You Don’t Need 1200 pages to Play D&D

[@famijher]

I bought the Shadowdark book because of recommendations from various TTRPG KZbinrs. I read the book, and enjoyed it so much, I ran a quick Oneshot with my D&D group, taking over for the DM for the night. I used the book for them to have a Level Zero starting adventure, and had one of the people there print of the free guide and some character sheets so they could make their characters right there. The whole thing took about three hours, and everyone then became level one and added a character class to their character. It was a bunch of fun, and I'd recommend Shadowdark to anyone who wants something similar to D&D but a lot less rules heavy.

[@briangrooms8963]

Just started a Shadowdark Campaign myself. So much easier to run as a DM, which ups the fun and lowers the stress!

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Fantastic testimonial!

[@HorizonOfHope]

I love it!!!! With my group the best bit is: want to play a class? Read this. This one page. That’s it.

[@JohnnyDoom]

Also ran the adventure from the free jumpstart. My players absolutely loved it, and I found it to be a fantastic dip back into 5e from our usual well-loved system.

[@CaseyWilkesmusic]

When I was learning good performance practice, I was taught “your audience will feel half of what you feel, they will hear half of what you play, so exaggerate everything”. That mention of the DM determines the mood/tone is good to remember.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

That's a good rule of thumb

[@jonchappellnow]

I use the Shadowdark quickstart rules for my middle school D&D game club. It is MUCH less intimidating and is easy to understand for new players. Zero bloat, just fun.

[@michaelmorrissey5631]

This is a GREAT video Bob! I went all in for ShadowDark during its now legendary Kickstarter (1st time ever)but I adore the fact that this game is fully playable for ZERO DOLLARS with the very thorough QuickStart, complete with loads of art and DM advice.

[@MGunnarson]

Have been running a longterm Shadowdark campaign since kickstarter prints arrived. 100% agree that Shadowdark can do more than 'just' dungeon crawling; but it's helped that (in our campaign), the Shadowdark ITSELF is an almost-living, conscious thing that infects areas of darkness/where monsters are, and can be temporarily abated by defeating major monsters (read: the boss) of a given area. Thus, we EASILY explore forested, urban, or all other sorts of 'shadowdark' areas.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

That sounds amazing!

[@MGunnarson]

@@BobWorldBuilder Thank you! It's turned "the Shadowdark" into a tangible thing that the world itself is concerned about. I.e., leaders marshal armies to 'march into the shadow dark' to clear it out, people talk about the next town over is 'overtaken by the shadow dark,' etc. I've had a lot of fun with this little twist. It's a problem that needs to be addressed.

[@robertwinslade3104]

Ooh! Great idea! Reminds me of the mist in Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn books!

[@CausticCatastrophe]

​@@MGunnarsonthis is a wonderful way to handle this, follows through on the fiction, and is just plain cool.

[@HowtoRPG]

I love playing and Dungeon Mastering Shadowdark. Thanks for promoting the game.

[@dmdon6314]

I said exactly the same thing over five years ago...so did Gary Gagax himself, you don't need the rule books all you need is an open mind, a good imagination & willingness to pertisapate. The original rulebooks were tools to use to create your own game.😊

[@MrDrumStikz]

Honestly, I recommend everyone look at the Rules Cyclopedia. It is the most complete ruleset and is only a little over 300 pages, mostly for DMs.

[@SortKaffe]

_“only a little over 300 pages, mostly for DMs“_ 😳 That sounds more daunting than reading the *5e Free Rules*

[@robertmcrae3443]

@@SortKaffe But you only need a little bit at a time. It's basically BECMI, a reorganized version of the rules from Basic, Expert, Companion, Master and Immortal. The entirety of the rules takes characters from zero to godhood

[@rynowatcher]

Yeah, very consise. They did that by cutting examples and tutorials by focusing on making it for only the experienced player. I feel you could do the same thing with 5e and get it down to about 150 pages.

[@gowankommando]

Players don't really need books to play an RPG. But it behooves the Gamemaster to have them

[@gatonegroloco]

@@SortKafferule cyclopedia is DMS GUIDE, PHB, and monster manual all rolled into one. So it’s less daunting than it sounds. The 5e monster manual is that big.

