rolled up and tied with a stone charm on a leather cord, players received their ship's articles. A signed code of conduct from a time their character sailed aboard the Kraken's Kiss- a legendary ship captained by Balthazar Graves, an infamously monstrous and cruel pirate from the Realms Apart universe. This provides the players with a shared backstory element that they can choose to create relationships from.
These codes of conduct are closely inspired by the few actual surviving articles of agreement from historical pirate ships. They have been minimally modified to be gender neutral and more inclusive for purposes of the game. They are printed on 65lb legal sized parchment paper (with burned edges) to create 14" long scrolls that feel heavy in the hand. Each scroll is hand signed twice; the signature of Balthazar Graves in a blood red ink, next to the signature of the player's character in black ink. They are sealed with the image of a sailing ship in pitch black wax, attaching the cord and stone charm to secure it closed. The stone charm is made with sailing knots (bowline and albright knots.) The stone functions as a prop Sending Stone, which is a magical item in the DND universe that usually comes in a pair and allows players to send short (30 words or less) messages to the holder of the sister stone. For the purposes of this game, the player's stones are said to have been attached to a small network represented by one of the discord channels they have access to. This gives them another (purposefully limited) method of communication outside long form letters. |
|
Cal's Message And Map Piece
|
Players received a note from Calder Grail, hand written in ink on a torn piece of light parchment paper. In it, Calder reminds the player of a shared voyage on the Kraken's Kiss and admits to stealing a large payoff from a rich trading company owner named Tarrenmore. He lets the player know that he's hidden it, even from himself, and that he's spread the location between a few people- including them. He promises that a share of the treasure is theirs if they keep their piece secret until things calm down.
Tucked into the letter is a torn piece of a map, printed on vintage paper and waxed to give it some weatherproofing and a good weight. |
|
The map is a modified map of the Sword Coast, of the Forgotten Realms universe. A grid and code was drawn onto it. The symbols, used here to mark lines of the grid to make coded coordinates, is actually a historical cipher used by pirates. This one was allegedly created by the 18th century pirate Olivier Levasseur, called the "La Buse Cryptogram."
Players either got a coded plot point on the back of their map piece, or a few lines of a song. Once the points are plotted and the song put together, the players should have what they need to discern the location of the treasure. The information is divided in such a way that no one person has "the answer" and if someone loses a piece, the others will still have what they need. (The printable map, cipher, song and answers to the puzzles can be found in the downloadable pack at the top of this page.) 
|
|
Leverage
|
In Cal's note, players are prompted to "look in the pouch" for proof that he means what he says. In a little burlap sack, players would find a small sample of the prize awaiting them. Two gold coins: one a replica of a spanish dubloon, and the other a gold dragon from Epic Armoury. Wrapped in more linen secured with twine, they'd also find a few semi-precious cut gemstones.
This letter was designed to set atmosphere and expectations for the game. Players are left with a mystery to solve (the location of the treasure), scenic elements including smell, lighting and sound, keepsakes, and and access to a community where they can form character ties and theorize about what's next. |
|
