How Shadowdark Broke $1 Million (Ep. 316)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ย. 2024
- Professor Dungeonmaster analyzes how independent RPG Shadowdark raised so much money and what it means for TTRPGs.
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Love your final point about Kelsey having her boots on the ground, unlike WotC.
I've heard the worse conspiratal bull from jealous grognards questioning Kelsey's success. I won't mention which conspiracies they come up with, but they are ridiculous.
I watched this video instead of D&D Direct. I wasn't let down. I love your work Professor!
+1
And here I am completely unaware that D&D Direct was even happening today.
@@theastralwanderer It was THAT relevant.
Move up the Dice chain
Kelsey appears to epitomise the phrase “Work hard, play hard.”
Good to see you here BB. Love your work.
You are 100% right. How was this so successful? She put in the work. Period.
I supported it and downloaded the free PDF purely off your last video recommendation.
Ran it twice with my friends and we loved it. It was easy for new players to get what was happening with character creation and fun enough for the veterans I had. Almost killed the whole party with two beastmen on the second room of the Minotaur dungeon. They ran and then made an explosive trap and blew up the minotaur before the mini ever even got on the table. Classic...
I gotta add that Shadowdark's success on Kickstarter is also because Kelsey Dionne comes across as a genuinely nice person. I saw her and Jorphdan doing Ben Milton's DM interview series before becoming aware of Shadowdark. Ben's episode aired 10 months ago, but I saw it 3 weeks ago for the first time. A day later I see Professor's pitch for Shadawdark and made the connection to Kelsey Dionne on Milton's Questing Beast post, and thought: She seems like such a nice person, also creative. I checked out the free Shadowdark quick start guide and felt like I'd come home. It was like opening the Red Box as a nine-year-old. This is the first Kickstarter project I've backed. Storm the Gates Arcane Library!
I don't know her but she definitely comes across very positively in her videos, twitter etc.
I met her in person a week ago at the start of Gary Con. I introduced myself and we spent a solid 20 min talking. All your assumptions are correct. Ive never met a kinder, more passionate, person,. And with 100% certainty, I tell you she is super appreciative of all the support.
I agree that she seems like a nice person. She had a lot thrown at her during this and handled it like a champ!
@@rushwingate That's great to read about your conversation. I've never done conventions and never thought they would be up my alley. But I'd love to see a panel discussion with Professor DM, or Kelsey Dionne. I started playing D&D with Holmes edition and played every edition (except the original AD&D) right up through 5E. 5E changed the hobby and brought in a ton of new people, which is fantastic, but I love that there is an independent community out there showing how D&D can be played with a lot more edge and excitement. and also at a physical table with real human interaction. That seems to be another benefit of conventions these days.
@@shinyeesiek3357 what's even better is that it wasn't even a panel discussion. We were sitting by a huge fire in the resort lounge just the four of us having a conversation. It was far more intimate and personal which made it even more awesome. I'm like one out of thousands who backed her kickstarter but when I told her that I had already backed it she lit up like a Christmas tree and treated me like I was the hero lol.
@7:44 I was not expecting a photo of some of my best friends playing Shadowdark with Kelsey at Gary Con this weekend! Kelsey is awesome and it was so great to celebrate her success with her this weekend.
It’s almost like a bunch of creators were excited about this new book and they wanted to make videos about it! You know, like EVERY TIME A NEW D&D BOOK comes out??
It’s wild to me that anyone could have viewed this as nefarious.
Haters gonna hate. It's the business.
wotc using its market dominance, cultural capital, and PR firms to paper over bland design and catastrophic decisions and maintain a stranglehold on the medium? I sleep.
community members excited about the same indie thing? CONSPIRACY!!!
This can be what happens when one allows Twatter comments to live rent free..... Just say no to greasy kid stuff.
You nailed that one Bob. I just think most of the noise is from a few trolls who jealous of her success but can't come up with any genuine criticisms. I love that she's steam rolling them with massive, well earned success.
