Search results

You're conflating bad design and not being financially successful. I don't deny SD's popularity or financial success. However, I do think it's badly designed - not just for my interests, but in actually achieving the style of game it purports to want. That's because you can't run Shadowdark with...

Seems correct - assuming you get to the +4. My character did not because I didn't get to make my own character. For my preferences, having a failed casting roll result in a fizzled spell is enough punishment instead of taking the spell for the rest of the day. If you want to be hardcore, maybe...

For me, I think the golden era is still going strong. There are many varieties of games. Heck, even I am finding new systems I like. I've got Fabula Ultima tomorrow, Wildsea the day after that. I'm prepping a Daggerheart game to start next month.

The problem is that there's nothing to tell them that they're not following the rules or that they're being bad GMs. Because when you follow the rules as written, everyone dies. It's the soft skills as a player and GM that could make it survivable - and those aren't covered. It's as if there's...

No Luck tokens. I don't have the character sheet on hand, but let's say I had a +2 from Intelligence. I don't recall any advantage on spells from a talent, but I think I might've had +1 on casting checks. So that's +3. DC 11 to cast a 1st level spell and DC 12 to cast a 2nd level spell. So...

We did not have the choice. We were beset by mindless giant insects with no advance warning and couldn't escape if we tried. It was run poorly. But honestly, this "combat as fail state" opinion in the OSR is impractical. People are going to fight. It should be what the core mechanics of the...

A fighter isn't limited to 2 swings of a sword per day. A miss with a martial attack doesn't mean that your character is "spent" for the day. Let me put it this way. I had a 3rd level SD wizard with one attack spell (pregenerated at a convention). I missed with my one attack spell on the 1st...

I agree. Even Gygax didn't stick to the 3d6 in order. It's been a mess since AD&D, and shouldn't be a standard method, because you end up having to mulligan and spend way more time than needed to generate characters (like rolling 15 sets of stats or whatever). I think Dionne's error (IMO) is...

Or worse yet: Chessex's convention specials that actually replace the 1 AND the 20, making them completely useless.

I don't like using dice like DCC - most of them look similar to existing dice. For example, you might accidentally pick up a d24 instead of a d20. And it's not really necessary. Just use bonuses and penalties instead of a new dice gimmick. I also don't like dice without numbers, like the Star...

I have it - got it with store credit from my LGS. I'm starting to think D&D is too deadly and adversarial. Since 2014 I've had only one D&D campaign that didn't end in TPK.

We just got books in 2024 and 2025.

For me, (if I play it at all) I think Draw Steel will be for tactical skirmish games. There's too much going on for me to create stories, narratives, campaigns, role play. Just like a 3 hour, exhausting chess match with swords and spells. Basically like a crunchier Gloomhaven. Sure you "could"...

Yeah, I think it's safe to say Shadowdark isn't for me. In fact, I'd say that the entire OSR isn't for me after many years of trying to make it fit to get the feel of what was my nostalgic D&D. That's probably because we fudged so much and put so much plot armor on the heroes that they were like...

It's true and I have the receipts. The DC to cast is 10+spell level, so for a 1st level spell that's a default 50/50 if you get no bonuses. But yes, you get to add your ability modifier. You get a +1 if you roll 12 on 3d6. That's a 12% chance of having +1. What about 14 on 3d6 - that's 7%...

All spells have like a 50/50 chance of not working each time you cast them. If you fail to cast it, it's gone for the day. So you could have a priest who fails his first cast of cure for the day and no one is getting healed all day. Granted the DC is 11 for a 1st level spell. There's a chance...

It's not "in-fiction" as OSR titles are not (in my opinion) fiction-first games. Instead, they reward clever planning and the use of resources to navigate challenges. If all magic must work the same in Shadowdark, then it must all be reliable, else the system fails to reward clever planning...

Well yeah. And attack spells would fail with missed attack rolls or if an enemy succeeded on a saving throw. That's totally reasonable. But utility and combat spells should be handled differently.

I never played 1E, but I played AD&D 2E for close to a decade. As I understand it, the systems are similar mechanically. I don't think it felt like AD&D. In AD&D you could count on magic working. You can't have a utility spell fail when it's absolutely necessary for pulling off the plan. In...

So I found an adventure for 5th level characters I'd like to GM. My party is 4th level. With bonded accuracy, is it necessary to adjust the opponents' abilities (lessen the damage, HP, etc.)? We probably won't have time to level up the PCs before the session, but if that's the best solution...