Legend in the Mist - What are your thoughts?

[definiteFreakyFishGuy]

TLDR: The tag system is blew my mind, but I'm not sure about the overall game system. What do you think?

I learned about Legend in the Mist a few days ago and I've been obsessing over it since then. I was initially drawn in by the art and the whole "rustic fantasy" theme, but what really blew my mind was the tag system. I haven't had the chance to actually play the game (other than the intro comic), but it seemed like a really cool way to weave your character traits into mechanics. It also felt like the game mechanics encourage a level of introspection and character evolution within the fiction, which I really like. Finally, not having long playbooks is a huge plus for me (sorry Starforged).

But as I dug deeper into the rules, I started having some doubts. What I thought was a pretty simple and elegant design turned out to be much more complex. I am not sure how I feel about the way "status" is designed. It feels like HP, but a lot more complicated. I also don't know how I feel about tag inflation, both in terms of managing them and applying them as a bonus to a 2d6 roll. With the right tags, it feels like it'd be pretty easy to get to +7 or higher—though I guess you could cap the bonus, but you still need to count up all the relevant tags and subtract, which could take a while.

To sum up, things I (think) I like:

• mechanics that really make use of a character's traits
• mechanics that (seem to) encourage character introspection and evolution within the fiction
• not having long playbooks

Things I am not sure about:

• statuses
• tag bloat
• 2d6 + X

What are your thoughts? I'm particularly curious to hear from people who actually played the game, but I welcome thoughts from everyone, as well as recommendations for similar games.

 

[Elvish Lore]

I've got to play it but tag bloat seems like a problem, too. Feels like replacing numeric complexity with more descriptive complexity (that you still have to add up anyway?)

 

[BenjaminPey]

There's already a thread about it here:

Thread 'Legend in Mist general [+]'

Aug 23, 2025

I somehow missed that this title was even coming out until I was looking on DriveThruRPG the other day and noticed it was (at the time), number 2.

Seems like it just came out middle of August 2025, digitally at least, with print on the way. It looks like it's aimed at the same style of gaming at Daggerheart - narratively driven roleplay over gamism. I'm not familiar with PBtA but I keep seeing this as being very close to that.

Here are some actual play's of Legend in the Mist, Otherscape, and City of Mist:

Actual Play Shows

Publishers of City of Mist, Legend In The Mist, and :Otherscape tabletop role-playing games.

sonofoak.com

LitM...

• Kichwas
• Replies: 28
• Forum: *TTRPGs General

• 

I played the heck of City of Mist, the first game of these guys, and some with LitM already. The game works really well, even though I still think City of Mist is the best iteration of this system. LitM is simpler to understand and maybe closer to more traditional rpgs, especially in the fantasy realm, with only one unified core move (to rule them all).

Tag bloat is only a problem if you want it to be. Simply put, it's not a game where you try to win or to beat the dungeon, you're here for the story and your character evolution (which is very much a big part of the story). Trying to put any tag and its friends in your action is silly and will grow old fast, just stick to the action being described and pick the most direct and simple tags that go with it. It's faster, leaner and lead to great games. You'll then find that the usual roll is with between 1 and 3 tags, maybe four if it's really a core part of the character.

Statuses I don't have a problem with either, what do you mean, exactly? There like gauges, or clocks if you're familiar with PbtAs or FitD. It's for everything you need to be gauged, and all of them work the same: 5 and you're out, 6 and you're dead (or worse).

2d6 + X, I guess is in relation with tag bloat? Like is it the proper scale? Negative statuses, challenges's and story tags should help it stay in the range where the + X is meaningful (and then there's Might, but that will be for another time).

 

[definiteFreakyFishGuy]

I've got to play it but tag bloat seems like a problem, too. Feels like replacing numeric complexity with more descriptive complexity (that you still have to add up anyway?)

Did you enjoy the game? How did you feel about statuses?

 

[definiteFreakyFishGuy]

TLDR: Oops, I didn't realize there was another thread. I have lots of concerns, but the game looks super interesting and I'm excited to give it a try.

There's already a thread about it here:

Thread 'Legend in Mist general [+]'

Aug 23, 2025

I somehow missed that this title was even coming out until I was looking on DriveThruRPG the other day and noticed it was (at the time), number 2.

Seems like it just came out middle of August 2025, digitally at least, with print on the way. It looks like it's aimed at the same style of gaming at Daggerheart - narratively driven roleplay over gamism. I'm not familiar with PBtA but I keep seeing this as being very close to that.

Here are some actual play's of Legend in the Mist, Otherscape, and City of Mist:

Actual Play Shows

Publishers of City of Mist, Legend In The Mist, and :Otherscape tabletop role-playing games.

sonofoak.com

LitM...

• Kichwas
• Replies: 28
• Forum: *TTRPGs General

• 

Oops. I don't know how I missed that. Thanks. Not sure what to do... I'll just respond to your post here and I'll throw my future throughts in the other thread.

I played the heck of City of Mist, the first game of these guys, and some with LitM already. The game works really well, even though I still think City of Mist is the best iteration of this system. LitM is simpler to understand and maybe closer to more traditional rpgs, especially in the fantasy realm, with only one unified core move (to rule them all).

I'm curious about City of Mist too!

Tag bloat is only a problem if you want it to be. Simply put, it's not a game where you try to win or to beat the dungeon, you're here for the story and your character evolution (which is very much a big part of the story). Trying to put any tag and its friends in your action is silly and will grow old fast, just stick to the action being described and pick the most direct and simple tags that go with it. It's faster, leaner and lead to great games. You'll then find that the usual roll is with between 1 and 3 tags, maybe four if it's really a core part of the character.

Part of my concern is just keeping track of all the tags that go into a check, and the act of deciding which tags fit the situation.

For me, latter is actually going to be tricky—deciding which ones fit the situation and which don't. And while I understand it's not about "winning," I can also see myself being very tempted to sneak in an extra tag because I really don't want my PC to get knocked out and robbed.

Statuses I don't have a problem with either, what do you mean, exactly? There like gauges, or clocks if you're familiar with PbtAs or FitD. It's for everything you need to be gauged, and all of them work the same: 5 and you're out, 6 and you're dead (or worse).

I read the rules and watched SoO's video about the statuses, and I found the rules around status to be complicated.

Should it be a tag or a status? Should it be a new status or add onto an existing status?

The way the status gauge gets filled up / cleared felt pretty complex. I comprehend the mechanical steps, and I probably perform it correctly, but I am not sure if it's something I'd be able to present well to skeptics I am trying to recruit for a game.

2d6 + X, I guess is in relation with tag bloat? Like is it the proper scale? Negative statuses, challenges's and story tags should help it stay in the range where the + X is meaningful (and then there's Might, but that will be for another time).

The 2d6 thing is mainly a personal preference. Definitely not a dealbreaker, and I've been toying around with dice pool as well as Ironsworn's dice mechanic.

So actually, your last sentence captures what I feel is part of the tag bloat. It's not just about the total bonus. It's about all the difference places a tag might come from, the total number of tags that go into a check, and deciding which tags / statues belong and which ones don't.

All that said, this feels like a super interesting game, I'm still reading through the rules, and I'll probably run a solo campaign at somepoint.