Heart: The City Beneath

Heart RPG · Heart: The City Beneath

Heart: The City Beneath

Heart: The City Beneath is a fantasy horror RPG centred on discovery, risk, and change. You venture below Spire into shifting tunnels, lost gods, and impossible spaces. The stories tend to be tragic yet human, filled with hard bargains and moments of wonder. It is loved for its vivid character interactions, peculiar factions, and the way consequences influence every decision. Ideal for adults who appreciate dark fantasy and surreal imagery.

During a session, it feels like a tense expedition. You chart a course through the unknown, negotiate with desperate guides, confront ravenous places, and determine how far to push your limits. The Game Master sets the scenes, communicates risks, and allows your choices to reshape the world. Suitable for 2 to 5 players, whether online or in person. Beginners are welcome, while veterans will discover depth. Ready to descend? Browse available professional Game Masters here.

How to play Heart: The City Beneath

You roll a pool of d10s based on your character's strengths and the context of their actions, then take the highest die to determine the outcome. Pressure adds Stress to tracks such as Blood, Mind, or Supplies. As stress accumulates, Fallout can occur, affecting you or the situation. A turn is straightforward: state your intention, understand the risk, roll the dice, manage the result, and decide your next action. Play alternates between dialogue, exploration, and crisis.

Players create bold, flawed characters motivated by a calling and a readiness to make difficult decisions. A professional Game Master introduces the City’s delves, factions, treasures, and horrors, establishes clear stakes, and employs safety tools. You will utilise character sheets, dice, quick maps, and shared notes. Online games operate smoothly via video with a shared map or VTT. See common options for online play.

In a one-shot, you engage in a focused delve with a clear objective and tight pacing, aiming for memorable moments and a definitive conclusion. Anticipate tough negotiations and a taste of Fallout before wrapping up. In a campaign, your crew forges contacts and resources, undertakes riskier delves, and endures lasting scars and rewards. Obsessions deepen, relationships evolve, and the City Beneath remembers your actions. Sessions typically last 3 to 4 hours.

A 3d-printed miniature of a Flameskull monster from the dnd monster manual, used during combat encounters on a grid map.
A 3d-printed miniature of a Flameskull monster from the dnd monster manual, used during combat encounters on a grid map.
Two friends playing a tabletop RPG, one celebrating a win with raised arms and the other checking their phone.
Two friends playing a tabletop RPG, one celebrating a win with raised arms and the other checking their phone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to know about Heart or Spire to play?

No. You can arrive with no prior knowledge. A professional Game Master will explain the rules in minutes and guide you through character creation. The system uses pools of d10s and provides clear outcomes, making it easy to grasp. You will learn about Stress and Fallout as you come across them. Familiarity with Spire can enhance the experience, but it is not necessary. You can also choose someone who enjoys teaching beginners when you browse available Game Masters.

How does Heart differ from D&D?

Heart centres on risk, cost, and discovery rather than tactical combat. There is typically no grid. Position and narrative are more important than precise distances. You create dice pools based on your actions and locations, then manage Stress to tracks such as Blood, Mind, and Supplies. Fallout alters scenes and characters, not just hit points. Equipment is lightweight and tagged, magic is potent but expensive, and factions influence your decisions. Delves resemble perilous expeditions where objectives and consequences guide play.

What tone and content should I expect? Is it particularly frightening?

Expect surreal horror, obsession, and strange wonder. Scenes may include body horror, cults, scarcity, and psychological strain. This is intended for adults, not children. Before play, our Game Masters establish lines and veils and utilise safety tools such as Script Change or the X-card. You determine the intensity you desire. It can be grim and desperate, or balanced with moments of hope and beauty. The aim is to create tense, meaningful play where you feel safe as an individual, even when your character is in peril.

What group size is most effective and how long does a session last?

Heart is designed for 2 to 5 players. Fewer players mean more focus on individual characters and a more intense, perilous journey. More players introduce dialogue, strategies, and more complicated consequences. Sessions usually last between 3 to 4 hours. A one-shot is ideal for a single adventure with a clear goal and a definite conclusion. In a continuous campaign, you develop connections and resources, undertake bolder explorations, and deal with enduring outcomes. Your Game Master will adjust the pacing to suit your group's preferences.

What types of characters can I play in Heart?

You choose a class with a unique flavour, such as Deep Apiarist, Vermissian Knight, Junk Mage, Cleaver, Heretic, or Hound. Your Calling determines what motivates you, whether it be Adventure, Enlightenment, Profit, or Protection. Abilities, equipment tags, and Beats influence your actions and development. Character creation typically takes around 20 to 30 minutes with guidance, or you can opt for pregenerated sheets for a quicker start. Expect bold, flawed individuals who are prepared to sacrifice safety for their desires.

