SoloDark Episode 1: Aberrant Attack

We're using SoloDark + Shadowdark RPG to spin out a solo gameplay adventure!
In our first episode, Lienna the witch and Torson the priest face a lurking danger in the abandoned ruins of a castle keep.
🔮 Download SoloDark for free here: www.thearcanel...
📓 Buy SoloDark in print here:
www.thearcanel...
🏕️ Download the hex crawling rules (still under development) from Cursed Scroll 4: www.dropbox.co...
🎲 Dice by Monomakes: www.etsy.com/s...
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Wizard dice tray part of an All-In-One Kit by Strange Fate Crafts: www.strangefat...
Mini campfire by McKee Morology: www.etsy.com/s...
Flat plastic minis by ArcKnight: arcknight.squa...

[@UnwalledGarden]

I love your videos. They are cleanly produced with no wasted words, plenty of knowledge, and no needless hype.

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Thank you so much, Greg! ☺

[@12600Grey]

You are a great story teller and narrator. Usually I can’t listen to solo play for very long. But you hold attention and interest very well. Thanks.

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

That is really kind of you, thank you! :)

[@Kiwi4BBQ]

This is what we've been training for! Hype!

[@notearz76]

Appreciate you Kiwi. I always enjoy Kelsey’s vids. I think this is quite interesting to see. Great vid.

[@HorizonOfHope]

GOOD LUCK ON THE ENNIES!!! :D :D :D Voting for Shadowdark as the best everything,

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

I really appreciate it! Here's hoping we can bring an ENNIE home! :D

[@artistpoet5253]

Your generosity is so appreciated! It's been a joy trying out these solo gaming tools and listening to your play test of them. I'm eager to hear what happens next!

[@NoMercy8008]

YES, was looking forward to this, thank you so much 💛🙌

[@RadiantPathGaming]

Woot! I'm glad to see your SoloDark adventure. I've been enjoying running SoloDark myself. Keep up the great content! :)

[@SuperDrducky]

You have such a great calm positive energy! And the story looks cool!

[@HowtoRPG]

Thanks

[@UserParticipant-wo2of]

MORE!!! WE NEED MORE!!! I can't wait for the next episode!!

[@Old_Wizard_Minis]

Thanks for doing this. It is really helping understand the solo game. The thing I like about Shadowdark it that is so tight and straightforward. The tight mechanics really help the storytelling. The battle feels tense where in most games it would feel like it was just busy work before the adventure really starts. Keep up the good work.

[@jamesalexhowlett]

I’ve been waiting for this

[@rjbarnett1116]

Holy Wow! Cursed Scroll 4 looks like it’s going to be amazing! I’ve been looking at a lot of different hex crawl systems. I love the amount abstraction and how this gamifies the idea of fantasy travel! Making a hex Safe, and built in fast travel!!! So excited!

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Thank you so much! We've done a ton of testing and discussion about it in The Arcane Library Discord server, and I think this system has really been polished to a shine due to that. I'm really excited for it!

[@jonathanowen9917]

Torson's having a rough go. He can't hit with his hammer, his magic armor has fizzled, and his god is angry with him. It's a good thing that Lienna is there to be a companion. I'm excited to see their journey unfold. I hope you do more of their quest to save civilization from the horrific disease.

[@ToddPutnam]

Great solo play rules. So intuitive just like the rest of Shadowdark. Great use of 3d terrain too! Really helps bring the story to life.

[@HenchHerbivore]

YAY Kelsey’s back! 😃

[@DragonDM369]

Wow.....this solodark stuff rules. I really think its about time we push all that wotc stuff off the shelves and restock all stores with shadowdark. Ttrpg oldschool revival.

[@johnberry5296]

I’ve been waiting for this ❤

[@SAMathlete]

I appreciate the effort that went into editing this! You packed a lot into less than 20 minutes. We got the story beats and rulings at a quick pace, but you can tell that a lot of thought went into the decisions. I'm excited for the next ones in this series.

[@chaoshead87]

Thanks for the free solo rules! That's very generous of you. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us, I'm intrigued now.

[@marioevildm7410]

Love the video SoloDark is solid 💜💜

[@gritgrimdark]

Congrats for winning at the Ennies Kelsey. Much deserved! Cheers!

[@jamesalexhowlett]

Kelsey, I finished watching the video, and I have to say: I am amazed that not only have you created such an amazing game, you’ve given so much of it for free since it’s inception. The last bit of the video where you mentioned the hex based adventure rules really surprised me, and I’m grateful that you’ve continued releasing content for shadowdark. Keep up the good work, I eagerly await to purchase cursed scroll 4, and anything else you have on the horizon.

[@wayausofbounds9255]

I got my tracking info like 45 minutes ago. Nice timing.

[@c7d5a69]

Terrific editing. And I like characters, hope they'll live for some time.

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Thank you so much! This was originally an hour of footage -- a lot of pondering and looking for minis, hahaha.