[@Vaati1992]

Shadowdark is one of four TTRPGs I really want to finally play this year, together with... - Cloud Empress (a post-apocalyptic science-fantasy hack of d100-based horror RPG darling Mothership) - Mausritter (the mouse-scale OSR darling) - The Electrum Archive (another kinda post-apocalyptic science-fantasy game with a great semi-random spellcasting system adapted from Ben "Questing Beast" Milton's Maze Rats) Also I wanna note that Shadowdark's full core rulebook is, roughly 100 pages of player-facing content (inc. spells!), 90 pages of GM advice, 80 pages of monsters, and 60 pages of mundane and magical items and treasure. Very manageable, very easy to read, and the PDF copy of it is by default bookmarked and fully searchable, which is always a plus in TTRPG products.

[@jeffreykershner440]

I'm really glad that Mausritter has seen a bit of a resurgence. It is really fun, but was hard to find for a few years, in printed form anyway. I love that game. I recommend you get some poster tac to hold the inventory system in place.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Whoa shout out to Electrum Archive! Grace World Destroyer just got that recently and I know she's excited to run it. Can confirm Mausritter is fun! And good breakdown of Shadowdark's core.

[@CrypticChocobo]

Cloud empress is so cool! I couldn't put it down once I got my hands on the core, I love the setting and storytelling. Super excited to hear someone else knows about it lol

[@jefferycarter7169]

Electrum Archive is freaking amazing!!! Highly recommend picking up the volume 2 zine if you haven't yet. Weird magic powered by alien jet fuel, warriors that can take on aspects of fallen beasts, and a setting that is equal parts morrowind and dune. I love this game so much!!!!

[@LordOz3]

This is a great suggestion on many fronts. Want to introduce new folks to RPGs without overwhelming them? Try this. Don't like where Modern D&D is going? Try this. Want to get your group to give a new game chance without a big investment? Try this.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Thanks for checking it out! :)

[@euansmith3699]

Thank you, Bob, for maintaining your friendly and informative demeanour throughout the past year; and I'm looking forward to yet more quality infotainment in the next 12 months.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Thank for watching and commenting! :)

[@pez5767]

My group started playing ShadowDark as soon as we heard about it using the same free rules Bob shares in the video. It's now our default Fantasy RPG system. 2 GMs with about 20 rotating players in our shared group. It has been a perfect fit for both veteran and new players! Excited to see more videos from Bob about this!

[@suvid9490]

I just found this, this was fantastic, I really like these mechanics, big fan of this work

[@Slo-Mode]

Recently DMd a one shot with shadow dark. It was a lot of fun and both myself and the players want to do more. It's one of the better games I've ever run by far.

[@MormonFoodie]

I love Shadowdark! I've started using some of the rules from it in my own 3.5 D&D campaign, mostly the idea of "crawling time" and "combat time." In fact, I took it once step further. At the beginning of the session, I have the players roll initiative, and we keep those same rolls through "crawling" and then into the combat when it breaks out. We play online so "going around the table" isn't really an option for us. I use the online platform's tools for keeping track of turns. I just plug the monster into the turn order, and start the round with whatever character/monster makes the most sense, based on what's going on in the game. I call for rerolls after the combat is over and adjust the turn order.

[@ScottySpeeks]

As someone who doesn't get to regularly get games in, the simplified rules are what made me choose this over other games

[@mtksnd]

I didn't know there was a little free version! Thanks!

[@BobWorldBuilder]

My pleasure!

[@ReaderViaNil]

I love Shadowdark, not the least because it's one of the BEST DESIGNED BOOKS I have ever come across.

[@terrylane474]

Love your attitude Bob

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Thank you! :)

[@lightmind8203]

Shadowdark is such a gem! I am playing it solo with the Solodark supplement and It is so light to manage !

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Nice! I have solodark but haven't tried it yet

[@thetable7660]

Kind of ironic for a dark game to be so light...

[@mr.adamski6431]

Amazing game and a great review, Bob! My group of 8-10 high school students loves the simplicity of Shadowdark compared to 5e. We have been playing it weekly for almost 2 years now.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

That's awesome!