THAT IS TRUE. Now I'm starting to see the trolls come out in the youtube feed. But once you listen to their videos I'm like haven't even downloaded the quick-start guide or watched other reviews and dive deep into the content that you're trolling about
I never heard of her because I don't play 5e. That personal video is how I came to know her work. It is one of the reasons why I backed Shadowdark: it looks like a good game and she seems like a good person. I wish her and her company all the best!
An excellent point made near the end of this vid, Professor, about how creators like Kelsey are more tuned in to what TTRPG fans really want. I can't wait till our gaming group gets the group package we backed on KS!
Face-to-face interactions, and hard work beat slick business approach and Hasbro. Love it!
She's a rock star! I've run a couple of her adventures so far, and my players' minds have all been blown by them.
Yup.
Don't let Paul Stanley here you call her a rockstar! lol
@@corksauve4949 you know, I thought about that right after I posted!
I agree with everything said in this video. I have downloaded the quick-start rules and made plans to run a "Shadowdark" adventure at the local convention in Croatia, Europe (so Kelsey can brag about world wide fandom :-) ) and to introduce more people to this awesome game.
Hopefully it goes well and the vic.... err, players get bitten by the rpg bug.
Could not agree more. So happy for Kelsey and Team Arcane Library. My group is playing our first game of Shadowdark this Saturday.
Another great video! I'm very happy for Kelsey and her success. I was singing the praises of ShadowDark long before the Kickstarter when it was just 2 zine style booklets.
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Shadowdark feels like the kind of place Deathbringer feel at home, causing carnage.
I've played a bunch of the quick start rules. It is a blast. Quick, concise, and encourages teamwork. The real-time mechanics help driver the players forward, and the emphasis on treasure gives a solid reward for exploration. The perks you get don't make you a superhero, but it's better than getting nothing from leveling like B/x clones. And the rules are easy enough, I can play with my kids, and they aren't confused as to what is happening. She really nocked it out of the park.
Honestly, I only discovered shadow dark through you the day you made the Kickstarter video. I have always been a fan of index card rpg and have been looking for a simpler game I can explain to kids without having to explain 50 years of rules. The biggest sell was hour long torches and always on initiative. I am a therapist by trade and an hour also happens to be the ideal length for a group therapy session. Shadow dark is ingenious in it's encapsulation of easy to learn, intuitive, and creatively engaging. Now if only I can convince my grognards to play it with me for fun.
Fantastic summary. I also find it a little funny that WotC’s OGL debacle was most likely a contributing factor. WotC probably sent a lot of players/GMs Kelsey’s way (and many other games’ way) because of their idiocy. A lot of us wanted something different and Shadowdark may not have reinvented the wheel, but it’s a solid alternative made by someone with a strong vision.
I love hearing PDM lay it all out there, cleanly and incisively!
This game captured my interest so much I attempted to do my first live stream actual play using the QuickStart materials. And did a reflection on what it was like to play. SO MUCH FUN.
I ended up looking into Shadowdark because of Runehammer and your review of the product. I ended up backing it because it was exceptionally well done AND the kind of old school system I can actually sell to my play group who are OSR hesitant.
Honestly, I've had this Kickstarter open on a separate tab for the whole month just for the fun of watching the big number get bigger. Kelsey done good work here, and seeing that work rewarded is immensely gratifying.
10,000% agree with you Professor. Plus, Kelsey coined the term “Stingbats” and that’s clearly a superior term over “Stirge”.
In Swedish, that is pointy flap flap.
True story! Thanks to you for helping turn me on to Shadowdark as well. My campaign ditched 5E for Shadowdark after just one play test session.
Hail House DM, and fellow Arkanist and shieldwall! Yeah it is quite the superior term.
I’m backing because she’s a good, honest creator and we need to support options outside WotC.
It's a comforting fact to see and experience that these careers of working hard, promoting your craft and succeeding in selling good ideas directly to the customers without taking the detour through already existing industries actually work nowadays.
I loved her Arcane Library modules, so I'll have to have a look at Shadowdark.
