Instead of commenting on other creator's videos, you should get to your review of the new PHB, I still don't see it on your Channel. So unprofessional... 😂
It sums up the situation so well. WOTC keeps slapping the hands of the community that keeps it alive. I'll happily contribute my money to an earnest product instead of that company.
I have been running weekly games more or less since 1980. 5e broke my desire to play actual D&D anymore, so switched to PF2, which ultimately was just too rule heavy. Then came Shadowdark. It has been an absolute breath of fresh air. Has all the bits of OSR I love and adds in the bits I did like about 5e. It plays fast and smooth. Fights are fast and deadly. I spend less time focused on rules and a lot more time focused on narrative. It is easy to run, easy to prep (in as much as I prep these days) and it just flows smoothly. Absolutely looooooove it.
@@b.lloydreese2030 imo it is very easily converted. I use a lot of my old 1e modules. Mostly you can convert it on the fly. I also change up the treasure a little bit because the magic items on shadowdark are so much fun compared to standard items. I love the quirks, boons and curses you can give them. In shadowdark it is possible to have magic item that is both cursed and useful at the same time, which is a lot of fun
@@bobhill-ol7wp oh yeah, we play all sorts of games, inlcuding Forbidden Lands. We love FL, but it isn't for everyone in our group. Shadowdark is just how we "play D&D" these days. We have a few that just want to play D&D so SD is how we do that. :)
Shadowdark would be great if you could actually buy the damned book! I don't know what it's like in the US, but here in the UK, it's essentially a PDF-only product for most people. You can't even buy it direct from Arcane Library at the moment (August 2024). You can pre-order for the next print-run, which would cost me £48 here in the UK (which is already pretty pricy to be honest), and then the cheapest and slowest shipping on top of that is £14 with an unknown courier or £48 with FedEx. So £96 for one book! There are no UK stockists. Not one. There was no retailer pledge option for the kickstarter. They don't have accounts with _any_ UK wholesalers. They don't even offer a print-on-demand option through something like DriveThru. I bought the PDF and it does look good, but call me old-fashioned - I want a physical product.
I wish Shadowdark would have a portuguese version as well. Dont mind reading in english. But its definitly easier for my Brazilian friends to read in portuguese!
I often don't mind PDFs, but when I really like something, I want a physical copy. If ShadowDark would be £96 for you, that would come out to about $170 in Canadian dollars, I believe. There's an RPG I want to get from Modiphius but it would be over $250 Canadian. Granted, it's a limited edition, but even the standard book would be about $200. It seems like physical copies are becoming the domain of the wealthy.
They don't have the massive purse of Hasbro to overprint supply, and it's sold much better than they hoped for. But this is temporary. A new printing is coming out sometime this month. But since it won the Ennies at GenCon, this new printing might go fast as well... This is all just a natural consequence of having a smash hit product from an independent publisher. They don't have millions of dollars and several years of development to get things ready before release like D&D does. But it will come.
I printed it as a pamphlet size, separated it into 3 books, and sewed it in like 10 mins using instructions from another youtube channel. OD&D 3 little pamphlet vibes. I wish I had printed it on light brown paper.
Professor DM blurring the cover image of the 2024 PHB in the first seconds of his video is one of the most awesome things I've ever seen a DungeonTuber do, and my already immense respect for the Professor doubled. Dude. Yes. 1000%.
@@ScottBaker_you have to buy the special D&d glasses in order to read the D&d phb. Those glasses only come with a monthly subscription of 19.99 a month plus taxes and they stop working when you stop paying. For the D&d game master’s guide you’ll need a different set of glasses.
I love Shadowdark way more than current D&D because of it's simplicity and dangerous vibe. But while the SD rule book does have only four classes, they have released companion material with a bunch other ones, including Ranger and Bard.
This comparison became something "unintentionally" satirical. I need to try Shadowdark, and now more with the Oyster Shuckle brothel. Thx for the video PDM!
Good layout is so vital. I had someone point out to me that in the Worlds/Stars/Cities Without Number RPGs the designers was very careful to make each core idea always fit on facing pages, so you never have to flip back and forth to read a whole idea. I didn't notice that at first, but now I see why it made it easier to pick up. Glad to see Shadowdark does this as well.
