Library: Shadowdark RPG (2023)

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Shadowdark (Shadowdark)
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Shadowdark RPG (2023)

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Overview

Shadowdark RPG is a modern masterpiece of old school fantasy tabletop gaming, created by Kelsey Dionne and published by The Arcane Library in 2023. It blends the lethal, dungeon crawling spirit of the with streamlined, modernized mechanics inspired by the . Description In Shadowdark, players are adventurers delving into tombs and ancient underground cities in search of gold and glory. The game is highly lethal, emphasizing player skill, resource management and creative problem solving over character sheet abilities. The dark is a physical, terrifying presence and making sure keeping the light on, is beyond vital to survival. System Overview & Key Features
Real Time Torches Torches last exactly one hour of real time. The Game Master sets a physical timer at the table. When the timer runs out, the light goes out, and the characters are plunged into total darkness where deadly monsters thrive.
Familiar d20 Mechanics The core system uses a standard 20 sided die (d20) with advantage and disadvantage, making it incredibly easy for modern players to pick up. However, modifiers are kept extremely low to maintain a grounded feel.
Randomized Character Growth Instead of picking from a massive list of feats or skills when leveling up, players roll a random talent on their class table. This speeds up character creation and forces players to adapt to the unique strengths of their adventurer.
Slot Based Inventory Encumbrance is simple and strict. Characters have a number of inventory slots equal to their Strength score or a minimum of ten. Every item, from a sword to a torch, takes up exactly one slot, making resource management important.
Additional links Log in to view - Official The Arcane Library website Log in to view - Shadowdarklings (An excellent online character creator)

Active games and players

Shadowdark
Shadowdark
Keswick
Campaign
TTRPG group for various systems
Players
3/10
GM
1/1
Shadowdark
en English

TTRPG group for various systems

Roleplay focused Roleplay focused
Newbie friendly Newbie friendly
Looking for new players for shadowdark RPG games in Keswick,Cumbria.  I have an established gaming group and am looking to expand session frequency through additional players Group is new player friendly Shadowdark is a rules-lite d20 system with OSR vibes. Open to other game systems in the future. Current casual  campaign is a west marches style setup where each session an expedition party leaves a central base to explore the world through rumours and previous expedition logs , each session ends with surviving party members returning to base.  Looking for players wanting to play sessions between weekly and monthly cadence, If is enough players available on a day(3+) then I will run a session/expedition.

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Shadowdark
Shadowdark
Portland
Campaign
Shadowdark: Midnight Sun @ Black Water Bar: SE PDX
Players
0/4
GM
1/1
Shadowdark
en English

Shadowdark: Midnight Sun @ Black Water Bar: SE PDX

Join the table Mondays from 6-9 pm at Black Water Bar for an ongoing ShadowDark adventure campaign. Sail the black, foamy seas in dragon-headed longboats in this hexcrawl from the official ShadowDark zine: Cursed Scroll 3 Midnight Sun! We will begin our exploration of the Isles of Andrik on Monday, January 26 (2026), with character creation and a level-0 gauntlet through the Hoard of the Sea Wolf King. The game will be open table format. The more you play, the more your character will be involved in the story. New players welcome! As the seers make their blood sacrifices to the Old Gods, come see what future awaits you in the Midnight Sun! Sign Up on Meetup! https://www.meetup.com/oregon-sorcerous-realms-osr/events/313091145/

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Shadowdark
Shadowdark
Online
Campaign
Shadowdark Megadungeon Game
Players
0/6
GM
1/1
Shadowdark
en English