How perilous is Fallout? What occurs when I experience Stress?

Stress accumulates on various fronts as you take risks. When Fallout occurs, the Game Master enforces an appropriate consequence. Minor Fallout may damage equipment, change the scene, or leave a temporary scar. Major Fallout can alter your journey, affect relationships or resources, or even remove your character from play. While death is a possibility, the game frequently transforms you before it leads to your demise. Risks are clearly indicated, allowing you to decide when to continue, regroup, or negotiate for a safer path.

Does Heart function effectively online, and which tools do you utilise?

Yes. Heart runs smoothly over video with simple maps, shared dice rollers, and handouts. Many of our Game Masters use Roll20, Foundry, or Owlbear Rodeo, or keep it lightweight with theatre of the mind and a shared document. The system’s dice pools and narrative positioning are well-suited for online play. If you have a preferred setup, please mention it when booking. For common platform options and what they offer, see online play platforms.

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Genres you can play in Heart: The City Beneath

  • Occult

    Candlelit rituals, cryptic symbols, and whispered conspiracies. Imagine The X-Files as you pursue clues through secret lodges and concealed…

    View genre: Occult
  • Tragic

    Embrace delicate hopes and steep costs as characters confront their fatal flaws, grief, and the meaning that emerges from loss. Consider…

    View genre: Tragic
  • Surreal

    Dream logic at the table. Rooms fold into one another, clocks bleed, and questions answer themselves. Think Alice in Wonderland, with…

    View genre: Surreal
  • Pirate

    Salt spray, creaking decks, and cutlass duels as you pursue treasure and rivals across treacherous waters. Swashbuckling adventure…

    View genre: Pirate

What players think

  • First of all, I want to say that Sebastian was really great as a DM. For his first run as a booked DM, he did a really good job. The 3 stars refer to the following: 1. We were disappointed that the adventure was labelled a One Shot and yet wasn't a complete story. Discovering that there are two more parts wasn't very positive for us, as it meant there was no satisfying conclusion to the story. 2. As new players, it was difficult for us to understand the English character sheets in such a short time. In German, it would have been much easier. Even receiving the character sheets a few days in advance would have been helpful for preparation. 3. More guidance would be beneficial. Especially for beginners, a more linear one shot would have been preferable. We wasted a large portion of the adventure time doing unnecessary things because we didn't really know how the game worked. Overall, I think the StoryForgers concept is really good and I see a lot of potential in it, especially for introducing new players to D&D. I hope you don't take my feedback the wrong way but as honest criticism. Best regards, Mario

    Mario

  • Bryan was exceptional. We had a group with varying levels of experience, and he managed to keep everyone engaged and involved. His attitude was fantastic, and he made the game enjoyable for all. I particularly appreciated how he could clearly explain what was required from our less experienced players while keeping our more seasoned players on their toes with his extensive knowledge of the game. Everyone in our party had a wonderful time thanks to Bryan.

    Jeremy

  • Dayron was fantastic. Well-prepared, punctual, and had a brilliant sense of humour.

    Corey

  • Dayron was fantastic; he provided an excellent experience. Thank you!

    Casey

    The Merry Meeple

  • The game was incredibly engaging. I arranged a session as a gift for my boyfriend, who is very enthusiastic about it, and he was thoroughly pleased and appreciated Leonardo's professionalism. I don't have much experience with DnD, but I found the game to be quite straightforward and enjoyable.

    Marina

  • A very good GM, Baptiste adapted well to our group and helped us progress in this one-shot. One issue was with the character sheets provided, which were not complete or clear. Some of the French translations were rather approximate. For instance, our cleric was missing spells (no healing spell) even though they were meant to have some.

    Pierre

  • Rachel was fantastic; my daughter and her friends left their game saying it was the most fun they'd ever had, and my daughter wanted to sign up for another game with her straight away. She was friendly, and her approach enabled the players to fully immerse themselves in the game by allowing them to control how they wanted their actions to be carried out. I would certainly work with her again.

    John

  • A pleasant and straightforward introduction to D&D. Amber was adept at explaining and guiding the game, allowing us as players to quickly get into the rhythm and concentrate on the narrative. Collaborating with my colleagues to devise attack strategies was an enjoyable experience and provided valuable insights into each other's characters, thought processes, and differences. Overall, I found it to be a highly enjoyable session.

    Jens

    Triodos Bank N.V.

  • Pim is truly brilliant as a DM! Cheerful, adaptable, and exceptionally experienced. With a group of novice players, he managed to create an amazing experience in just a few hours. He maintained control in an enjoyable manner and engaged every player in the story, regardless of whether they were vocal or reserved. If you embark on an adventure with him, it will certainly be unforgettable!

    Jens

    Triodos Bank N.V.

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