[@markgiudice8618]

Dude! I would make a trip back out to TC for this! I got in on that Kickstarter too.

[@williamatkins3465]

My group is wrapping up our D&D game and we've all decided that Shadowdark will be our rule system of choice for the foreseeable future.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Wow! Yeah it's definitely worth trying. And like any game, make it your own!

[@davidrobertson5996]

Great post, Bob. I like Shadowdark and the stripped-down nature of the rules. Also, in DnD I see players working out their character builds to level 10 while at level 1, using the skill and feat lists, instead of letting their characters develop organically around events in-game. I'd enjoy seeing a game walk-through.

[@ScottBaker_]

Chef's kiss for wearing the ShadowDark shirt for the video! Happy New Year!

[@Micsma]

I picked up the Shadowdark book a while ago and I love reading through it. I don't... Have a table or friends or nothin, so it's fun just reading and worldbuilding.

[@Elighght]

The real time torch timers are more fun than I thought

[@dittrich04]

My players didn't really understand it until they were in combat and the first torch went out. They hated it, but loved it too. Gave them a great new tool to consider.

[@JKevinCarrier]

Out of all the "D&D Alternatives" that have recently come out or are about to come out, Shadowdark is the one I'm most looking forward to playing. Soon, hopefully!

[@BobWorldBuilder]

And fortunately, it's design makes it easier to get on the table than most of the others! :P

[@richardrdotson]

Great video. Not even a shadow dark fan and can appreciate how well this was done.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

For real! I have kinda hit that point of seeing a new fantasy RPGs like "oh another one" but Shadowdark's design definitely makes it worth checking out, and the HUGE amount of community support it's already getting tells me that it is here to stay.

[@richardrdotson]

@ I might pick it up then. Could always use additional inspiration for our own project.

[@dantherpghero2885]

I LOVE ALL Bob World Builder videos!

[@davidfry8659]

I played Shadowdark at PAX Unplugged and loved it. I can't wait for the restock in February, and downloaded the quick start guides.

[@kenjisasahara]

5:09 What a great looking checkmark lol

[@WasitGaming]

I just got the physical copies of these quick-start rules for Christmas! The rules are very concise but effective. I’m very excited to run my first game of Shadowdark. The only thing that tripped me up was how to run The Lost Citadel adventure, so I’d love to see that video from you! Thanks for your great videos Bob, happy new year.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

What a great gift! Thanks for commenting :)

[@shofixti]

Thanks for doing this intro to Shadowdark, it's really nice to see content out there that isn't just more about the 800 page, er, pound gorilla. Sounds like it's not really right for me and my table, *but*, it's always good to see alternatives out there, and it seems like what they're going for, they do well. Also, it's rare to find any decent game where there aren't useful bits of wisdom to glean. Highlighting the bit about part of the GM's job being to set the bar and bring energy, that's a nice touch in both the rules, and on your part for making sure to include it in your video.

[@deepwoods2036]

I’d love more stuff on Solo Dark. Hi Bob!

[@catherine-64]

Always a good day when a new Bob World Builder video drops! I've wanted to get into DnD for a while now and finally took the plunge and your videos have been so inspirational for me as a budding DM. Thanks for what you do : )

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Thank you so much! That's fantastic to hear! :)

[@seanferguson-th6ny]

what I also find using Shadowdark is that I can modify the basic rules to fit different styles of play -- pulp action, grimdark, horror, even high fantasy. The rules are light and flexible enough but with a simple and strong foundation that you can make tweaks to the rules to create the atmosphere or style of game you and your players want. Great video Bob

[@StaceyUK]

How do you modify Shadowdark for High Fantasy please?

[@chrisbruce9497]

@@StaceyUKWe use it for high fantasy by making weird and wonderful magic items occur frequently in play. Player power comes from the items they collect as much as from their level. It makes for interesting choices: I have 10 item slots. Do I keep this cool item? Or do I get rid of it during carousing so that I can level up? This also means we level more frequently, as XP is gained through finding cool things and carousing. Carousing is an AMAZING addition to the game.

