Shadowdark Setting Looks Set To Be 2025's First Million Dollar TTRPG Crowdfunder

​

Just launched today, the new Western Reaches setting for the Arcane Library's popular Shadowdark roleplaying game (which itself raised $1.3M in 2023) has flown past half a million dollars in the first few hours, and looks certain to join the Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarter Club imminently!

[[Edit/Update--and it's done it! $1M less than 12 hours into the Kickstarter campaign!]]

2025 has been quiet so far this year on the million-dollar crowdfunding front. This new setting is a sandbox environment with new classes and ancestries, and various areas such as the Gloaming Forest, Djurum Desert, and Myre Swamp. It comes in two 200-page digest-sized hardcovers. Also included are new issues of the game's Cursed Scroll zine. The full core set will cost you $129, or $149 for a premium version, with fulfillment expected in December 2025.

At $670K at the time of writing, just 3 hours into the campaign, The Western Reaches is already the 7th most first-day funded TTRPG ever, having just passed 2024's Terry Pratchett's Discworld RPG: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork. It looks set to pass 6th place very soon, which is 2023's Ryoko's Guide to the Yokai Realms - A 5e Tome. Only five TTRPG crowdfunders (so far!) have ever hit the million-dollar mark on the first day. You can see the full ranking at the Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarter Club.

The Western Reaches are an unexplored land of fragile civilizations, majestic landscapes, and forgotten horrors that lurk in the dark.

In the Reaches, you could play as:

• A painted witch from the steppes hunting for the secrets to deeper magic
• An armored knight from the City of Masks guarding frontier villages from attack
• A silent monk from the mountains searching for the assassin who killed his teacher
• A scarred pit fighter from the desert looking to make her fortune outside the arena
• A quick-witted explorer from the jungle who can find any artifact for the right price
• A seafaring warrior from the northern isles who fights for the glory of the Old Gods

This sandbox setting is fast, elegant, and flexible in the signature Shadowdark style. You don't have to memorize lore; you'll discover it as you go. The world moves and grows with you as you explore it.

 

[Reynard]

Ehhhh. Don’t know about “doing Shadowdark a disservice."

By disservice, i mean that when someone says (for example) they want a "lighter 5E" and others suggest SD without presenting it as not really 5E like in style, that person is probably going to have a bad time and then understandably talk down SD in response. This isn't just a SD thing, it is a hobby thing, either. People do it with PbtA games all the time.

The adventure/setting in Cursed Scroll #1 for instance is extremely scant on details, for example.

This is a feature and is intentional.

Second, our group is trying a lot of different systems as our DM wanted to get away from D&D and so we’ve been playing many different systems in the past year and a half. Since our group has different people with varying interests, obviously not every system is going to click for everyone - that’s simply part and parcel with the hobby. Likewise there are people who haven’t played SD here who might be wanting to know what the buzz is about. Being above board about what the game is and is not is important.

Yes. I agree.

Try not to take umbrage because someone bounced off something you personally liked.

That's not what I took umbrage with. I took umbrage with a poster being dismissive of both the game and its fans.

 

[aiouh]

It does have fewer words (relatively speaking) but you're right that's not necessarily because of the format. Except...

...if you watch Kelsey live-stream her design process, page size is definitely a factor for her. I suspect if she used larger pages she would be more wordy.

I can totally see that it being digest-sized with a fixed amount of space to write in is a very good creative limitation and keeps text concise and short. The medium also communicates to the reader "hey this is so concise and short that the book is in A5 and stuff fits either in a single page or a 2 page spread!" I get that.

But the reason why the text is concise and short is not because the book is digest-sized. Yes, the book is compact and short because someone wrote it to fit the digest-format, but the book could have also been A4/US Legal and also compact and short. Shadowdark is easy to run because it is concisely written, which is because the Author wrote it in a way that it is legible in a digest format, but the digest format itself is not what makes it easy to run. I hope this clears it up.

 

[TiQuinn]

That's not what I took umbrage with. I took umbrage with a poster being dismissive of both the game and its fans.

Okay, not sure what that has to do with me. I did neither.

 

[Scribe]

Been thinking about the design choice with the Curse Scrolls vs the now 3 core books.

I think I like the idea of some of the CS specific rules really driving a modular flavour, that doesnt need (and of course it could be added) to be reflected in the 'main' system.

Its a nice take on adding bespoke modular rules.

 

[darjr]

Been thinking about the design choice with the Curse Scrolls vs the now 3 core books.

I think I like the idea of some of the CS specific rules really driving a modular flavour, that doesnt need (and of course it could be added) to be reflected in the 'main' system.

Its a nice take on adding bespoke modular rules.

Yea. It’s like a hybrid Dragon Magazine / Supplement.

 

[WisdomOfWombats]

If the deadliness is a problem there are suggestions to make it less so. They do help.

Are those listed in the corebook? Just wondering, because I am not able to find them.

 

[Arilyn]

Are those listed in the corebook? Just wondering, because I am not able to find them.

In the core book. I'm not at home right now so can't get exact page number. It's a page with suggestions for different modes of play.

We start with max hp and then roll for later levels. Not a suggestion in book but a common change.

 

[darjr]

Are those listed in the corebook? Just wondering, because I am not able to find them.

Modes of play, page 111.

I also suggest max hp at first level. If you gauntlet let them add thier zero level hp too.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Okay, not sure what that has to do with me. I did neither.

What I think has happened with Shadowdark...unfortunately...is that when it first became a Big Thing there were some members of the OSR community who were annoyed and maybe jealous of its success, some of it perhaps driven by a sense that she "wasn't one of us" (whether due to age, gender, orientation, or newcomer status). Much of the criticism seemed to be driven less by objective analysis and more by knee-jerk animus.

Now...also unfortunately...I think many of us in the SD community (a.k.a. "fanboys") eye criticism suspiciously, perhaps seeing animus where none is intended.

 

[WisdomOfWombats]

Modes of play, page 111.

I also suggest max hp at first level. If you gauntlet let them add thier zero level hp too.

I also thought of Modes of Play. But except the Pulp Mode there is precious little in there making things easier.

One the other hand, Momentum Mode implies Advantage on D20 Death Timer rolls

Max hit points at first level are something I am going to do. Maybe I bundle things in an "Easy Mode". Like rolling 4D6, drop lowest for stats, max HP at first level, reduced difficulty of Death Timer D20 rolls, etc.