A review of Shadowdark: Streamlined Modern OSR

[darjr]

Don’t forget luck tokens (inspiration)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

One of the next three Cursed Scrolls is a jungle adventure (featuring the Basilisk Warrior class previewed on the newsletter in January) with expanded hex crawling rules. Kelsey certainly doesn't think it's a dungeon-crawling only game.

(The other two cursed scrolls will feature and urban adventure setting and an underdark adventure setting.)

 

[Arilyn]

Cursed Scrolls are excellent. We've gotten many hours of playtime with just one of them.

 

[Bill Zebub]

One last observation. Players totally new to rpgs tend to do quite well in Shadowdark. New players are way more cautious and more prone to run. It's us cocky 5e vetererans that get into trouble.

This is absolutely true.

Shadowdark has become my go-to game for introducing new players to RPGs. Super fast to roll up characters, very few rules to figure out. And, yes, those players tend to be very cautious and ask lots of questions and try creative things. They haven't been taught that the game is balanced so that the PCs always win, so they don't assume it.

 

[Smackpixi]

Players totally new to rpgs tend to do quite well in Shadowdark.

Players new to RPGs tend to do well at any game that doesn’t require them to know a lot of stuff or has a great DM. Need more than just new players are cautious, here, cause some are not. Some love a DCC funnel when they discover they can go crazy cause they have more spaghetti to throw at the wall.

 

[Retreater]

What I want...

• Compatibility with older TSR adventures and settings
• Customization for players - variety of spells, classes, equipment, ancestries
• Non "bloated" numbers (limited HP, damage scaling, etc) - primarily for the purposes of compatibility with older TSR material
• Not too weak characters (if I see clerics with 0 spells or d4 HP thieves, it's probably not going to work)
• Support for long-term play (like enough depth that you haven't seen everything the game has to offer after a few levels)

Basically, something like an updated AD&D instead of another B/X-based OSR game would be awesome. But apparently no designers in the OSR have any nostalgia for AD&D.

To date, my options are reprints of the old stuff, serial-number filed-off retro-clones (OSRIC, For Gold and Glory), incomplete (Hyperborea), or inconsistent and imbalanced (Castles and Crusades).

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

What I want...

• Compatibility with older TSR adventures and settings
• Customization for players - variety of spells, classes, equipment, ancestries
• Non "bloated" numbers (limited HP, damage scaling, etc) - primarily for the purposes of compatibility with older TSR material
• Not too weak characters (if I see clerics with 0 spells or d4 HP thieves, it's probably not going to work)
• Support for long-term play (like enough depth that you haven't seen everything the game has to offer after a few levels)

Basically, something like an updated AD&D instead of another B/X-based OSR game would be awesome. But apparently no designers in the OSR have any nostalgia for AD&D.

To date, my options are reprints of the old stuff, serial-number filed-off retro-clones (OSRIC, For Gold and Glory), incomplete (Hyperborea), or inconsistent and imbalanced (Castles and Crusades).

Have you looked at OSE Advanced Fantasy? It looks like it includes everything on your list, as it merges in the 1E PHB and Unearthed Arcana in with OSE.

EDIT: It does give thieves a d4 hit die.

 

[Retreater]

Have you looked at OSE Advanced Fantasy? It looks like it includes everything on your list, as it merges in the 1E PHB and Unearthed Arcana in with OSE.

Yes. I was flipping through my copies this afternoon actually.

It's missing customization like specialty priests and wizards, skills. Also has the problem of "too weak" - low hit dice for characters, no spells for starting clerics. It's not really any different from other B/X clones. Mostly just has an option to separate race from class, but otherwise it's B/X.

 

[Arilyn]

Players new to RPGs tend to do well at any game that doesn’t require them to know a lot of stuff or has a great DM. Need more than just new players are cautious, here, cause some are not. Some love a DCC funnel when they discover they can go crazy cause they have more spaghetti to throw at the wall.

Well yes, but funnels are a different beast. And of course, not all new players are cautious and some will throw themselves into reckless danger. I've just noticed a trend is all.

 

[Bae'zel]

Ran the game for my kids last night. My 10-year old daughter had a blast and was very creative. My 12 yr old son, who has been playing 5e a lot with a few groups, was bored. He wanted more powers and things to do. However he was quite pleased at how casting spells worked. Critically Charmed an orc for 16 days. He’s gonna gradually make her into a permanent ally before the spell wears off.