Over 1MM seems like she could translate the game to spanish and other languages. Good on her success.
I was impressed with scope and style of the game and I backed it.
Following the OGL debacle and how D&D has been turned into this tame TTRPG equivalent of The Sims, THIS is the type of creator and game we as a community should be supporting.
Thank you for using your voice to help lift up others in our community. ❤️
My biggest go to example on how 5e missed the mark is Ravenloft. The 2e book was about how the players were facing threats they could not fully understand, and how if they weren’t careful, they themselves would become the evil owner of their very own builder cave they couldn’t escape from.
Van Richten’s, by contrast, seems to be about playing cool monsters in horror-themed games. No actual horror or fear is in Van Richten’s.
This is certainly an awesome success story, I hope Kelsey continues to reap the rewards of her hard work!
We are in a new renaissance for our hobby!
Almost anything that takes away from Wotc, is a good thing!
I’ve been interested in several OSR style products over the years, but most of them have turned out to not be what I wanted. Shadowdark appears to be the real deal, and I am excited for it.
Totally agree, I think that many of us who follow this channel have been aiming at this style of gaming.
What...WHAT! No Deathbringer! I guess he was to busy running a dungeon in Shadowdark. Can't wait to hear the story. Keep up the good work sir.
She has cemented herself among D&D lore.
Yes,
Oh God! Somebody chisel her out!
She removed the min/maxing by having character advancement work via die roll. That's huge, because now players can focus on playing AND each character will still be unique. She also made it much easier to DM the game, with as many tables and compatible adventures as you could possibly want. And it's super easy to expand the number of classes if you want. I just put together a barbarian class for one of my young players, with rage ability and damage/crit/str bonuses in the roll table. Fun!
okay, i give up. bought the printed handbook and pdf + dm screen :D
Me too! I bought it like everyone else.
i've avoided 5e as much as possible the past few years. so i wasn't aware of Shadowdark until your review. it's the most mechanically-compelling system of this generation. i immediately backed the kickstarter and can't wait to see it dethrone d&d!
Another point worth mentioning is that Kelsey is a master adventure writer.
She's studied the classic modules.
Her prose streamlines adventure writing to have zero bloat, giving the DM what they need to facilitate a great story without spending hours prepping just to figure out how to run them.
She gives each adventure a backstory delivered in dribs and drabs of information for characters to piece together like a great mystery puzzle.
She loads each encounter with opportunities for player characters to become creative interacting with the environment and factions.
Because she's an amazing adventure writer, her rules are written around actual gameplay spent at the table, not spending hours min/maxing perfect character builds and synergizing pre-mapped leveling.
The adventure is in the spotlight, not superhero adventurers. The actual gameplay is front and center, not selling bloated adventure books by the pound to maximize profit.
It's hard to even look at 5e the same after playing Shadowdark. It's literally a game changer.
Just got back from Gary Con, where I had the pleasure of meeting Kelsey and playing in a session of Shadowdark! Kelsey exudes enthusiasm for the hobby! On another note, I didn't know Runehammer is from Philly, I'm in South Jersey. I'd love to hang out with him sometime!
He just lives in Philly--he moved from Washington State. I'm in Central Jersey.
@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 heck, then I'd love to hang with you, too! 😆
Kelsey was a guest on my podcast and she is a fantastic human being! Really proud of the work that’s she’s put in.
This and EZD6 will most likely be my 2 go-to games!!
I picked up Kelsey's bundle of horror adventures a few years back and it's honestly the only time my 5e party ever felt threatened or concerned about their survival. The adventures were full of intrigue and foreboding and everybody had a good time.
Super excited for Kelcey. All your points are true. It's something new bringjng back old concepts. Dangerous. Risky. Deadly. Fun.
Kelcey's videos and ideas have inspired me for some time. This is well-deserved success.
