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Candela Obscura

Candela Obscura

Candela Obscura is a tabletop roleplaying game, or TTRPG, about a circle of paranormal investigators who analyze occult phenomena in the turn-of-the-nineteenth century industrial fantasy city of Newfaire. In this game of monstrous gaslamp horror, players create intrepid characters who solve mysteries and defeat monsters with their various skills and specialties. They might play a smooth-talking Face with a knack for mesmerism, a soldiering Muscle bearing scars from the Great War, an ingenious Scholar of magick from the university, the sly Slink of a private detective or a Weird spirit medium. This crew, called the Circle, will take on jobs to set right the problems caused by supernatural phenomena.  One player, the Lightkeeper or Game Master (GM), takes on the role of the world those players inhabit. They’ll play as the eponymous Lightkeeper, a character who dispenses assignments and information from the occult organization Candela Obscura. They’ll also play the environment, the city, and of course, the mysterious and even malevolent forces the Circle is called to confront.‍

Originally created by Spenser Starke, Rowan Hall, Christopher Grey, Tracey Harrison, Taliesin Jaffee

Details

3-5 Players
Illuminated Worlds System
d6

Themes

Eldritch Horror
Gritty Fantasy
Mystery
Supernatural

Release Date

11/14/2023

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How to play Candela Obscura

After players create their characters and the Circle, the GM will present them with the mystery those characters find themselves embroiled in, usually with an assignment from the Lightkeeper. Players describe or act out what their characters do, and the GM tells them how the world responds. Frequently, they’ll take risky or uncertain actions that require them to roll dice to find out whether they succeed, fail, or something in between. But most importantly, every choice the players make progresses the story and keeps the action flowing. Candela Obscura is a game of collaborative storytelling, where the “fiction,” the shared imaginary world, always comes first.

Piece by piece, player characters will uncover the secret of the mystery they face, until ultimately they must confront the culprit, whether it’s a criminal conspiracy, a diabolical corporation, or a supernatural creature that managed to bleed into this world.

Candela Obscura Dungeon Masters

DMs Guild Writer
Streamer
LGBTQ+
Queer
Disabled
Neurodivergent
Published Writer
Teacher/Educator
Voice Actor
Game Designer

2 years on StartPlaying

967 games hosted

Average response time: 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

DMs Guild Writer
Streamer
Artist
Game Designer
Multi-lingual

3 years on StartPlaying

1173 games hosted

Average response time: Under 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

LGBTQ+
Teacher/Educator
Multi-lingual

3 years on StartPlaying

453 games hosted

Average response time: Under 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

Teacher/Educator
Voice Actor

2 years on StartPlaying

363 games hosted

Average response time: 3 hours

Response rate: 100%

Voice Actor

2 years on StartPlaying

70 games hosted

Women/Femme Identifying
Multi-lingual

4 years on StartPlaying

1312 games hosted

Average response time: 2 hours

Response rate: 100%

Streamer
Podcaster
Teacher/Educator

4 years on StartPlaying

443 games hosted

DMs Guild Writer
Streamer
LGBTQ+
Queer
Neurodivergent
Published Writer
Cosplayer
Women/Femme Identifying
Game Designer
Multi-lingual

2 years on StartPlaying

413 games hosted

Average response time: 3 hours

Response rate: 100%

Frequently asked questions about Candela Obscura

Explore Candela Obscura Specialties

Occultist image

Occultist

You are a highly studied practitioner of the mystic arts who has a fundamental knowledge of the supernatural. Your primary drive is Intuition, and your abilities are focused on ritual and knowledge of the arcane.

Journalist image

Journalist

You are a bold investigator who knows how to get to the bottom of things. Your primary drive is Cunning, and your abilities are focused on collecting and assessing information.

Medium image

Medium

You are an adept psychic who knows how to commune with the otherworldly. Your primary drive is Intuition, and your abilities are focused on divination and connecting with spirits

Magician image

Magician

You are a talented entertainer who knows how to deflect attention and create illusions. Your primary drive is Intuition, and your abilities are focused on performing and detecting tricks.

Soldier image

Soldier

You are a trained warrior who knows how to fight and make tactical decisions. Your primary drive is Intuition, and your abilities are focused on combat strategy and discipline

Doctor image

Doctor

You are a skilled physician who knows how to conduct medical procedures. Your primary drive is Intuition, and your abilities are focused on anatomy and healing.

Professor image

Professor

You are a professional academic who knows a great deal about your chosen field of study. Your primary drive is Cunning, and your abilities are focused on critical thinking and leveraging your expertise.

Detective image

Detective

You are an experienced investigator who has an outside perspective on the ins and outs of the criminal world. Your primary drive is Nerve, and your abilities are focused on uncovering the truth and stopping malefactors.

Explorer image

Explorer

You are a fearless daredevil who knows how to navigate difficult and dangerous environments. Your primary drive is Nerve, and your abilities are focused on endurance and confronting danger.

Criminal image

Criminal

You are an accomplished outlaw who knows how to operate successfully in the underworld. Your primary drive is Cunning, and your abilities are focused on street connections and nefarious activities.

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