One of my big goals for this year is to get back into playing tabletop RPGs (TTRPGs).

I was running a 4th edition D&D campaign for years, and then life forced me to put it on hiatus. It took 4 years, but I’m glad to say that I’m finally getting that ball rolling.

At the same time, my opinion of Wizards of the Coast soured greatly. Even from the sidelines, I was aware of the OGL crisis and the refresh of D&D 5th Edition and various controversies, and I decided it was time to move onto other games and other creators.

Enter Shadowdark.

Shadowdark

Shadowdark RPG is an OSR game, designed by Kelsey Dionne, that tries to capture the feeling of original D&D, but using modern design sensibilities. I’ve only run one game in the OSR style, but I’ve been fascinated by it for a long time, so when this came on my radar, due to the Kickstarter for Western Reaches, a campaign setting for Shadowdark, I had to jump on!

I backed comprehensively, so I’ll be receiving a Core rulebook, as well as premium versions of the setting books (including the Cursed Scroll zines, which focus on specific areas of the setting). It’s a birthday gift from my partner, so I won’t be able to enjoy it for a few more months, but that makes it more exciting.

Community

As an obsessive by nature, I had to consume everything I could about the game, and that includes joining The Arcane Library’s Discord server. You can join it here. It’s been wonderful to join the community there. Everyone is super friendly, and willing to entertain questions, even the ones that feel silly to ask.

It’s rare to find communities that are so welcoming and accepting, and I’m grateful to be there.

Inspiration

During the Kickstarter campaign, I had the pleasure of watching some of the livestreams, which showcased the way Kelsey approaches game design. Seeing how classes and adventures get designed gives me hope for eventually working on some Shadowdark adventures and other game content of my own, for my group, and maybe even for others in the future.

The Future

I’ve garnered interest from my local play-group for a West Marches-style format of campaign, so I’ll be starting that later this year, when I can dig deep and truly absorb the rules of the game, and understand the style of play.

I’m going to try and blog more, on a wider array of topics, moving forward.

See you around!