Shadowdark RPG Will Blow You Away! (Ep. 310) 

PDM, thank you for giving Shadowdark a read! Knowing you liked it this much makes my soul complete!! :D

A collaboration between Kelsey Dionne, Ben Milton, Runehammer/Hankerin Ferinale, Seth Skorkowsky and Professor Dungeon Master would be a dream come true.

Man, I really love the art in this game. REALLY gives that old school D&D vibe. Reminds me of the black and white illustrations in old Dungeon and Dragon Magazines.

I was proud to pledge for this Kickstarter. I played this game at GaryCon last year and it was a blast. I am really impressed with how quickly this game played, and was learned, but could handle all of the dungeon crawling I could ever want. I knew the author (Kelsey) when she was still a teenager working at a local game store (I am a long time resident and gamer in the Madison, WI area), and I'm thrilled that she grew up into the designer that she is now.

Just ran Shadowdark for the first time because of this recommendation. My whole table LOVED it! We rolled characters and played through a good chunk of the Lost Citadel in one sitting. We’re switching our regular play to Shadowdark (with the addition of deathbringer dice) and I couldn’t be more excited.

Right as you said, “artwork looks like a wood carving,” I was thinking to myself, that it resembled Albrecht Durer’s work.

What I love is Kelsey’s enduring humble passion for rpg action. Seriously, she is an inspiration and a god damn talented designer…. I’m supporting this project because of her amazing grit. I’ll high grad some choice nuggets for my DCC game I hope she can get a Foundry Vtt game mod done as kick starter goal. 😎⚔️⚔️🧟‍♂️😎

It feels like almost everything the professor has ever taught was put into this game, my brother and I backed this on day one after watching this video and I even plugged this product on My Escape from Zanzer's Dungeon stream that same day as well, I am truly looking forward to having this book in my hands.

In part due to your support of this independent game, I've just bought Death Bringer. It's about time. Thanks for your RU-vid content PDM!

That sounds like a great combination of AD&D 1st Edition and updated and streamlined rules. I've also always been a big fan of charts ever since playing MERP. They add an interesting element to the game.

I'm beyond excited for this! I've been waiting for the Kickstarter for almost a year now. I've been running two groups, one with Shadowdark and one with 5e. I backed at the highest level so I can share the game with both groups and maybe someone else. This game's mechanics and the way the adventures are presented give the best of all worlds: easy to learn, easy to run, and all materials I've seen are usable at the table! WotC could learn a lot from Kelsey and other leaders in the OSR.

I read the quickstart rules, listened to some reviews and it seems that this will be a hot hit! Glad to see the success of an independent creator! I was thinking hard if I want to support this KS, but decided not to. Personally I don't think I like some things in this game. What I like: great GM tools, one of the best I've seen; rules that take the unnecessairly complicated elements and simplify them; OSR feel without some of its downsides; elements that will be easy to recognize for people coming from 5e; GREAT art; inspirations from DCC (Gauntlet, rolling spell checks, magic mishaps, Luck) What I don't like: Random talents on level-ups are awesome, but I don't like having abilities growth by level-ups. Kelsey seems to draw a lot inspiration from DCC, but with this mechanics I am missing the most fun part that DCC tells me to do - QUEST FOR IT! Light - the book goes on about how light sources are important, to protect your light source and how GM can attack it to build tension. That's great, but a 1-st level wizard/priest can have 3 (2 for priest) spells on their list and they can cast that 1-hour long light as long as they make semi-good rolls (you need 11 to hit it, so if you're not playing 7 INT wizard, you should have about 50/50 chance on level 1 and then it just skyrockets as you go). At the same time, the spell doesn't need concentration, so if you have high int, because you were lucky on char gen or have some other bonuses to that spellcasting roll you can just cast that light spell every 15/30/45 minutes or so. I like that you need to roll for the spell, but the game gives you enough tools to make the darkness not scary pretty easily :/ Something I would need to test at my table, but here's what I think about the real-time rules - they are a cool idea, there might be some situations when that falls apart, especially if you start fast-forwarding some things (and the book tells you - if the table agrees, just skip time) and now I have several timers on my smartphone that I need to adjust every time I do that. There's no way I as GM will remember to approximate at what hour I should tell my players that your spell/torch/whatever just ran out. I can track in-game world time or real-world time, but I am not tracking both and adjusting them. And if I tell my players to set a timer for their torch, well, at that point it's just a gimmick, not a mechanics that will build tension for them.

"Torches - They're not just for burning witches!" That line literally made me LoL! Thanks for letting us know about this system Professor. I my have to stee... err, use 😜 the idea of 1 hour RT = 1 hour GT. I agree about how useful charts are. I still use MM2 charts for monster encounters on occasion.