I'd like to say "Ditto" to all of the above, and also, I want to add that, as a 50-mumble year old guy, who's been playing since 1980, it's really refreshing to see someone demonstrably younger speaking smartly and earnestly about old school aesthetics--and she certainly has the bona fides to do that--and then putting that wisdom into practice in her game design. I do feel that some of the momentum came from her being the first "what now?" alternative in the wake of Hasbro shitting the bed; that brought some people out, no doubt. But her design concept and execution won the day. This game may well be the bridge that connects the OSR with the new gaming community. That's a "wow" thought, right there. Who'da thunk it?
I backed the Kickstarter. The game is phenomenal in its simplicity. Kelsea gets more out of less words than any other designer I've read. I'm looking forward to getting my physical copy of the book.
EXACTLY! It is one of the most efficient RPG book's I've ever read.
I was introduced to Shadowdark by you about a month ago and I'm very excited for it. Took a few notes from what I've seen of it for my Golden Age Sci Fi game.
Been running shadowdark at my college club, been working great
I may not have become aware of Kelsey's Shadowdark if not for this channel. A surprising number of OSR and TTRPG Kickstarters slip under my radar despite how many I've backed. Thanks Professor Dungeon Master for the original review! I can't wait to read over the final copy when it's in my hands.
You're welcome. Review of Vast Grimm coming up.
BRAVO! Well said, PDM. I see other OSR people getting butt hurt because their game didn't catch on, but hers is catching on. She is likable and intelligent. Her passion and talent appeals to multiple generations. That is why her game is resonating and taking off.
I'm seeing other people say that it does nothing new and its just a bunch of house rules... that is what all games have been (DnD or adjacent) since 1975. This a near perfect distillation of past and present editions and house rules. I'm excited about the future of this game.
You nailed it.
I saw some of the arguing on twitter and the osr subreddits and it was so silly. There's no conspiracy. Kelsey was a creator who's spent years building up a community and an audience first with high quality 5e adventures, then with her work on Shadowdark.
She's successful because she's proven that she makes quality stuff, she's clearly passionate about the hobby, and she put in a ton of work.
Like, sorry to the people who wrote a 20 page OD&D hack, stuck it on drivethrurpg, did no advertising and are now bitter over Kelsey's success I guess...
@@ywgdana I agree it's dumb to be bitter over someone having a big success with an RPG kickstarter. But it's also dumb to pretend (like a lot of people, including professor Dungeonmaster, are going) that a $1 million kickstarter is the just the result of a well-designed game. Obviously, having a social media platform and profile played a big part in it. And it's fair to ask if it's a great thing for the hobby that to be successful, designers have to cultivate a social media profile and personality. It's not only TTRPGs where this is the case - you see the same thing with genre fiction and other pop culture markets. Personally, I don't think it's something we should celebrate. It means a lot of excellent games, books, etc. by quiet, private people who don't want to play the social media game will never get off the ground.
@@RockinBobXYZ I think it's the opposite -- if designers want to have a huge kickstarter success like Shadowdark, they need to look at the example Kelsey set.
She spent years building a community and an audience, networked with people who would help spread the word (I don't mean that in a negative way, let me be clear!) and also invested in some marketing.
(I forgot to mention it in my comment but others have, but Kelsey may also have got super lucky with the OGL drama happening right before she launched)
If someone writes a fantastic game but doesn't want to put in any effort to spread the word about it and get it into peoples' hands... well *shrug*
My oldest (who only 8) wanted to play D&D. I had no interest in trying to teach her 5E, but Shadowdark is rules light enough that she could make her own character, and get into playing, with almost no coaching. Playing a sneaky fighter, she got a suit of chainmail to replace her leathers. She quickly realizes that disadvantage on stealth rolls isn't ideal for how she wants to play. The game plays fast and dangerous, and is easy enough to distill the mechanics down so that an absolute total beginner can understand and get into playing.
It warms my heart to hear of a dad playing with his daughter as I did. The family that slays together, stays together!
I pledged after playing a few pickup games at Gary Con this year!! I can't wait for my copy. Professor, you've GOT to come to Gary Con next year, it's a blast! I got to meet Kelsey and she is an awesome person, I'm so happy for her and her team!
