Shadowdark opens late pledges next week!

[darjr]

Late Pledges
We're going to open up late pledges next week!

Backerkit again amazes us with its wondrous options, including allowing folks who missed out on the main Kickstarter to flap into the stingbat cave with the rest of us.

I hope to have this live by Tuesday or Wednesday of next week (April 18th or 19th). Stand by for an update when late pledges open up!

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Link

 

[Scribe]

Love it. I have some friends who want in following my evangelizing.

 

[deganawida]

Looks like my wonderful wife has decided on my birthday present!

 

[Retreater]

How is it, really? All the buzz I've heard from YouTubers (Professor DM and Questing Beast for example) seem to be paid testimonials.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

How is it, really? All the buzz I've heard from YouTubers (Professor DM and Questing Beast for example) seem to be paid testimonials.

I used it to run a two-person foray in Firetop Mountain, adapting the Advanced Fighting Fantasy module. It worked great, with no surprises. It feels deadly, plays very fast.

 

[darjr]

How is it, really? All the buzz I've heard from YouTubers (Professor DM and Questing Beast for example) seem to be paid testimonials.

I saw it played at GaryCon and they had two packed tables all the time. I couldn’t get into a game.

 

[Retreater]

I see there's a quick start preview - worth a look if I can get it to download from Dropbox (for some reason I always have trouble on that site).
Really depends on if it's a successor to Basic (which isn't my jam) or AD&D.
I have a solid collection of about a half dozen retro clones right now. It will have to be something very unique to get my interest.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I see there's a quick start preview - worth a look if I can get it to download from Dropbox (for some reason I always have trouble on that site).

It's also on DriveThruRPG for $0.

Really depends on if it's a successor to Basic (which isn't my jam) or AD&D.

Neither, IMO. I think it feels like 5E with the feats, skills and most of the overhead jettisoned.

 

[kenada]

Kelsey has said it uses B/X as a foundation, but Shadowdark is definitely not a retroclone.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Kelsey has said it uses B/X as a foundation, but Shadowdark is definitely not a retroclone.

I saw that she said that, but the end product -- to me, at least -- reads more like B/X in intention and flavor, but not so much in mechanics.

There's a unified XP system, it uses advantage/disadvantage, race and class are separated, there's a unified resolution system, ascending armor class, etc.

I guess she just built up from B/X, making the choices to use modern mechanics throughout, and just ended up at something that resembles a stripped-down 5E without that necessarily being the intention.

In any case, I think it's immensely easy for a 5E DM to run, as most of their existing assumptions hold true.

 

[kenada]

I saw that she said that, but the end product -- to me, at least -- reads more like B/X in intention and flavor, but not so much in mechanics.

There's a unified XP system, it uses advantage/disadvantage, race and class are separated, there's a unified resolution system, ascending armor class, etc.

I guess she just built up from B/X, making the choices to use modern mechanics throughout, and just ended up at something that resembles a stripped-down 5E without that necessarily being the intention.

In any case, I think it's immensely easy for a 5E DM to run, as most of their existing assumptions hold true.

Intention and flavor sound like a pretty solid foundation to me even if the end result isn’t mechanically B/X. That’s fine if not a good idea. I did note it wasn’t a retroclone after all.

 

[JohnF]

After playing a few times, I stand by my previous description: ShadowDark is a B/X-inspired, 5e-informed RPG doing its own fast and fun thing. XP for treasure and carousing, but not for killing monsters, is refreshing, and initiative always on makes play breezy.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

After playing a few times, I stand by my previous description: ShadowDark is a B/X-inspired, 5e-informed RPG doing its own fast and fun thing. XP for treasure and carousing, but not for killing monsters, is refreshing, and initiative always on makes play breezy.

I'm really looking forward to the carousing/pit fighting downtime play loop.

My players realizing they didn't have to fight for XP and could just steal treasure and run in Firetop Mountain was a lot of fun, until they attracted too much attention ...

 

[darjr]

Smoke test tomorrow!!!

 

[darjr]

Let us all know if you get in, will ya?

 

[Bill Zebub]

I'm really looking forward to the carousing/

My priest picked up a bard retainer through carousing. Fun times.

 

[J.Quondam]

Does Shadowdark handle outdoor/wilderness adventuring? Or is it pretty tightly focused on dungeon delving?

 

[Jahydin]

Does Shadowdark handle outdoor/wilderness adventuring? Or is it pretty tightly focused on dungeon delving?

Just glanced at the index and it looks like there is quite a bit on overland travel and terrain.
Will report back when I get my PDF though!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

My priest picked up a bard retainer through carousing. Fun times.

Coming home with a bard is the #1 danger in carousing.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Does Shadowdark handle outdoor/wilderness adventuring? Or is it pretty tightly focused on dungeon delving?

Kelsey has said there's a bunch of tables for generating wilderness adventuring content. And the short adventures and Cursed Scrolls adventures include a number of outdoor adventures of various sorts.