StartPlaying logo
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 System

Themes

Eldritch Horror
Gritty Fantasy
Mystery
Supernatural

Release Date

11/14/2023

Candela Obscura Reviews (7)

See what other Game Masters and players are saying about Candela Obscura

Lilith avatar

Lilith

New review

Played 12 sessions

This is my favourite game system by far! Cinematic, narrative and character driven, rules light, it's a pure delight to play! You play as investigators of the mysterious organisation Candela Obscura, which goes around investigating mysterious phenomena that occur, partially because an old civilization that used too much magick is buried beneath the city. You play with D6 dicepools, so literally anyone can pick it up (no fancy dice required) and there is a free quickstart guide available from Darrington Press. You can also see a lot of examples of Actual Plays if this game on YouTube, including by Critical Role. The rules are simple and the cinematic scenes favour character growth and narrative, which is great for avid roleplayers. It takes place in a world similar to the Edwardian Era, with a dash of steampunk and some interwar years going on. There is horror, yes, but not necessarily from the phenomena your characters will investigate. This game puts horror in humanity and humanity in horror. I honestly can't say enough positive things about this game. I adore it! I've been playing in a long running campaign and it's the highlight of my week! The book also has some example assignments, but a lot of it is left to you and your Lightkeeper's (GM) imagination. The sky is the limit with this game, though I highly recommend safety tools, as this is a horror game. There is also an amazing community online around this game (you can find many on the Darrington Press discord) with fresh ideas, inspiration, and tales to share. It is the one TTRPG I think everyone should play!

Danil and Dragons avatar

Danil and Dragons

New review

Ran 4 sessions

Candela Obscura is an easy to grasp, cinematic, immersive horror RPG that will have you at the edge of your seat. It is filled with action-packed sequences, psychological horror, in-character drama and everything else your heart might desire from a Victorian horror game. The world is rich but open and easy to interpret and adjust to your story and characters. I highly recommend to give it a go!

Colton Mayo avatar

Colton Mayo

New review

I love running Candela Obscura. I have adopted the opening scene idea from it into my other games to set the mood and theme for the session. I also love the idea of otherworldly threats that the players can deal with without directly fighting it necessarily.

Jeremiah | The Direpug Storyteller avatar

Jeremiah | The Direpug Storyteller

New review

Ran 1 sessions

A cold open: a scene where you witness the peril's of tonight's session from a mystery perspective, and see what happens to the victims of such horrors. Cut to the library, the secret headquarters, or hidden teahouse room where your guide, your Lightkeeper, gives you a full briefing on tonight's assignment. After some witty banter between you and your Circle members, you each grab your gear bags and head off into the night... Candela Obscura scratches that specific itch when it comes to supernatural investigation. The game mechanics mimick the style and feel of of great 90's-00's mystery dramas, the shows from the days of commercial breaks and 'monsters of the week'. However, this unique setting that straddles the lines between Victorian-punk and Gatsby-punk is a treat to dive into. With just enough setting to imply a fully-fledged world full of adventures and enigmas, this game is perfect for more roleplay- and improvisation-oriented groups. Player choice may seem limited at character creation, but this game relies heavily on the tropes of its mixed genres. The lack of complete freedom here is the games way of subtly guiding your hand into gameplay options appropriate for mystery/horror. However, once you have the mechanics set, there are many options for character customization when it comes to personality, backstory, and genre-defining creativity. For Storytellers/GMs, this game is a breeze to run in terms of system mechanics. Almost every single action in the narrative is dictated by the Players and their agency, with most of your task in running CO concerning reactions and improvisation. It can be difficult, at first, for more 'systems-oriented' GMs to get used to leading the Players in this game, but it is well worth the reward.

Evie avatar

Evie

New review

I've played a couple games of Candela GMed by a close friend of mine and it was incredibly fun (and harrowing). The system is built to springboard you into a deep and thoughtful exploration of your characters— their strengths, their sorrows, and their fatal flaws. Its recovery mechanic is very well-designed: you get SOME health and abilities back after each assignment, but you have to ration them out if you want to survive to the end of the arc or your next Circle Advancement (akin to leveling up in D&D and other systems). It works best for short, episodic adventures, but those can easily build up into a longer narrative in a monster-of-the-week fashion. Overall, Candela is very fun and I would absolutely recommend it if you're looking for an intense, character-driven gothic horror game.

Anya avatar

Anya

New review

Ran 30 sessions

Candela Obscura is the absolute best system for collaborative storytelling for psychological horror (and other forms of horror, if that is your jam, of course). It is so creatively freeing to run and shape the world around Newfaire with my players, and there are so many different locations to explore both in and outside of Newfaire that you can spend ages delving into this creepy fantastical alternate universe with your tables. Assignments are typically, technically, only supposed to last for one session, but my current campaign tends to stretch them out to four to six sessions because this is a system that is highly geared toward roleplay. 10/10 best system.

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

985 games hosted

Average response time: 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

DMs Guild Writer
Streamer
Artist
Game Designer
Multi-lingual

4 years on StartPlaying

1199 games hosted

Average response time: 5 hours

Response rate: 100%

LGBTQ+
Teacher/Educator
Multi-lingual

3 years on StartPlaying

469 games hosted

Teacher/Educator
Voice Actor

2 years on StartPlaying

380 games hosted

Average response time: 2 hours

Response rate: 100%

Voice Actor

2 years on StartPlaying

70 games hosted

Women/Femme Identifying
Multi-lingual

4 years on StartPlaying

1347 games hosted

Average response time: 4 hours

Response rate: 100%

Streamer
Podcaster
Teacher/Educator

4 years on StartPlaying

455 games hosted

Average response time: 8 hours

Response rate: 100%

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

2 years on StartPlaying

428 games hosted

Average response time: 2 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.

Virtual table tops for Candela Obscura (VTTs)

Buy the book!

Buy the book!

Similar game systems to Candela Obscura

Find a Candela Obscura group and Start Playing today!

Looking for a group to play Candela Obscura online? Find a group run by a professional game master. Search for games by day, time, and experience and start playing Candela Obscura today!