I'm thinking of going to conventions for the first time in part because of these videos and posts from Kelsey Dionne. Separately, I saw Ben Milton at Questing Beast do a DMs interview with Dionne and Jorphdan (posted 10 months back?) and thought both Dionne and Jorphdan came across as just really nice people. I saw that about a day before Professor DM's first post on the Shawdowdark kickstarter and was so excited to see that the nice gal from the Questing Beast post was behind this fantastic rules set. I backed the Kickstarter not just for the the rules, but because Dionne seems like a really great person to support. I hope she takes the RPG industry by storm.
@@shinyeesiek3357 Do it!! If you're in the midwest, gameholecon is in Madison Wisconsin in October, Kelsey will be there as well! Not only is it a great time to play new games and get sweet merch/minis/whatever, you can make great new connections and friends that you will see again year after year!
Haven't played her games nor run her adventures. But everything I've seen from Ms Dionne has been classy, intelligent, and fun, mixed with a smidgeon of crazy. Good for her and well done!
Totally agree with you, Professor! Long live Kelsey!
I grabbed the quickstart, looked it over a little, then forgot about it for a bit. I checked the pdf out again and went over to Kelsey's youtube channel and watched some vids, seeing her talk about it and run a game really showed that she is a smart nerd, the best kind :P I threw my hat (and money) into the kickstarter after that
I backed day one. I saw a video she did before the kickstarter went live and was sold. I didn't even read or look at the free pdf about it, I just knew it would be exactly what I was looking for. If not for the OGL debacle, I would not have found these 3rd party creators. The product is so kick ass she did not need to have paid people because it speaks and holds it own. Besides, if you know the content of creators you know most cannot be bought.
I did the same. The perfect example is look at the difference between 5e Beholder Xanathar and Shadowdark's Tentacled Oracle.
I hope to see these books on sale soon. I would be in on this one. I have a story, but I will keep it at this. Happy to see your content, please keep it up
I've used her 5e supplements since I started DMing (which hasn't been very long). The one shots are formatted to be easy to run as stand alone adventures or dragged and dropped into an established campaign. I especially enjoyed the Horror Bundles, which do a great job of evoking a sense of dread and urgency. She's been one of the content creators that has helped me very early on and I couldn't be happier for the success and the attention her game has generated. Bravo!
Between this and Goodman's Dungeon Denizens it's been a great month for Kickstarter RPG books
It's a great game. I had a chance to play it at garycon. I met Kelsey, and she is the best. I did not get a chance to play with her, but she had some wonderful friends who ran the game. I love the random tables for stating an adventure. My group was teleported into the belly of a purple worm.
Been cheering for Kelsey because she's a brilliant writer! The hobby is lucky to have her. In addition to Shadowdark she has a collection of the best written, easiest to run, encounters on a single page 5e adventures out there. She deserves financial success just for putting all the information you need in the actual encounter.
So happy for Kelsey and her well deserved success and look forward to trying out her game.
I bought some modules from Arcane Library, and commented on a video Kelsey had made how much I loved them. She personally replied to me, thanking me for my feedback and praise. She’s a 💎 in my book.
No Deathbringer snark? I guess he didn't have anything bad to say about something for once... That's a good sign!
We was off this past weekend but will return next week.
“Struggling Heroes not Super Heroes” - that is great description I’m stealing this 😂
Thanks. Gonna use that again in a future video.
Will be ordering ShadowDark when it becomes available. I simply do not do kickstarters. I've consumed a lot of Kelsey's youtube content, it is outstanding and solid. Not all her content, that time is reserved for Prof. DM.
Thank you! Shadowdark hits the shelves late in 2023.
It does look pretty cool. It takes a lot of rules I've seen in other OSR-kinda games and implements all the best ones and does a few of its own things as well. It's taking rules and systems the community likes and putting them together in a fine-tuned system. If I had the money I'd absolutely go all in.
Great update/review 2.0.
I was already a fan of the Shadowdark project, but now I'm super interested in the Philly connection. Hope to see you around town.