I've seen Stars Without Number, it's very nicely done! Feels about as light as you can make it for what it's trying to do, so it works really well for that. And it's so easy to look things up in the book, which is exactly what you want.
I've been playing Basic Fantasy for a couple of years now. It's simple and straight forward. It's great to play with my kids who can grok the rules pretty quickly and jump in to some exciting adventures.
For the life of me, I cannot get why people are excited about Shadowdark. It is like rice flavored ice-cream; not bad but why someone would seek it out is beyond me.
Basic Fantasy is OSR in the sense that it doesn't use new mechanics, so every old adventure (OD&D, 1e, 2e, B/X) fits, like professor said about his adventures in Dungeon magazine. Basic Fantasy ALSO has extensive community content with LOTS of options, so you can have rangers, paladins, assassins, without added complexity. Also lots of adventures and supplements. All of it FREE in PDF and at cost for printed books. If someone would present me a game with simplified 5e rules that I could use to run 5e system adventures, I would get it (there are lots of good 5e content). As it is, this seems difficult. Otherwise, Basic Fantasy is my goto system for D&D.
@@sinemi3 It's also really easy to "mod" with house rules. For example I added in a simple proficiency system similar to 5e for ability checks. Every couple of levels the PCs can earn a point toward one of their proficiencies.
I enjoy both! The best thing about today's TRPG market is that we have more quality options than ever before, and thanks to WotC repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot, more people are willing to try those quality options, like Shadowdark!! Between 5e, Shadowdark, Dragonbane, Mork Borg, and many other quality rules, we can cover just about all the fantasy spectrum imaginable. Life is good!
In D&D they have provisions for reaching 20th level, and encourage easy mode play so PCs can get there... in Shadowdark (and other comparable OSR) your level cap is where you die before you reach any actual published metric. And it's glorious! 😁
Yeah, there are a lot of other options when you add in the Cursed Scrolls and those come straight from Kelsey too. If you want to mess with 3rd party writers outside of Kelsey, there are a ton of options. I will add while perusing some of the class and ancestry options in 3rd party books, some definitely have pretty obvious balance issues though.
@volairn70 I've noticed that too. However, since I have been making my own system following Shadowdark as the main structure, I have been making my own classes. It's surprisingly easy.
I guess he was comparing only core SD book and D&D PHB - if you take into account all supplements, third party stuff and the like for both games you will end up with a WAY more classes - for D&D and SD alike.
I have this as a kickstarter backer of Shadowdark. But I went looking for it yesterday online, and totally couldn't find it. Not on the Arcane library website, or the Drivethru profile. Do you know where you can source it?
@rolandschreurs6980 huh, strange. You're right, it's not online anymore. Well, it takes a minute, but you can collect the information from her creation videos. I did that when she first announced them.
Shadowdark is a system that everything matters. You go out come back and celebrate you are alive. It so much fun to play and run. I run a game every other Monday at Games Plus in Mount Prospect IL.
Ever since I was introduced to ShadowDark by a friend of mine I have never looked back. Congrats to Kelsey and The Arcane Library for their ENNIE awards!
WotC's recent behavior has cemented my decision to use Shadowdark for my next game. Their winning all those GenCon awards also made me happy and interested. I ordered the book but I don't think it ships til later this month, thankfully they're a merciful publisher that gives us the PDF up front too.
As an experiment I ran Shadowdark with my group of high school students for a semester. I then asked if they wanted to continue with Shadowdark or return to 5e. All 8 of them wanted to keep playing Shadowdark. It’s a lot easier for me to run as GM too!
Shadowdark pairs really well with AD&D. I mix and match both games and can easily convert my BECMI and AD&D modules for the mixed game. It moves much faster especially at higher levels.
Every edition of D&D since the first one, has had people saying that about the new one. I'm not saying you're right or wrong, but it's amazing how little things change.
@@ronarnold1507there are always DnDs 2%ers who hate it because it's the hipster thing to do. If everyone is happy with DnD, these people have to be the ones telling you your game sucks and you're a smuck for playing the most popular TTRPG of all time. They think they are better than you. 😅😂😅
Agreed. At about 3.5 Dungeons and Dragons started taking on a more super hero videogame vibe, it was slow but every edition after got more and more World of Warcraft and less and less J.R.R. Tolkien and lost it's fairy tale and mythology aspect. Fantasy is no longer fantastic in WotC, it's common and no longer special, like a video game.