[@StaceyUK]

@chrisbruce9497 Thank you for the tips.

[@colinmorton8074]

Thanks, Bob! Never played Shadowdark but that was a really concise walkthrough. I might give it a whirl!

[@Greyawk89]

For the level up I think it works just fine give a new level up every X sessions, where X = charachters level: if they're at level 1, play a session and gain a level; if they're at level 3, play three session and gain a level. This works better with low levels (1-6), then the GM should consider to go with the milestones method.

[@Enn-]

This is fantastic! 16 hours ago I posted a question to bsky, asking you for just this kind of information! Someone even offered Shadowdark as a good option about the same time you posted this video. Happy New Year Bob and Grace! Stay amazing!

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Haha that's awesome xD

[@Enn-]

@@BobWorldBuilder Your Ranger senses are still sharp. You've timed this video so well, at least for me and my needs.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Great video. Keep rocking in 2025!

[@bradcraig6676]

You're a good guy Bob, the RPG community is lucky to have your support.

[@David-su4is]

We started using pulp luck tokens and my players love it. They've made me reroll crits that would have killed a character and actually cheated at the table when I failed the roll on the second roll.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Sounds intense!

[@joepartlow]

Simple and straight forward...I like it!

[@Cobalt-Bleu]

Love shadow dark. Thanks for giving the attention Bob

[@BobWorldBuilder]

It deserves more!

[@TheNikkiRedd216]

Happy New Years, Bob!! I always enjoy your take on TTRPGs. Cheers!

[@Jenjak]

Shadowdark and Cairn are the best alternatives in my opinion. All the fun condensed in one book(let) all the fat removed.

[@xenonsan3110]

Love Cairn! I love the fact it's free and so many other people love it they create 3rd party resources and optional rulesets. Like they had a 3rd party Bastion ruleset long before dnds

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Excellent picks!

[@jonathansmith2791]

Loved this video and i'd love more Shadowdark Videos. I have a hardcore "DnD" group only, but i would love to introduce people to this when they go off and Dream in my next campaign. With death being a real option I plan on having the party wake once a member dies in Shadowdark.

[@Mystic-Arts-DM]

Am loving this "Back to Basics Bob" quality! 👌

[@brokenmeats5928]

I love ALL Bob World Builder videos!

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Thanks for commenting!

[@broke_af_games9661]

Yeah the character Creation would be great, Bob, much appreciated

[@markmontag162]

Minotaur walkthrough!

[@adirondackgamecrafts]

Running over to DriveThru right now!!! Those big books are one reason I occasionally dust of my copy of the Moldvay Basic rules. Quick and dirty old school D&D.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Nice! Yeah, SD is more like "quick and CLEAN old school D&D" haha

[@hcpookie]

We've been playing Curse of Strahd with ShadowDark and loving it. I think there are guides for the conversion process. We're using my 1-hour hourglass for the torch which gives a visual clue and can make for some fun tension. Can't wait for the SD version of Delve to be published :)

[@JAH711]

Character creation would be great, just to show prospective players. Though a video about making it a non-dungeon focused experience would also be appreciated. Great job señor!

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Yeah it seems like many are curious about the non-dungeon crawling applications!

[@davidjennings2179]

About to start a campaign with a couple of new players and shopping around for a system to run it with. Well timed advice Bob, shadow dark is definitely a contender.

[@timothymason7008]

Great Video Bob and Happy New Year to you and Grace World Destroyer!

[@JRDATX]

I have enjoyed Shadowdark RPG since its release. It has become my favorite RPG system. I recently ran the adventure The Lost Citadel of the Scarlet Minotaur for my friends. One friend has decades of D&D experience. For another friend, it was his first RPG game ever. The action was epic. The Scarlet Minotaur and other challenges made for continuous deadly threats. During one fight, the players forgot to mind their torch timer. As the torch fizzled out, panic induced chaos erupted at the table. The PCs made a fighting withdrawal as the priest failed two rolls to cast a Light spell. Exiting the room, the bard spiked the door with an iron piton to hold it shut. Most of us had played lots of D&D 5E together. However, this was the first time I had seen them sit up wide eyed during the first combat encounter. The realization had hit them that their characters were all too mortal and facing the deadly threats of the Shadowdark.

