I'M SWITCHING to ShadowDark RPG - Here's Why (2024)

[@ToddPutnam]

Welcome to the Shadowdark. Everyone should play whatever system, using whatever homebrew rules make you and your group happy. Having started playing back in the early 80s on B/X and AD&D, but played 5E in recent years, I love the meshing of the old school sensibilities with modern mechanics. Shadowdark is easy to learn but still hard to survive. I switched my campaign to SD last year and all my players love it.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@ToddPutnam awesome. I’m loving this game so far. Stay tuned for more SD videos, my man.

[@NightNoonGames]

Welcome to the Shadowdark community, man. I strongly believe it's one of the best out there filled with supportive people who are excited to see the game grow. It's a pretty cool place to be.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@NightNoonGames thanks bro. Glad to be here

[@Tora58]

I have been running Shadowdark for about 6 months. It really feels like a modernized B/X. My favorite thing about the system is actually the GM tools, which is roughly half the book. This system is incredibly easy to run zero/no prep, to the point some of my friends have been using the tools in other D20 systems. The one thing I notice is a lot of people who come from old school games lament the fact that SD has full heal on rest (reread pg 86. Then read it AGAIN) players cannot just full heal. They need 8 hours of rest... This is because SD has no rules for hirelings AND you need to be safe in order to benefit from the full heal. Also Shucked Oyster is dope. Gormax is a bro :)

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@Tora58 that’s awesome to hear. I’m a bit late to the Shadowdark party, but glad I came 😂

[@Tora58]

@@Scutifer_Mike Seriously though, you are wrong about rest in SD. To ATTEMPT a rest takes a ration. Then 8 hours. So unless you want to roll for a random encounter every hour you need to use 3 torches to build a fire. (or you are sleeping in the dark, and good fing luck with that) Once that is done, 2-5+ random encounter checks MUST be made, and handled. Once the rest is completed all players MUST pass a DC12 CON check for EACH interruption. Fail one of these checks and you get nothing. No hireling rules really changes the dynamics a lot.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@Tora58 I’m not wrong. I just don’t like the rule

[@Tora58]

@@Scutifer_Mike then don't play Shadowdark. Seriously, the whole system is balanced around it. Ask Kelsey about it, I have, it's the trade off she made since there are no hirelings.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@Tora58 😂

[@cugms]

Another thing I really like about the real-time light timer is it puts a cost on searching. If the party wants to spend a round searching for a secret door, it'll cost them 6 minutes of precious light.

[@RobertBrinson]

I know that Shadowdark is getting a lot of praise, and it's probably well deserved. Shadowdark's developer was able to put forth a system that has appealed to many 5e fans. However, as one who was put off by 5e, I really enjoy Old School Essentials Advanced. I like that infravision is a thing for some races. I like that 0 HP means dead (unless you've got a powerful cleric handy). Some of the things you mentioned, like encumbrance, are part of OSE (and others) and affect your movement and how much you can carry (you bought a mule, right?). Sure, a level 1 cleric cannot cast a spell, but they can turn undead. A level 1 thief is going to struggle, but that's because they need to become more eXPerienced in their craft. I'm not "throwing shade" on Shadowdark. If all I had were 5e or Shadowdark, I would be all-in with Shadowdark. However, I prefer OSE Advanced.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@RobertBrinson you might like my OSE series with over 26 episodes !

[@jcraigwilliams70]

I played BECMI D&D back in the early 80s. I left D&D for systems that were-- to me-- more enjoyable, but I always had a soft spot for it. When I had a nostalgia-driven urge to play D&D again a few years back, I dug out my old Rules Cyclopedia, but found that I still had several issues with the system. Someone suggested OSE and I picked up the Advanced books and I thought they were great, even though OSE uses Vancian magic, which I really dislike. When ShadowDark came out, I decided to back it and when I read it, I loved it even more than OSE, but I think both are great. I'll probably only use SD, but I still highly recommend OSE. In terms of the Thief abilities, I think OSE points out something that many overlook: they can automatically succeed in many tasks. For example, several Thief abilities can be attempted by other classes with an attribute check. A Dex check might allow a fighter to move silently across a creaky floor, a cleric to climb a wall with the appropriate equipment, or a Magic-User to hide behind some cover. In those cases, the Thief just succeeds automatically without rolling. They only roll when doing things that are impossible for other classes: silently crossing over dry leaves sitting on gravel, climbing a smooth wall without equipment, or hiding in a shadow with no real cover. Those are all borderline magical abilities, so the % is low. But for mundane versions of those actions, they should just succeed.

