The Story of Shadowdark RPG

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

You have a birthday card from Gary Gygax?! That is the coolest thing ever!!!

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

He was genuinely so nice, PDM! Made my birthday! :D

[@Grimlore82]

Hey PDM, how long until we see a review or promo for Shadowdark RPG?? 😁 Sorry, someone had to ask 😆

[@nemooh]

Thanks Professor, for pointing me to this.

[@jamesalexhowlett]

I had never heard of you until professor dungeonmaster had covered your kickstarter. I am going to be purchasing your product.

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Thank you, Xander! I really appreciated that video from Professor Dungeon Master. A lot of his design advice and principles are present in the book!

[@Merlinstergandaldore]

"I didn't know what I was doing then, and neither did my friends, but we had a lot of fun with it." - this phrase is thieves' cant for - 'I have completed the TTRPG rite of passage. I am one of you!'

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

This is the true test of TTRPG gamer-dom! :D

[@gameram6382]

Bought it and the gm screen.

[@VosperCDN]

A book signed by Gygax is so cool, and seeing how long you've been involved definitely makes you a veteran. Looking forward to the KS start!

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

It's one of my greatest treasures, and a really cool memory! :D He told me to "slap my players around like red-headed dwarves." Ha!! Very Gary Gygax!

[@brettsimpson1505]

You deserve every ounce of success and support you receive, Kelsey. Shadowdark is a gift to the world, and the best thing that has happened in the RPG community in over 30 years in my view.

[@kaneyoung7439]

Really like the art you've chosen, that old school messy line is so much more evocative than most of the modern stuff

[@immaculateboy]

The art was what drew me in. Have you ever played the board game "escape the dark castle"? That's what it reminded me of (and I love that game).

[@gameram6382]

Thank you for this, way better than dungeons and dragons. It feels like the old days. It doesn't scare new people away, love it. You made me enjoy being a gm again.

[@anothermicrobe755]

This will be the first kickstarter I've ever backed, and I've honestly been counting down the days! You've done an awesome job with this.

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

That means the world to me, thank you! :D

[@j.a.1785]

As someone who started DnD is a similar way, an older ADD group taught me to play, then moved to 3e, I am so excited for Shadowdark! Thank you for doing this!

[@KevinDPomeroy]

The whole OGL fiasco motivated me to take an idea of an Urban Fantasy setting I had, God Complex, and I began to write the core rules for a completely new system. I am a newbie game designer and this is a bit overwhelming but it is coming along. I really admire the work you've done and have certainly been a huge inspiration. I look forward to seeing Shadowdark when it comes out!

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

I'm so glad you are rising out of the ashes of the OGL! It was a weird shakeup, but I think we'll look at this and be happy it happened down the road. It's leading to so much innovation!

[@oz_jones]

You got this, brother! I too started actually writing the rules for the spy rpg I "ran" for my friends 20 years ago due to the OGL fiasco. It has been quite slow due to real life pulling me to all directions, but there is progress.

[@megarural3000]

Glad to have creators like you in the community. I'm just a grognard waiting for the Kickstarter. Game on!

[@UnwalledGarden]

Great story! I can’t wait to back the Kickstarter!!

[@MemphiStig]

You definitely get bonus xp for that backstory. You're living the dream now!😀

[@quantus5875]

Great video!! Love these kinds of videos. Wow -- City State was also my first published adventure -- before that we played some DM generated adventures and encounters -- lots of fond memories of playing Judges Guild stuff before the TSR modules started rolling out in 1978. Judge's Guild did some great stuff, wish they were still around.

[@TabletopBob]

Can't wait to back the project! What a great story and thank you for sharing your background in gaming.

[@SmallStepsNesh]

Proud of your growth and thankful for the love and care you add into the community

[@rainenieves5361]

I just downloaded the quick start. Amazing work! The old school vibe brings back memories. Well done! I’m looking forward to purchasing the full rules soon.