@@convicsik So basically the problem is you're old and can't adapt. It's a classic case of juvenoia. Boomer: "Back in my day, kids had respect and DnD was better." Me: Back in your day people were even more bigoted and you had THACO. Case closed. New DnD is better. 😆 🤣 😂
Making attributes all useable for anything, with no difference by race, just means everyone will have the same bonus to everything. "When everyone is beautiful, no one is."
Good point. And it's a win-win for everyone - WotC have their request of certain demographic stays away from their game fulfilled, and you're playing a better version of D&D ;-P
@merethif Dungeons and Dragons is Dungeons and Dragons. Your game is the rip off. Just say you are playing Shadowdark and maybe quit trying to steal our name? 😅😂😂 Be proud, be Shadowdark.
@@007ohboy The professor considers the brand name to be like "kleenex" and "q-tip". It might be still its own trademark, but you can by another brand's kleenex, and it might even be just as good, or maybe better! I run Shadowdark. I don't need another name or some genericization of another trademark. I play Shadowdark, even if I'm playing it in space. (Junkers, check it out! Shadowdark meets Space Hulk.)
I love how unbiased this review is, Professor DM! You clearly a succinctly explain the similarities and differences between the games, pointing out what has changed, and talking about what each game focuses on and is designed for. You judge each game based on what it is trying to do and be, rather than what you WISH it would do/be, which is something I truly wish more people did. Also, I agree on the 1e/2e comparison with the 5e revised thing and am surprised I haven't seen anyone else mention this. Although I was born after the 1e/2e ADnD days, I've gone and looked at them and notice that this seems like a pretty apt comparison. Basically the same game, adventures and even characters can be used between them, etc.
You said in the video that you get the PDFs for the D&D books. You meant you get the DDB version. They do NOT give PDFs for their books. But you know this already.
Amazing video. Only one addendum i’d make: I’d say Shadowdark actually gives the players MORE options by removing rules. Anyone can trip a goblin because there’s no rule in Shadowdark implying you have to take the fighter class, then the battlemaster subclass, then the tripping attack maneuver. Its all ability checks baby!
D&D 5e actually made that sort of thing more awkward than it used to be when WotC designers thought they were adding choice. By having so many classes and subclasses they had to have something to differentiate them. In D&D 3e anyone could attempt to trip, disarm, or sunder a weapon on their attack it was just that fighters might have taken feats that made them more efficient at it. As a DM you can always houserule that those sorts of maneuvers are possible by all, perhaps constrain some of them to martials or a martial background, but that then weakens the battlemaster as a subclass as they aren't so special. Horses for courses, as they say.
You could have done Sly Flourish's idea. Instead of blurring pages out superimpose an image of Shadowdark over the PHB. Yet another great video from the good Professor!
I'm definitely #TeamShadowdark. Reminds me more of the Moldvey edition I first played. Newer editions of D&D (even 5e) have gotten so complicated they remind me more of doing my taxes than role-playing
Whatever you think of shadowdark as a game, to me it's become the gold standard in terms of writing and layout. It's so ridiculously intuitive and easy to navigate!
Thank you, Professor, for another great video. I find that you very well sum up the presented products (at least for what little I have seen of the new player handbook, shadowdark I know better) and the comparison excellent as well as informative. I also find great fun at the blur and drawing. After the story you just told, it is perfectly understandable and quite frankly funny. I will admit I personaly prefer shadowdark for quite exactly all the reasons you mentioned. I have a few things I would do differently of course, but the game is so well put and modular that I can easily do just that. Its lighter rules make it a lot easier to adapt to the needs of a specific table and it guides the reader better on how they could do it. And for me who personally suffered from character build overdose as a player, loosing all fun with them, I love how the talents table just break this rythm. It is liberating as well as it is quick and fun for new players. Sidenote, I'm super glad for the Arcane Library and Kelsey Dionne. I think this game greatly deserved this prize and recognition.
I ran into you in an elevator checking out of a hotel with all my GenCon loot. I thought “that guy looks like professor dungeon master, let me look at his badge…it says Dave not Professor, it can’t be the same guy” took me several hours on the road before I realized my mistake! Wouldn’t have wanted to bother you but here I’ll say love your videos and thanks for your channel! Hope you had an awesome GenCon
Hahaha love the character drawings on the DND guide. While DnD was my first rpg game ever played, I’m moving on. ShadowDark is in the running for sure.
