We thought it was just a relic.
But the deeper we dug, the more it remembered us.
There are truths buried in the darkest places of the world—
and some of us are still cursed enough to seek them.
— Tharin Emberlock, before the descent
Explore dwarven ruins, lost relics, and growing shadows. Trust is scarce. Survival isn’t guaranteed.
This beginner friendly campaign is for characters Level 1-4.
Campaign Overview
My first love in Fantasy Lit has always been Middle Earth, and I’m a fan of the 5e rules for Lord of the Rings Roleplaying (by Free League Publishing).
Middle-earth is quieter now. We are in year 2965 of the Third Age, but the echoes of Eriador’s past haven’t been silenced. You play a small band of travelers crossing Eriador, through broken ruins, fading memories, and long roads no one walks anymore.
In Suspicious Mines, you’re not here to slay great evil. You’re here to outlast it, to remember what was lost, and to choose—again and again—what you’ll carry into the dark.
Explore cairns that shouldn’t be disturbed, roads that dream of their builders, and scars in the land that might still lead somewhere worse than silence. There are no dragons here. Just dust, honor, and the consequences of old choices.
You don’t need to save the world.
But you might save something that matters.
I love board games and RPGs of all kinds. As a GM I lean theater-of-the-mind storytelling over endless maps and minis, though I’ll bring out maps and minis for big combat moments. I’m drawn to puzzles and narrative arcs that aren’t just about fighting.
I’m always picking up new RPG rules and settings, which makes it easy for our group to adapt the game for maximum fun. I’ve been playing since the 1980s, so I’ve learned how to shape my GM style to fit each session. Sometimes my more experienced players enjoy how I compress and expand rules on the fly to serve the story, the characters, and the contests. I like to pack a rich story arc into a single session. I indulge the rule of cool, but I’m not a fan of min-maxing at the table, and I love corruption rules because they steer “murder hobo” energy into a darker, more creative space than alignment ever could.
People tell me I run a fun table. I’m told I’m a “gamer’s” GM. The best compliment is when beginners and experts both enjoy playing with me at the same table. I always feel like I’m learning the real game every time I play. Experienced players appreciate the humor and depth I bring to the story, while beginners appreciate how I lay out the session—how the setup works, how it’s progressing, and how the campaign’s climax objectives unfold.
We use X cards and Shadows and Veils to keep it classy.
I improvise, I’m practiced, and I’m a little unpredictable about stepping away from my own plan to improve the session for everyone. Side quests can be very helpful, though they can also serve as a bit of retconting to fix something that bugs a player, with everyone on board.
I’m all about collaborative, improvisational storytelling. Combat can be a great storytelling context too—there are often combat checks, and it doesn’t have to mean constant fighting. When things get grim, my job is to keep the fights spectacular, aiming for moments that are entertaining and memorable.
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