Hello Gamers, just a quick addition in the comment section: While it might sound strange that I didn't mention the Dragonbane solo rules in my review that was not an oversight. The reason is, that in my opinion the rules are generic enough to be used with every other system as well and every other solo engine could be used with Dragonbane also. The only Dragonbane specific part ist the part about the character modification. So, yes, it is great that they included solo rules but for me they don't make or break the game. And I also added a bonus point for value for money, so that includes the solo rules. Just wanted to get that out there, since I forgot to mention it in the video.
I would lean toward a simpler system, like Shadowdark, for solo play. Maybe even go as far as Knave. I agree with the other comment about the various tables in Shadowdark also being of value. Seems like Dragonbane would be a good group system though.
I think when it comes to monsters a group is helpful because of the auto hits and often secondary effects. I remember my fight against vampire bats in Fool's Crossing I think it was and I came through by blind luck. A group in these situations is helpful.
Thanks for the review! I have both and I really like both but always nice to hear your views! Would love to hear your thoughts on why you tried both systems for running Star Wars. Was it because, at that point in time, you weren't sure which to use to design your Star Wars hack off of or some other reason(s)? Ultimately, why did you go with Shadowdark as the basis for it?
First, the only current official Star Wars RPG from FFG does not appeal to me. Tried it, didn't like it because of the fidfly narrative dice and I generally dislike games that require unique dice. And technically I use both for Star Wars. The difference is, that I took the time to write stuff down for Shadowdark but I can play SW with DB just as well. I did write the stuff for Shadowdark because the book and the elegant simplicity just spoke to me.
@@Solospelunking Same here with the current FFG Star Wars. No thankyou! Yeah, I liked how easy you adapted Dragonbane to it but I also picked up your Shadowdark hack today and looking forward to reading it. Top stuff though, enjoying the content and what you're doing here!
@@Rich_H_1972 Regarding Dragonbane I haven't tackled space combat and vehicle rules yet, but I do have some ideas for that. Will come back to it eventually.
I guess this is comparison of Dragonbane and Shadowdark -- however if you want random tables Knave is another good option. Kind of cool these are coming back they were so common back in the day from companies like Judge's Guild and Flying Buffalo.
Thank you for the great review and your thoughts on it. May I ask: how did you become aware of shadow dark initially? Have a great start into the new week.
Hard to miss either of these two games if you follow TH-cam. Basically, lots of publicity on games on TH-cam that are considered D&D 5e alternatives which also includes games like MCDM (not released yet), Daggerheart (not released yet), DC20 (not released yet), Tales of the Valiant, and Pathfinder 2e.
I think ShadowDark does have a few more official classes than the six you mentioned. There’s an additional eight classes in the ShadowDark ‘zine Cursed Scroll. Of course I’m assuming the zines were out at the time of your video.
Great review! The magic system in Shadowdark seems really good. I wonder if that could be applied to 5e..? Probably not, unfortunately, it's probably overpowered. But maybe I'll try it at some point. It would probably work for lower levels. I'm uploading a video using your Fantasy Solo Roleplaying Framework right now, it will be a while longer, but hopefully you'll like it :)
Regarding the magic system: It might work. You would have to look at the math and probabilities I guess and find a balance between base DC to which would add the spell slot level to and compare that to average check results.
Magic system -- roll-to-cast was borrowed from Dungeon Crawl Classics. The Arcane Library has been really honest that she borrowed quite a few things from DCC.
I haven't played shadow dark but it sounds pretty OSR and I've done plenty of that. OSR appears simple because it's fairly rigid in application. I've played Dragonbane and it is a BRP derivative and I guess I've played more BRP and D00lite than anything else. Maybe it is more thoughtful in creation because it offers options, but Bragonbane is actually quite simple to play in reality. SD sounds pretty good. I can vouch that DB is simple and good.
Nice comparison. It saddens me to hear yet another review from people who haven't used a system (in your case with a group) and say this or that mechanic does not work, when they haven't tried it.
@@bjornprompeler9424 This is why it is called "from a solo gamer's perspective". And I don't know what mechanics you refer to but probably the real time aspect. I stand by my statement in that case, having played enough rpgs to give my opinion, that is all it is.
