Shadowdark RPG (2023)

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
Old School Renaissance
Old School Renaissance (OSR) (2000)The Old School Renaissance, Old School Revival or OSR is a play style movement in tabletop role-play...Rules-lightRules-medium
with streamlined, modernized mechanics inspired by the
fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons 5e (2014)Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (D&D 5E) is a heroic fantasy tabletop roleplaying game published by W...Beginner-friendlyHigh-Fantasy
. 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 thearcanelibrary.com/pages/shadowdark https://thearcanelibrary.com/pages/shadowdark - Official The Arcane Library website shadowdarklings.net https://shadowdarklings.net - Shadowdarklings (An excellent online character creator)

Active games and players

Shadowdark
Shadowdark
Online
West Marches / Living World
Across the Western Reaches
Players
0
Shadowdark
en English fr French

Across the Western Reaches

West Marches / Living World
One world and a big pool of players, but no fixed party - whoever signs up that week is who plays.
Scheduling will be determined on a session-per-session basis as per West Marches style. In an ideal world sessions will be on a weekly or biweekly basis. Games will be scheduled for the month of November in UTC-5 time zone with much availability on my (GM) end, and from December onwards my schedule will be in UTC +3 with games in the evenings monday to saturday or potentially during the day on sunday.  - Game session duration: 3hrs - Sessions will use roll20 and a dedicated discord server. The game will be a West Marches game set in the Western Reaches campaign setting. This means open-table, players using a roster of multiple characters, semi-regular scheduling based on highest availabilities, and an emphasis on exploration through Hex Crawling and individual point of interest crawling. PCs will have to return to safety at the end of each session or risk rolling on the caught in danger table (very bad things could happen ). The use of the Fast Travel rules will make this relatively easy, so don't let this dissuade you! Players will directly forge the narrative and expand the world by exploring and discovering new information throughout the Reaches. The West Marches nature of this campaign means that it does not require high commitment and regular attendance. Whether you want to try out Shadowdark for the first time, only hop in an adventure once in a while or plan on attending every session, there is a place for you on in this campaign.  PC options: - All Core and Player's Guide to the Western Reaches options. - New Characters start at Lv1, designed or random. - House Rules: Max hit die HP at creation, Luck can turn crit rolls to normal roles and vice versa, PCs not sleeping intentionally take stat dmg to represent exhaustion. More details on the discord server.  If you want to heed the call for adventure and forge an emergent narrative across the amazing Western Reaches world, send me a Discord DM to venture out into the Wilds... and pray you come back alive! DM me: https://discord.gg/cDzMuDMd

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Shadowdark
Shadowdark
Winchester
Campaign
Shadow Dark, The Lost Citadel of the Scarlet Minot
Players
0/4
GM
1/1
Shadowdark
en English

Shadow Dark, The Lost Citadel of the Scarlet Minot

Newbie friendly
New players are welcome, and nobody expects you to know the rules beforehand.
Adult
The table is for players who are 18 or over.
Hello, I am a GM looking for players to run the shadow dark adventure The Lost Citadel of the Scarlet Minotaur. Shadow dark is a rules light system reminiscent of old school D&D. New and experienced players are welcome. Game day is to be on Saturday or Sunday depending on peoples' schedules. I a looking for 3-4 players. I have several years of experience as a game master, but this will be my first time running Shadow Dark. Make sure to confirm that you understand that this is an in person game and state when you are available Saturday and Sunday.

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Shadowdark
Shadowdark
Guadalajara
Campaign
Dungeon Crawler Carl x Shadowdark
Players
0/4
GM
1/1
Shadowdark
en English

Dungeon Crawler Carl x Shadowdark

🎲 Looking for an extra player for an in-person TTRPG game in Guadalajara We play Shadowdark (rules-light D&D) in a Dungeon Crawler Carl-inspired setting 📍 Patria / Universidad 🕖 Tuesdays & Thursdays, 7 PM 💸 Free to play 🌱 Beginners welcome 🗣️ Game is in English Interested? Do send me a message

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Shadowdark
Shadowdark
Online
Campaign
Shadowdark Dungeon Delving!
Players
4/5
GM
1/1
Shadowdark
en English

Shadowdark Dungeon Delving!

Newbie friendly
New players are welcome, and nobody expects you to know the rules beforehand.
No paid games
On a player profile - you are looking for free games and are not interested in paid ones.
Hey, everyone. I'm looking for a fifth player to join a Shadowdark table I started up. Its been me and four other players now for about 4 sessions. We're exploring a homebrew region I created called The Misty Vale! There is no overarching plot to the campaign, but instead I want to encourage a sandbox style campaign where the players are encouraged to explore and plunder the ruins and tombs scattered across the region. System: Shadowdark, and only the core rule book. If you're coming from 5E, think of Shadowdark as a more stream-lined system with some more lethality added to it. I'll be linking the Player's Quickstart Guide in the Discord server I set up. What tools will we be using? Owlbear Rodeo for VTT (simple drawing tools) use, and Discord for voice communication. Games will be run via Theater of the Mind, and a player will be assigned the role of mapper for the party. Other player roles will be assigned as well, such as note-taker, quartermaster, etc.  Availability: Bi-weekly sessions on Fridays at 8:30 PM. Sessions to run approximately 3 hours each. How to learn more? Check out this player's guide I've linked here: [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cX-89r_CNaHFl7jKAj7WLxovAPleJDx6HrFbkPT1mCg/edit?usp=drivesdk] House Rules: [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X41J05bIGtezE5y2bYGZfdVwGQcgsThNA-oliqa14jg/edit?usp=drive\_link] About me/my interests: I enjoy to read, am a big fan of horror, and have been recently dipping into fantasy as well. I'm currently reading Last Arguement of Kings by Joe Abercrombie. I've DMed a few times for both DnD and Shadowdark, but want to get more experience in Shadowdark and OSR rule systems specifically as I appreciate its more rules-lite nature. Lastly, my pronouns are he/him and I am 33 years old. How to join or get started? Please fill out the form below so I can learn a little bit about yourself, and then I'll reach out to you. Hope to hear from you! Player Recruitment Form: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeDAylu6LCQ9xEie0CT1YmjLIn4ki9kVD1p0z8kl8uqEVUkRg/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=108973837466243593204]

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en English
DND5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
...
Beaverton
Online
Persephone Rose
Lawful Good Goblin Princess with Lots of Energy seeks hijinks and adventure with open-minded companions.  Will absolutely try to play a spellcaster. Have dice, will travel. Adorable and fun to be around. Facts: 37yo androgynous trans woman. Loud and proud, Haters DNI, will leave if misgendered. 10+ yrs experience with TTRPGs Likes pink, romance, and THE UNYIELDING SWORD OF JUSTICE.
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AD&D1E
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1E)
DND1E
Dungeons & Dragons (1974)
...
Greeley
Brent Isherwood
Experienced player/DM looking to start a face-to-face group in Northern Colorado.  I would happily run 1e AD&D or OD&D.  Heck, I'd even run Shadowdark 😎 (Shadowdark has old school DNA) If you are interested in old school gaming then I'm your guy.  No experience needed.  Just a willingness to have fun and enjoy adventuring the old school way!
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