[@aaronsomerville2124]

I like both OSE and ShadowDark but infravision in the worst thing in D&D and I am so glad it's not in SD.

[@mikecheckpro]

My local game shop has a Monday night DCC/Shadowdark group. Different Judges on rotation, different games all the time. It’s heaven really. Shadowdark is fantastic. We are playing Stonehell right now.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@mikecheckpro two great systems. Living the dream.

[@ChaosLiegeApex]

SD really nailed the resource management aspect with limited inventory and torches/rations required for recovery/exploration as well as the crawling aspect limiting amount of actions between resource draining events.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@ChaosLiegeApex I couldn’t agree more. Very tightly tuned game.

[@bamboozledgreatcrowd8982]

I made the switch and have a really nice setup for playing. I really love running it.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@bamboozledgreatcrowd8982 me too! Fun game

[@jonchappellnow]

Although one of my two regular groups still prefers 5E, when I GM I only run Shadowdark. After 15 sessions over this past year as well as 4 games at Gary Con, I still find it to be the fastest and most fun system out there. The rules sort of disappear so we can focus on story and tension at the table.

[@tc0930]

Welcome to Shadowdark. I really enjoy the game. I have been running it for about a year and playing off and on as well. I understand what you are saying regarding the rest, but I would just say that, in your example, you find some goblins and then just rest - that's not really accurate. Where are you? Are you in a dungeon? You have to exit the dungeon (possible random encounters), go all the way back to civilization (more possible random encounters and/or overland travel), and then rest for the night to be guaranteed to get the full rest. But I understand a lot of people don't like one long rest restoring full HP. I had issues with it myself but I now play RAW because otherwise, the players just sit around in town until they are rested up. A GM can create time constraints to prevent that, but that can be difficult at times without seeming gimmicky as well. But I'm glad you're a big fan with just one or 2 minor things that you will be HBing. I'm glad to see the excitement.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@tc0930 yeah, I’m definitely taking that into account. Thanks for the support

[@ScottBaker_]

And things continue to happen if you do go back to town. And if you don't go back, I think using the random encounters generally balances out resting for HP.

[@ThePaladinWorld]

Yeah, my sons and I like it a lot. We have been playing it for about a year. I like the gritty feel and the realistic character build. It's quick and intuitive.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@ThePaladinWorld building characters is fun. I’ve been doing it for my next video, and I like the talent rolls a lot.

[@ThePaladinWorld]

@@Scutifer_Mike yeah, they are a lot of fun and add a bit of variety to builds.

[@Akeche]

18:50 The nice thing is, despite some of the very dull people on the discord claiming it doesn't exist. There's exact distances right in the book! Right on that inner quick reference page, next to the list of weapons and armor, it lists this. Close = 5 feet, Near = up to 30 feet, Far = Within Sight. That should cover just about everything you need.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@Akeche you know, I saw those numbers and then completely disregarded them. Got too hung up on the language. Still new to the game, so thanks for bringing this up

[@cugms]

@@Scutifer_Mike And since torches light 30 feet, basically, whatever is in light range is within near range.

[@chrisdonovan8795]

The game is fatally flawed. The goblin's special ability has a dark side: It will never enjoy being the recipient of a surprise party. Think!

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@chrisdonovan8795 the poor goblins may never recover!

[@twistedturns65]

I love the close/near/far system, use it in my 5e games even to get away from the tyranny of the grid. I find it helps players to think more tactically when they're not obsessing over how many squares of movement they can manage, throwing away a charge at the enemy because they're five feet short, etc. That said, it's easy to translate into standard 5 ft. movement as near is described as 'usually 30 ft' or something to that effect.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@twistedturns65 cool

[@knghtbrd]

I'm a major fan of Shadowdark both because of how the game plays and because of how easy it is for me to adapt the game to the way I have to play. I can't use a GM screen for anything but hiding what's in front of me from view, and anything that isn't massively large print I have to hold up to my face. That means cards are a natural choice and the cards need to not show anything on the back side players can't see unless the print is small enough that I can't read it without a magnifier. Shadowdark makes that very easy to do because everything is written so concisely. It plays extremely fast, it forces the characters to be creative because they can't just tank everything and not worry about it. I love that everyone has something to be able to do at level one without everyone turning into a magic user with the same pool of samey spells. I love that the game ends up not feeling like it could be a JRPG with a battle command menu. What you can do depends on what you can think to do, not what your character sheet says you can do-it's great!

