The 3 types of terror: The Gross-out: the sight of a severed head tumbling down a flight of stairs, it’s when the lights go out and something green and slimy splatters against your arm. The Horror: the unnatural, spiders the size of bears, the dead waking up and walking around, it’s when the lights go out and something with claws grabs you by the arm. And the last and worse one: Terror, when you come home and notice everything you own had been taken away and replaced by an exact substitute. It’s when the lights go out and you feel something behind you, you hear it, you feel its breath against your ear, but when you turn around, there’s nothing there…
― Stephen King

The Special Events Committee is excited to bring you back to the infamous Dark Carnival, Raleigh Tabletop RPGs’ own horror-themed Special Event. The one-shot TTRPG sessions presented here by our incredible volunteer GMs run the gamut from Saturday Morning Cartoon Spookems to Psychological Dungeon Horror, from Otherwordly Sci-Fi Frights to Extraordinary Fantastical Fears.

Dark Carnival 2023 will comprise two Sessions of games — the “morning” Session from 12noon – 4PM, and then the “afternoon” Session from 5PM-9PM. Players are welcome to sign up for a game in each Session, if they’d like. These Sessions will take place both IRL at Gamer’s Geekery & Tavern as well as virtually using a variety of tools but organized centrally via RTR’s Discord Server (check the Dark Carnival 2023 topic under the Campaigns list in the Tabletop section).

During this event, we will be selling entries in a Fundraiser Raffle to help support RTR. Throughout the year, we need to spend money to maintain our Meetup account, book spaces at venues (like the Tavern!), and fund other services (e.g., Roll20/Kanka/Obsidian Portal for our GMs, printing rules for our public campaigns, etc.). This Raffle will support those efforts. Better yet, the more that is donated, the more awesome prizes that will be available! We will be taking cash as well as virtual donations. Speak with Randy Pinion or Byerly at the event or on Discord for more details.

Morning Session (12noon – 4pm)
Table 1: “Where Angels Fear to Tread” (#iHunt) from GM Jonn P
Table 2: “Lux Aeterna: A Mech Space-Opera” (Beam Saber) from GM Justin H
Table 3: “Everyone is Deaglan” (Everyone is John) from GM Spencer D
Table 4: “Sack Rats” (Dungeons & Dragons 5E) from GM Tolu A
Virtual: “The Transmuter’s Mansion” (Oldschool Essentials) from GM Vince P

Afternoon Session (5pm – 9pm)
Table 1: “It’s the Great Pumpkin, You Silly Clown” (Chronicles of Darkness) from GM Justin H
Table 2: “A Warm and Pleasant Hum” (Trophy Dark) from GM Kyle R
Table 3: “The 13 Brides of Blood” (Dungeon Crawl Classics) from GM William K
Table 4: “It Came From the Darkness-Under-Eaves” (The Wildsea) from GM Randy P
Virtual: “Reaping What is Sown” (Call of Cthulhu 7E) from GM Alex M