This is Shadowdark (2023), one of the most talked about RPGs in recent memory, certainly in the OSR neighborhood. It’s essentially the product of one person’s relentless labor — Kelsey Dionne, AKA Arcane Library — and a small pool of black ink swirlin’ artists — Lukas Korte, Brandish Gilhlm, Jesse Egan, Yuri Perkowski Domingos, Matt Morrow, Matt Ray, Mark Lyons and Abdul Latif.
But what is it? Boiled down to its essence, Shadowdark is a stripped-down version of 5E D&D, modified to provide something of the so-called Old-School experience. So, there are just four classes, combat is deadlier, exploration is limited by the necessity of torches (which introduces a lot of by-product problems for players to manage) and so on. In fact, exploration (and the finding of treasure) is really the core gameplay. In essence, Shadowdark does for 5E what Castles & Crusades did for 3E, though the end result here is more similar to something like Black Hack. There are modern comforts, like advantage and a luck mechanic. There’s new stuff, too. I have seen a lot of folks discussing the pros and cons of Shadowdark’s always-on initiative.
I don’t usually worry about time tracking or torches in my game, but Dionne makes a good case for doing so (in Shadowdark, torches last one hour of real time). It gives players something to always worry about and is more narratively interesting than encumbrance rules which I think have long been the other main way of messing with party traversal in a dungeon. I especially enjoy the GM section that encourages targeting the light and/or the holder of the torch.
It’s quite an accomplishment to deliver a system that plays well for both camps. Whether OSR or 5E player, the majority of the rules are recognizable, while the ones that aren’t should provide players pleasant surprises. That’s a rare thing!
