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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dr. Bull" data-source="post: 9018675" data-attributes="member: 6693776">That (previously mentioned) ranking of OSR games was probably based on a wildly subjective survey.  Old grognards (like myself) are notoriously opinionated...   <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Personally, I haven't been this excited about a game for many years.  For me, ShadowDark is my Holy Grail.  In fact, I can finally sell my massive collection of retroclone and old-school revival books.  Anyone interested?  I won't use them again.Besides the beautiful layout and elegant design, it's also helpful that Kelsey Dionne is an excellent writer.  Good writing is important. I think that quite a few folks have already addressed many of the strengths of ShadowDark.  In my opinion, the most significant strengths are derived from what was cut from traditional OSR games:1.  Most of the OSR rules include tables for classes (especially for the thief).  Those tables are replaced with the elegance of advantage,  disadvantage, and talents.  With this system, your 1st level ShadowDark thief is not going to feel completely incompetent for only having a 10% chance to hide in shadows or open locks.    BTW: That has bugged me for 44 years...  Why would anyone try to disarm a deadly trap if they only had a 15% chance of success??? 2. Far too many OSR systems still use descending armor class (which require more tables or THAC0), which is unnecessary and confusing.  Ascending armor class is simpler and more logical.  Occam's Razor should be a consideration in game mechanics.3.  I won't need to read endless paragraphs of "fluff" or "flavor text" that limit my imagination.  In ShadowDark, Class and Ancestry  descriptions are brief and concise.  If I'm a player in this game, shouldn't I be the one who provides my character's description?  If I'm the GM, shouldn't I be the one who decides how different ancestries and cultures have evolved?  4.  I won't need to read through class descriptions to glean vital information.  For instance, the fighter class description is only 6 sentences long (plus a few items and a small table).  Despite this brevity, the ShadowDark fighter is a much more flexible class than fighters from other OSR games.  This illustrates the elegance of the class talents.  After reading the 4 core classes, I already have a "feel" for how to create modifications and house rules.  5.  I don't need to spend my time sorting through minutiae.  Us old-school nerds love our tables and lists, but many OSR games go too far.  In Castles & Crusades, the authors provide statistics for 11 types of helmets, 25 types of armor, 8 types of shields, and 74 types of weapons. Looking at the C&C equipment list, the authors include cost and weight of any conconceivable purchase.  Mundane items are included, starting with bagpipes, barrels, baskets, brooms, and buckets.  The authors also felt compelled to write 19 long paragraphs on encumbrance and included 4 tables to help calculate equipment load.  ShadowDark retains the spirit of encumbrance rules, but uses a much more elegant (and more realistic) system. Once again, Occam's Razor was used effectively.6.  I don't need to use miniatures or a grid.  They are optional.  Calculating a travelling GM's encumbrance suddenly got a lot easier!7.  I won't need to worry about confusing terminology.  For instance, the word "level" is not applied to multiple elements.  Character experience is expressed in levels.  Spells are listed in "Tiers"...  I've  waited decades for that one to get cleared up!8.  In addition, I won't need to reference the rulebook frequently.  Maybe I'll look up a monster or use one of the GM tables when I need inspiration?9.  I won't have to hear any more off-color jokes about the term "Dungeon Master".  Now I can just be a GM.10. Finally, I won't need my reading glasses, thanks to the large font size!My mind will be focused on the story, the suspense, the characters, the improvisation, and the action.- Dr. Bull</blockquote>

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