Kal -Arath is a completely self-contained 56 page booklet of rules, setting, and tables designed for solo, co-op, and group play. Or, you can just as easily lean into the setting, procedural gameplay and many included tables using your own favorite fantasy ttrpg rules. The game includes procedural rules that are a breeze for the solo player or the zero-prep group or co-op session: overland travel/hex crawling is broken down into different phases that create a satisfying gameplay loop and keep the action going. Oracles, Starting Adventure Seeds, Points of Interest, Encounters, Settlements, NPCs, Dungeons, Items - all of these have their own tables for generation, and combined together create a setting flavorful setting that emerges from the tables themselves - and over 25 pieces of original, hand drawn art. The included ruleset is a 2d6 system that blends my favorite aspects of Barbaric!, Mörk Borg, Black Sword Hack and OD&D - it is classless, with player facing rolls (due to its intention to be played solo with no rules changes); combat is fast and extremely deadly, with exploding damage dice and different maneuvers available to various weapons. A character could begin their career as a barbarian fighter type, and through progression take a backstab skill and later in their career pursue a demonic pact to learn the dark arts of sorcery, if they live that long. The following is some flavor text from the intro: Greetings, wanderer of wild and treacherous lands, seeker of glory and power untold! You have set your foot upon the perilous path into a savage land - a realm where ancient demons demand sacrifice and vie for power…and mortals strive against one another with blood-magic and steel. This massive steppe is known to its peoples as Kal-Arath, although the barbarians of the north refer to the vast grassland as “The Kyrg.” Arathi civilization centers around the stony plateau city of Kar’eld, heart of the Khanate of Akkai, the demon lord of Kal-Arath. Across these untamed vistas, the battle-barges of countless warlords sail a sea of grass and stone, crews hungry for the favor of squabbling demon rulers both demanding and cruel. To survive in Kal-Arath is to dance with death, yet the rewards for the bold are riches and renown beyond imagination. Here are monks and mystics drunk on the rotting blood of human sacrifice, practicing arts considered inhuman by those foreign to this place. Their bodies are hardened by fighting arts taught them by their dark masters, and their minds are fixed on nighted voids beyond mortal understanding. In the sky, beneath the blinding sun, one can sometimes see the riders of the fearsome flying lizards called teradun, doing battle with flashing lances or dark magics. These riders are sometimes favored champions of spiteful demonic nobility, or mercenary captains, or perhaps even the scouts or messengers of some wealthy merchant king. For Kal-Arath is not truly ruled by any - the city of Kar’eld may be the seat of the power of Akkai, but his lordship is contested at every turn by mortal and demon alike. This is a land where even a lowly pit-fighter may earn the love of the crowd and become king. Where rich traders and clever merchants hold more power than gods… and he who learns the secrets of decaying scrolls and forgotten codexes might set himself up as opposition even to the demons who rule this land from their blood-soaked temples. This is Kal-Arath. Who will you be? How will you die?
This product is a sword and sorcery inspired rpg setting book made for use with the Kal-Arath RPG by Castle Grief. It can be played with any RPG system and added as a new region in any OSR game as well, bestiary entries are provided with OSR stats on the last page. Included in this 26 page zine are wilderness & city encounter tables, a freeform Rune magic system, a bestiary of desert creatures, and more! Welcome to the Deserts of Zothia, an ancient and strange realm where the blazing sun reigns over a land shaped by blood and ambition. The crimson river called the Vein snakes through the arid expanse, nourishing three great cities: the Necropolis of Gul, the fierce Citadel of Varan, and the bustling trade hub of Naira. Surrounding the river valley of the three cities stretches the treacherous Red Wastes, a vast, sandstorm-ridden desert inhabited by crescent-blade-wielding Daken tribesmen. The Daken worship the pale moon and migrate around the sands on colossal beetles, and despise the opulent Sun-worshipers in the valley. They share the wastes with all manner of terrifying creatures, from fierce lizards to cunning hyenamen and the earth-shaking Geass mother-worms. Will you have the courage to explore this unforgiving land, forge your own destiny, and uncover the secrets hidden within its shifting sands? Red Wastes of Zothia is an independent production by Silver Nightingale and is not affiliated with Castle Grief. It is published under the KAL-ARATH Third Party License
After the Solar Wars almost nothing was left…. Empires demolished, cultures destroyed, the Legion scattered across the void as a shadow of it’s former self. All that remains is the 3TR-N5 station, Eternus. Looming in the middle of the space, an impossible structure of rings within rings, constantly shifting, whirring, and changing. Surrounded by the inky blackness of space and the vast ruins from generations of a war that slowly whimpered out. For decades now Eternus has survived on the salvage of bygone eras, small outlying colonies, and asteroid mines. Feed with the sweat, toil, and blood of Drifters, those desperate few willing to leave the safety of the rings and go… Through the Void. Through The Void is a minimalist POSR (Post Old School Renaissance) inspired RPG for 1-7 players by Tony Vasinda and the Plus One Team. The core rules of the game fit on 2 sheets of paper. Explore abandoned asteroid mines, hulking relics of the solar wars, and lunar labs. Through The Void provides the character creation, rules, and procedures you need to build thrilling space adventures, and all you need are pencils, dice, and a few hours with your friends.