Been following Kelsey and Arcane Library for a couple years now. Grabbed the playtest copy as soon as I saw it on their main site a while back. Glad you are helping to get the word out. I'm backing this right away!

THIS! Ive been running Knave (Ben Milton's game) for my friends and roommates for 6 months now and we're having a blast. The only real complaint was it needed more "crunch" (feats, abilities, ect) but Shadowdark looks to be that middle ground! I also think this will help bring over many of my 5e friends who are a lil more hesitant to play OSR style games. Great work Kelsey! P.S. dungeoncraft has been such a great resource and inspiration for my d&d/rpg games. Keep up the great work!

I discovered Kelsey through her 5E item cards just weeks after getting into 5E, which was my first RPG. Super excited about this new KS and it is great to see you and Ben over at Questing Beast cover it.

Wow!!!! A kickstarter that once funded, ships a product a month later!!!! I won't have to wait a year for a PDF to be delivered. Now this is something I can get behind.

Looks like a neat product and a great resource for DMs looking to either prep their games quickly or to generate a lot of content on the fly. The font type and page layout make it very reader-friendly.

I’m playing in a Shadowdark campaign right now, and we’re having a great time!

I've been an antisocial recluse for years but now I wish I had a group to play this with.

I grew up on 1st edition D&D so there is definitely a part of me that misses the "old school" experience. BUT... I don't miss a lot of the mechanics. And I admittedly fell in love with 5e's more streamlined ruleset. So I think this book is targeted toward people like me. I liked the video and I've already made note of the book. Good luck with the Kickstarter.

I've been really impressed by Kelsey and Shadowdark. Really hope things go well. It looks like a great system, and I love how streamlined it is. If you only back one kickstarter this year...

That's the approach I took with Bugbears and Borderlands. Implement more modern rules, but present them and give a gameplay feel more like it was with B/X.

Not related to this video, but I just joined your channel and wanted to use the opportunity to thank you for the great content. I was sick at home last week, stumbled upon the channel and have been watching a couple of videos every day since then. I haven't played a TTRPG in my whole life, but I'm right on the edge of convincing some colleagues to give it a try and might have to become the DM, so I guess I found you at exactly the right moment. I really appreciate your sensible, down-to-earth approach to DMing. It gives a potential rookie like me at least a little confidence that I might be able to offer the players a decent time without having to consult rulebooks every minute.

Great review. It looks like a phenomenal game. I like the straightforward character sheet, the concentration on four distinct classes, the ability to pick different races, the copious charts/roll tables, and the gritty atmospheric artwork. Old style with new mechanics makes for a robust and fun game.

I'm sold. A note on thieves: Thieves are much better than people think. Thief skills are chances at near-supernatural actions. Anyone can move quietly, but a thief can move SILENTLY (there is no chance to hear the thief because there is no sound to hear). Anyone can climb a wall, but a thief can climb SHEER surfaces. Other skills aren't as clear, but I've listened to the old grognards explain that, for example, anyone can try to pick a lock with a dagger, but only a thief can pick a delicate lock using specialized tools.

This looks pretty awesome. One of my groups is talking about trying an old-school game for our next campaign. This looks like a nice amalgam between OSE and 5e that will be easy to jump right into. Oh, and if Death Bringer expands his shirt line to include tank tops, I'll totally rock one at the gym! 🤘🏋

I'm going to pick this up just for the artwork and the charts. Love the vibe it's going for.

I love how retro the art is.

I’ve been tinkering with 5E and working through making my own system over the last year to get an experience just like this. Guess I can let others do the heavy lifting! This looks gnarly.

I was recommended your vids to learn DnD. I was just getting ready to purchase the books you recommended in one of your videos, when i saw this. So instead of purchasing DnD, I went ahead and backed this. I am looking forward to it. Thanks for the great vids.

Woke up today with the alert to support this kickstarter. Thank you for the notice and for sharing your support

Excellent quick review… I thought Professor Dungeonmaster was a bit over caffeinated until I realized I still had RU-vid set to 1.25x playback speed 😂

Wow, this sounds great, like what 5E should've been. I love it. They've got my money.

This was an excellent video Professor, and a wonderful service to the campaign!

Ha, yes, I recall Kelsey's convo with Ben and Jordphan when she listed off her gaming history and they were essentially, "well, you're the expert here..." She definitely has the chops. Crap, do I really need another game system? ...

I downloaded the quick start rules and this looks like so much fun! It's done some of the things my favorite system, Castles and Crusades does, but even more. All of a sudden it seems like theres all these great TTRPGs coming out and so little time to play them.