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@knghtbrd what a great take on why Shadowdark is so great. Glad it works for you and your table. Much more SD videos coming

[@jcraigwilliams70]

I have no issue with how range is handled. In your example, someone asks "am I near enough to go around the front line and reach the wizard in the back? ." This is where the whole "rulings, not rules" comes into play. There are several possible answers but I think the main ones I would use are: A) The wizard is about 30' away, which is the limit of a Near move. You can only reach him in a straight line. B) Yes, you can do so, but you open yourself to attack as you run past his defenders. In terms of the healing, I initially felt the same way, but I no longer do. If your players think they can stop, consume a ration, and recover every time they are injured then they will be consuming a TON of rations (and torches if in the ShadowDark) and they are letting a lot of time pass. If they have a deadline to accomplish something, they will have to be very strategic about when and how often they rest. Aside from that, this highlights why Hit Points were one of the things that drove me away from D&D (along with Vancian magic) years ago. But today, I don't mind Hit Points, because I understand them better. They don't really represent health; they are a combination of skill, luck, fatigue, minor injury, and more. They are essentially a pacing mechanic/ resource. As HP drop, the character is growing fatigued and being worn down. When the attack comes that inflicts the final few HP of damage, it's because they have lost the ability to adequately defend themselves, allowing the enemy to land a killing blow. Viewing them in this way, regaining full HP each night makes much more sense. What doesn't make sense to me is the old-school 1 HP per day healing. That's crazy. Consider this: there are two characters, a frail magic user and a tough-as-nails fighter. They have both gone up to level 5. The magic user has 10 HP and the fighter has 30. They are both badly wounded in a fight. The magic user now has 1 HP and the fighter has 3. If HP represent health, then they have both lost 90% of their health. The magic user will be fully healed in just over a week. The fighter will be fully healed in slightly less than a month. This means that the physically weak magic user technically recovers almost 4x faster than the hardy fighter. If I didn't want to do a full heal each night, I would at least say each character gets back 1 hit die per rest. So the fighter may regain 4-5 HP on average, while the magic user recovers maybe 2.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@jcraigwilliams70 wow. Very insightful take. I’m still very new to the system, so I appreciate the help man.

[@jcraigwilliams70]

@@Scutifer_Mike well, this is just how I personally view things. If that appeals to you, great, but you'll find what works best for you and your table and that might be something completely different. But sometimes it's good to hear different opinions.

[@daxoncaudill424]

@@jcraigwilliams70 I was coming here to say waht Craig said, in a sense. I totally agree about the 1 HD rather than HP per day and had adopted it back when I was still trying to adapt 5e to my "old school" tastes. Further on the full HP after a rest rule; don't know if anyone's already pointed it out, but they can obviously only sleep eight hours once per day. I point it out because I know a lot of 5e mechanics like the "short rest" muddled my thinking as I was exploring _Shadowdark_, _Knave_ and simiar. That's where tracking how many torches, i.e. hours since the last "rest" is really handy. BTW, check out Ben Milton's _Knave_ if you aren't already familiar. It has an excellent, robust hex-crawling system.

[@BunnyNiyori]

Shadowdark has earned the praise. A very complete package.

[@dm_curt]

When I went from 2e to 5e in the 20-teens, I saw some good in 5e. But 5e has a lot that should be chopped out in order to make things more streamlined and less clunky. But in order to make 5e the game I'd want it to be, I'd have to trim it back...with a hatchet, and a tremendous amount of time and effort. Shadowdark is a better game for onboarding new players. From the get-go, character generation is quicker and simpler, without the mandatory customization steps. (Quick character generation gives a DM a better option for making a game more deadly or not, and not pressured to make it easy to avoid sidelining a PC for hours.) If I were to make my own "ideal" fantasy RPG, it would be Shadowdark, but perhaps have archetypes the way 2e did it: Optional, and balanced against characters not using them, by having both bonuses and penalties to that customization. And a few other minor things, but so far, Shadowdark is the closest thing to my ideal FRPG "Out of the box".

[@Scutifer_Mike]

That’s an excellent take on the game, man! I agree about how good it feels to roll up a character quickly!