Maze Rats is a 2d6 RPG and sandbox toolkit for old-school-style adventuring. It contains a single, compact page of rules, a one-page character creation guide, a hand-drawn character sheet, and eight pages of 36-item random tables, rollable with two six-sided dice. Each page contains 9-12 tables, covering spell generation, monster generation, NPCs, treasures, cities, wildernesses, and dungeons. If you run (or have always wanted to run) open sandbox adventures, Maze Rats offers everything you need in a compact, easily-referenced format. Also included is two pages of advice for preparing and running open-world games in the OSR style. Character are extremely quick to generate, making it great for convention games, one-shots, or introducing new players. The game is highly lethal, and assumes a style of play where caution is essential to long-term survival. It is technically classless, but the leveling options allow players to specialize in fighting, thievery or wizardry or some mixture of the three. Magic is simple and chaotic, with new randomly-generated spells filling the magic-user’s head each night. Everything about the game is designed to be as clean, fast, and intuitive as possible, while driving players towards creative solutions rather than brute force.
Lavender Hack is a grand strategy fantasy role-playing game of strict time records, mismanaged party resources, diplomatic incidents, magical mishaps, starving in the wilds, running out of light in a dungeon, facing mutiny on the high sea, and going broke in service to your company’s wild ambitions! Lavender Hack is a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game with a focus on strict time records, exploration, diplomacy, trade, downtime, and getting as much wealth as possible. In many places, it works like 80’s era old school fantasy role-playing games, but it has some newer tech as well, such as success with cost, aspects, usage dice, and tighter procedures to support strategic modes of play.
Hey! Here is June’s adventure for FLAIL. I decided to take a different route this time. Instead of a location-based module in a trifold format, like all others until now, i’m releasing a Quest Scenario - very much like those that appear in the rulebook and that will also feature in the Hexcrawl Toolbox. From what i can gather, this adventure format has been gaining a lot of popularity, because it’s very easy to pick up and run while giving players whole regions to explore, soooooo here’s a fun one for your players. This one is a bit cruel, pointless maybe — but I find it very funny and so did my players. The premise is simple: a gnome hires the party to deliver a sealed chest across the realm. The chest is, secretly, a bomb. They are told not to open it, paid not to open it, and will lose their reward if they open it. When they finally arrive, the recipient wants nothing to do with it. If they return to where they started, the sender denies everything. There is no good ending, and that’s exactly the point. Lemme know how your group handled this mess. Should take your players about about 3.5 hours to play through this thing. This is how long my group took anyway, but they explored quite a bit and maybe your group will take a faster router. And of course it ended with the chest exploding in Lord Morlaeril’s face, the party fleeing 10 surviving guards and an angry mob, only to return to Cloud City and confront Cogglespitz, who denied everything and threw them in jail. The end.