@@Solospelunking I am wondering, did you have the timer "in the open" or did you flip your phone / the clock so you could not see it immediatly when looking at it. The interesting things with the torches timer happen, when you set an alarm and maybe check from time to time (by asking the GM or in your case taking your phone out of your pocket, turning it on and realizing how much time has passed). If you leave it be for most of the gaming session and then are suprised by the torch "dying" and the light with it or you relight it in time, at a moment when you aren´t in a hurry to do so, you might be suprised by how exciting or rewarding it will feel. I would recommend trying the hidden timer, and maybe just deciding when to light another torch and only then checking the timer afterwards to see how much time would have been left. In solo gaming (I think) we can and want to try to replicate the fun parts of playing with a group while having the time to think and having the agency to decide without the influence of others. One of the fun parts Shadow Dark does for me is introducing time pressure through random encounters (old) and torches being consumed in real time (new) and experienceing the changed discussions - shorter lenght and missing off-topic-talk, after the first torch was used up and even the last members of the group realize there is a thing that will not wait for our jokes about the conversation we had at work this week. Maybe it will be interesting to introduce this time pressure and uncertainty into your solo sessions and the pride when you manage to guess the right moment to light another torch or the panic, when in a fight you drop your torch after a hit to your arm and you know the torchlight will die if you do not manage to pick it up the next d3 rounds . . . (another example of time pressure and urgency the light rules introduce into the game). For me the task isn´t to keep track of the torch time as exactly as is humanly possible, but the changes to atmosphere and feeling and concentration on gaming it introduces: sure you can go and get some food or check a message or go to the toilet (your character has to go sometimes too, so why stop the times?). Same with advancing the timer . . . yes you can do it, but it is your game and if you are thinking about or taking notes on what your char or party does in the 10 minute rest, that is time that passes too and maybe the torch isn´t used up as fast if it is held still during a rest instead of being waved around in a "windy" tunnel or during a fight :D
Dragonbane is a simplified version of old Drakar och Demoner with some new things. I prefer the old basic black box, Expert and Gigant boxes. Shadowdark is more or less just another osr and there are better ones.
As a fellow solo gamer, I must sincerely applaud you pointing out that the real-time play of shadowdark is ridiculous. It put me off the game for a long time. And now I love the game, but I threw that rule out completely. I never play that way. It is a dumb gimmick.
Same here -- good game and I've played it a few times -- first thing I did was huck the torch mechanic out the window. I like a little more "social" kind of a game -- so just not a fan of that style of play.
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Hello Gamers, just a quick addition in the comment section: While it might sound strange that I didn't mention the Dragonbane solo rules in my review that was not an oversight. The reason is, that in my opinion the rules are generic enough to be used with every other system as well and every other solo engine could be used with Dragonbane also. The only Dragonbane specific part ist the part about the character modification. So, yes, it is great that they included solo rules but for me they don't make or break the game. And I also added a bonus point for value for money, so that includes the solo rules. Just wanted to get that out there, since I forgot to mention it in the video.
Both great systems and offer something different for plays to enjoy. Great video I enjoyed hearing your thoughts on them.
I would lean toward a simpler system, like Shadowdark, for solo play. Maybe even go as far as Knave. I agree with the other comment about the various tables in Shadowdark also being of value. Seems like Dragonbane would be a good group system though.
I think when it comes to monsters a group is helpful because of the auto hits and often secondary effects. I remember my fight against vampire bats in Fool's Crossing I think it was and I came through by blind luck. A group in these situations is helpful.
Tunnels & Trolls. The original solo TTRPG.
Thanks for the review! I have both and I really like both but always nice to hear your views! Would love to hear your thoughts on why you tried both systems for running Star Wars. Was it because, at that point in time, you weren't sure which to use to design your Star Wars hack off of or some other reason(s)? Ultimately, why did you go with Shadowdark as the basis for it?
First, the only current official Star Wars RPG from FFG does not appeal to me. Tried it, didn't like it because of the fidfly narrative dice and I generally dislike games that require unique dice. And technically I use both for Star Wars. The difference is, that I took the time to write stuff down for Shadowdark but I can play SW with DB just as well. I did write the stuff for Shadowdark because the book and the elegant simplicity just spoke to me.
@@Solospelunking Same here with the current FFG Star Wars. No thankyou! Yeah, I liked how easy you adapted Dragonbane to it but I also picked up your Shadowdark hack today and looking forward to reading it. Top stuff though, enjoying the content and what you're doing here!
@@Rich_H_1972 Regarding Dragonbane I haven't tackled space combat and vehicle rules yet, but I do have some ideas for that. Will come back to it eventually.
The random tables in shadowdark make it an easy win for solo, in my opinion.
Yeah, lots of good stuff in there
I guess this is comparison of Dragonbane and Shadowdark -- however if you want random tables Knave is another good option.
Kind of cool these are coming back they were so common back in the day from companies like Judge's Guild and Flying Buffalo.
Thank you for the great review and your thoughts on it. May I ask: how did you become aware of shadow dark initially? Have a great start into the new week.
Well, the usual, TH-cam feeds by the algorithm matching my interests.
Hard to miss either of these two games if you follow TH-cam. Basically, lots of publicity on games on TH-cam that are considered D&D 5e alternatives which also includes games like MCDM (not released yet), Daggerheart (not released yet), DC20 (not released yet), Tales of the Valiant, and Pathfinder 2e.
I want to hear more about Dragonbane Star Wars! 🤣
I did a series on Dragonbane Star Wars. It is called Nar Shaddaa Manhunt. There should be a playlist on the channel.
I think ShadowDark does have a few more official classes than the six you mentioned. There’s an additional eight classes in the ShadowDark ‘zine Cursed Scroll. Of course I’m assuming the zines were out at the time of your video.
