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7/21/2025, 12:55:28 AM
Shadowdark is fun and works well. I love shitting on things and I'm very happy to shit on women too, but people 'round here love to shit on the game just because it is made by a woman.
I love the hell out of OSR games and I have run a bunch of OSE. The biggest problem with OSR games is that henchmen are fucking gay to run. They're annoying. I just want players to control their character and go on damn fantasy adventures. The occasional NPC companion is fine, but largely I just want simple adventures centered around dungeons and other interesting environments. Shadowdark is very good at facilitating that type of game, especially if you run a West Marches style game.
Roll to cast is fucking great. The inventory system is simple but effective and forces players to make choices. The classes are so easy that even 5e retards can pick it up easily, complete newbies can pick it up easily, and there's enough flavor to satisfy more experienced nerds too. The torch timer mechanic seems gimmicky but actually works surprisingly well at the table, especially if the GM remembers to mess with the darkness and 'attack' their torch in various ways. If you manage to make the darkness feel scary then the game is much more fun. I recommend NOT sticking to a strict 1-hour timer. Make it 30min, randomize it. Keep players on their toes. The game is quite lethal, but not as hopeless as dead-at-0. Personally I quite like dead-at-0, but not a lot of players do (in my experience).
I think you'll find that contrarian nerds hate on the game because it became popular, but people who actually run Shadowdark (instead of shitting up this basket weaving forum all day) enjoy it.
A con: it's a very dungeon focused game, but some classes have specific abilities or themes that just don't work in dungeon areas. For example, horse archers from the !NotMongolia steppes, how the fuck will they use their horse and riding prowess in a tiny dark dungeon corridor?
I love the hell out of OSR games and I have run a bunch of OSE. The biggest problem with OSR games is that henchmen are fucking gay to run. They're annoying. I just want players to control their character and go on damn fantasy adventures. The occasional NPC companion is fine, but largely I just want simple adventures centered around dungeons and other interesting environments. Shadowdark is very good at facilitating that type of game, especially if you run a West Marches style game.
Roll to cast is fucking great. The inventory system is simple but effective and forces players to make choices. The classes are so easy that even 5e retards can pick it up easily, complete newbies can pick it up easily, and there's enough flavor to satisfy more experienced nerds too. The torch timer mechanic seems gimmicky but actually works surprisingly well at the table, especially if the GM remembers to mess with the darkness and 'attack' their torch in various ways. If you manage to make the darkness feel scary then the game is much more fun. I recommend NOT sticking to a strict 1-hour timer. Make it 30min, randomize it. Keep players on their toes. The game is quite lethal, but not as hopeless as dead-at-0. Personally I quite like dead-at-0, but not a lot of players do (in my experience).
I think you'll find that contrarian nerds hate on the game because it became popular, but people who actually run Shadowdark (instead of shitting up this basket weaving forum all day) enjoy it.
A con: it's a very dungeon focused game, but some classes have specific abilities or themes that just don't work in dungeon areas. For example, horse archers from the !NotMongolia steppes, how the fuck will they use their horse and riding prowess in a tiny dark dungeon corridor?
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