Shadowdark or Worlds w/o numbers?

[TheHand]

I’ve started to build out the future game using Shadowdark and I’m very happy how easy it’s been to dive right in. We’re still finishing up a 5e adventure, but we’re very excited to give Shadowdark a go!

I’m also amazed how much content Kelsey has made freely available, but I certainly plan to throw some support her way if this works out.

I found (I think official?) Bard and Ranger classes online, but a lot of the other classes I saw seemed very setting specific. Does anyone have any favorites I should give a second glance to?

 

[TwoSix]

I’ve started to build out the future game using Shadowdark and I’m very happy how easy it’s been to dive right in. We’re still finishing up a 5e adventure, but we’re very excited to give Shadowdark a go!

I’m also amazed how much content Kelsey has made freely available, but I certainly plan to throw some support her way if this works out.

I found (I think official?) Bard and Ranger classes online, but a lot of the other classes I saw seemed very setting specific. Does anyone have any favorites I should give a second glance to?

Honestly, pretty much all the classes from the various offical zines are great, and pretty easy to make generic as desired.

 

[colombus1592]

I personally prefer WWN, but it definitely seem that Shadowdark is better suited for you.

 

[Gus L]

I don't have a recommendation between those two - but I would make the following recommendations about "OSR" play.

* Read the adventure you're running at least once through a day or two prior to your session (or reread your design notes once they're finished).

* Make a copy of the map and write yourself notes on it - things like "SPEARTRAP!" in big letters or "8 GIANT RATS" so that you have an at a glance record of what is where in the dungeon and can connect the rooms more easily to the keys in play.

* Imagine likely scenarios - not elaborate ones, but basic stuff like "How will I describe the secret door if the players say they are tapping the wall with a pole to find hollow spaces?" or "What happens if the party decides they want to help the molemen fight the giant beetles in exchange for mole gems? How will the molemen respond to this offer"?

* Following from the molemen example - the near most important rolls that the referee makes are random encounter checks and reaction checks. Don't forget about them. Always roll for encounters even if the part of a location is safe (unless the party knows that). Consider what the monsters want and how they will react to a positive reaction result, or a less then fully hostile one. No horrible moleman (etc) is likely to be entirely friendly to heavily armed home invaders ... but a positive reaction means something.

* Don't pull punches but don't hide basic information and double check if a player says their character is says they are doing something obviously dangerous or stupid. The player may no have understood your description, so it's not fair to punish them for that. Build trust with the players by being fair, rolling in the open and giving the characters the benefit of the doubt when it comes to seeing things and knowing stuff. A dungeon robber is going to know the sound of a crossbow being winched back, or understand if a rope looks too rotten to hold their weight. Let the players know what the characters see and hear - the danger is still their and so is a puzzle... Who is loading a crossbow nearby? How will they cross the chasm if the bridge is rotten?

 

[TheHand]

I personally prefer WWN, but it definitely seem that Shadowdark is better suited for you.

What are some of the features or elements that make WWN your preferred game?

 

[Bill Zebub]

I found (I think official?) Bard and Ranger classes online, but a lot of the other classes I saw seemed very setting specific. Does anyone have any favorites I should give a second glance to?

Yes, Bard and Ranger are official.

I personally love the Witch. The spells are very flavorful, and some can be used very creatively. (One caveat: I've never been a fan of the brutal penalty for replacing your familiar.)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I found (I think official?) Bard and Ranger classes online, but a lot of the other classes I saw seemed very setting specific. Does anyone have any favorites I should give a second glance to?

As someone who's made a lot of homebrew classes, the four core classes will carry you a long way. The new classes in the Cursed Scroll zines have extremely specific tones (the witch less so). If you want a classic Greyhawk tone, I'd just stick with the core book.

What I typically do in games is have people stick to the core choices for their first characters and then only branch out to supplemental stuff after those characters die, which definitely happens in Shadowdark. That way, everyone's got the basics of the game down before they get into sometimes more complicated variants.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Also, if you find yourself needing monsters converted (which I don't think you should for T1, but definitely will for T1-4 if you decide to do that after), give me a shout; I love converting monsters and whipping up new ones based on older games.

 

[TheHand]

If you want a classic Greyhawk tone, I'd just stick with the core book.

Yes, I think I will. I think the only ‘missing’ class that might come up would be some kind of monk, which have some Greyhawk history. What would you recommend for monk, if someone is dying to play one?

 

[overgeeked]

Also, if you find yourself needing monsters converted (which I don't think you should for T1, but definitely will for T1-4 if you decide to do that after), give me a shout; I love converting monsters and whipping up new ones based on older games.

I haven't worked much with Shadowdark, but a quick glance at the stats suggests you'd be pretty safe using standard TSR-era D&D monsters, with the standard few changes like flip AC to ascending, etc. Does that not work?