Just wanted to say thanks for highlighting this game. This video convinced me to back Shadowdark and its become my go to system. I can't recommend enough. I love Dungeoncraft videos!

Wow! This is what I was looking for! Old School presentation and simplicity for a GM but fiddle bits so characters can be customized! Backed!

Great review. Love the idea of a random generator screen. Far more useful than a price list for pole arms.

Great minds think alike. I also use torches in real time in CoS, Death House. Both times it went out during combat against undead, lol.

This has the same feel as Five Torches Deep - old school with newer school mechanics. Besides the class skills (a few after level ups), I'm interested in seeing the bigger differences in the two.

This is fantastic. Happy to back this day one. Looks great!

In my OSE games I have retooled a bunch of it. Thieves use a d6 for everything they do, of course some of those rolls are made by the DM. We use Bulk (from Dungeon World) instead of coin weight, Wizards get more spells (they can still only cast one spell at first level however), many of the things mentioned in this Shadowdark I am already using, but I love all the charts and tables and will most certainly pick it up when it comes out.

I backed immediately. I have faith in the product and the creatives behind it. Thanks for the fantastic review! This is the Way.

Old school me fell in love with this game after this video thank you, Professor DM just scrolling thought the quick start took me back to those old days differently picking this up

After watching your video I downloaded the quick start guides and loved what I read. I have already signed up for the Kickstart and I am trying to convince my players into playing.

Thank you for the video, this is literally exactly what I was looking for. Mostly needed for my players, who live and breath 5e but are intimidated at making the jump to OSE.

Sounds like just what I've been looking for, I've joined the backers. Thanks PDM.

Great review. More reviews of indie RPGs would be great to see.

The fact they actually calls thieves, thieves...already has me interested lol

That carousing table made me chuckle, looks fun to roll.

This is so freaking awesome! Very happy to have backed this Kickstarter:-)

Great video. The product looks solid. I agree that it is reminiscent of the Fiend Folio. (Fiend Folio was my favorite monster book as a child DM because I always felt like I was using forbidden knowledge--thanks to that great art.) Normally, I'd grab my credit card and run over to Kickstarter to get a copy, but I used up my gaming funds on miniatures, paints, brushes, primers, etc. You see, a certain RU-vid channel convinced me of the value of miniatures and painting, and once I started painting, I could not stop. It's so much fun, and now I'm painting miniatures for my players. Whenever we drive by the game shop here in town, my wife has to preemptively tie me to the seat--reminiscent of Ulysses with the Sirens--so that I don't jump from the car and run toward the miniatures and paints. Once my accountant (wife) lets me know the funds are available, I'm going to grab a copy of Shadowdark. The name itself is hilarious to me, and second only to alliteration, is the way to name a product.

I’ve seen her stuff on RU-vid before and it looked really cool. Definitely going to pick this up.

The intro music is so good i thought it was a game ad and had to double check.

I started to do something like that, I'm using the SRD and build some old school rules to run my dungeons

Glad I ran across this video when I did... I'm on the Kick Starter, today is the last day. Thanx Prof. GM!

Funded the kickstarter! Seems amazing

Thanks for covering this. Have backed the Kickstarter!

Backed and I second the GM screen idea. Since I crafted my own screen, once I have the pdf I'll just replace the tables I taped on there with these ones instead!

I absolutely love the art! Art is the way to my heart.

Free sample of O5R called Crimson Dragon Slayer D20!

Glad you posted this. I have been seeing SD ads on social media and wasnt very interested because i am so inundated with ads

I've been looking around at a lot of OSR games, and just seeing what's out there, and this video reminded me of two very cool finds. Grim Jim put out a 5e book called GrimDark, that has a bunch of stylized classes like Brute, Brawler, Magus and "Cunning Folk". It's very cool. And when the Prof. mentioned a DM screen with lots of random tables, I thought of the Mork Borg screen! I bought it solely for the awesome exterior, but the inside of the screen has lots of cool random tables on the inside(though with lots of the MB flavor).

Love it! Looks great for solitary roleplaying.

5th edition darkvision is 3rd edition low light vision. 1st edition had infravision, and there was a great reason behind it.

