The Game: Inspired by Stephanie Garber's Caraval

You are a couple of seasoned travelers about to be dragged into something a lot more than you bargained for. This is a tale of emotion, terror, and tragedy; but also one of heroism, something the people of Neverwinter desperately need as they struggle against a serial killer. This short adventure goes from levels 4 - 6 for a party of 3 – 5 players. The game is designed to run anywhere between 4 – 8 sessions and focuses on mystery, horror, a decent amount of combat, and thrilling and dramatic roleplay! Session 0 is free, and we focus on expectations there, so everyone knows what they’re getting into.  Further Details and how to join here: https://startplaying.games/adventure/cmtrz070y000wjm04ygj4ywp2?ref=cl364he035phabopk9zps3nif I have a few other games listed on my profile if this doesn't work; you can check that, and more information about me and my style here: https://startplaying.games/gm/627fe21745eac1ca56eb8f72

The Helix Initiative was introduced to the public as a revolutionary leap in environmental adaptation, biological medicine, and survival science. Officially, the organization claimed it was developing new ways for humanity to survive ecological collapse, disease, and resource shortages. Behind closed doors, however, Helix operated hidden research divisions dedicated to experimentation far beyond legal or ethical limits. Somewhere deep within those divisions, a scientist identified in surviving records only as Dr. W██d████ T████ developed a machine capable of shrinking living organisms to less than an inch tall. The technology was presented internally as a breakthrough in resource efficiency and medical research—but many of the subjects brought into testing were children between the ages of eight and sixteen. Most never returned. You are one of the survivors. After undergoing the procedure, you awaken inside an ordinary city park that has become an impossible wilderness at your scale. Blades of grass tower like trees. Puddles become lakes capable of drowning entire groups. Ants patrol the dirt like armored soldiers, while spiders transform sections of the park into web-choked death zones. Every inch of terrain matters. Every storm is catastrophic. Survival depends on learning how to weaponize the environment itself—crafting tools and defenses from thorns, sap, insect shells, broken plastic, roots, and scavenged debris left behind by previous miniature civilizations that clearly did not survive for long. As you explore deeper into the park, you begin discovering abandoned outposts, collapsed shelters, and fragmented Helix logs detailing increasingly unstable experiments. The records reference attempts to create “evolutions chosen suvivors” capable of evolving beyond normal biological limits. Again and again, one phrase appears alongside heavily censored personnel files: MARROW SYNDROME. The disease slowly destroys the body in stages—first decaying bone tissue, then muscle structure, and finally flooding the lungs with blood. Somewhere among the corrupted files are hints that Dr. W██d████ T████ never joined Helix out of loyalty. Some logs imply he infiltrated the organization to expose its corruption, free the surviving test subjects, and continue researching a cure for a terminally ill child connected to the syndrome. Whether those rumors are true remains uncertain. Helix officially denies the existence of both the disease and the scientist. Not every strange thing in the park comes from Helix laboratories. Survivors occasionally encounter a bizarre figure known only as Rock—a hyper-muscular talking bee obsessed with shouting “MUSCLE” at every possible opportunity. Most groups dismiss him as insane until they realize he understands far more about the park than he should. One moment he acts like a reckless coach forcing terrified children to become stronger, and the next he casually references erased facilities, failed experiments, or “previous attempts” that nobody else remembers. Near the edges of abandoned Helix sectors, Rock sometimes becomes unusually quiet, staring into empty space before muttering warnings that sound less like jokes and more like genuine fear. HE IS WATCHING YOUR EVERY MOVE...

Heckna! is a 5e adventure story designed to take characters through levels 1 to 10. Game Masters and players alike will delight in this whimsical, dark carnival setting! Will you see through the glitzy and glamorous charade or fall prey to Heckna’s everlasting torment?