A gore-crusted dungeon delve for Shadowdark Hail the Slaughter Crescent is a brutal one-session delve by award-winning deathtrap dungeon designer Sersa Victory. Inspired by the savage goddesses of ancient Mesopotamia, this dungeon is ideal for groups who enjoy lethal combat, difficult trade-offs, and relentless time pressure. When the daughters of goddesses make war, all will tremble In this delve, the adventurers descend into the War-Womb: a buried temple once ruled by Slaughter Crescent, the barbarian daughter of Ishtar. Now, the temple has fallen into the coils of Misery Veil, the naga daughter of Ereshkigal: Ishtar’s rival sister and Queen of the Underworld. To save their city-state from annihilation, the adventurers must slink into the temple and steal a war relic—Her Horn of Hundred Hordes—before the black banners of extinction reach their walls. Race the siege Every passing minute brings the characters’ home city-state closer to destruction. They have only four hours of real time to seize the Horn and escape before their people are trampled to dust. Praise the Queen of Heaven The War-Womb festers with the rotten faithful of Ishtar: war-mother zombies who shriek from blood-filled birthing pools, berserker oracle-harpies who feast upon entrails for prophecy, and the animated remains of Slaughter Crescent’s butchered minotaur mount. Defy the Queen of the Dead The invincible naga Misery Veil slithers through the temple like a living cataclysm. She whispers perfumed curses, bursts innards with underworld chants, and manifests in charnel corners where invaders have little hope of escape. Claim the trophies of conquerors Ancient war-spoils wait behind slaughter-locked doors. Characters might discover a newborn minotaur calf preserved in an urn, the severed fingers of a Sorcerer-Queen, the black summoning crystal of a butcher-maiden, or a mythic tablet capable of waking the divine dead. Go, grant them their wish The War-Womb is a maze of blood and birth grease. To claim the Horn, the characters might animate a flayed headless minotaur, cross the gates of the Underworld in skeletal form, lubricate a skullgrinder ballista with rendered calf fat, or invoke forgotten goddesses from an age before the flood. Delve features For three to five 3rd-level characters 34-page bookmarked and hyperlinked module (pages and spread formats) 8 illustrated handouts 13 deadly dungeon chambers—backup characters required 10 new monsters 14 unique treasures Digital temple maps
Delve deep down into the chaotic mess of a long–abandoned wizard’s basement. Get eaten by living corridors, walk through piles of slugs, gaze upon the trees of flesh, converse with a captured Patron of Sprouts & Spores, find forgotten potions and wizard’s robes, and get lost in the expanded mind of a lonely slug. ––––––––––––––– Intro: You have found the bones of long-dead Wizard Halvia ‘The Whisperer’. Among the bones lies a note; detailing the coordinates of an isolated wizard’s tower named “The Spindle” – and a grand reward upon delivery of the bones. In Halvia’s 252 years of absence, Kalvadox the servant – a living book with legs – has been trying to maintain The Spindle. The basement; full of magical materials, objects, & creatures, has long been warded off – ever since odd & unearthly noises started emanating from the depths, triggering the cowardly nature of Kalvadox. Performing a Ritual of Resurrection, Kalvadox brings back Halvia: but the Wizard is weak, and their memory cloudy. They cannot remember where your grand reward is hidden – but one thing may just jog their memory: Life–Bringer. A bright yellow, icosahedral crystal, the size of a fist, said to have life–giving properties. The crystal is stored within the depths of the basement, which Kalvadox reluctantly reopens for you. Who knows what magical Chaos has ensued in these long–abandoned bowels of The Spindle?
You have heard of an ancient building that only appears when the fog in the region lifts. Then you can see the outline of an old structure, a terrifying-looking castle that descends straight from the heavenly kingdom.This adventure is intended for level 3-5 characters, and fully compatible with Shadowdark RPG ! It takes large inspiration on 3 classic NES games : Castlevania / Mega Man / Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.The forgotten castle of Niva Celasta is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The ArcaneLibrary, LLC. This was created for the Shadowdark 8-bit game jam hosted by Dungeon Masterpiece - Baron de Ropp. Hope you find it amusing, oh and be careful of the stairs !
Indiana Ford and the Temple of Trials is an 8-Bit inspired adventure for 4-6 Shadowdark characters of 8th level. This adventure was designed to be run as a one-shot and should take ~4 hours to complete. GM Background The party has just received an urgent message from their old adventuring companion Indiana “Indie” Ford. Indie’s discovered an ancient Temple of Ord that houses great knowledge and powerful artifacts, but there are Drow Shune worshippers hot on his tail, and if the temple’s secrets were to fall into Shunite hands, it could spell disaster. The Shunites, led by High- Priestess Velissra, seek to awaken the Tarrasque (!) that slumbers beneath the temple. The party must explore the crumbling ruins, defeat or evade its watchful guardians, and pass its dangerous trials to gain access to the temple’s Final Sanctum. There they may try to defeat the Shunites, stop the ritual of awakening, and save Indie’s life, but Ord only knows if they’ll make it in time… 8-Bit Inspired This adventure was designed for Dungeon Masterpiece’s Shadowdark 8-Bit Game Jam. The titles assigned to me were: The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles Rampage Jeopardy 25th Anniversary Edition Those titles inspired this adventure in these ways: Indiana Jones. Major adventure NPC is a clear homage to the titular character Features exploration of ancient ruins/dealing with dangerous trials Rampage. Features colossal, reptilian monster intent only on destruction Features building destruction (monster’s awakening is destroying the temple). Jeopardy. Features a test of lore/ knowledge Answering questions incorrectly has consequences
A Greek Pantheon themed adventure for ShadowDark RPG. Suitable for level 3 characters. Created for the 2026 ShadowDark 8-bit Jam.