[@Arnsteel634]

I highly respect what you have done. I started playing late 1E and we mixed basic rules and 1E before converting to 2E. And even then we used all the old modules. I hope you have a blast playing

[@kitbashkingdom]

What an excellent talk about your journey. Love to hear this stuff. I collected RPGs since I was little boy and have that same kind of nostalgia. Can't wait to run a Shadowdark game.

[@JWPanimation]

I worked in Madison Wisconsin for 2 years at Raven Software and loved the gaming culture and community of artists, designers and writers. I'm really happy to see the Indie spirit I experienced there thriving with this project.

[@brianbaird5279]

Been with you for a while now. I started playing dnd in the 70's with the basic blue book. Loved it then and played constantly through the 80's and 2nd edition. Stopped when I life got busy and had kids in the early 90's. Picked it up 3 years ago and was negatively blown away by the complexity of everything. I really longed for the simplicity of what I played in the 70's (I also had the city state of the invincible overlord, what a map!). Have backed Shadowdark and am looking forward to a game that does not take weeks to prepare for. Thanks for your work. I am finishing a campaign and have used several of you adventures (running Karina with her mutants tonight).

[@brianbaird5279]

Watching this video also made go back and look at my old stuff, and I found my copy of the City State of the Invincible Overlord as well, both the filled out copy and the blank copy. Thanks for the quick trip down memory lane!

[@squintz9]

I just found out about this campaign the other day and absolutely love it. I couldn’t click “back this project” fast enough.

[@dontgivetwothwips3615]

I am obsessed with the art in this game.

[@tomyoung9834]

I haven’t tried Shadowdark yet, but your 5e adventures are featuring heavily in my current campaign and both my players and I are really enjoying them! (I never mention how easy they are to run, but that’s my favorite part!)

[@richardmaxwell3810]

I love how this looks and as I said before I am eagerly waiting for this to hit Kickstarter. You are truly inspiring.

[@MarkCherkowski]

Thanks for this little insight to how this great game came to be!

[@LeicaDork]

Shaowdark looks so slick. I just bought the physical book. In addition to being a fun system the art is amazing.

[@ARKavli]

I saw PDM's and Questing Beast's review and this looks great. I see the KS is going swimmingly, good luck!

[@nathaniel4334]

Good for you! Looking forward to playing,

[@Hellvector]

I can’t wait to show off all your hard work! It’s going to be incredible!

[@Grimlore82]

Your sincerity and wholesomeness shines through your work. Or shall I say art ;-) Tapping my foot waiting on that KS! So excited!

[@Owl_of_Omens]

It's been a year since this video and your game system has inspired so much in my gaming group one of my players is now dming professionally and he is using your game system in order to get people into the hobby quickly and with the maximum entertainment. I've sat in on a couple of his sessions and it really works people that have never played before come in and they really enjoy the game they really enjoy the streamlined rules so they can pick it up very very quickly they love the aesthetic and simplicity, you have revolutionized fantasy tabletop role-playing. I never thought anything could top advanced dungeons & dragons and certainly years after there was no proof of that but now I'm eating crow, you most certainly have proved me wrong, bravo!

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

That is absolutely amazing! :D I'm humbled and really happy to know it's had such an impact on your gaming group and friends.

[@Ryan-ud4uq]

This game has ALOT of attention and anticipation and the freebie sample is amazing thank you 🙏🏻

[@iamnottim.]

Kickstarter saved; cannot wait.

[@nemooh]

Love the idea of the game. Thanks so much for this. Just downloaded the starter kit and all the content I could from drivethrurpg. Cant wait to get the hard copy of the book.

[@Tusitala1967]

Invincible Overlord and Village of Hommlet were my gateway drugs. You are my people.

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

This is so cool. I’m late to the party and missed the KS but recently ordered a copy of the core book. It’s absolutely beautiful!

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Oh man, I am honored! :D I love your channel and started crafting terrain for the first time last year because of your videos. Thank you for all you do!

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

@@TheArcaneLibrary awe, thanks! I’d love to work together in some way in the future.

[@august3777]

I found your channel after the whole OGL debacle, and been following ever since. I look forward to reading Shadow Dark soon.