Shadowdark Megadungeon Game

Hello all! I've been wanting to run a moderate-length game of Shadowdark with a dedicated group. I'm looking for a moderate-length campaign about 12 sessions (3 months) and to determine from there if the group wants to continue or move onto something else. The game would be ran on discord and roll20. Sessions would run 2 fast and furious hours. I'm looking for players who can commit their full attention to the game in a short(ish) window. Shadowdark plays fast relative to similar fantasy TTRPGs. For those unfamiliar with Shadowdark, it harkens back to D&D 2nd edition. The rules are simpler and it is very easy to pick up (for free too!) - if you've played 5e, it's not an exaggeration to say you can learn this game in 15 minutes, even playing the wizard class. The game leans more into themes of survival horror and resource management than the heroic fantasy D&D 5e evokes - but not a boring kind! It's very streamlined in how it works. The vision I have for my game is a mega-dungeon set-up with a homebase to return to, with themes of eldritch horror and some political intrigue. The main touchstone media for this story is the anime and manga Made in Abyss. This is the main caveat about my games: *Christian values - content is kept PG-13 and violence is not gratuitous, sexual content is non-existent without compelling RP reasons well communicated to the GM, and the Christian faith and traditional beliefs are respected - players can be non-Christian. If that caveat is no issue to you, it could be a good table for you. If that caveat is attractive to you, it might be a great table for you. I'll mostly be playing by the book - which is available for free (the quick start edition, anyway) at the Arcane Library's website. With the short play time, I'll play the variant rule to have 30 minute torch-timers (probably the defining mechanic of the game). I'll use maps on the VTT and use limited lighting in such a manner that makes players have to map out the dungeon themselves. I've played a few short games like this and it was really immersive! If you're interested, please message me the following information: Your name: Your age: A bit about you: Why you're interested in the game: Tabletop RPG experience: A character concept you like that you've played or like to play: In transparency, I'll share my answers to the questions above: My name is Josh. I'm 33. I work in education and am married with four children. I'm a pretty typical nerd living in Midwestern USA - I like video games, anime, Star Wars - for my kids age, basically everyone is obsessed with Pokemon right now. Some of my favorite games are the Resident Evil franchise, anything really made by FromSoft these days, and The Legend of Zelda. I *really* like Resident Evil especially for reasons I don't fully grasp, but it bleeds into my TTRPG life, to where I like survival horror games the most and feel I run them the best. I want to run this game because of the survival horror elements coming more natural to Shadowdark than D&D 5th edition. I like the fast and furious play of it. It plays so smoothly and encourages more creativity because your character sheet is so barebones, you think beyond the sheet more. I want to run a game with the exploration of, say, Dark Souls, with the survival horror of Resident Evil and with story inspirations from Made in Abyss. I'm coming on 8 years of regular, weekly GMing - mostly 5th edition D&D, but I've branched out to other games the last few years. In lieu of a character concept, I'll share the positive feedback I've gotten from players: tense but rewarding scenarios, strong at integrating backstories, great horror original settings... I think the only main criticism I've received is having been, on occasion, impatient with players taking very long with their turns. Shadowdark makes it easy not to have that temptation, but I'm very amenable to feedback if someone were to tell me something I did or said rubbed them the wrong way. I'm sure I missed something in this post, but I think that's all the essential details... Please reach out if you're interested. Happy gaming!

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New
Posted 3 hours ago
en English
DND5.5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5.5E (2024)
...
Berlin
Online
LX
I'm Alex! Teacher from Germany in my 30s, love to read and design campaigns, usually DMing one or two games a week myself, big gamer and movie enjoyer as well. I'm mostly a harmony seeking type, but I've RPed enough that I can handle some heat as well. You likely won't find me strategizing things out mid combat, I'll try to stay in character because I love the immersion, and I usually try to keep things tonally consistent. Looking forward to play with y'all!
en English
DND5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
...
Boston
Online
Johnny
Hello, I'm Johnny. I'm a forever GM/DM just looking to join a table as a player. 
en English
Shadowdark
Shadowdark
DCC
Dungeon Crawl Classics
...
Online
Mark
Hello fellow RPG gamers, I'm Mark! I started playing D&D back in the 80's, Holmes Basic (bluebox), then AD&D (1e). Eventually drifted in and out of the hobby, but have been playing almost weekly since 2014. Played a few systems over the years, D&D most of all. I usually DM/GM, but also enjoy rolling up a character and adventuring. I love all aspects of RPGs; combat, exploration, problem solving, group synergy, social interactions, etc. For me, RPGs are as much about the people as the plot. I’m a social DM/GM and player who values gaming friends rather than just running through mechanics. My sessions strike a balance between a relaxed, friendly atmosphere, and high-stakes drama when the story demands it. I also like character-driven narratives weaved into the campaign. This can come from backstories, or more importantly, from the ongoing story developed through the game. Over the last 10+ years I've mostly ran/played some great D&D5e games, but would like to focus on other games. Recently I've been into OSR games with some modern mechanics; like Dungeon Crawl Classics, Shawdowdark, Dragonbane, and a few others.

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