The deserted or abandoned setting
Your Shadowdark or D&D players have been travelling on the old road for days when they finally see a town in the distance. It rests between two small mountain ranges, nestled on the valley floor with a winding river beside its defensive walls. Strangely there are...
Drawing my own hexcrawl map for Shadowdark
I spent some time today drawing up a regional map for my weekly Shadowdark game. We play with Discord and use Roll20 to show maps and occasionally move tokens. I am adding roads, forests, and using icon art for cities, towers, and other landmarks. This...
Avenge the White Mare for Shadowdark with Michael Putlack
Michael Putlack of @NightNoonGames joins me to talk about his Kickstarter based on the Hungarian folktale, Son of the White Mare. The adventure is the central theme of Putlack's new Shadowdark zine, Attack the Light. Are you ready to face the imposing Sárkány dragon? All...
Erudite Zines Go Copper Level on Drive-Thru
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I am happy to announce that my first two zines have gone Copper level on Drive-Thru RPG. Woohoo! Thank you very much to everyone who has bought the zines and I appreciate your support! As of March, 2026, both zines have sold 50 units so far....
Weaponry: Poleaxes
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] By the late 14th century, European warfare had changed in fundamental ways. Knights and men-at-arms increasingly fought on foot, armor had become heavier and more sophisticated, and the sword alone was no longer enough to reliably end a fight. The poleax emerged from this shift...
Thinking About Light in Shadowdark
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Light is one of the quiet tricks Shadowdark pulls on you. Not cinematic light, not “for atmosphere only” light, but real, anxious, constantly-depleting light. The kind that makes players glance at the clock and ask how many minutes they have left before everything goes wrong. The...
Weaponry: Rondel Dagger
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Your fighter is locked in melee against an Orc or a black knight. On your attack you drop your shield and try to grapple with him. On the next attack roll you successfully knock him prone and pin him on the ground. Now it's time...
Weaponry: The Bardiche
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Continuing my series on interesting historical weapons for use in Shadowdark, I give you the Bardiche. Like some other medieval weapons, the Bardiche came from its primary use as a practical tool in agriculture or animal husbandry. A polearm of sorts, farmers used a very similar...
Weaponry: The Falchion for Shadowdark
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Slash, bash, and chop your way through Shadowdark melee battles Recently, I created a video series about weaponry in Shadowdark, highlighting some additional selections from European history to add more tactical options and flavor for players and the GM. The free pdf below is yours to...
10 Low-Level Spells for Shadowdark
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Never one to be happy with the status quo, recently I thought about expanding the spell list for wizards and priests in my Shadowdark game. Even though our wizards or priests begin at 1st level, we might assume they have had some experience in gaining...