[@gritgrimdark]

Love hearing your story Kelsey. Thank you for sharing this with us all. Can't wait to get my hands on Shadowdark when it arrives.

[@cogspace]

This looks like an awesome project! Looking forward to the launch!

[@DnDNerd1978]

You are doing fantastic work! Keep it coming

[@TheInitiativeOrder]

So excited for this to come out and get it on our tables and streams!!!

[@sebastianstark8517]

"Shadowdark" looks great, and was interesting to hear your story. Thanks, and all the best!

[@paulbigbee]

I'm especially interested in how you decide to implement arcane and divine magic, as well as exploration. Eager to see all your hard work!

[@GentD101]

I am 8 days late, however yesterday I saw that PDM did a review of your game! IF the game is Dungeon Craft approved, THEN it will definitely get played! Congrats!

[@oldercloudify]

My best friend is Rose Estes’s youngest son. Lots of funny stories about Gygax and the rest of the founders.

[@joaquinllamazares]

I remember one day going to my granny’s house when I was maybe 9 or 10 years old. I went to my father’s old bedroom, and on the bookcase, one old book caught my attention: Revolt of the Dwarves. Not only did I discover a book with a setting and plot that satisfied everything I liked at the time, but it was also my first 'choose your own adventure' book. To this day, Rose Estes holds a special place in my heart.

[@knghtbrd]

You are AWESOME, your book looks freaking AMAZING, and as of right now you've got like $319,000 in pledges. Well freakin' earned!

[@1pageadventures]

You are such an inspiration for me! I'm rooting for you and Shadowdark RPG!

[@dorgoron]

Thank you for this & can't wait to play it.

[@ShannonFerguson]

I'm looking forward to this game!

[@BradDaeda]

Your history with D&D now makes all the sense in the world to me how you developed an "old school"-like RPG with 3e+ ability score modifiers. Count yourself lucky you were able to experience the old Gygaxian way of playing. Many gamers from the 2000+ era have no clue what that is, sadly. But Shadowdark can serve as their introduction! Something I really like about Shadowdark is that it contains plenty to fully play with, but is bare-bones enough so a game master can easily add to it what they like for their particular games, and have little to nothing that would need to be removed. So far I say great job on Shadowdark!

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Thank you so much, Brad! I'm both honored and a bit whimsical/sad that I might have been the last gaming generation to have direct contact with Gary Gygax and that style of play. My true hope is to bring a bit of that forward again, in my own way. It made a lifelong impact on me!

[@mitchellsink2584]

I cant wait. Looks like such a great system.

[@DrDeepspace]

I'm in! Can't wait! Glad to find you 🥰

[@bigc1966]

2nd Ed FTW, Loved that system. *wish i still had all my 2nd Ed stuff, lost all of it due to moving many times* - backed your K.S., looks really nice and well done. 👍

[@augustochuko]

Thanks for sharing this with everyone. I think a lot of us would like to one day write our own game and it's really inspiring to hear examples like this.

[@mavfan21]

I love so much about your project/RPG and can't wait to help Kickstart it! My only quibble, and I can easily home brew this, is I hope there are more talents/features coming in supplements? Some more classes as well. Even if that's not in the plans, it is such a modular system I can add my own. This is 95% the exact type of system I would make for my ideal RPG. Thanks for all you do!

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

That is indeed in the plan! The Kickstarter is launching alongside three zines that have 8 new classes between them. There are also some really talented game designers who have made alternate talent lists (especially if you want to do ancestry-as-class) and classes of their own! Lots were developed right in our Discord server with tons of community input and design scrutiny. All super cool stuff!

[@mavfan21]

@@TheArcaneLibrary Fantastic!!!

[@paulcooper6048]

It’s nice to see a creator of a new RPG that welcomes Old Bearded White Guys to play her game. So many new games are obviously not written for us and are directly hateful towards us old time gamers.