[@Jimalcoatl]

Oh no. You jinxed them. Ibpredict a TPK next session.

[@Print_Nplay]

You have been an isnpiration Celsey for a long time and continuing into the SOLO waters is what we all needed :) Thank you for all that you have done for the TTRPG community :)

[@Diablofan100]

THE STARS HAVE ALIGNED!

[@deadlyDM]

More ShadowDark content. Absolutely my favorite game to run right now!

[@edge2k2]

Woot! Great stuff and she is rolling in one of my wife's Adventure kits!

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Absolutely love it! I think it blessed my PCs' dice rolls, too! :D

[@kquixotic]

Seeing how smooth, engaging and imaginative the Solodark rules are is inspiring to see! Thank you for developing this subset of play.

[@CaptainAnimal1982]

I've wanted to try solo play since I first heard it was a thing, but always felt a bit intimidated by the various oracle tools. This video has absolutely dropped that barrier to entry for me, thank you!

[@wizardsling]

Ooh, i love those D20s. Chunky, loud, with bright numbers that are easy to read

[@DM_Bluddworth]

This was very enjoyable to watch. ShadowDark is my personal GOTY and I voted for it in all of its categories.

[@merekatnip1408]

More more more!! please more!! ❤❤❤

[@Tatterdash71]

Love the classic Reaper Miniatures! I had to kick myself out of my SoloDark game for being disruptive though.

[@BunnyCrypt]

Yeah, okay. I think this is the solo ttrpg I've been longing for. Thank you for making this game, and the rules to play it solo.

[@samsolitaryroll]

Mythic GME 2e is powerful, but making your own solo rules and oracles to fit your own system is really commendable!

[@geosyrrus6423]

Super well done! The rules played smoothly and you gave a great example of adding flavor and detail without getting bogged down with it. I also like the episode being just long enough for a single scene plus setup for the next; it's a great way to show how scenes can be used to frame a story or a session.

[@ChampionsOfTheTable]

I love seeing so much solodark content coming out!

[@torsteinraaby]

KELSEYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@seanferguson-th6ny]

Very exciting to see SoloDark in action! I appreciate the elegance and simplicity of the ShadowDark system and can't wait until my physical copy of the book finally arrives. I can see myself having many solo adventures between group sessions. Also voted you for all the Ennies!!! ❤ good luck

[@MattDietrich]

Excited to see this is alive. Looking forward to the next chapter!

[@b4ux1t3-tech]

It's great that, just a few weeks after I joined the SD discord and asked about solo play, this comes out! Excellent work on this, I'm excited to play!

[@olympiaoshiadahail9216]

Loved this! Specifically excited to see how you tackle dungeon crawling in the next episode

[@MrEvilturnip]

Kelsey is absolutely killing it! I love your videos and can't wait to give Solodark a try.

[@oscardunn8060]

So glad this series is continuing! And I'm so hyped for my copy of Solodark to arrive! :D

[@ca7582]

I have been playing solo on and off for a couple of months and I always end the session with the feeling that I should be doing this more often. It's great!

[@Thrashmetalman]

So I just started DnD as first time DM and now trying out Shadowdark and holy cow this is so much more approachable it feels like. going to try some solo games and see if my friends want to swap over to shadowdark. Love the rulebook setup and how much info is in there just to get started and rolling dice and tthe solo dark rules really make this fun to try out ourselves.

[@blotcho84]

Very cool Episode 1! I'm excited to see where our heroes go from here. The SoloDark rules seems like a very fun and easy-to-use system.

[@HoroscopeZine]

Straight to the point! This is awesome! Thanks for sharing Kelsey!

[@MikerDude1]

Great episode! I also like that it was a good walk thorough of the SoloDark rules.

[@FablesD20]

Hell ya SoloDark! I love these rules- use these even as a GM Mckees LEDs are the best!

[@ashtowner]

I'm so curious what those dice are. The writing on them is so clear and bold.

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

They're by an Etsy creator named Monomakes! I added a link to the video description. His dice are so easy to read!

[@monomakes]

Thanks for the shoutout K! Also on Instagram (same username, prettier pictures).

[@KarlJSmith]

@@monomakes I just scrolled through the comments to see if anyone else had asked about the dice. Order incoming as soon as you're back from your break...

[@Odexian]

That was great. Looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

[@JillPlusBooks]

Great video!! I am about to adventure into a Solodark game myself. Thanks for making a great game and sharing your ideas and passion with us! :)

[@freddaniel5099]

The magic has gone wrong! Great setup for adventure. I sure hope our heroes can restore things to normal so the magic feels natural. 😉 Cheers!

[@demimonda]

Wow! This came out the same day I prepped my first SoloDark session. I’m so happy to have you lead by example before I dive in with my (coincidentally) priest of Ord and warlock of Shune. Thank you for providing so many accessible tools for improvisation and creativity.