I ran a Shadowdark one-shot for my regular group (who are loyal 5e players) and they loved it. It won’t replace the ampersand at our table but it’s earned a place. I haven’t mastered it yet, but it was still the most relaxed I’ve felt running a game. No one’s been making any noise about trying the new edition of D&D
The older D&D gets, the less I like it. I don't want to run a high-fantasy game that includes every gonzo race imaginable. I don't want to figure out how to incorporate Asimars and Goliaths into a game world that I've been running off and on since the 80's. I guess I'm getting old, but I don't see how those races fit into a Euro-fantasy world. Not sure how easy it will be to find a local group that plays any edition that's not 5E or "2024E", but maybe it's time to try.
I must admit, I even found the sheer variety of monsters in old D&D a bit much. Goblin and Kobold are just English and German equivalents. But they felt the need to provide endless variety for hacking and slashing. I have both cut back on that _and_ confined some creatures to particular settings - a troll and a centaur live in rather different climes for instance.
@@originaluddite I hear ya. There are plenty of monsters that I've never used in decades of DMing. Back in the 2E / 3E days I had gone through all the various monster books and tabbed the pages for the monsters that I felt definitely had a place in my game world and jotted little notes to myself about them and where / how they fit in.
@@mikeb.1705 yeah, I feel this approach renders things a little more believable and also allows you to explore those creatures you have chosen a bit more. Courses, there's always the 'mad lich makes a menagerie' if you want to mess with it. :)
5:21 For Shadowdark, I would categorize talents in some way, and depending on what the PC did during the last level, let them roll on one or two of the categories to let talents still be random, but more tailored.
I let them spend Learning (Downtime Activity) to practice focused training and if they succeed they can roll 3d6 drop one for their next talent roll. It gives them more flexibility that way.
My group and I are using OSE + house rules to run our Greyhawk campaign, but I plan on getting a copy of ShadowDark as soon as I have room in the budget, but based on what I have seen, including this review, I know which one of SD and 5.5 fits our play better. And lest anyone think we're all grognards: -I am not a wargamer from the '70s. I didn't start playing D&D until '90, though I was aware of it and interested before that. -Two of my players are =/> 15 years younger than me, and have been more familiar with 3.5 and 5th ed before we started this campaign, and each have stated they prefer old-school over superhero. I think the greatest testament to how much fun we're having is that we started with the intent of a one-or-two-shot, but we all wanted to keep going. The rule sets don't determine whether or not you'll have fun, but they are a factor. The fact that Hasbro leaves a foul pall over the whole thing (even more so than TSR at their worst) mostly affects whether I want to spend money there, rather than whether I think the price asked is worth what I am getting. That is its own question.
A couple months back I set my own OSE Advanced - Greyhawk campaign (playing in the Wolf Nomads) to the side to try out ShadowDark with my group. Just played our third session this evening, and even though I'm a big fan of OSE, we will be sticking with SD for the foreseeable future. We're just having way too much fun right now.
I love Shadowdark and all of Dungeon Craft's videos! The real news is Shadowdark SWEPT the ENNIEs for a great reason: It's an amazing game. Oh, and Shadowdark is available NOW! I recommend picking up lots of independent games like Shadowdark, OSE, Mörk Borg, LotFP, and absolutely DEATHBRINGER for the vibes, for the settings, and for anything you want to trivially port over that doesn't already exist made specifically for Shadowdark. When I saw Shadowdark after the Professor posted it on Patreon (and just a couple days before it went live here on RUclips), I knew I had to have that game in particular because its extreme brevity fits how I have to GM (I'm legally blind), and it feels like when I stopped working on my rules in 2020, I'd come up with about where Kelsey Dionne started. And she's improved then through constant playtesting. I know what game I'm PROUD that I bought. And I know what game I won't be buying at all. Lizards of the Ghost can keep their "Gaming as a Subscription Service", I don't need it.
Great job comparing and contrasting both games. I grew up playing 1st and 2nd edition AD&D and eventually moved on to 3rd as well. I’ll be buying the new D&D books but I’m enjoying Shadowdark and plan on sticking with it for the time being. Thanks for all of the informative and entertaining content.
