A 350+ page modular campaign combining open ended exploration, survival mechanics, and faction driven storytelling where every decision shapes the journey.

From Lore Labs, creators of exploration driven tabletop worlds.

The Dune Sea Remembers

The empires of the past did not fall quietly.
They were buried.

Across the dunes lie the shattered remnants of the Sun King’s dominion. temples swallowed by sand, cities reduced to bone and dust, and relics powerful enough to reshape the fate of those who find them.

Now, whispers of the Sun King’s Legacy have begun to spread.

Mercenary coalitions march beneath fading banners.
Desert elites prepare for war in silence.
Scholars gamble lives in pursuit of forgotten truths.
And somewhere within the storm that encircles the wasteland, an ancient jinn watches… and waits.

You are among the few willing to enter this living graveyard.
You endure the hunger, the thirst, and the shifting alliances of a world that does not forgive weakness.

Each expedition may reveal salvation...or doom.

In Lost Sands, survival is not guaranteed.
Discovery is never without consequence
And Each decision leaves a mark.

The Game

Inspired by historical expeditions, desert survival narratives, and the mythology of fallen empires, Lost Sands is a roleplaying campaign about exploration, endurance, and the consequences of discovery.

Players take on the roles of seasoned adventurers drawn into a relentless race to uncover the Sun King’s Legacy, an ancient relic buried beneath shifting dunes and protected by forces both mortal and divine. Rival factions, mercenary coalitions, desert elites, and forgotten powers all compete to claim the jewel or to ensure it is never found.

From a fragile base of operations on the desert’s edge, expeditions venture into a hostile landscape where scarcity, environment, and hard choices shape the story as much as combat or diplomacy. The setting is designed to be experienced through play rather than exposition, with lore revealed organically through exploration, faction interaction, and the uncovering of ancient ruins.

Lost Sands features a hybrid modular exploration structure, combining an overarching narrative with open ended discovery. Players chart their own course through 30 major locations, each offering multiple quests and outcomes that influence the evolving world.

Survival mechanics such as food, water, and endurance play a meaningful role in shaping the journey, reinforcing the campaign’s grimdark tone while maintaining heroic stakes.

Magic is rare in the dunes, and when it appears it carries weight, often tied to ancient forces, powerful relics, or the influence of the storm bound jinn who seeks to prevent history from repeating itself.

Designed for TTRPG 5e characters from level 3 to 12, Lost Sands balances narrative depth with table usability, supporting game masters with structured encounters, modular content, and tools for managing faction driven storytelling.

Discover the desert through dynamic travel and player driven discovery.

Food, water, and endurance shape every expedition.

Mercenaries, desert elites, and scholars compete for the Sun King’s Legacy.

Face unique threats or forge bonds with creatures shaped by the dunes.

Supernatural forces are scarce but deeply impactful.

Each site contains multiple major quests and branching outcomes.

Hybrid Modular Exploration

Grimdark Survival Systems

Faction Driven Narrative Race

30 Epic Locations

Rare & Powerful Magic

Desert Monsters & Creature Companions

Why Lost Sands Is Different

The desert is built to change from table to table. Locations are not simply presented in a predetermined sequence, and the campaign does not assume that every group will experience the same journey. Where the players travel, who they trust, what they uncover, and what they leave behind can fundamentally alter what comes next.

A settlement ignored may become a lost opportunity. A faction betrayed may become a future enemy. A ruin explored too late may already have been stripped by another expedition. A decision made hundreds of miles from civilisation can return to the players much later, when they least expect it.

Lost Sands is designed around uncertainty.

The players are given the tools to survive, but not the certainty that survival will be enough. They may prepare for a journey only to find the desert has forced them to change course. They may enter a location expecting treasure and leave with knowledge that is far more dangerous. They may succeed in one objective while unknowingly making another part of the campaign harder.

The desert does not reset when the players leave. Factions respond. Opportunities disappear. Consequences spread. The world continues to move around the characters rather than waiting for them to arrive.