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Hahaha, it is fate! I hope your priest of Ord and warlock of Shune get off to a good start! :)

[@sonic_gloom]

Thank you for this. Exactly what we all needed! :)

[@grantdixon6556]

I am so happy with the zine 4 hex travel rules addition. Playing a ranger solo in the wilderness for my SoloDark run and these will really help!

[@diogocarvalho2975]

thank you very much for sharing solo Rpg content.

[@rn67301]

I just love these clear and inspiring videos you make. Great thoughts and good flow. ❤

[@dylanhyatt5705]

Really fun - looking forward to episode #2.

[@SkittleBombs]

YEEEHAAAWWW Ive been waiting for this for months!

[@kangrenvampir]

Wow, what a fluid and engaging gameplay! Thanks for sharing.

[@MultiProGGer]

This was a lot of fun. You have an engaging way of narrating what is happening.

[@tomtitherington]

Amazing!

[@ScottBaker_]

First episode and my order shipping on the same day. Yay!

[@coalrivers9998]

Very cool timing. I spent part of the afternoon and last night planning a new solo campaign. This one I've had in my mind for mabye 7 years now, way before Shadowdark, but the game is perfect for it. Just got back from work and your video is right there waiting. So much healthy fun for me with Shadowdark. You are fun to watch play. The Strange Fate Craft kits are something I'll be looking into as well.

[@CausticCatastrophe]

Thank you so much for continuing this! I absolutely needed help getting started with this since it feels so diff than playing with other people. This week, ive already tried a little bit, and would like to continue :)

[@ydefaye]

Amazing as always. I love those new initiative rules, I'm going to try them next week. It great to hear about Scroll 4... I cannot wait to get more from ShadowDark. My SoloDark is on its way already.

[@okumartsgames]

Awesome! Can't wait to see more.

[@dangreen7020]

Amazing! Been wanting to try SoloDark and this video makes it very clear on how to do so. Thank you and good luck on winning an Ennie!

[@stephendominick]

These minis look great! With Tale of the Manticore season 2 winding down this solo play came at the perfect time.

[@RollingSoloRPG]

Great stuff, friend! 😊 Can't wait for more!

[@whangbar]

I just bought the core PDF, partly on the basis of watching these videos. It's a great game.🗡

[@timmy19830505]

Yeah love it! I am 5 sessions in shadowdark with my (formerly 5e) group and never have seen them that engaged 😁

[@TheFatalT]

Minis and terrain look very nice, can’t wait to see where this is heading.

[@timothygutierrez]

Love it. Looking forward to more!

[@MirskCragmaw]

Love this, Now I would like to try solo too

[@SeekersHollow]

Great solo play session and setup! Loved the slithering away sound of the Strangler, haha

[@raff3486]

This was a fun session. Loved every part of it!

[@MandatoryFunTimeLLC]

Awesome video! The use of minis and terrain was great! I look forward to see what happens next

[@CB-kj7qw]

I just started playing solodark and it’s great! Thanks the great game and for all the videos!

[@nicholaswolfe86]

ITS HERE! WAKE THE KIDS!

[@davidtravis1384]

You did a great job solo gaming.

[@GroovyAshley77]

This was awesome to watch! Definitely wants to see more 🤩

[@TwinSteel]

🥳🫂👍🏿 Always looking for house rules - have to check out the document you mentioned at the end

[@abendspiele]

I am so JEALOUS of all your monomakes dice! 😭

[@ponderknot]

Yes, it’s distractingly gorgeous. I’d love those for my low vision player.

[@alberttyson5808]

This is fantastic! Keep it coming!

[@Homemade_Heroes]

Bravo Kelsey! Very smooth narration, interesting story, and great explanation of what you are doing and why. I look forward to more episodes and will be trying some of your techniques in my own solo series (loved the character image popping up when they were speaking or you were narrating about them!) 😎

[@lionelhutz3142]

Awesome vid and support for a great product! Definitely deserves the ENNIE. Waiting for this crazy summer to end so I can start my own SD solo campaign.

[@sebo641]

This is fun to listen to

[@alexg6353]

I love minis in solo games I don’t care what anyone thinks

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Me too! Even if just to help get a better idea of the characters. I don't know if we'll need to use them every episode, but I'm glad we can if we want to!

[@chungbertflabbergast5995]

Super excited to try SoloDark, especially since my Shadowdark campaign fell apart. I have four characters ready to go but I realized I have no idea how to generate dungeons 😅 I'm new to solo gaming, and it seems I have some things to figure out how to do yet. My woes aside, I really enjoyed watching the return of SoloDark, and am going to check out the hexcrawl rules as soon as I am done typing this comment!

[@RollingSoloRPG]

Congrats on product of the year!!!!🎉🎉❤❤😊😊 You deserve it!

[@monomakes]

Great stuff! Trevor has real competition now, he 😎👍

[@AgranakStudios]

Love the magic casting augmentation due to the miscast! Very cool!

[@ArchaeoMAC]

Wonderful job. Appreciate the video.

[@BeCorbie]

We need more please 😮

[@bhorrthunderhoof4925]

Interesting development.