[@lordmonfort]

It's very exciting to see this as an old school D&D player that hasn't really played much D&D since 2E. Due to health and vision issues, I can't back it until all those out of pocket deductibles are paid, but hope to get my hands on one by the time it is released in print. I would love to see what newer players find so exciting about newer rulesets, but with what looks like the heart of those old AD&D books. (The art, to me, feels more like 1e than 2e.). I would love to get my old friends back around the table for a game.

[@lukejackson3901]

Genuinely just so excited to see more women in the space, especially in game design. Everyone is talking about Shadowdark! Genuinely excited for this RPG, and I've only heard great things from everyone else online. Didn't know you had a youtube channel, subbing right away :) Please continue writing and making the TTRPG space a better place!!!

[@kyrnsword72]

I can't waite to hopefully find softcover Shadowdark Rulebook sold on Amazon possibly. I seen some reviews and the book looks outstanding. Hope to see a charecter sheet with a list of to hit slots 1-10 where different peices of armor can take dmg and be payed for if repaired quick enough. I like to see a game system that has realistate rentals and purchases along with a simple investment table for more pc gold losses and payouts. So far I only found such systems in D100 Dungeon. Love roll d6 for abilties and work with what the player has! Best of luck to all involved with Shadowdark. Thank you.

[@himurogentoku7117]

Good luck on the funding campaign, Kelsey and team.

[@sirguy6678]

Great video! Very inspiring for future creatives!

[@SheaEugene]

Looking forward to the official release! You have been an inspiration to me ever since Skyhorn Lighthouse... I cannot wait to see where your talent and imagination takes us from here :)

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Thank you so much, Shea! I really appreciate you being part of the Library for this long! :)

[@felipeuseche332]

Seeing this video and the kickstarter is something that just makes me smile. Your adventures are always a master class, and Shadowdark it's gonna go into my library, somewhere between AD&D and Old School Essentials, when I can afford it that is (living in Colombia doesn't help my hobby, lol). Keep it up, excited for the future of OSR with you as its main voices.

[@acmeweapons]

Howdy, Kelsey! That's really cool that you started out in the City State of the Invincible Overlord. That was the setting for my very first session as a player way back when. I was immediately hooked. The 1st Edition DMG hadn't even been published yet so I had to borrow the white box set and hand copy all the DMs rules so I could run my own game. My life has been ruined ever since. In a good way. Looking forward to getting the new game on Kickstarter.

[@joshuabraddy6264]

Great video! Can't wait for the kickstarter to launch!

[@dmingtheworld]

Woohoo! Looking forward to Shadowdark!

[@lukewilliams4542]

Totally cool and get pretty excited for the Kickstarter

[@EricfromBloatGames]

Very cool origin story. I'm really looking forward to Shadowdark. I plan to be a day 1 backer, and sharing it out to my community. I wish you all the best.

[@jcraigwilliams70]

This is cool. I started playing D&D in the BECMI days, when I was 14. That was... some time ago. In recent months I have been thinking about producing some gaming stuff, particularly after ShadowDark came out. But I have to say, I find myself hesitant to do so for fear of inadvertently breaking the licensing agreement. I'm pretty sure I would mess it up somehow.

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Don't worry! You can copy + paste the text of any monsters, spells, or magic items into your work from the core rulebook. If you do, just put this somewhere in your credits: "[Product Name] is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG copyright 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC." I have an FAQ video and text document about the license linked below, too. All this is not because the license is hard or tricky, but just because I think an abundance of explanation is better than a lack! kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5rQi3l6oMuHjNk www.thearcanelibrary.com/blogs/shadowdark-blog/faq-on-the-shadowdark-rpg-third-party-license

[@kevinlamb2129]

I love the vibe of that art and layout! And those three pamphlets remind me of Chainmail. Very cool.

[@SentientSoup]

Great story and congratulations on achieving an amazing goal!

[@sputnik_79]

Just kickstard Shadowdark full premium complete. Can't wait!

[@robnecronomicon1570]

Backed... It sounds like my jam.

[@MrRadicalsheep]

Really looking forward to your Kickstarter been a big fan of all you adventures!

[@waynejordan3168]

Looking forward to the launch!

[@hv1225]

Backed the kickstarter, had to grab the complete package.

