Shadowdark: tips for a new GM?

[thullgrim]

@Reynard you’re probably correct. I’m new to Shadowdark myself and am really still getting a feel for it.

Could treat it as a side effect. If your attack roll beats hits by 5 (or 2, or 3 or whatever threshold) or more you do your damage and get the stunt as an additional effect/bonus.

Simpler still, make your attack roll, if successful you can substitute the preferred effect instead of the damage.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

@Reynard you’re probably correct. I’m new to Shadowdark myself and am really still getting a feel for it.

Could treat it as a side effect. If your attack roll beats hits by 5 (or 2, or 3 or whatever threshold) or more you do your damage and get the stunt as an additional effect/bonus.

Simpler still, make your attack roll, if successful you can substitute the preferred effect instead of the damage.

In general, both 5E and Shadowdark want you to use advantage/disadvantage, rather than hand out stat penalties. This isn't like 3E, where the numbers went much higher -- stat penalties really hurt in these two games.

 

[Bae'zel]

Let them try using their action. I would do opposed checks (probably letting the defender choose between Str and Dex). Advantage or disadvantage for the "attacker" based on size differences.

I think I'll keep it simple and handle it this way: straight up opposed STR and/or DEX checks. No to-hit roll first or anything. Adv/Disadv based on size differences.

Basically I don't want to make it much harder than attacking. And it could make things easier when fighting monsters with high AC (trip the knight, next attacker gets advantage to hit them).

Bonus: would make increasing STATS more interesting when levelling up ("aw I wanted +1 to attack rolls!")

 

[Bae'zel]

Miniatures!

I love using miniatures for combat scenes. Not for the meticulous range and positioning, but just to help players conceptualize the scene.

Have any of you used minis for Shadowdark? So much of the rules feel "theatre of the mind", and movement isn't in feet/metres.

 

[Reynard]

Miniatures!

I love using miniatures for combat scenes. Not for the meticulous range and positioning, but just to help players conceptualize the scene.

Have any of you used minis for Shadowdark? So much of the rules feel "theatre of the mind", and movement isn't in feet/metres.

Shadowdark works great as a TotM game, but when I was running it via Fantasy Grounds it worked fine with (virtual) minis. Just don't get caught up in precise distances. Let "near" be "near enough".

 

[Arilyn]

And there will be the joy of removing the minis when the torch goes out.

 

[TheHand]

I just ran my first 2 sessions of Shadowdark and our group had a blast. A lot has already been said, but one thing that took 5e players by surprise was no ability bonuses added to damage rolls.

We’re using the real time timers for light. So far it’s worked pretty well (using my phone for the timer). One player learned the hard way that the Dark is a true threat by wandering from a dimly lit area into a dark area just to “peek in” and got nabbed by a giant spider waiting above the door.

We’re using “minis”, at least VTT versions. They work fine - movement of Near lets you move 30 feet. Having the minis let then take up tactical positions, use cover, and keep track who’s attacking what.

Also, there’s an online character creator that lets you click a few buttons and generate fast PCs or NPCs. Great for hirelings or replacements on the fly.

Oh and we decided to go with Pulp Luck, which helps a lot with survival and swinginess if that’s the style you prefer. I also let them have max hp at level 1 since we’re all beginners.

I don’t have any of the cursed scroll zines with extra classes (yet, anyway!), but I did find official bard and ranger classes out there for free that I allowed them to use. There’s also a ton of fan made content.

That’s all I have, welcome to the Shadowdark and have fun!!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

And there will be the joy of removing the minis when the torch goes out.

Someone on the Shadowdark Facebook group throws a black cloth across the minis when that happens. (Presumably a lightweight one, so they don't go everywhere.)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I don’t have any of the cursed scroll zines with extra classes (yet, anyway!), but I did find official bard and ranger classes out there for free that I allowed them to use. There’s also a ton of fan made content.

Consider holding off on the Cursed Scrolls. The next Kickstarter campaign happens in March and in addition to issues 4-6, it apparently will have a remastered set of the originals as well, apparently with new covers and a slipcase or something.

 

[TheHand]

Consider holding off on the Cursed Scrolls. The next Kickstarter campaign happens in March and in addition to issues 4-6, it apparently will have a remastered set of the originals as well, apparently with new covers and a slipcase or something.

Oh! Looking forward to that then!