What can you guys tell me about Shadowdark, pros and cons? Thanks for anytime you can tell me

>>96126896 (OP)
What kind of idiot pays 80 dollars for dice?????

It's basically a shittier version of 5e dressed up as an OSR game.

>>96127765
I have some hand-carved out of bloodstones for my Bloodstone Pass campaign. They were like $120, I think. They're more set dressing than actual dice because I'm not rolling rocks across my fucking dinner table.

>>96127939
My metal set cost $25, decent enough. Were your bloodstones worth it?

>>96127765
When I die I want my bones turned into dice with nothing but 1's on the faces so I can eternally let down players the same way the eternally let me down.

So, no one likes this game. Gotcha

>>96128029
>Were your bloodstones worth it?
Eh, sure. They're there to be pretty and bring me joy. They do. It's just money.

>>96128687
Pic or link?

>>96126896 (OP)
I like it. I just discovered it and play that after needing a break from WFRP's complexity. The maker makes it super easy to make content for too, instead of having to wade through the legalese other companies have.
Looking at you Paizo with that ORC Contract.
You have a torch, it lasts an hour realtime, so if you want to maximize loot per minute, take 2 for the group and fill your inventory with whatever the monsters down there have.

>>96128687
Give me some of that money if you can waste it on $120 dice.

>>96128422
Serious talk, for the most part no. Some people surely like it, but I don't think its anyone's first choice system.
it has the right look to scratch that OSR itch for people who aren't neck deep in /osrg/ puritanism, and also is just modern enough that even the biggest 5etard can learn it in a few minutes.
If all you want is to crawl some dungeons and fight some monsters, you could do a lot worse.
But you can also do a lot better.

>>96128690
Can't--on vacation. They more or less look like this. I bought them a few years ago. Gemstone dice are now much cheaper than they were right around when the pandemic started. These are only $60.

>>96128739
I might be the only one then on tg who likes it. I'm just tired of giant rule tomes and people turning new "system books" into failed novels.

>>96128726
True and real statement, imagine being rich enough to blow 120 on some stupid dice, that's like the cost of a whole army for some wargames

>>96128774
Or like... one decent dinner. Money is relative.

>>96126896 (OP)
Pros
>very simple and easy to learn
>if you've only played D&D you'll be able to pick it up quickly
>art and formatting are decent I guess

Cons
>really not that deep
>skills replaced with a vague "you get advantage on actions that are thematically appropriate to your class's vibe"
>randomized character advancement, but most of the options are +1 to a stat or "roll again if you already got this"
>over reliance on randomization in general
>that shit about torches being real time that every youtuber jacked off about is effectively meaningless and GMs are told to handwave time tracking and just randomly put out player torches to force artificial tension

>>96128785
>"A decent dinner"
Are you ordering like 6 meals on a single sitting or do you live in like dubai????

>>96128726
>>96128774
fuck off commie beggars
that's his money and he is FREE to spend it whatever way he likes
t. nta

PS
get a fucking job

>>96126896 (OP)
OSR style games come as snow in winter and they are all essentially the same fucking game
Shadowdark is one of the few non-free games that actually give you a reason to stray off the free games path, even if it's [mostly] just being a well put together book that looks nice
>inb4 it's not deep!!
non of those OSR games are

>>96129178
I'm being sarcastic about that part but yea spending that much money on dice is crazy and people who do it should be laughed at

>>96129241
poor people who think $120 is a is big bucks moneys and commies who think a person is NOT ALLOWED to spend his money in whichever way he wants should be laughed at
it's you

>>96129178
I'm not a Commie, I'm a leech. Commies can't admit that.

>>96129268
You're just resorting to bait for engagement because you know this thread had no point to exist to begin with

>>96126896 (OP)
OP, you ask about a game and then post a non-relevant image.
That's queer behavior.

>>96129288
If you're gonna be that fag, at least post the appropriate image

>>96129281
you don't get the single paramount pillar of a FREE MAN and you are a commie in denial
u just mad I scrapped the "based 4chan poster" gilding off of you

>>96127765
The usual types. That is, people with more money than sense.

>>96126896 (OP)
The golden dice managed to take the title of the least-readable dice I have ever seen, and the competition is pretty fierce.

>>96129398
retard
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braille

>>96129398
>>96129456
It's funny cause the $55 dice behind the braille ones are even less readable. The braille dice are meh but they do at least have a gap on each face so you can tell what the correct orientation is. Unlike whatever the fuck is going on with the goofy swirl dice.

>>96129456
>touch the dice to read the result
>instantly invalidate the roll

>>96129306
*braps a hot pepperoni fart down your throat*


huh did you said something faggot corpo bootlicker?

>>96129477
>the $55 dice behind the braille ones are even less readable.
They're half-readable I'd say, but still firmly in the garbage bin territory.

>>96126896 (OP)
It's an "OSR" system who can't let go of 5e. it's not as lethal or requires about strategy about resources as the majority of B/X retroclones and it's not as simulationist as 1e.

>>96127935
spbp. Add to this that all character development is done on random tables, with some results being strictly better than others.

>>96129584
>random tables, with some results being strictly better than others.
that seems bretty osr ngl

>>96131385
OSR character development is to get nothing new at all, then your castle drops out of the sky at level 9.