I backed it so hard. Can't wait to get my pdfs.
Love Shadowdark. So easy it became the game of choice for our road trips and car dice.
I started following Professor DM because he loves the same things she does in this game and I’ve been taking your old school game advice from day one of subbing! WTG Shadowdark!!!
I wanna hear the drinking with Hank story.
I played the game last week with the quick start rules. It was a blast, and I never spent so much time thinking about torches. 🙂
Congratz to Kelsey on such a successful kickstarter! Prof DM, are you going to do a video on Sly Flourish's kickstarter for his Forge of Foes book because it looks pretty good at giving quick and easy ways to balance foes for your pcs and kind of rips on the CR system a bit while still working within it. Looks like something worth promoting (Matt Coville already did, no peer pressure, lol, but only 1 day left!)
Mike (Sly Flourish) is great too.
Right now in a War Room on the west coast, Wizards execs are eyeing the Shadowdark Kickstarter wanting their 25% of the action -- off the top, of course -- so that Kelsey will have busted her butt for years and be left with nothing. I totally agree that their OGL move had little to nothing to do with big companies; it was something that would have affected EVERYONE in the hobby from creator to consumer.
This is such an exciting game, not only for its content but also because of its incredible success. It seems to me that Kelsey did everything right. One thing I would like to hear from Professor DM is with regard to why this particular OSR's Kickstarter has become even more successful than the KS campaigns of other OSR games such as Old School Essentials (just under $300k). I don't mean in terms of edition wars, but perhaps in terms of marketing, word of mouth, and a certain undefinable "something" that Shadowdark has.
Absolutely!
Kelsey seems like such an honest and good person as well. Bravo K!
You need the hard work to actually create the product, but to bring it to the prominence that it has reached, hard work alone is not enough. The product needs exposure and the producer needs solid connections and a community that allows their product to flourish in order to do get that necessary exposure. I am super jealous of the connections that Kelsey has amassed over the years, as well as her spawn point in TTRPG Central, USA. I wish I had a support network like that for my TTRPG projects.
You are correct.
I hope you're getting a slice of this action, you're the main reason I chose to kickstart it based on your recommendation. *I mean this as no disrespect to Kelsey, but I was unaware of the game until your review dropped*
Having looked at what is available and having given my support, I can clearly say I like much of what is Shadowdark. Still, there are things that I would love to see in a game, things that I have never found in a D&D-like game so I always had to make house rules.
But I agree Shadowdark is a well-designed and fun game which I would recommend any day, just like DCC, Deathbringer and some others.
Maybe one day there will be a system around that is as good as the aforementioned ones AND has the style of combat rules that I always wish for.
I am very excited for Shadow Dark, because I like the mortality aspect of it.
I'm currently running 5e Hardcore Mode (per your recommendation,) and I've got to say, it's required some adaptability for me and my group. I'm used to them being gods, and they're used to being gods, and the result is I've killed the same player's character 3 times already. We'll see if he survives this next session.
I have fallen in love with Shadowdark since Day one. I just have the quickstart guides and I go crazy waiting for the full rulebook. 😅
You're going to love it!
Shadowdark was blessed by the timing, hitting as Hasbro broke the spell, but ultimately it shows that fans want the experience of danger and the thrill of exploration. I may never buy in more than the quick rules or play under it at all but I can see it creating a third pillar of gaming alongside the plethora of hacks and old school styles, the official game and itself with a foot in both. Plus 1 for competition, skill and grit in the game, Kelsey cast a 20!
Love the comparison, Thor & Indy. In defense of 5e skewing to Thor’s side, we’ve fought really cool monsters which previous editions reserved for higher levels, often not attained by casual players.
I can't wait to play this and have the book in hand. Looks fantastic! It's so cool to see that an indie game can do so well and garner so much interest!