Shadowdark is brilliant. I've been hooked on it since the end of last year, and it has brought so much enjoyment to my table. My teenage son said it best: "RPGs need some risk to be fun. They aren't nearly as enjoyable if I already know from the beginning that everything is going to be ok and everyone is going to make it."
Congratulations to Kelsey and Shadowdark for sweeping the ENNIEs! Very well deserved in my opinion. I ditched DnD for SD. Love it. Like the Professor said, Shadowdark is the DnD I grew up with and loved (only with streamlined rules and organization). For younger generations that didn't grow up with this flavor of DnD (real risk, rulings not rules, DIY etc.), I can only strongly urge you to give the different playstyle a try. And I strongly agree with another point made in this video--many people like to categorize SD as good for dungeon crawling only. It's true that the rules shine in that regard, but SD works PERFECTLY well for any rpg context you like--city, jungle, hills, whatever.
I'm just becoming more and more convinced to try Shadowdark. Might even switch over, but I want to leave that ball in my players' court because we did start the campaign using 5e 2014 and I don't want them to lose their character's core fantasies.
Ok I REALLY need to check out Shadowdark. Also, I agree with Deathbringer 100% regarding freaking bards. Tapdancing, sarcastic weasels casting "glamours", singing tavern ballads filled with trite innuendo in the dank, dark dank dungeon full of horrors that you're trying not to attract? Excellent axe fodder, right there!
Rules light rules! Having said that, this felt like a very balanced and positive take on both systems. Shadowdark is going to power my adventures... Until the next iteration of Deathbringer is published.
I haven't ran it yet but Shadowdark is so freaking cool. It's in our group's roster and I'm so excited to run it, I was a player in a Shadowdark game in a different group and I had a blast.
Ahhh, the thinly blurred…uh, veiled! Yes! “thinly veiled” sarcasm was sweet music to my ears. Brilliant, Professor! Three cheers for Kelsey! As a self-proclaimed wet blanket when it comes to Hasbro and its Mini-me, I do not play the dampersand game and have not for decades. I have Shadowdark, investing in its crowdfunding as a sign of solidarity and form of protest against the “Million dollars!” toy company and its villainies. I would play SD, or Deathbringer I will add, in a heartbeat and with great relish.
I love that you keep a light cheery tone when showing blurred content. I mean, you did exactly what they asked and I think the result is exactly what they deserve. I will look at my old D&D stuff with nostalgia but the collection will never grow again. Shadowdark will be added to my shelf. Keep doing what you're doing.
Shadowdark really, really deserves the win. Such a fantastic distillation of whats actually super fun about both modern and OG D&D, and the book it self is SO sick. Great product, beautifully and obviously lovingly crafted. Somehow, the behaviour of WOTC some how doesn't surprise me at all. I won't be giving them any of my money.
I really like Shadowdark. Our group played 5e, and it was okay until we hit the hitpoints blought of higher levels, and then it wasn't. As an aside we also played the beta version of Daggerheart through to 10th level, and I really enjoyed it too. I also enjoy Castles and Crusades, and Savage Worlds, and Cypher System and... and... and... I like all of them more than 5e. 😊
I enjoy both epic and gritty fantasy, although I haven't done 5e in years and haven't had a chance to try Shadowdark yet (although thanks to PDM I found out about it and joined the kickstarter so have a copy). Currently doing Pathfinder 1e and Rifts (Palladium Fantasy world currently) for fantasy along with Pulp Cthulhu (shoutout and thanks to Seth Skorkowski for turning me on to the Pulp version and some of the benefits for a campaign) and the Fantasy Flight version of Star Wars (or the funky dice version as my group calls it) to throw in some pulp/horror and sci-fi into the mix.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
I mean Shadowdark seems pretty cool, cause I can see the pages in your review. 😆
Sad but true!
I thought it was a brilliant case point for allowing the book to be properly reviewed.
Instead of commenting on other creator's videos, you should get to your review of the new PHB, I still don't see it on your Channel. So unprofessional... 😂
😂😂😂😂
You were treated unfairly in the extreme.
Shadowdark and Kelsey deserves every good thing that comes their way, amazing book.
Congratulations to Shadowdark, and its creator, for winning that sweet Ennie.