Lost in Mortsafe Mire is a Shadowdark adventure presented like a lost NES instruction booklet. It’s a swamp-choked exploration scenario inspired by the NES games Golf, Mario Is Missing!, and The Adventures of Bayou Billy. Background A reclusive doctor vanished in Mortsafe Mire weeks ago while looking for a cure for marsh fever. The crawlers must navigate the hostile wetlands, find the missing doctor, and bring him home before the plague spreads. What’s inside: A complete swamp hexcrawl designed for level 4 to 6 crawlers10 keyed locations connected by a treacherous waterway Fresh random encounters, hazards, and clues for exploration New monsters and environmental threats for swampy settingsA “push-your-luck” navigation method inspired by NES gamesA search-for-clues procedure to track missing NPCs
A Shadowdark adventure for 4th level characters The archmage Temenor sealed an ancient artifact in his manse before dying. Race against time to claim it, before the lunar eclipse begins. Includes: New monsters New items A new wizard spell: leap Created for the Shadowdark 8 bit Game Jam.
Created for the 8-Bit Shadowdark Game Jam hosted by Dungeon Masterpiece, I was assigned randomly 3 Classic NES titles to use as inspiration for a Shadowdark Adventure module. My classic titles were: Eliminator Boat Duel (1991)Clu Clu Land (1985)Kung Fu Heroes (1988) So I came up with a boat race1 in a cave, sponsored by pufferfish2 and threw in some new creatures.3
Do you have what it takes to defeat the evil Hand Clan, the Grater and master brain Krung? Explore the sewers of Old Yorke City and find out!No AI used in the making of this adventure.
This is a short adventure and dungeon for player characters lvls. 1-3 made by Jazz Cartographer for the Shadowdark 8 bit Game Jam set up by Dungeonmasterpiece - Baron de Ropp. I made it like a zine, then scanned it for that lo-fi, preservation NES booklet “did their best” scan look I kept finding in my research.
This project was created for the 8-bit Shadowdark Game Jam. Inspired by the classic NES titles Snake’s Revenge, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, and Gimmick! (or Mr. Gimmick). A hidden temple of Raxia, the Goddess of Serpents, lies deep within the jungle. A cult of her worshipers, the Rak’Sha, have acquired the ancient gems, the Stars of Raxia, and are converging upon the temple to awaken a long-dormant evil in her name. It is only a matter of time before the Five Eyed Serpent roams these lands once more. Will your party save the realm from its inevitable ophidian destruction? This is the first dungeon/adventure I’ve ever made so thank you so much for checking it out!
Against the Dark 3: Legend of the Archfiend is a compact, table-ready adventure for Shadowdark RPG, inspired by classic NES action-RPGs and old-school dungeon design. Please don’t forget to rate and review! An evil overlord stirs within a looming dark castle. Monsters roam the land, imposters walk among the people, and the castle’s influence spreads the longer it is left unchallenged. The heroes must decide how prepared they want to be before confronting the Archfiend—and how much risk they are willing to take. The adventure features: Four elemental tombs, each holding a powerful relicA hex-based region with escalating dangerA dangerous Dark Castle filled with traps, enemies, and hazards A grounded frontier town worth saving The HOTT-est room design this side of the 1980s.
The Capital City of Lyria is under ghostly assault! The Orphan Princess Syrena lay in a coma under the protection of the Holy Temple in the base of the Royal Tower. Her vile younger brother, Prince Murdah and his demonic cabal have usurped the throne in the Tower’s heights. The Traitor Prince calls forth spirits of the dead to harass the citizenry, while his conspirators in the Royal Guard secure the Tower against reprisal. The only hope for the Wise Women of the Temple to save the Princess is the Prism of Courage, a magical wand of light held in the top of the Tower. What Heroes will step forth to assail the Tower, cast down these Usurpers, and save the life of the beloved Princess in the City’s dire hour of need!?
Tetromino Brawl A competitive sport for Shadowdark RPG, inspired by NES titles and created as part of the Shadowdark 8-bit Shadowdark Game Jam, hosted by Dungeon Masterpiece - Baron de Ropp. Tetromino Brawl is an equally beloved and reviled pastime favored by glory hounds and fans with a penchant for violent spectacle. Two rival teams compete to carry the rock into the opponent’s end zone. Brawlers use all gear, weapons, and magic available to them, and both teams manipulate the terrain with basalt blocks called tetrominoes. Colorful, onion-domed towers loom high over the arena. The unseen spectators within want to know:Will you leave it all on the field? If you run it, a dollar and a comment would be greatly appreciated!