Lost Sands is not built to tell one story perfectly.

It is built to give the players the freedom to create a story that could only have happened at their table.

Discover The Lore

Lost Sands is our debut modular desert campaign.

From shifting maps to hidden legacies and original creatures, Lore Labs is building a new generation of discovery driven tabletop adventures.

The Map & Compass

The campaign is built around a hybrid modular exploration system that allows adventurers to chart their own path across a living desert. Rather than following a fixed route, players uncover the world dynamically, revealing new locations, threats, and opportunities as their journey unfolds.

At the centre of this design lies the balance between direction and discovery.

This modular structure ensures that no two journeys through Lost Sands unfold in the same way, supporting replayability while maintaining a cohesive narrative centred on the race to uncover the Sun King’s Legacy.

In Lost Sands, exploration is not a transition between story moments

it is the story itself.

The search for the Sun King’s Legacy has set the desert in motion.

Across a dying desert, factions rise from shadow and Sand alike, each driven by ambition, duty, or fear of what may be unearthed. The Sun King’s Legacy promises power but its discovery may awaken forces long meant to remain buried.

To seek the jewel is to enter a war without banners.

Factions Of The Hunt

Coalition of Dust

Mercenary forces funded by rival scholars, advancing across the desert with calculated precision and ruthless efficiency.

Colleges Of Maerifa

Rival centres of learning bound by a shared obsession with uncovering the Sun King’s Legacy. Their scholars fund expeditions, manipulate political alliances, and compete fiercely to claim the knowledge and power hidden beneath the sands.

Sol Zar

Zealous descendants of a fallen empire, convinced the Sun King’s Legacy is their sacred birthright.

Emberforged

Descendants of the Sun King’s ancient legion, masters of desert warfare and guardians of traditions forged in fire and sand.

Not all threats in Lost Sands march beneath banners or answer to ambition.

Across the wasteland, ancient forces stir in silence remnants of forgotten ages that shape the desert in ways few truly understand. These legends are not bound by politics or purpose, yet their presence can alter the course of any expedition.

To encounter them, is to glimpse the deeper truths buried beneath the sands.

Legends Of The Dunes

Stormbound Jinn

An ancient and enigmatic force that commands the desert storm, manipulating events to ensure the relic remains buried.

Cursed Collosus

A towering relic of a forgotten age, cursed to wander the desert in eternal unrest. Its presence reshapes the land itself, and those who cross its path rarely survive unchanged.

These fragments offer a glimpse into the structure, tone, and usability of Lost Sands.
From modular encounters and faction-driven narratives to detailed locations and character design. Each page reflects the campaign’s focus on exploration, consequence, and table-ready play.

What follows are moments captured from expeditions already underway.

Encounter Design in Practice

Events unfold through structured phases, offering meaningful choices that shape both the immediate outcome and the wider campaign.

Encounters are designed to feel cinematic while remaining clear and usable at the table.

Characters Who Shape the Journey

Faction leaders and key figures in Lost Sands are presented with both narrative depth and logical precision.
Each character serves as a catalyst for conflict, alliance, and discovery, ensuring that interactions feel as impactful as combat.

Locations Built for Exploration

Every settlement, ruin, and landmark is designed to support modular discovery.
Maps are structured to encourage player agency, multiple approaches, and evolving narrative outcomes rather than fixed sequences.

Each expedition reveals new paths through the desert.
These pages are only the beginning.

Pages from the Expedition

The Journey Starts Here

Lost Sands is entering its final stages of exploration and design.

Join the Lore Labs expedition to receive:

• Early access previews and design updates

• Exclusive lore and worldbuilding insights

• Playtesting opportunities

• Launch announcements and campaign milestones

Be ready when the journey begins.

Join our mailing list to follow development, gain early insights into the campaign, and be among the first to step into the desert when the expedition begins.

The sands are shifting.
Be prepared.

Keep in touch!

Have an urgent enquiry? labteam@lorelabs.co.uk

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