[@neuromancer9k]

My credit card is ready when your campaign is. I really love the old-school look of SD, very reminiscent of the time when I started playing. Best of luck with the campaign! ⚔🍻

[@DeadMarsh]

I'm so excited for this! Awesome job! Subbed.

[@hunterfox6230]

This is super rad! I just heard about this today! Love the project!

[@matthewsharp2635]

Can't wait to see where this project goes!

[@johnriccardi5191]

Can't wait to start running Shadowdark!

[@scottlypuff]

i cannot wait for shadowdark rpg!!!!!!

[@ToddPutnam]

I backed this happily and I look forward to running this as my new go-to RPG as soon as it ships. I absolutely love the Old School artwork and vibe you have going on. My maps just might look a little different than yours. ;) Thanks for doing this. I wish you all the success in the world and may all your adventures be epic!

[@MarkCMG]

Thanks for the video! Great origin story!

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Thanks for scoping it out! :)

[@michaelm.5148]

i was literally just trying to find info for your RPG, great timing

[@pavlovasylkov3808]

Thank you for this video. Your story is really inspiring, thank you for sharing it❤

[@grailcountry]

Just discovered your channel recently and I have to say I am very impressed, I have been gaming since 1982 and I am not easily impressed. I let slip on one of my own livestreams (I am a esotericism and theology KZbinr) that I am developing a game. My channel is called Grail Country so the game is called Grail Country RPG. I am known for my Pendragon games but there are people who I have played with for years who won't play Pendragon. I have long wanted to design something that had some of the Romance and Beauty of Pendragon, but with more classic fantasy elements so it would have a broader appeal. I started work on the concept back in 2013 and had some very pleasant communication about it (at that time I was calling the project Canticle RPG) with Greg Stafford. I got seriously ill about six months into the project and set it aside for nine years. Lately my health has been better and I have started writing again, and when I let it be known publicly that I was working on it, that put the pressure on for me to really do something. In any case I have really found your channel inspiring as I start to flex those muscles again.

[@craigphillips6255]

Backed! Best of luck.

[@Axiie]

Saw your round table with Questing Beast (I think?), and heard you mention your roots. I love the history of gaming, and D&D's and RPG's history specifically has always been a huge interest to me. Looking forward to the Shadowdark RPG and best of luck!

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Thank you so much! Cool to know you came here by way of the Questing Beast round table, that was a blast! :)

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

SO STOOOOOKED

[@renjynx]

Patiently waiting.... I am using something else for now, but my players know where I am headed. Into the darkness, beyond the shadows! Can't come soon enough.

[@CrusaderCool]

Nice video! I've been playing D&D since 1981 and the Moldvay Basic Box, and Shadowdark really seems to have the potential to be THE go-to version of "D&D" that I'll play at my table going forward. Looking forward to the Kickstarter next week!

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

I'm honored that it's a contender for that status at your table! :D

[@BrianTheBeardedNerd]

Love hearing the story and hope you’re doing well!

[@TimDecker989]

Thanks for sharing your story! I can't wait for the Kickstarter. Hopefully I'll be able to run into you at Gary Con and have a chance to play at your table there.

[@reginaldcarlisle9829]

Can't wait to get my hands on this game!

[@jeremynielsen5555]

Just set the notification on Kickstarter. I am definitely going to back you on this! I will let my friends know as well. After the recent fiascos, I am all about supporting 3rd Party and Independent designers!

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

I appreciate that so much! Thank you, Jeremy! :)

[@jeremynielsen5555]

@@TheArcaneLibrary And by the way, my dad's family is from Neillsville, Beloit, and Kenosha so that makes it even more gratifying for me to help you out!

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

@@jeremynielsen5555 Neighbors!! Tell them hi from a fellow cheesehead! :D

[@mgorsuch]

This is going to be aweome.

[@YukonJack88]

Your courage and passion are one!! Seriously cool An inspiration

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Thank you so much, Darren! 😊

[@YukonJack88]

@@TheArcaneLibrary How the hell do I get a hold of your new rpg tomb mayhem and ....