Don't think the artwork is what is really selling the Shadowdark game? Think again. Here's a direct sampling of some of the comments from Kickstarter itself: "Amazing art. Rad artwork. I particularly love the artwork. Love the artwork! Any chance of t-shirts in the future?. The artists in this book rock! Artwork is great. I am so in love with the DM screen art. I like this art. I absolutely love the cover art. The art definitely builds your world of Shadowdark, the more art you can have the better. Love the artists you chose. Love the art. Art is dope. I absolutely love the art, your artists are killing it. Neat art. INCREDIBLE art. The ART! You’ve captured what I love about the old stuff, yet in new ways. It’s be outstanding to be able to purchase some prints. My wife and I love the artwork. Some of the best screen art I've seen. The art for your project is amazing! Art for this game is so distinct. The art is just *Killer*. Art is some of the best I've seen in the industry. Awesome art."

Backed this as soon as I saw it on KS. Glad it's got the stamp of approval. Very excited to play

Man! If I had friends I would play the hell out of this rpg! This really reminds me of the golden years of my gaming youth when I played D&D and Warhammer Fantasy roleplay every Saturday back in high school. This game looks superb. I love how the designer essentially created a world generating engine worth of charts and with a few dice rolls, you have whatever you need quickly and seamlessly. The art is excellent and truly a throwback to the old AD&D glory days. This clearly is a labor of love and it really makes me sad realizing how old and isolated I am. Well, whoever gets this, have fun!

Great review! This game looks interesting. I like that little random trait roll mechanic. While I'm posting I do want a post a plug for one of my favorite games. Castles and Crusades (the original new school mechanics - old school feel game)!! 2004 folks C&C was way ahead of its time. I wish the ArcaneLibrary the best! Good luck with your game!

Oh haven't heard of Shadowdark before.Thanks for the post awesome stuff.

Professor - you are the MAN! I would LOVE to learn how to convert 1e adventure stats to Shadowdark appropriate stats. Keep up the great work!

This looks AWESOME! No darkvision, no ignoring resource management, etc... I'm intrigued by this!

Just Pledged! I'm excited now. Thanks for the content, and the info.

This looks really cool. Checks a ton of boxes for the kind of alternative to 5e I've been looking for.

I know Prof DM is doing the thumbnail face as a joke. But it still got me chuckling.

Just downloaded the beta and pledged on the kickstarter. This looks great! Thanks for the recommendation Professor

I've already backed this, and I can't wait to see the finished product!

Thanks for the overview. I'm going to back it.

she's the sole writer and designer on the game iirc. crazy achivement. a titan!

Man this launch came out of nowhere for me but between you, Ben Milton, and runehammer, I got bombarded with influence. The project looks cool, and the Fomo was real, so I caved and backed it.

I am checking it out. I like the way they set it up .

I love the backstory here, and with two reviews… I’m sold.

Wow. Sounds amazing. I'm going to wait for retail copies, though. I have a few games already going and nearly $100 for a physical special edition is just a bit outside my budget.

I backed it, because how could I not? Looks great and the tiers offer excellent packages for gamers of every media preference (digital, book, bibliophile/collector)

I supported the Kickstarter for Shadowdark... it really looks good. I think it fits a niche between 5e and OSE. Can't wait to play!

I don't think I"d replace my OSE game with this but I"ll be grabbing this. Thanks for the review.

So during the pandemic times I have strayed away from group play and been playing solo, and to be honest, I quite like it on this side of the pool. I wasnt that interested until the abundance of charts was mentioned. Random charts are my bread and butter! So that got me interested..and then I went to the page and saw that one of the stretch goals is a show with some episodes on how to use this with gm emulator and I was sold!!

personally, I've never really had to worry about adventurers being practically immortal in my games... but I do like the idea of having a much lower power scale for an RPG.

Saw this earlier today. Guess I'm signing on. Thanks for the review.

Funny I'm also a new Era player and GM that started in the Wizards of the Coast era. But also moved back towards the old school style. I'm also working on my own systems at this time.

The real world torch time rule is really interesting. I wish I had a consistent gaming group, I’d love to see this in action.

I want to back this kickstart so much, however I got recently burnt by a Kickstarter, the dragon eye dice, over 2 years I've waited for it and nothing, less than 3 uploads and yet to receive my refund I asked for....

40 bucks for a pdf, not going to happen, 80 bucks for a seriously good-looking hardcover, we can talk. But I have seen the quickstart printed it out, it's a viable complete game on its own which pauses at level 3. I'm guessing all you get with the full design is higher levels and associated content. The bottom line, this RPG eats most of its competition alive screaming :)

Thanks you for supporting indie games!

Oooohh this one is really cool. I might actually back it.

I enjoy the mechanics of 5e it's more the WotC part that I have a problem with! 😝 this sounds great!

Totally with you on how the Thief being more competent is a great design! Thanks for the review/comments!

Sounds really good! It stands out from the crowd. Lots of random charts never hurts, either.