I love the feel of Shadowdark. I caught Ben's interview of Kelsey last summer and downloaded the quick start guides. My first reading blew me away. Concepts and issues to which I've struggled to find an adequate solution, she solved with elegance. I've GMed a few adventures with my group and loved it. So, naturally, I became a backer when the kickstarter was launched and can't wait to get my hands on the files in April and the physical book this summer!! Go Kelsey! You deserve it.
It's interesting that this has made so much money so far, and MCDM or whatever has made so much money. I think that there's a fair bit of demand for D&D that isn't corporate D&D. Of course, there's also lots of options already out there, which is another curious thing. I think a lot of RPG consumers are reasonably successful middle-class people with disposable income to spend on products that they will read and probably not play very much, if at all. My first thought on ShadowDark was also that everything that looks good about it is something that I already have in another game, or in my homebrew. The same is probably true for almost all of its customers. And yet, the quest for the Holy Grail of the game that does exactly everything that you want and nothing that you don't continues.
Can we get a " Where do all the dungeons go?". Sticker or something?
Nerdarchy has a great episode called that. I'll probably make a rant about it too.
I am really eager to get my hands on Shadowdark (I'm a backer) and I'm very impressed with what I've seen so far. It seems like an elegant blend of the few things I like about 5e with the best elements of classic D&D. Kelsey seems like the real deal. I don't want "Corporate D&D". I want weird maverick artist D&D.
I feel the same and plan on becoming a backer as well. I've never backed someone before but I feel very passionate about what is happening to our hobby. Time to put my money were my mouth is.
D&D 5e = “Monty Haul” aesthetic. Love what’s happening for Kelsey. Going to purchase her game.
It's "Monty Haul" when it comes to abilities, magic, and special powers, but where's all the treasure? I'm over here in B/X and I don't have enough retainers to help carry out all this gold from the dungeon and I'm using it to build a stronghold and a shrine and a barracks etc.
We needed to go back to formula. Things have gotten too ridiculous and the 'feel' of D&D has been gone for quite some time. This is a great thing that we all can build upon, excited to be backing this Kickstarter project. I'm supporting Kelsey all the way. Hope to meet her at a future Con.
I backed Shadowdark and I'm very much looking forward to it, but I'm genuinely interested in whether it's possible to run a game with the "whimsical" tone you described of 5E with the grittier rules of Shadowdark or another OSR system. I like dark and gritty things in addition to triumphant and whimsical things depending on my mood, but my friend group is generally much more interested in the latter. They also like giving their characters detailed personalities and backstories before playing which seems like the biggest difference between 5e and OSR. However, simpler rules, looser prep, and less need to be consistent with how often sessions are run and with whom are all things that are hugely appealing to all of us.
I've purchased several products reviewed on this channel. It's great to get outside of the DND realm. Just started running DCC in Fantasy Grounds. I also backed this kickstarter as another grimm alternative to 5e.
Let's GOOOOO!
This sound like the experience players have been craving, simple, gritty, dangerous, dungeon-crawling goodness.
Your spell of suggestion has worked l went and back my first kickstarter.
I can't wait to run and show off ShadowDark at my local games store. Yes I know PDFs and early rules exist. But I like books. I like physical tangible things. So when I get the book in hand...oh yeah I'll be spreading the ShadowDark love.
I like how more and more channels that were focused on tabletop RPGs are no longer using dungeons & dragons as much in their language. Even How to d&d change his channel name to How to RPG.
They really stepped in it with the crap they tried to pull And it's good that so many people are no longer treating them like they're the only game in town. Well we do owe them this. They caused such a volatile reaction that we're seeing more independent releases than ever.
I'm going to do my best to avoid it.
How I run 0hp in my 5e games: 1. If a PC drops to 0hp (or what would be -1 to -9 HP) he/she makes death saves as written (or is unconscious if reduced to exactly 0hp), but...2. if a PC is at 0hp and is attacked (friendly PCs can prevent this with opportunity attacks, class features, etc.) the character dies, and 3. If a single attack would somehow reduce a PC (or monster) to -10hp or fewer (highly unlikely, but it does happen) the character is instantly slain (no death saves allowed).