Dungeons and Dragons has influenced tabletop RPGs in far more than just mechanics. While it is a hodge podge of influences from pulp fiction and high fantasy, D&D has sculpted its own world on the tabletop. The monstrous denizens are iconic, influencing the look and feel of various monsters in fantasy. Shadowdark is no exception, and this upcoming bestiary brings these classic beasties to the world of OSR.
Forgotten Foes for Shadowdark compiles over 250 foes inspired by a certain dungeon crawler featuring dragons. A bonafide menagerie of iconic DnD races make their appearance here, both in monster and NPC form. Beastly panthers who warp from this place to that, brain stalkers ready to flay the minds of hapless hosts, and other not-so-subtle winks to the classic TTRPG.
What makes this bestiary fun is seeing how these iconic monsters would fight with the brutally refined mechanics of Shadowdark. Though D&D 5e is crunchy in its own right, it never quite reaches the heights of OSR RPGs. For many fans, Shadowdark is the premiere example of a modern OSR. So for folks who want to fight familiar monsters with all-new mechanics, this is a must to pick up.
For GMs migrating from D&D to Shadowdark, this is a fantastic tool for easing the transition. Namely, a ton of classic D&D adventures that feature these monsters are more easily convertible. Simply replace the statblocks and adjust the difficulty so the party doesn’t get instantly wiped by monsters meant for overpowered DnD classes.
Okay, maybe not simply, but it certainly makes conversion way easier. I’ve always found Shadowdark one of the easier ways to get people out of D&D. While the system and tone are very different, the settings feel more familiar to a D&D player. Many players have described it as an in-between for 5e and OSR, and I feel that’s a fair assessment of this D20 system.
You can support Forgotten Foes for Shadowdark on Kickstarter here.
Whether you’re a fan of OSR or 5e, the Wargamer Discord will have someone you can yap with.
Source: Wargamer
