Kelsey Dionne ‘s Shadowdark is a sure to shake the TTRPG industry up. This role playing system gives game masters the power to make the call on how actions get resolved. And now this world has an expansion titled Shadowdark, The Western Reaches. After two years in the market, the amount of people moving over to a more back to basic fantasy environment is becoming large. From an official Discord channel to Reddit fan pages , what I am finding is even winning me over.
A welcome package at $199 USD provides newcomers with everything released to date. After getting a headache because of fellow players arguing about why certain game physics must operate this way or the fact there’s far too much data to break down an action, this remedy may well be worth it. Very few people use the Old School Renaissance (OSR) method these days, and upon discovering this game system, I know where to invest my dollars.
Ever since I’ve gotten back into role-playing games by seeing how it’s become part of fandom through YouTube channels of voice actors being gamers–and appearing in a broadcast back when Questline was known as A Filthy Lot (see below, and yes, that’s me looking like Indiana Jones/Josh Gates)–I’m hooked.
Before I limited myself to Chaosium Game’s products and a few tabletop miniature battle games, but now that I’m in three gaming groups, I’m ready to transition back to being a Dungeon Master. I just don’t want to operate under the big two fantasy juggernauts. And to find out this new contender has new material and third party support already, perhaps I can incorporate some Wild West with Asian content in it.
From the Press Release
The multi-award-winning Shadowdark RPG’s first Kickstarter brought in a world of new fans while reminding older gamers of everything they loved about the medium. The 2nd Kickstarter has surpassed the original funding campaign in the first week. Two new books, three new zines, ten new regions of mini settings and 250+ keyed hexes are some of the many new rewards available via Kickstarter !
About The Western Reaches:
The Western Reaches are an unexplored land of fragile civilizations, majestic landscapes, and forgotten horrors that lurk in the dark. Deserts, forests, jungles, frozen isles, mountains, and a vast underground allow players to explore a huge array of new people and environments. Western Reaches is a sandbox setting with an agile elegance for easy access for all.
“This world grew naturally out of my home games”, explained Shadowdark Creator Kelsey Dionne. “Over time, it turned into this webwork of material that I was making to use with my players and then share with the Shadowdark community. I was writing a campaign world for them weekly, one step at a time. Thanks to their support, the Western Reaches were able to evolve into something real.”
Funding level options include:
- Three new Cursed Scroll zines
- Each has a mini-setting with thematic character options, adventures, and rules
- Two new hardcover books: A Player’s Guide and a Game Master’s Guide
- They combine and expand all existing Cursed Scrolls zines (1-6) into a giant regional setting called The Western Reaches with a ton of new material for players and Game Masters to connect all the zines
- A premium slipcase set of all existing Cursed Scroll zines (1-6), plus the two new Western Reaches hardcover books. This is all the existing material for the Western Reaches setting in one slipcase set with luscious production quality and new cover art.
Shadowdark Promo Reel
Product Details
Three New Cursed Scroll Zines:
Cursed Scroll zines are Shadowdark RPG’s official expansion material.
- Each is 68 pages long and has new thematic character options, game rules, adventures, and a hex crawl
- This Kickstarter has three new issues, Cursed Scroll zines 4-6
- Cursed Scroll 4: River of Night (green). Set in the formidable Tal-Yool Jungle. This zine has new character classes including the ranger, basilisk warrior, and a complete druid spell list. It also has a double-sized hex crawl and nine mini-adventures!
- Cursed Scroll 5: Dwellers in the Deep (purple). A terrifying exploration of Morzomotha, a region deep within the Shadowdark. Character options include the new delver class, plus a complete spell list for chaotic wizards. It also has an adventure into the Goulish Library of Leng!
- Cursed Scroll 6: City of Masks (orange). This zine contains an entire city crawl through the dangerous and mythical City of Masks. Dance with the Duke, dodge the City Guard, and hit the town with a major expansion to the carousing and downtime rules.
Two Shadowdark, Western Reaches Hardcovers:
- Each is about 200 pages long
- The exact shelf matches the Shadowdark RPG core rules with colours + materials • When you put the covers together, they make a continuous scene to create a diptych
Player’s Guide to the Western Reaches
Game Master’s Guide to the Western Reaches
- Player’s Guide to the Western Reaches has every official new character option since the release of Shadowdark RPG, plus brand-new material including:
- New classes, ancestries, and roll tables for secrets and backgrounds • New rules for joining a faction and the benefits it grants
- Gossip, common knowledge, and a player’s version of the world map
- Game Master’s Guide to the Western Reaches has all the hex crawling material from Cursed Scroll zines 1-6, plus a bounty of new material that includes:
- A complete map of the Western Reaches
- 10 new hex regions that add to the six from the Cursed Scroll zines • Massive secrets, rumours , and encounter tables
- New mechanics for learning from special NPCs the characters can find
Premium Slipcase Set:
- Gorgeous clothbound books with new, antique gold foil cover art, ribbon bookmarks, and sewn bindings
About Kelsey Dionne/Arcane Library:
Kelsey Dionne is a four-time gold ENNIE-winning game designer who first opened the rune-inscribed doors to The Arcane Library® in 2017.
She released Shadowdark® RPG, an old-school fantasy adventure game with modern design, in March 2023. It was funded on Kickstarter for $1.3 million. In 2024, Shadowdark RPG won the Three Castles Award for best role-playing game design, as well as gold ENNIEs for Product of the Year, Best Game, Best Rules, and Best Layout and Design. Her other work has reached wide critical acclaim, including 500+ five-star reviews and 160,000+ downloads for The Secrets of Skyhorn Lighthouse, the highest-rated adventure ever on DMs Guild.
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