[@AuthoritativeNewsNetwork]

One of the things I saw from SD that I like was the distinct level title which differed by Alignment, its a great way of expanding the world without lore dumps or NPC exposition. (Not sure if its still in the latest edition)

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@AuthoritativeNewsNetwork the titles are still in. Also the system lends itself well to Zero prep. You throw a few dice, consult some random tables, and boom. Ready to respond to anything your players toss your way.

[@AuthoritativeNewsNetwork]

@@Scutifer_Mike Have you had a chance to look through the Cursed Scrolls?

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@AuthoritativeNewsNetwork not yet. I heard that a new one is coming soon. I’ll buy them all together

[@D_the_B]

Shadowdark is great! I’ve taken aspects of it and blended it with Dragonslayer for my game.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@D_the_B I do like Greg Gillespie

[@jimw.5833]

Great review. Sounds similar like the original 1980 Basic Dungeon and Dragons while removing some mundane rules and enforcing some rules (light use in dungeon) that's typically ignored.

[@nutherefurlong]

This video more than most has sold me on a lot of the decisions made for the game. It helps to see how they interconnect, thank you. I think one of the coolest things, the torches rule, also is a bit tough to imagine not having a tug of war with players about what's plausible vs. what the rules expect. If I ever played I might try to work in a rule about being blessed against the darkness or something in addition to needing light, something only a powerful caster can grant so unless you can find a shrine in the deep you only have so much time

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@nutherefurlong I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@lockhorntwo]

I like the risk/reward element of Shadowdark. Limiting resources also adds suspense. Strong Dark Souls and Darkest Dungeon vibes. I just ordered the book from the website and ready to dive in. Thanks for the video and enjoy the game!

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@lockhorntwo thanks! I am enjoying it

[@Owl_of_Omens]

I've been running a shadow dark game for about 3 months now and it has revolutionized our gaming experience. I actually opted to run more of an open world. And dungeon crawling is just an aspect of it. My players filled in more of the role-playing aspect. For instance the wizard has a spell book and an orb and utilizes them even though it's not necessary. On top of that we pretty much named The curse of the land Shadow dark, so every place that harbors monsters every place that is dark mysterious and remote has been infected with a darkness that draws monsters to it. So adventurous have started becoming a thing as they seem to voluntarily gather to destroy the monsters that are in the forgotten places of the world.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@Owl_of_Omens this is awesome to hear. I have loved playing SD so far and I think it will be a long game as well.

[@Owl_of_Omens]

@@Scutifer_Mike yeah I think two of the greatest falsehoods that are spoken about SD is that it is a reskinning of 5e which I do not believe that's the case at all, and that it's a good convention game but does not have long-running potential. I do not believe either of those are remotely true

[@mateofantasma]

I backed the Kickstarter out of curiosity and very much agree with your points here. I love the system and how it is presented, looking forward to playing with my group once we have finished our current campaign.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@mateofantasma what system are you currently running?

[@brentnorton1602]

Been playing since the Kickstarter using classic D&D modules. I think it does a great job of taking 5e and giving it that grit of OSR.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@brentnorton1602 this game has so much character!

[@willmendoza8498]

Ran a module for two different groups. I love Shadowdark.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@willmendoza8498 which module?

[@eliasneris2612]

Where did you get the book printed? The larger text would be good for some of my players.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@eliasneris2612 I live in China, so there are many off set printers available for cheap!

[@Imhal13]

Right there with you. right up to the quibles. My 2 cents on those...My group liked simple range bands and a UDT set up. It was fast and not as fussy. On the healing issue, finding a safe place to rest can be an issue, light sources will be off (danger level increase) and regardless of how restful it is or not, rations and or light are gone. Shadowdark resource management adds tension. Adventure locations certainly feel like dangerous and hostile environments. Overall, Shadowdark lives up to the hype and deserves its awards. The Cursed Scrolls content is also wonderful value added and the community is great.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@Imhal13 right on. 👍

[@Axiie]

Heehee... "Overshadowed". Imma assume pun intended :P Been on Shadowdark for a while, and I kept thinking if it was something you'd be interested in given the affinity you have for both 5e and older styles. Its a nice game for solo play as well. I think the dungeon procedures could do with a bit of work, but I get why they are the way they are, and I know I'm personally more inclined to more detailed dungeon rolling and am aware that such would have been a deteriment to the design as a whole for Shadowdark. I look forward to seeing what you do with it!

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@Axiie great to hear from you man! Yeah I agree about dungeon procedures, so it will be a challenge to make it work given my typical style. I do like a challenge though, bro!