>>96129281
Excuse you? Op here and I'd say this thread definitely has a right to exist, you fucking numbnut bitch. I mean, try reading
>>96129288
How is my image from a GAME SHOP non-relevant, you basic hopped up bitch

>>96131502
I'm standing in line for confession, so I'll just say this to you, OP: May God give you what you deserve.

>>96133268
I could care less what you have to say to me. You could address the subject or kindly shut the fuck up if you don't have anything to say about it

So I played my first game of this tonight. It went very smoothly. I find it too be pretty dangerous towards characters. I actually got down to 1 hp. That hasn't happened to me in ages. I was playing a dwarven priest. I miss some of the nuances but I feel like the chassis is pretty solid and stories or additional complexity can be sprung from it easily. I looked at the one supplement that was available but I haven't read it yet. I think it captures some of d&d's appeal but the spells need a bit of further clarification. I can see them being a big argument starter. Some people wouldn't play this game just because the rules surrounding spells are not very strong at all and I don't blame them for that. I myself love wizards for playing d&d, they're my favorite, so you gotta come correct with the magic rules or I get bored easily

>>96126896 (OP)
It's a BroSR-inspired O5R game that mostly shines in low-level oneshots you might play at North Texas or Gencon where 1:1 time is a fun novelty.

>>96127939
>I have some hand-carved out of bloodstones for my Bloodstone Pass campaign. They were like $120
Sounds like you were ripped off. Bloodstone as a material is pretty cheap and I doubt if the dice were actually hand carved. Even if they were hand carved that sounds like a recipe for unbalanced dice anyway.

>>96136142
Well I did just post a picture of them, slightly lower if you scroll down, where I pointed out that you can now find them for $60. Gemstone dice have rapidly become way more common and way cheaper than when I bought them half a decade ago. But whatever. I knew what I was getting, what I was paying for them, and they were exactly as expected. I like them as a decoration, so being balanced is kinda irrelevant. I also have a huge slab of bloodstone as another decoration. It was only like $8. I like having thematic stuff on the table when I run games. It's a hell of a lot more fun to be exploring the bloodstone mines when they're on the table.

>>96134114
If you could care less, why even respond? The subject was either about Shadowdark or about expensive dice. You're the one causing confusion and getting upset at your own choices, anon.

>>96126896 (OP)
It's DnD 5e but super simplified and with no darkvision. Which is fine, but it's not the absolute groundbreaker that people jerk off about and gave it a million awards for.

Basically I second this >>96128791

>>96136532
I can respond for any reason at all, including no reason. Why does it even matter?

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?

>>96138980
>Fine
This is the game in a nutshell. It's fine. The mechanics are fine. The layout is fine. The art is fine. Nothing about it is truly new or groundbreaking, but nothing about it is truly awful or unplayable either. It's not the best. It's not the worst. It doesn't deserve heaps of awards and a billion dollars on kickstarter, but even still, it's fine. You can do worse.

>>96135848
>Some people wouldn't play this game just because the rules surrounding spells are not very strong at all and I don't blame them for that.
This is by design. Some spells are open to interpretation because that leaves room for creativity. This isn't a fucking boardgame and spells with very fixed rules and very fixed uses do not allow for any unexpected or fun uses.

For example, the Alter Self spell:
>Tier: 2, Range: Self, Duration: 5 rounds. You magically change your physical form, gaining one feature that modifies your existing anatomy. For example, you can grow functional gills on your neck or bear claws on your fingers. This spell can't grow wings or limbs.
Plenty of room for ideas here.

>you gotta come correct with the magic rules or I get bored easily
This unfortunately makes you sound very retarded, or if I am being more generous, devoid of creativity and the ability to think on your feet.

>>96141919
I could care less what you think, about anything, ever. Context, you big stupid bitch

>>96144400
>I could care less
Ahh yes, the American brain. You barely speak one language and when you do it is full of mistakes. I'm sure you're the type to make fun of ESL posters and yet you write like monkey, but I imagine you "could" care less about that too, eh? Retard.

>>96144922
I could care less but it's getting doubtful, faggot. Does that help your limited understanding of syntax, you ineffable moron?

>>96141870
The horse archer is a class that came from the supplement that was more wilderness focused, to be fair. The new Western Reaches book is supposedly also more hexcrawl focused, giving that class more to do as well.

>>96149497
Oh, nice! I look forward to reading that

It's a good game with good layout. It's not revolutionary but the framework is good and the 3rd party license lets you make pretty much whatever you want for it. I played several sessions of it at North Texas, and even saw sci-fi rules hacks for it.
My player group prefer more crunchy games overall, but we enjoyed our shadowdark campaign. I think we will give it another go when the full campaign setting is released later this year.

>>96128759
I like it for random one-shots or very short campaigns. I, too, am tired of giant rules tomes.
>>96138980
>>96141909
>Fine.
Correct. It's fine. The only reason it got so high on Kickstarter the first time is because she struck while the iron was hot when it comes to the OGL "scandal" driving everyone insane. It certainly has its audience though as evidenced by its second kickstarter.

>>96131441
You don't get anything new in Shadowdark either. You increase a number on a class feature or an attribute or attack/damage. If you're a spell caster you get new spells, of course.

>>96151124
Some classes have a 2.7% chance to get something new on rolling a 2 (or rolling a 12 and picking that). There are also classes in supplements where you can get to roll for feat-like abilities, which range from casting one spell-like ability once per day with a 1d4 rounds duration to adding an additional damage die to most of your attacks.

>>96126896 (OP)
Darkbad is much better.