Thanks for voting
x4
“The more annoying the Bard, the more satisfying it is to kill them!” I did laugh out loud for this…thanks DB 💪👍🏻
Best joke from Deathbringer ever!
@@JasperFranz That was a joke? *puts down axe*
Deathbringer never fails to deliver.
Deathbringer spittin' sage truth!
The blurs crack me up- well played, sirrah.
It sums up the situation so well. WOTC keeps slapping the hands of the community that keeps it alive. I'll happily contribute my money to an earnest product instead of that company.
That got me a good laugh too!
Made me howl and think, "How do like them apples!!!"
The cover especially as he describes it while showing the hand drawn figures
Love the blurs. And the "alternative cover art"
i love how shadowdark is sort of a reaction to literally every race having darkvision in 5e
Hence the name.
@@nikolaybelousov1070 🤯
Apparently prior to 3E, almost no one had darkvision.
Never feel fear.
Never experience loss.
Never die.
@@ThePyrateGirl Even in 4e only about 5 races have darkvision. That's out of about 45 or so races.
Kelsey won't strike you - very safe of you!
You never know with those fussy habits XD
But she will kill your character and then put a big-ass cause of death stamp right in the middle of the page.
I have been running weekly games more or less since 1980. 5e broke my desire to play actual D&D anymore, so switched to PF2, which ultimately was just too rule heavy. Then came Shadowdark. It has been an absolute breath of fresh air. Has all the bits of OSR I love and adds in the bits I did like about 5e. It plays fast and smooth. Fights are fast and deadly. I spend less time focused on rules and a lot more time focused on narrative. It is easy to run, easy to prep (in as much as I prep these days) and it just flows smoothly. Absolutely looooooove it.
Can you use osr modules in shadowdark? Is it easy to convert?
@@b.lloydreese2030 yes, easily
@@b.lloydreese2030 imo it is very easily converted. I use a lot of my old 1e modules. Mostly you can convert it on the fly. I also change up the treasure a little bit because the magic items on shadowdark are so much fun compared to standard items. I love the quirks, boons and curses you can give them. In shadowdark it is possible to have magic item that is both cursed and useful at the same time, which is a lot of fun
Have you ever considered something not Dnd like Forbidden Lands?
@@bobhill-ol7wp oh yeah, we play all sorts of games, inlcuding Forbidden Lands. We love FL, but it isn't for everyone in our group. Shadowdark is just how we "play D&D" these days. We have a few that just want to play D&D so SD is how we do that. :)
That Shadowdark looks really good and the best - they did not blur their text and art in a book.
I think showing the pages of the Shadow Dark book, while the PHB was obscured, was pure genius 😁👍
Shadowdark you say? Yeah! 👍🏼
Same.
“I’ve seen Riverdance and MY WIFE loves it”.
I see what you did there, good sir!
My jaw is on the floor. I had heard about how amazing Shadowdark's art was, but that was astounding to see. Sold, sold, sold! And thank you!
Shadowdark would be great if you could actually buy the damned book! I don't know what it's like in the US, but here in the UK, it's essentially a PDF-only product for most people. You can't even buy it direct from Arcane Library at the moment (August 2024). You can pre-order for the next print-run, which would cost me £48 here in the UK (which is already pretty pricy to be honest), and then the cheapest and slowest shipping on top of that is £14 with an unknown courier or £48 with FedEx. So £96 for one book! There are no UK stockists. Not one. There was no retailer pledge option for the kickstarter. They don't have accounts with _any_ UK wholesalers. They don't even offer a print-on-demand option through something like DriveThru. I bought the PDF and it does look good, but call me old-fashioned - I want a physical product.
I wish Shadowdark would have a portuguese version as well. Dont mind reading in english. But its definitly easier for my Brazilian friends to read in portuguese!
You can print out the pdf. I spiral bound my copy for ease of flipping through it.
I often don't mind PDFs, but when I really like something, I want a physical copy. If ShadowDark would be £96 for you, that would come out to about $170 in Canadian dollars, I believe. There's an RPG I want to get from Modiphius but it would be over $250 Canadian. Granted, it's a limited edition, but even the standard book would be about $200.
It seems like physical copies are becoming the domain of the wealthy.
They don't have the massive purse of Hasbro to overprint supply, and it's sold much better than they hoped for. But this is temporary. A new printing is coming out sometime this month. But since it won the Ennies at GenCon, this new printing might go fast as well...