[@alejandroacosta1227]

Don't forget when you do the rest you can offset it with wandering monsters. Make it a wrist versus reward. They don't benefit from the healing if the rest is interrupted.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@alejandroacosta1227 yeah I’ll keep that in mind. Still pretty new to the system

[@jesseshultz3666]

Well, they can make a Con check at DC 12 I think to be able to finish the rest for full benefit. If they fail, the rest they had before the attack is lost, along with the ration. Pg. 86.

[@sebastianstark8517]

I lean more toward the original game, so my current game of choice is "Old School Essentials", but I could see how someone who was drawn to the 5e version of the game would be interested in adopting "Shadowdark". I've used some mechanics from SD in my own games, but as a whole, I still prefer OSE. I can see myself eventually migrating to OSRIC, because 1st edition was the first edition I ever GM'd, and one that has a lot of things that I like, even today. I see it as a natural evolution of OSE. Hope you enjoy your SD game, and look forward to more of your solo plays (or even more duo sessions with your wife). Cheers!

[@strawberryhellcat4738]

I agree. BECMI was my game for years, and OSE is much closer to it than the "softer" SD. I got PDFs for SD and OSRIC to compare the two, and you're right - the mechanics in OSRIC look like OSE Advanced Plus. I've already found a few aspects that I'd like to kit-bash into my OSE game, and I could easily see my table eventually running OSRIC as well. That said, I'm also going to keep watching the solo and duo sessions here!

[@MR-on9yx]

​@@strawberryhellcat4738 since I've never read OSRIC I'm curious, what rules are you thinking of adapting to OSE?

[@rwustudios]

The original game is definitely nothing like old school essentials

[@strawberryhellcat4738]

There are A LOT, and I'm still going through the PDF, but 2 that I already like are giving one spell to first level Clerics, and also rewarding Clerics with an extra spell per level for a high Wisdom score. Clerics are one of my favorite classes - must be empathy for poor Aleena. I actually like the restrictions too, like limiting the number of Rangers per party, and nerfing the Druid's spells if they don't harvest their holy symbols properly. Like OSE, OSRIC also keeps the retainer mechanic, which I've used since I first started playing - love those meat shields. If you want to "test drive" RPGs and modules, I'd recommend getting a Scribed subscription. You'll have 50 years of RPG PDF content and more available for download at only the monthly $11.99 subscription cost. It's worth it - I just found a Cthulhu module I'd been searching for, which was $70 on Ebay. Going to read through Savage Worlds and Cairn later. 😁

[@strawberryhellcat4738]

@@rwustudios Which original game? If you mean OD&D/0e (White Box), then you're right. For a closer "first game" experience, there is Swords and Wizardry White Box, or The Basic Expert's Wight-Box. PDFs of Swords and Wizardry and even OD&D/0e are available free from Scribed, but sadly, not Wight-Box. However, for anyone interested, it is listed on Drive-Thru-RPG in both PDF and softcover/hardcover POD.

[@JanHoos]

Cool! I’m also thinking about switching :) My eye also spots some cool turtle comics on that shelf behind you if I’m not mistaken haha! Just finished volume 2 :)

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@JanHoos I will always love some TMNT!

[@perplexingruins]

purchased SD, as it seemed great for solo play! and it's certainly loaded with the kind of material solo players seek. as a player, i'm more keen on roll under with 3-4 stats. but there's no denying SD is a major book

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@perplexingruins I’m happy with it so far.

[@swordsnstones]

yepp... Shadowdark is a big influence on my own game book. when i came back to the hobby in 2021 and decided to write my own game instead of doing the 5e or even going back to ADND, Shadowdark [among others like Knave, ICRPG ] was one of the cool indie games that i used as input for ideas... cool vid... keep 'em rollin'

[@DaVeO52]

Don't forget, its really dangerous to rest in the Shadowdark. But I get it. Full HP i think is too much too.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@DaVeO52 they left the dungeon and passed their monster check. But yeah, they won’t be resting in the Shadowdark!

[@tagg1080]

They are at the table but in the game. Excellent.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@tagg1080 thanks for always taking the time to watch man.

[@tagg1080]

@@Scutifer_Mike I did finally start princes of amber, i havn't read a first person book in a while. Cool stuff so far.

[@Shamefulroleplay]

Nice video. I have had the game as a PDF for a while and think it's wonderful. That's a chunky A4 copy you have sir.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@Shamefulroleplay I like the big print

[@chillmech3381]

Dude I’m returning to Beijing for a week in November! Can we play a session while I’m there?

