3 New Shadowdark Resources You Should Really Consider Adding to Your Game

[@willmendoza8498]

The critique of character classes in general is great

[@RedMageGM]

Thanks mate!

[@ljmiller96]

Agreed.

[@tidfisk]

I appreciate your take on new character-facing content for games like "Shadow Dark" that are already offering player flexibility in the most simplified form. Too many ingredients can ruin the soup!

[@RedMageGM]

Agreed - there is a nice balance, and a little too much can throw it off. Whether or not that means a totally ruined game is another thing! I think you can still have tons of fun at an "unbalanced" table. But still!

[@CrawlClub]

Thanks for the kind words RedMage! The points about some "Warhammer Fantasy" flavor to the world made me laugh a bit. I played Warhammer Fantasy long before I ever even played D&D. So it is warranted for sure! Thanks for taking a look at the zine. Cannot wait to get this next volume out to everyone. It's going to be pretty great! Much like the first. :) (Except with more rats and lizards!)

[@RedMageGM]

Yes!! Most excellent. :)

[@mediocremodeler5174]

Already ordered that Righteous Vow! The expert kit is swagfull.

[@RedMageGM]

Indeed! Tons of stuff!

[@whiteycroon]

FTL soundtrack!! Ben Prunty is awesome

[@RedMageGM]

Yes! Such a great soundtrack.

[@n8flix]

I really appreciate you comments about the player companion. It reminds me of what I had to do with a player on my table using a class from Cursed Scrolls Zine #1. He picked the Nights of St. Ydris class, and he interpreted it as basically having a fiend familiar that only he could hear and see. He started to talk to the fiend during the sessions, which, great, I'm glad he's embracing the role play, but he was also pulling focus and distracting the other players. He also would ask if the fiend can take actions, or fight in combat. This started to eat up time during the session, so I made a Fiend Table for him that he can use once a session. Now if he wants to use the fiend, he rolls a D12 and then it does what's on the table. And we move on. So even the official ShadowDark content written by Kelsey herself sometimes could use some cleaning up.

[@RedMageGM]

I think that sounds like a good adjudication, though!

[@jonsnow3855]

For OSR games, I also made my own classes because I, personally, found the classes too barebones most of the time. My current OSR Heartbreaker I made has 11 classes, but they all add something different to the game. Knave 2e's tables helped immensely with my creation Bard--> Can use bardic music just like Minstrel from Dolmenwood. Has skills like Recall Rumors and Detecting Lies Binder--> A "magical" class where their magic is tied to a specific artifact. Abilities are generated from the Knave 2e Spells Brawlers--> Focus on fighting unarmed and can easily get multiple attacks. They have Martial Arts to differentiate with each other Cleric--> Can turn enemy, have orisons (magical skills), and they get a Domain. The Domain is like a word that the Player decides what it does while the GM adjudicates Fighter--> Different Martial Types which changes the gameplay of a fighter. Also They hit the hardest Mage--> Spells are Knave spells with cantrips (magical skills) and schools of magic which gives abilities and drawbacks. I am thinking of making a list of spells which are all problem-solving spells and making a damaging magic skill Merchant--> Sells things better. Gain more exp from Gold, but no exp from Philantophy or buying frivoluous items. Also have skills relating to commerce Rogue--> The thief, but they can be an assassin. Backstab. Get a talent like in Maze Rats. Thief skills Scholar--> Non-magical intelligence class. They can find information and they have Areas of Expertise which gives them a skill. Spook--> Got the idea from a YA novel I enjoyed as a kid. They can detect ghosts, be resistant to charms, hunt monsters, and can fast to resist effects better Warden--> Ranger like Aragorn

[@Ja_Ta]

Very wise words Red. I can recommend Kelseys streams for the character creation (bard and ranger). The viewer gets so much insights and how to balance characters or monsters. I have rewritten the templar class from Soulblight (shadowdark) and this class was OP as fuck with movement deal 1d8 damage and so on. Even things like "this class can use the longsword" is so huge because it defines the ranger and fighter class. Valors emporium is a good example with the OP katana that is on par with the longsword and on top a Finesse weapon (just use the scimithar imo). In short you have to look on every non arcane libary class with open eyes.

[@RedMageGM]

Definitely. Like I said in the review, there's nothing wrong with "unbalancing" your own game, if you want that power level! But...you gotta be careful if you're adding things in without really considering what will happen, not just to your own prep and balance work, but to the feelings of the other players who won't be playing the OP class/ancestry/combo etc.

[@Ja_Ta]

@@RedMageGM Indeed, we have to be careful to have the most shadowdark experience. I can say that I have enjoyed your criticism, keep it up.

[@Rich_H_1972]

Love it when creators use the same format and design of the game they are writing for - eg, Righteous Vow and then Player Companion. Top suggestions again, RedMage, thanks!

[@RedMageGM]

Thank you!

[@RuneforgedTTRPG]

I checked out Righteous Vow, and it looks awesome! Very excited to run this, and see what comes next from volume 2! @RedMageGM Keep up the great work - loving all the Shadowdark content.

[@RedMageGM]

Glad to hear it!!

[@ScottBaker_]

More great coverage. I'm already in on the first 2. I'm leery of player-facing options too, so haven't picked that one up yet. I like the deliberate design philosophy of the core book, and the Cursed Scrolls (which are, of course, optional).

[@RedMageGM]

Yes, that deliberation is key. It's really why I included this last one - I think as long as GM's add in things *deliberately* their games won't be accidentally upended.

[@kgadventuresttrpg]

The Righteous Vow is very well done. The art the adventure 10/10. I can not recommend it enough and liches are my favorite monster so that’s a plus!

[@RedMageGM]

There are not enough adventures with lich villains these days!