[@shawnoleary6031]

I briefly played Shadowdark with some friends and loved it. It brought me back to playing D&D basic back in the day.

[@witchesbruise8792]

Reading ShadowDark it looked more forgiving than Old School Essentials, with time to recover a fallen PC, and a little boost from the talents and racial features, etc. Our DM is running "Citadel of the Scarlet Minotaur" for us right now and we've got 10 PC deaths in 4 sessions! It is Brutal. It's uncommon for a character to survive a whole session. Maybe it's the DM's style, but he is trying to run it "By the Book" without any changes or deviations from the rules. In my Old School Essentials game, I've only got 9 permanent character deaths over 58 sessions. One mitigating factor is that we've played long enough that we've got 2 clerics at level 7 now and they can Raise Dead. This is a nice feature because it means characters that you've heavily invested in have a much better chance of survival (but not guaranteed, the clerics can't always attend the session, and what if the cleric is killed first?, or if they can't recover your body before midnight, then you are out of luck!)

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Yeah that sounds like either a brutal GM or players not knowing how to safely approach/retreat in dangerous situations! No offense haha Also makes me wonder if the GM is using the morale rules so monsters runaway?

[@witchesbruise8792]

@@BobWorldBuilder Haha, I'll admit we have been a little "overly brave" in a few instances. In our first delve our first encounter was the Big Boss (random encounter roll) and we Almost killed him, but he TPK'ed us in the end!

[@trveg0th380]

If you wanna go even more rules light you could pick up “deathbringer” by professor DM and fill in whatever it’s missing with DCC or shadowdark

[@BobWorldBuilder]

True!

[@kalleendo7577]

Happy new year everyone!!

[@nutherefurlong]

Want to know a bit more about when it's best to use an ability mechanically. Like when the thief abilities are expected to be used, and when, say, a trap should be resolved through clever character choices. What does the thief ability cover, in this case? Also want to know how the spell roll system is compared to DCC, and what player attitude toward spellcasting might be at low levels, especially compared to spell slot systems

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Great suggestions! For the first question, I give the players the benefit of the doubt, and go with the "only roll if it's risky" rule of thumb. So any tinkering with a trap would require a roll, unless they've gone through great measures to somehow tinker with it from a distance or otherwise shield themselves from the potential effect. The thief abilities feel more self explanatory to me. The class page lists: climbing, sneaking/hiding, disguises, traps, picking locks/pockets. But again, I give the player the benefit of the doubt if they want to use their character's ability, as long as it's reasonable.

[@DorsonKieffer]

ShadowDark is the perfect ttrpg. I mean that. it's perfect.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

For many people, yes! Even me for though, I'm gonna tinker with whatever I play. But it's great finding a game like this that is already so close to what I want! :)

[@gabrieledettomilvus1348]

More videos like this on more rpgs pleasee , these are so good

[@javiermoldovan88]

Great video. I would love to see the turn order structure of Shadowdark (the same as ICRPG) get discussed more. Is great to keep things moving and to integrate new (or shy) players into the game.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Yeah it's interesting, the book implies that you are ALWAYS in turn order, and I've heard rpg horror stories of GMs taking that way too seriously! In combat yeah, everyone needs to have their turn before a new round. But for me, out of combat, if I'm tracking rounds at all, I just keep a mental tally of who acted that "round" and before it ends, ask players who didn't act if they want to do anything.

[@jvin248]

Those half-sheet pamphlets are reminiscent of Gygax's Chainmail books.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Totally! I think the creator was aiming for that feel. They also release digest sized zines.

[@willmendoza8498]

Yesss. I love Shadowdark!

[@RollForTuraco]

Hey Bob, A ShadowDark Character Creation video would be cool.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Noted!