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@chillmech3381 absolutely. I can’t wait.

[@markmonaghan224]

Three Hearts & Three Lions😍

[@VicSicily]

Hi! I've recently discovered your channel as I've been learning more on the hobby. Short run through, always wanted to play ttrpgs, never could, bought 5e starter set couple years ago, tried running it and didn't really like what I saw, bought shadowdark and my table likes it. And now I've discovered the concept of 1:1 time and patron play. I'm one session into a campaign with my table, I want to try implementing it! Do you think it works with shadowdark? Probably a silly question. Anyway, subscribed, gonna watch all the content!

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@VicSicily these principles can be applied to any system. With Shadowdark’s downtime, the PCs will be locked up together for a number of days or weeks and your table can play new characters during that time.

[@VicSicily]

@@Scutifer_Mike I just finished watching your video from a couple of months ago aboht the 1:1 time and it really is very appealing. I also saw you commenting in the chat on black lodge games when they had jeffro on, seemed like unfair criticisms to me and hence brought me further to learn more. Thanks for the fast reply!

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@VicSicily welcome to the community! Let me know how your new game style plays!

[@jrroberts08]

Love the video! Great point about how dark vision can take away from gameplay

[@arthurmarques6191]

I am not sure if there's such a thing such as "tanker" or "support healer" . I understand what you mean, but these terms don't apply to Shadowdark the former due to lethality, the latter because you can lose the ability to cast a spell

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@arthurmarques6191 I don’t see why those roles wouldn’t exist. It’s not pathfinder but people will be playing their roles, however they see them

[@deathbare5306]

I find it has too much fiat built into it for my taste. How to get XP, what fits in an item slot, the entire dungeon building method, implementation of the random encounters. Great system if you want a narrative story game with some nods to old school gaming, but it demands the GM do a lot of work in odd ways to function. Quick example - over the course of a dungeon the party finds several caches of treasure. How much XP is 10k of silver worth? The GM has to make that call. Another how many keys or name your small to medium item fit in an item slot? Final one you build a shadowdark dungeon, one of the eight rooms calls for a random encounter, you pick the appropriate table, how many and what are they doing? Minor stuff but it builds up. There is just too much GM fiat built into its core but hidden behind facades of structure. A lot of folks love it, it’s won a bunch of awards, the creator is a good person, but it feels like a KZbin bandwagon thing at this point. It ain’t that good.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@deathbare5306 k

[@moritzlohmann8682]

What does it mean for the other series such as about "Whight Box" and "AD&D" etc.? Do you still do them? Or is now everything about Shadowdark? I have no problem to get your actual play and inside about SD, BUT I would miss the other games, too.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@moritzlohmann8682 I will continue with the other series as well.

[@notreallydavid]

I think I'd let thieves have a d6 for hit points. I feel they should be less fragile than the magic missileers.

[@verlandes1]

Whoa, did you print that soft cover yourself? Looks really professional, how/where did you do it?

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@verlandes1 I live in china and we have very cheap printing sevices

[@verlandes1]

@@Scutifer_Mike Very cool. I have a few PDFs I would like to print, might check and see if there's something reasonable around where I live!

[@notreallydavid]

Bigger professions table would be nice. Could combine it with one of the many others that are iut there.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@notreallydavid DCC is a great one for supplementing the SD one

[@notreallydavid]

@@Scutifer_Mike Seen it! It's a woofer!

[@heatherford7905]

where'd you get the 8.5x11 softcover rulebook?

[@brentnorton1602]

He probably did it himself or had a print shop put it together from a pdf.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@heatherford7905 I live in China; we have lots of cheap printing here.

[@weirdguy564]