They probably were.
@@Solospelunking By the way, I just found your channel via this video and I very much enjoyed it. Thanks for another perspective on the solo front.
@@RC-qk7qw Welcome! I do mostly actual plays but every once in a while other stuff as well.
Great review! The magic system in Shadowdark seems really good. I wonder if that could be applied to 5e..? Probably not, unfortunately, it's probably overpowered. But maybe I'll try it at some point. It would probably work for lower levels. I'm uploading a video using your Fantasy Solo Roleplaying Framework right now, it will be a while longer, but hopefully you'll like it :)
I am looking forward to it. Your videos are great👍.
Regarding the magic system: It might work. You would have to look at the math and probabilities I guess and find a balance between base DC to which would add the spell slot level to and compare that to average check results.
@@Solospelunking That is a really good idea, it would be interesting to look at the math there! :D
Magic system -- roll-to-cast was borrowed from Dungeon Crawl Classics. The Arcane Library has been really honest that she borrowed quite a few things from DCC.
I haven't played shadow dark but it sounds pretty OSR and I've done plenty of that. OSR appears simple because it's fairly rigid in application. I've played Dragonbane and it is a BRP derivative and I guess I've played more BRP and D00lite than anything else. Maybe it is more thoughtful in creation because it offers options, but Bragonbane is actually quite simple to play in reality. SD sounds pretty good. I can vouch that DB is simple and good.
They are both good and I would call Shadowdark a rules lite game and Dragonbane a rules medium game. But none of them is really complicated.
Shadowdark wins it for me,
@@gameram6382 For me as well 😉
Nice comparison.
It saddens me to hear yet another review from people who haven't used a system (in your case with a group) and say this or that mechanic does not work, when they haven't tried it.
@@bjornprompeler9424 This is why it is called "from a solo gamer's perspective". And I don't know what mechanics you refer to but probably the real time aspect. I stand by my statement in that case, having played enough rpgs to give my opinion, that is all it is.
@@bjornprompeler9424 At least I played both systems...there are enough flip through reviews out there.
@@Solospelunking I appreciate this, that is what I was refering to with the "Nice comparison"
@@bjornprompeler9424 Then I apologize, didn't want to come off as snappy, just wasn't sure what you meant by it saddened you.
@@Solospelunking I am wondering, did you have the timer "in the open" or did you flip your phone / the clock so you could not see it immediatly when looking at it. The interesting things with the torches timer happen, when you set an alarm and maybe check from time to time (by asking the GM or in your case taking your phone out of your pocket, turning it on and realizing how much time has passed). If you leave it be for most of the gaming session and then are suprised by the torch "dying" and the light with it or you relight it in time, at a moment when you aren´t in a hurry to do so, you might be suprised by how exciting or rewarding it will feel.
I would recommend trying the hidden timer, and maybe just deciding when to light another torch and only then checking the timer afterwards to see how much time would have been left.
In solo gaming (I think) we can and want to try to replicate the fun parts of playing with a group while having the time to think and having the agency to decide without the influence of others. One of the fun parts Shadow Dark does for me is introducing time pressure through random encounters (old) and torches being consumed in real time (new) and experienceing the changed discussions - shorter lenght and missing off-topic-talk, after the first torch was used up and even the last members of the group realize there is a thing that will not wait for our jokes about the conversation we had at work this week.
Maybe it will be interesting to introduce this time pressure and uncertainty into your solo sessions and the pride when you manage to guess the right moment to light another torch or the panic, when in a fight you drop your torch after a hit to your arm and you know the torchlight will die if you do not manage to pick it up the next d3 rounds . . . (another example of time pressure and urgency the light rules introduce into the game).
For me the task isn´t to keep track of the torch time as exactly as is humanly possible, but the changes to atmosphere and feeling and concentration on gaming it introduces: sure you can go and get some food or check a message or go to the toilet (your character has to go sometimes too, so why stop the times?).
Same with advancing the timer . . . yes you can do it, but it is your game and if you are thinking about or taking notes on what your char or party does in the 10 minute rest, that is time that passes too and maybe the torch isn´t used up as fast if it is held still during a rest instead of being waved around in a "windy" tunnel or during a fight :D
Dragonbane is a simplified version of old Drakar och Demoner with some new things. I prefer the old basic black box, Expert and Gigant boxes. Shadowdark is more or less just another osr and there are better ones.
So which OSR do you like better? What I like about Shadowdark is the quick character generation and the random character development.
As a fellow solo gamer, I must sincerely applaud you pointing out that the real-time play of shadowdark is ridiculous.
It put me off the game for a long time. And now I love the game, but I threw that rule out completely. I never play that way.
It is a dumb gimmick.
Yes, the first time I read that I was like "whatever" and didn't give it a second thought.
Same here -- good game and I've played it a few times -- first thing I did was huck the torch mechanic out the window. I like a little more "social" kind of a game -- so just not a fan of that style of play.