Hi Skullking. I've been thinking about your question and think I don't quite understand it. Is "Shadowdark" like "grimdark"? I've only recently heard the latter term from a gaming friend although I'm familiar with Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader since their initial publication.
Assuming that Shadowdark is at least somewhat similar to grimdark, which may well be wrong, your question makes me think of NiteScreed's old essay, "Putting the Grey in the 'Hawk" and past discussions over the dark tone that Carl Sargent used to depict the setting in From the Ashes.
Ah, I see. Have you purchased and/or played in it? If so, what do you think?
Same for others, especially those using AD&D, OSRIC, etc.?
I presently use 5e (per players' preference) but have recently played in a campaign using AD&D 1e / OSRIC, and I've gamed with all prior A/D&D editions (except BECMI, and only a little bit of 4e). I also collected but never played Pathfinder 1e and have picked up a few Pathfinder 2e books, and I've played RPGs in different genres (e.g., Apocalypse World, Battletech, Car Wars, Mechwarrior, Scum & Villainy, Shadowrun).
5e seems fine for the story and intrigue-focused game that I DM although I have home-ruled several spells and wish it had a bit more crunch / nuance (a la 3.5e and Pathfinder).
Recently playing AD&D 1e / OSRIC in a campaign exploring Castle Greyhawk was plenty of fun, and I was a bit surprised by how comfortable (not quite the right word) it felt to play in it, for I had anticipated that I might miss later editions' innovations.
Ah, I see. Have you purchased and/or played in it? If so, what do you think?
Same for others, especially those using AD&D, OSRIC, etc.?
I played ShadowDark with Kelsey DMing, alongside George and Dave from Emperor's Choice (who own Arduin) and James Mishler last year at GaryCon 2022. While ShadowDark was fun, it was definitely on the more-minimalist side of OSR gaming compared to AD&D. My understanding is that there are some 5e-inspired mechanics in it, as well as some cherry-picking of cool OSR mechanics from other systems too, but I've not seen the newer/fuller version of the rules, just the Quickstart 2 volume set of rules.
mtg wrote:
Recently playing AD&D 1e / OSRIC in a campaign exploring Castle Greyhawk was plenty of fun, and I was a bit surprised by how comfortable (not quite the right word) it felt to play in it, for I had anticipated that I might miss later editions' innovations.
AD&D is still my preferred D&D edition, for its crunch with flexibility and without system-design constraints that 3.x had (I haven't played 4e or 5e, so I can't comment on them).
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