I'm all for people ditching D&D and going with an alternate game. I prefer other games, though. I like Dungeons and Delvers Dice Pool, Pocket Fantasy, and Olde Swords Reign. Those last two are free PDF downloads as well. Dungeons and Delvers Dice Pool just is fun because lots of classes, everyone has good abilities so you can customize your character. Magic is a skill check instead of memory slots, and is simple for kids to play. The Dice Pool works by having an Ability score, a skill, then add in more from class and racial abilities, all of them being a dice size. Roll all of them and pick the best two dice, and that is your roll. Pocket Fantasy is a very short rules lite game that simplifies almost everything, and only used 1D6 for dice. A character is just two stats. How hard you hit in combat, and how many hit points you have. Then you have 3 or 4 class abilities. The game makes heavy use of re-rolls, and everyone gets re-roll tokens for playing well, rolling back to back sixes, or as special class abilities that fit that situation. Magic is divided between combat spells (there are only six), and out of combat spells (describe it and the GM will forbid it, or assign you a skill check to make on a 1D6 (aka 2-6 number to meet or beat). It is so easy to play, yet I don't feel like the game is missing anything. Olde Swords Reign is a true OSR game. It takes D&D rules and modifies that to be how the writer likes to play. The main three features is that classes are customizable at the start. There are only 4 classes, but because of customization you can basically copy the other classes like Paladin, Bard, or Illusionist. The second feature is that there is just one bonus for your character, called a Proficiency Bonus. If your class is good at what they're attempting to do, then you get to use that bonus number. If your class makes it so you're hard to mind control, then you can use your Proficiency Bonus to add to your roll. If you are a merchant, and you want to haggle prices with an NPC, you can use Charisma AND your Proficiency Bonus to roll against a GM set target number (easy, moderate, hard, very hard). The third bit is that the game uses 5th edition style weapon and armor traits so that each weapon type has a reason to exist and be different than other weapons. A Bastard Sword can be used in 1 hand, but in 2 hands it does more damage, while a short sword can be used with either Strength or Dexterity. Again, Pocket Fantasy and Olde Swords Reign are both free.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@weirdguy564 that’s cool. Of those, Old Swords sound the most interesting to me.

[@notreallydavid]

Onlooker here, haven't bought yet - it's a great looking system, but I wish there were 'official' gnomes, illusionists, DnD-style paladins, and druids. And is there anything on unarmed combat (grappling, shoving etc )? I have the Old Guy resistance to dwarf / half-orc / halfling mages - but it's time for me to die.

[@gameram6382]

I run mainly human campaign

[@shockerck4465]

Shadow dark is deadly compared to 5E. Compared to B/X or sone other old school rpgs, not so much. 0 hit points is death. No rescues, no first aid, no d20 roll. Failed poison save- death. But i will check out Shadowdark and possibly steal some good bits. One thing i do not like about old rpgs is Thief skills so low and d100. LOTFP has a cool d6 skill system and you can soecialize in skills. Want a expert lockpicker? Put all your points in pick locks/ find/ remove traps. Want a sneaky thief? Put your points in Hide in shadows and Move silently.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@shockerck4465 lamentations sounds so cool. I need to check it out. I agree about thieves, man they are too unimpactful

[@shockerck4465]

@@Scutifer_Mike to me, it's probably the best part of the system. Check out the Specialist class for LOTFP.

[@daelusraine2989]

Before we even played, it changed it to 1 hp/day

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@daelusraine2989 old school roots, I see!

[@daelusraine2989]

@@Scutifer_Mike I remember thinking when 5e came out that full health naps sounded cool... In practice, they were not

[@N0ld0r]

Welcome back to oldschool D&D 😅 Since 3e people have skipped lightsources, encumbrance, time, food and a lot more. Most of the game was cut out and mostly powers and combat remain. Every "feature" you are describing is basically also a feature of Od&d, Bd&d and Ad&d. 😁 Whichever form you choose to play, welcome back to oldschool. 😊

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@N0ld0r 🤣 maybe you are new to the channel. lol we run OD&D, AD&D, and B/X

[@N0ld0r]

Yes, i am new to the channel. I don't really follow channels and your video just passed by. 😅 I have been DMing Od&d and Ad&d for close to 30 years and i find the amount of missconseptions you have about those "versions" curious. I guess you are more verbatim rules before rulings i guess because most of your gripes (in this video) is either overstated or missinformed. 😅 Well, perhaps not, it's just the impression you gave me from this video. You are pehaps perfectly informed. Hard to judge from 1 video. 😊 1 example: there's huge diffs between a paladin and a fighter in old d&d. They have detect evil, turn undead and protection from evil. Evil creatures can't even approach them 😅. They get the weapons, hp and most of the combat skills of the fighter but they have a code to follow to also claim some extras. Modern gamers often view them as "only" spellcasting fighters but that's not really their role. So getting spells late don't really matter to them being different. Thats not their main purpose. 😊 I don't know your background so perhaps there are reasons for our differing perspectives. Can't really blame me. With the title "i'm switching to shadowdark" the assumption that you are comming from 5e isn't that far fetched. 😂 Sorry, i meant no harm. Happy that you like SD and even happier that you have a background in oldschool d&d. Keep up the good work. I hope you pull more people over with your channel. 😊

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@N0ld0r all good brother. I’m Brosr. We play AD&D rules as written. I’m switching my campaign from B/X to SD. I really appreciate your comments. Thanks for watching.

