How would YOU change Shadowdark?

[aiouh]

Thats where stat checks come in. Want to hunt for food? Roll under your Wis stat.

Easy.

For extra houserule spice you can make it a 2d6+mod roll and use this table and do Failure, Partial Success (Succeed, but the Dungeon makes a Move on you) and Success

 

[DarkCrisis]

On 3d6?

D20. Wis is 15. Roll under with a D20 to succeed.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Thats where stat checks come in. Want to hunt for food? Roll under your Wis stat.

Shadowdark is not a roll-under game. It has 4 basic DCs:

 

[Theory of Games]

I would argue such a thing would be "bad marketing" (or smart but dishonest marketing) and not "bad design".

But I don't recall Kelsey ever saying that Shadowdark is "like D&D".

Fortunately, Shadowdark's designer, Kelsey Dionne, did an interview for EnWorld and, wouldn't cha know it - she mentions how D&D influenced her game:

Thread 'Shadowdark RPG: An Interview with Kelsey Dionne'

Mar 16, 2023

Old-school gaming. New-school mechanics. Danger. Speed. Simplicity. Shadowdark RPG, currently on kickstarter and with a free quickstart, distills fifty years of D&D design into two pages of core rules supported by 239 monsters, 85 spells , 97 magic items, and dozens of random roll tables. Kelsey Dionne was kind enough to talk to me about her RPG. Addendum: since the interview, Kelsey has posted Monday Monster #2 - Crabstrosity! and Monster Monday #1 - Brain Eaters!

Charles Dunwoody (Charlie): Thanks for talking with...

• Charles Dunwoody
• Replies: 83
• Forum: *Dungeons & Dragons

• 
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[Bill Zebub]

Fortunately, Shadowdark's designer, Kelsey Dionne, did an interview for EnWorld and, wouldn't cha know it - she mentions how D&D influenced her game:

Thread 'Shadowdark RPG: An Interview with Kelsey Dionne'

Mar 16, 2023

Old-school gaming. New-school mechanics. Danger. Speed. Simplicity. Shadowdark RPG, currently on kickstarter and with a free quickstart, distills fifty years of D&D design into two pages of core rules supported by 239 monsters, 85 spells , 97 magic items, and dozens of random roll tables. Kelsey Dionne was kind enough to talk to me about her RPG. Addendum: since the interview, Kelsey has posted Monday Monster #2 - Crabstrosity! and Monster Monday #1 - Brain Eaters!

Charles Dunwoody (Charlie): Thanks for talking with...

• Charles Dunwoody
• Replies: 83
• Forum: *Dungeons & Dragons

• 
• 

And in your opinion that is the same as calling the game "D&D Like"?

She claims many influences. Is her game similarly "like" all those things?

EDIT: How dare she claim her game is derived from OD&D but not include chainmail bikinis!

 

[DarkCrisis]

Shadowdark is not a roll-under game. It has 4 basic DCs:
View attachment 399553

Would you believe that as a DM, I can change things as I see fit?

But yes, that works as well.

 

[Theory of Games]

And in your opinion that is the same as calling the game "D&D Like"?

She claims many influences. Is her game similarly "like" all those things?

EDIT: How dare she claim her game is derived from OD&D but not include chainmail bikinis!

Actually, she mentions 5e more than older editions. But while you can't admit the influence, she clearly does.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Would you believe that as a DM, I can change things as I see fit?

But yes, that works as well.

Sure, just saying that nothing new needs to be invented here.

(Sorry, saying 'SD is not a roll-under game' came across as saying this is a wrong solution. I just meant there already was a solution, without having to change precedent as a roll-over game.)

 

[Bill Zebub]

Actually, she mentions 5e more than older editions.

AND NO SUBCLASSES!

Where's my pitchfork....I'm storming the castle.

 

[Reynard]

D20. Wis is 15. Roll under with a D20 to succeed.

That always struck me as strange, given how different the probabilities are on the d20 vs 3d6. That is one of the reason i think d20+mod vs DC makes more sense than the old "roll under the stat" method.