[@spaceranger7683]

I've purchased every entry in the Letters From the Dark zine and I cannot recommend it enough. Even when the topic of an issue is one I'm not wild about (looking at you, Hell-based issue) there is still something of value to mine from its pages. If Kelsey doesn't get hopping on more issues of Cursed Scroll I think LFtD is going to cover everything worth covering before she gets to it.

[@RedMageGM]

I definitely agree with you - the series is one of the best ongoing zines that are currently out there!

[@arthurmarques6191]

"Given the opportunity, players will optimize the fun out of a game." That's why I shy away from making homebrewed classes

[@RedMageGM]

Yep. It's totally true. That's why I'm also wary of player-facing options.

[@MarkCsigs]

Great stuff! I'm not a Science Fantasy guy, but I've loved everything from Letters from the Dark so far so I ordered it immediately anyway. I'm excited about Righteous Vow but I'm holding out for the Print on Demand version. And yeah ... Players Companion. There is some great stuff in there but I very much got a vibe of quantity over quality. I'm glad I have it but it's not something I'm going to incorporate wholesale. And your analysis on player solutions vs. character sheet solutions is spot on.

[@RedMageGM]

Thank you! Yeah, I definitely am glad I have it, but I'm not sure I'll use too much for every game. Maybe sprinkle some of it in here or there, as I said in the video.

[@MarkCsigs]

@@RedMageGM As a follow up, I like the Sharpshooter class in Letters from the Dark VI significantly more than the Archer from Players' Companion!

[@biffstrong1079]

I do love me some science fantasy. Disappointed to see Crawl Club doesn't ship to Canada. And extra player facing character options. Great to see you finally pitch something I don't feel compelled to buy. Yes Roll a 20 and you have hit what you aimed at and done double damage, and say taken out his eye or pinned his hand to the tree, Or tripped them or whatever etc.

[@lulipe21]

As usual, great content Redmage. I tend to not buy into material such as classes for games like the Player Companion. Back when I was more active playing (3e era), there were some books that introduced Dragon Ball Z to our high fantasy settings 😂

[@RedMageGM]

hahaha yeah...I remember a few gonzo characters in our gritty grim-dark setting back in 3rd edition. :D

[@merethif]

I know it's nit-picking, but Smite spell in SD is ranged attack, so more like a fire bolt (?), then a 5e paladin's smite (for which I'd go with Cleansing Weapon spell). Anyway, great reviews, as always. I can't wait to get this new issue from LftD.

[@RedMageGM]

Right! Cleansing weapon is the proper choice there.

[@DadonYoutube]

The Player Companion is a great book. I bought a physical copy. I understand the sentiment of trying to cut down the number of player options in OSR/adjacent games. The ancestries and classes are indeed very powerful, but I had to weigh that concern of "balance" against the playstyle of the group I run for. This book was INSTRUMENTAL into getting my 5e players to stick with Shadowdark. Do what is best for you and your group.

[@RedMageGM]

That's totally reasonable. I think that's exactly right - weigh what works for your table, and add in accordingly.

[@Halfogre]

you know of Akalabeth? wow. played that as a freshman in high school on the Apple II in the chemistry lab.

[@RedMageGM]

Oh yeah - my brother got the Ultima set on CD-Rom back in the early 00s, and it had Akalabeth on there. I never got very far...

[@spaceranger7683]

31:09 hold up...they're saying a sling is a two-handed weapon? I get that you need to use one hand to load/reload, brief as that may be, but since when does a sling take two hands to fire? Sound more like a slingshot is what they were thinking here.

[@RedMageGM]

Yeah, maybe they meant slingshot. Or maybe it's a balance thing (no dual-wielding slings :D)

[@ScottRoste]

Slight disagree on character sheet solutions limiting play. Often if you give someone a blank canvas (or empty PC sheet), they will struggle to produce something creative bc there are no guideposts. But give them some parameters and then they can create based on that input. So i think giving PCs some skills or abilities, but encouraging them to bend those skills in creative ways fosters more ingenuity than just telling them they can do anything.

[@RedMageGM]

Oh yeah, for sure. I agree - I didn't express it well, but I'm definitely *not* a free-form style dm/player. I think some skills, abilities, and equipment are really helpful to provide that initial edge. That being said, once the basics are down, I'd much rather have a player thinking "what would I do" rather than "what button should I press".

[@CawmeKrazee]

Do you plan to cover Letters from the Dark 5?

[@RedMageGM]

It's not really my vibe - probably not.

[@n4tune8]

The Player Companion goes completely against the philosophy of Shadowdark or even the OSR in general. To each his own, but it's a shame that now players will see this and ask if they can use this or that option from this book.

[@RedMageGM]

Yeah, I think it will totally just depend on the table. Fortunately, it's mostly GMs who buy supplements anyway. :D

[@Wraithward]

Well, then, it's up to the DM to have some backbone if that's not the power scale they want to play with, eh? Some people want it, others don't. There's nothing wrong with highlighting what does and doesn't exist. It's the DM's job to arbitrate expectations and that goes beyond encounters and narratives.

[@RedMageGM]

I think that's the trick - highlighting the tone and saying "oh, yeah - that is cool! It just doesn't exist in this particular campaign" and just moving on. I've found most players don't push it after that.

[@ljmiller96]

Weird how many people are using the Matura MT Script Capitals typeface for a title font. For anyone tempted to use that typeface/font, it's a dead giveaway that your project is amateur. There are so many better fonts. Even an obvious amateur's hand-drawn font is better.

[@RedMageGM]

haha I'll take your word for it! I am pretty clueless when it comes to font. I guess I recognize when something looks amateurish and when it doesn't, but I can't ever really say why.