[@TimothyMakin]

Dude you make KZbin Videos TOO!!!

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@TimothyMakin yes sir!

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@TimothyMakin I’m curious man. How did you find my channel?

[@AceneDean]

Yes! I just did the same. 🎉

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@AceneDean nice we are on the journey together then!

[@taccntb4345]

Fck that. I’m going back to BECMI DnD. Old school.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@taccntb4345 just uploaded a new OSE session. Check it out!

[@gameram6382]

Im not interested in the new dungeon and dragons, think its time to leave and try this.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@gameram6382 yes! Don’t give money to people that hate you.

[@gameram6382]

Well said 👍

[@doomhippie6673]

I've played it a bit but the spark hasn't really ignited my passion. It feels too much like "let's go into the dungeon", which I think is the most boring of settings. Perhaps I just didn't have the right GM but it feels very limited. I know it isn't because it doesn't set many limits so your imagination is the limit. But the rules feel so "dungeony" if you know what I mean. And I have really not much love for character funnels. In my group some players didn't even name their characters because "why bother when I don't know if I will really play them?" Plus I really struggle with meaningful adventures that work as a funnel. But here you can see that I am a story driven player and GM. I'm not a fan of a bunch of weirdos going "Let's visit the local dungeon". There needs to be a reason why people leave their society to live the life of a vagabond and "adventurer". And that reason should be in the backstory. Oh well. Apart from that I really appreciate the reasoning and effort that has gone into the game design. And I am happy that so many people like it. For me DnD is good enough. If I don't want to play DnD I can't really be bothered with another D20 System. I prefer completely different systems rather than "DnD but not quite DnD" systems.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@doomhippie6673 I know exactly what you’re saying. It is mostly a dungeon crawler. Not much else in the core book aside from exploring a hex.

[@mavfan21]

I wanted to like SD, I Kickstarted the complete set, zines and all. I just find the classes super boring and samey. Every Fighter, Thief, etc. will always be the same. Sure a couple bonuses will change due to rolling talents, but there's zero differentiation. You can't envision a PC and then build it. It is easy to home brew however but I had oped for more a bridge between 5e over powered PCs and simplicity. SD is more of a vanilla dungeon survival game where your PC is expected to avoid combat and worry about torches, and that's not what we want to do when we game. There's a huge vacuum out there between the OSR and 5e/PF2e systems and no one has filled it. I'm hoping the upcoming Reaper Dungeon Dwellers is able to.

[@jaysw9585]

I like shadowdark. I have runa few oneshots and it has worked great but its really not suited for long form storytelling. I dont think i can drag a shadowdark game out over 6 month. Its just too limiting in its present form. Me as a GM loved the ability to challenge my players, but could tell my players deeply wanted combat options and build selections.

[@Vortex1988]

The spellcasting system is way too punishing.

[@TheDave-bn2tx]

Oh so, you're switching from 5e to 5e with house rules. I love how people can just buy the same game over and over again. D&d is lame play something more interesting.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@TheDave-bn2tx OSE to Shadowdark. Thanks for the engagement!

[@n.ludemann9199]

tbh, I don't understand the hype ... I have the PDF and it is nice, but the creatures lack signature features, and I am not a fan of the childish carousing thing, the magic and the torch economy. Putting the extra classes into very price-per-page-expensive zines is lame. Not my cup of cake.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@n.ludemann9199 well, thanks for taking the time out of your day to write that then!

[@Nobleshield]

I keep hearing such hype about Shadowdark but it seems mid at best, and overrated at worst. Just standard "how I imagine old D&D was" with a gimmicky torch mechanic and some 5e elements.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@Nobleshield I wasn’t very interested at first. But many folks said it was cool, so I downloaded the free basic rules. The game has character. I like it, and I play OD&D, AD&D, and B/X. If this isn’t for you, maybe check out my other playlists for OSR systems.

[@rwustudios]

No.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@rwustudios here I was thinking you disappeared

[@rwustudios]

@@Scutifer_Mike oh I disappeared but I had to come out of disappearance for that

[@Scutifer_Mike]

@@rwustudios I hope everything is good for you man.