[@RollForTuraco]

@@BobWorldBuilder hooray 🎉🥳

[@HeathenHammer8]

Yo! I just wanted to comment (for the algorithm) and give Shadowdark RPG my full endorsement! I am a DM/GM who has run multiple TTRPG systems since the mid-2000s, and Shadowdark really takes the cake when it comes to the ease of running a campaign, yet with enough mechanical crunch to keep experienced players engaged. I literally just finished a session with 8-PLAYERS, that's right, fucking eight of them, and we had two in-game days of hex crawl, five encounters (three of them combat), and nearly all of the dungeon explored in a little more than 4 HOURS. In most TTRPGs, this would be a boring slog with 8 people, but an entire combat would take maybe 30 minutes IN TOTAL, not 30 minutes per round, with each player getting around three turns each on average. If I were running a 5e or Pathfinder 2e game (both awesome, but I'm highlighting the strengths of Shadowdark), the whole arc would have been broken up into three sessions at least. Combat is intuitive, and fun, and relies more on players' creativity than their stats. Characters are easy to make, it literally takes about 5-10 minutes, so if your 1st-level character gets whomped to death by an ogre, then you can bampf in a second character and be right back in the action. 3/8 of the players were brand new to the system, and it took almost no effort to get them up to speed. What if I'm a new DM/GM, you may ask? As Bob said, flip through the FREE PDFs in a day, get the baseline *core ethos* of Shadowdark's design, and you can be running sessions for friends with very little prep work. I ran the free Scarlet Minotaur dungeon that comes with the PDFs, and it was awesome! Enough content to last 2-3 sessions even if the players really want to search every nook and cranny. The full version (in which you only need one book) gives you more tools to run a campaign with random encounters, monster creation, and a butt-load of magic items (also easy prompts to homebrew your own). You want it lethal grimdark? There are rules for that. You want it more of a modern design and narrative-focused? There is a bunch of rules to help support that playstyle. Seriously gang, give it the ol' one-shot try at least with the free version, trust me, even if you don't continue with the system you will take some good inspiration away to your other game!

[@David-su4is]

I love Shadowdark and am running a bi-weekly online game.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Woo!

[@ShannonFerguson]

I love Shadowdark!

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Woo!

[@captngalexc]

Love the video Bob, Thank you.

[@trajektoria]

The thing I would like to know most is if Shadowdark could somehow work for a roleplay heavy campaign. From what I've heard so far it seems like a system mostly suited to typical meatgrinder deadly dungeon crawls. I don't see this system as something you could use for a group who enjoys critical role type of play with lots of interpersonal relations and deep characters going from zero to hero. What do you think, Bob?

[@BobWorldBuilder]

I think that mostly comes down to GM style. Any game is only as deadly as the monsters and traps the GM uses... assuming the players aren't foolishly walking into danger and never retreating! And this game, like DCC, has a "morale" mechanic so even the monsters retreat sometimes!

[@SmileyTrilobite]

I’d second Bob’s take on giving each PC about 5 more hp for survivability, tho’ I’ve seen one or two Shadowdark PCs who rolled max 1 hp survive and level up by attacking at range and being cautious (the other members of their parties were tougher). I’d add that, when death is more likely, your story may focus more on an organization, the setting, or a multigenerational arc; they may feel less like Lord of the Rings and more like Game of Thrones or Attack on Titan, where the survivors become focal characters. Or they could follow PCs into the afterlife and back! A rules-lite game about developing & deepening character relationships with player-controlled lethality is Fabula Ultima, which also has a free preview PDF called “Press Start” (based on Japanese-style RPGs like Final Fantasy). It doesn’t use a D&D base, but I found it breezy to learn.

[@trajektoria]

@@BobWorldBuilder Thanks for the insight!

[@trajektoria]

@@SmileyTrilobite Oh I wanted to try Fabula Ultima for a long time now. Maybe that's the way to go, thanks!

[@garrickstangle5996]

BasicFantasy is old school D&D simplified, rules are zero dollars for PDF, rules (PHB,DMG,MM ) are 250 pages.

[@UnofficialTranslator]

You just confinced me to try it out. I will be running an urban homebrew campaign and have wanted to try a new system. I always assumed Shadow Dark was meant for dungeon crawlers.

[@michaelcrumlett187]

Happy New Year Bob!

