Let's Play Shadowdark

Let's Play Shadowdark

Your are an adventurer, your path is not set by others. In the darkness, with chosen companions, you reap riches from the maw of doom or die trying.

TYPE

Campaign

LEVELS

1–10

LANGUAGE

English

EXPERIENCE

Open to all

AGE

18+
3 NEEDED TO START
$18.00

/ Session

Details

Bi-weekly / Saturday - 11:00 PM UTC

Session Duration / 3–3.5 hours

Campaign Length / 2+ Sessions

0 / 5 Seats Filled

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This game will begin once 3 players have joined
About the adventure

WHAT IS SHADOWDARK ? Award wining old school fantasy gaming with elegant contemporary execution. Shadowdark RPG is what old-school fantasy gaming would look like after being redesigned with 50 years of innovation. The game is fast, familiar, intuitive, and deadly. It’s built for sword-and-sorcery adventures where fell monsters slither in darkness and frosty gems glint upon forgotten thrones, waiting to be discovered. In Shadowdark RPG, real time comes into play. A torch only holds back the looming darkness for one hour of actual game time! There isn't a moment to spare when your only light source is guttering low... Get ready for old-school gaming in a whole new light!

Game style

Dungeon Crawl

Hexcrawl / Exploration

Rule of Cool (RoC)

Meet the Game Master

5.0

(51)

Neurodivergent
Teacher/Educator

5 years on StartPlaying

204 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Rule of Cool, Knows the Rules

Average response time: 7 hours

Response rate: 100%

About me

makes a session memorable is what everyone brings when they sit down together. I believe in the Rule of Cool. When something awesome and cinematic is on the line, I lean into a “yes, and” approach that keeps the momentum going. I’ve run games for all ages and can adjust tone and content for younger players. I’m also experienced with corporate groups and can tailor sessions to fit team‑building or professional needs. The games I run highlight player skill and creativity. It’s not about perfect builds—it’s about how you play, not what you play. I keep meaningful consequences on the table, including injury and death, and I embrace the unknown, the dangerous, and the monstrous. Your choices, your reactions, and how you use the tools you have in the moment are what truly matter. If you enjoy playing imperfect characters, taking risks, and clawing victory from the jaws of disaster, we’ll get along well.

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Character creation

Creating your character

You can visit this link and make yourself a stable of characters and be ready to roll. I encourage you to embrace the random. https://shadowdarklings.net/ Your characters can be exported from the site into the Foundry VTT.

What to expect

Preparing for the session

Have a look at the rules https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/products/shadowdark-rpg-quickstart-set Make a PC or three using this link https://shadowdarklings.net/ Once you know what you want to play, make a token here https://rolladvantage.com/tokenstamp/ Download your token and be ready to send it in discord so we can get it ready in Foundry. You will need a way to send and receive audio over discord. Cameras not required. A mouse is recommended over using a track pad.

What Skulliver brings to the table

I will provide you with adventure and have maps ready in Foundry and a Discord for our record keeping, epic memes and voice chat.

Homebrew rules

This campaign uses the "pulp rules" for luck tokens. Believe me, you are going to want those.

Equipment needed to play

Microphone

Computer

Headphones

Internet

Safety

How Skulliver creates a safe table

Shadowdark makes dungeon crawling fast and deadly. It feels like the games I remembered as a kid. Gear matters, turns are quick, magic can be dangerous and a of a wild card. Shadowdark pulls some ideas from modern gaming: Straightforward, roll over math and streamlined mechanics. It pulls some ideas from old school games: Low hit points and damage, no set skills, a less forgiving character death system, quick and simple character creation. Min-maxing is impossible because players roll randomly for a new, yet fitting, ability every other level. There is no "build", but lots more excitement as the dice clatter and reveal your fate. Character creation and leveling is a process of discovery more than drafting. The game encourages playing to explore, to find out, embracing random events and what the dice give you. Maybe the torch goes out, maybe the big bad finds you first. Maybe that spot you picked to for a rest was not safe and fouls creatures approach even as you rest your weary head. It has influences from lots of other places. Roll-to-cast magic a bit like you might find in Dungeon Crawl Classics. Easy distance measurement like in Index Card RPG. A roll-high system where a natural 20 is always a success. Simple XP tracking that rewards finding treasure (and spending it carousing) rather than killing monsters. Combat is dangerous. Getting in, looting and avoiding things trying to kill the party is how you roll. You will find all you need to play at his link. Have a look and see if it's for you. Rangers and Bards have been added and will be available as options in play. https://www.dropbox.com/s/ab1x94p7h4v39w7/Shadowdark%20RPG%20Quickstart%20Set%20-%20V2-2.zip?dl=0

Content warnings

Safety tools used

Frequently asked questions