[@BobWorldBuilder]

You too! :)

[@CrypticChocobo]

One of the things I go back and forth on with the lighter and OSR games vs DND is that.... I actually like character Builds, specialization and customization, mechanical variety, choices as I level up. And not a lot of the indie games I've played place that in the list of design priorities, for the sake of bringing the gameplay experience closer to old school classic TTRPG experiences, and/or to streamline and simplify character generation and play. I respect and often enjoy those things as well! But the theorycrafting part of the DND/PF experience is fun to me and other players I know, and just an element of play that is lacking in Shadowdark. I would love to see if there are any like, "advanced player handbook" type modules or publications for Shadowdark and other DND-likes that bring some of that character building and progression to the realm of rules lite and OSR games.

[@zulthric3623]

Excellent work summarizing the basics. It really feels more heroic, and the system flavor can be altered by any GM to work with any setting. Shadowdark really is a great way to get started and a refreshing system to run after rules heavy 3.5 and 5e and... 5e again.

[@cragland94]

the always on i initiative has made my old school essentials games so much fun. it makes it so much easier to prep and run a dungeon crawl.

[@joeyj6808]

IIRC when I learned D&D in 1977 the rules were well below 100 pages, in total. We had a freaking blast! My hero, Rondar the Great ran around using weapons I couldn't pronounce, much less describe at the time! (Yes, I wielded a Bardiche! And a Bill-Guisarme!) When I was a kid, even poor folks could afford D&D.,

[@jiml9856]

When I was in 6th and 7th grade, my friend and I made our own space game. We used percentile dice for skills and made up rules as we needed them. We had a blast. Never had anything written down.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Heck yeah!

[@evelynmyree5153]

I love your videos...the theatrics is awesome

[@sethchapman1425]

Just want to own this book.

[@CaseyWilkesmusic]

Overland adventures are just dungeons with out a ceiling.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Love it!

[@Eli_The_Walrus]

Very good stuff in here bob! You made me buy DCC!

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Haha wonderful!

[@robertgreen7593]

A good little prop could be a telescopic candle that descends over an hour. When the hour is over, and the candle is down to the base, the light turns off.

[@Thenarratorofsecrets]

Love love love LOVE shadowdark

[@PozerAdultRacingTeam]

All you need is the 1992 Rules Cyclopedia. It has rules, monsters, maps, character sheets. Then you just need some dice to get rolling. But this Shadowdark adventure sounds fun too.

[@billdefranza4927]

Well, I'm sold.

[@muzzynat]

I continue to LOVE Shadowdark, It's been my favorite thing about RPGs in the last year.

[@dougdoug2006]

I use Shadowdark for my middle school RPG club. I’ve tried to teach kids using 5e, and you spend more time explaining rules than playing. Not so with Shadowdark.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Excellent point!

[@LouiSwagula]

I always recommended that people should just read the 30 page pamphlet in the starter sets.

[@williamatkins3465]

And DC's are variable If Conan is jumping a narrow chasm I probably wouldn't even have him roll, but if Willow (from the movie by the same name) were to try and jump it I'd probably make it a DC 15.

[@mikemihina8507]

Walkthrough of Lost Citadel would be cool 🤟🏻

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Noted!

[@thelaziestorc]

Just started a Shadowdark campaign last month and we've been really enjoying the system ^_^

[@williamatkins3465]

Great New Years Video

[@henriquecanalle2630]

The best in the Market right now...ir merge the old style with the good mechanics from the newer editions!! Simply perfect!!

[@claudiaborges8406]

I wish these were the first videos I found when I decided to try and GM for my group. We were a new group with a GM barely more experienced than the rest of us

[@ElderGoblinGames]

"You don't need 1200 pages to play D&D!" _slides ShadowDark onto the table_ Me: I see you Bob... and I approve!

[@JediDoc]

I introduced friends to RPGs with the Apocalypse system, which by itself is very simple. Success is determined by two d6 and the storytelling is more a back and forth between master and players Quick, easy, free to use, theater of the mind focused, you can play it everywhere! When I got their attention, I started introducing D&D elements, since they were/are almost always totally detached from RPGs. If you want you can swap 2d6 with a single D20, ti get d20 system vibes, but you have to adjust the success range