This is all just a natural consequence of having a smash hit product from an independent publisher. They don't have millions of dollars and several years of development to get things ready before release like D&D does. But it will come.
I printed it as a pamphlet size, separated it into 3 books, and sewed it in like 10 mins using instructions from another youtube channel. OD&D 3 little pamphlet vibes. I wish I had printed it on light brown paper.
Professor DM blurring the cover image of the 2024 PHB in the first seconds of his video is one of the most awesome things I've ever seen a DungeonTuber do, and my already immense respect for the Professor doubled.
Dude. Yes. 1000%.
I just assumed the actual book was all blurred so you have to go online with DDB to see the content😈
@@ScottBaker_you have to buy the special D&d glasses in order to read the D&d phb. Those glasses only come with a monthly subscription of 19.99 a month plus taxes and they stop working when you stop paying.
For the D&d game master’s guide you’ll need a different set of glasses.
@@MarceldeJong That makes total sense. I hope I can have 2 subscriptions in case I misplace the glasses 🤓 Have to have a backup pair.
I love Shadowdark way more than current D&D because of it's simplicity and dangerous vibe. But while the SD rule book does have only four classes, they have released companion material with a bunch other ones, including Ranger and Bard.
Iirc Ranger and Bard for SD supplement was also free.
This comparison became something "unintentionally" satirical.
I need to try Shadowdark, and now more with the Oyster Shuckle brothel.
Thx for the video PDM!
That was a completely positive review.
@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 And still...
Good layout is so vital. I had someone point out to me that in the Worlds/Stars/Cities Without Number RPGs the designers was very careful to make each core idea always fit on facing pages, so you never have to flip back and forth to read a whole idea. I didn't notice that at first, but now I see why it made it easier to pick up. Glad to see Shadowdark does this as well.
I've seen Stars Without Number, it's very nicely done! Feels about as light as you can make it for what it's trying to do, so it works really well for that. And it's so easy to look things up in the book, which is exactly what you want.
The planning that goes into formatting like that is really impressive.
Just one more reason not to buy anything hasbro ever again. How you gonna do a copyright strike on free publicity.
They think its going to stop the book from hitting the free airwaves. Its not going to matter. As hard as they try, someone always posts it up.
Some arts to hide...
Shadowdark really deserves every award it’s received. Next year, I’m predicting a Dolmenwood sweep. Gavin Norman’s work is amazing.
I've been playing Basic Fantasy for a couple of years now. It's simple and straight forward. It's great to play with my kids who can grok the rules pretty quickly and jump in to some exciting adventures.
It's the adventures not the system, and Basic Fantasy is awesome
For the life of me, I cannot get why people are excited about Shadowdark. It is like rice flavored ice-cream; not bad but why someone would seek it out is beyond me.
Basic Fantasy is OSR in the sense that it doesn't use new mechanics, so every old adventure (OD&D, 1e, 2e, B/X) fits, like professor said about his adventures in Dungeon magazine. Basic Fantasy ALSO has extensive community content with LOTS of options, so you can have rangers, paladins, assassins, without added complexity. Also lots of adventures and supplements. All of it FREE in PDF and at cost for printed books. If someone would present me a game with simplified 5e rules that I could use to run 5e system adventures, I would get it (there are lots of good 5e content). As it is, this seems difficult. Otherwise, Basic Fantasy is my goto system for D&D.
@@sinemi3 It's also really easy to "mod" with house rules. For example I added in a simple proficiency system similar to 5e for ability checks. Every couple of levels the PCs can earn a point toward one of their proficiencies.
@@rynowatcher okay so what ARE you excited about ? Just curious.
I enjoy both! The best thing about today's TRPG market is that we have more quality options than ever before, and thanks to WotC repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot, more people are willing to try those quality options, like Shadowdark!!
Between 5e, Shadowdark, Dragonbane, Mork Borg, and many other quality rules, we can cover just about all the fantasy spectrum imaginable. Life is good!
In D&D they have provisions for reaching 20th level, and encourage easy mode play so PCs can get there... in Shadowdark (and other comparable OSR) your level cap is where you die before you reach any actual published metric. And it's glorious! 😁
" your level cap is where you die..." I love this (might steal it)
Hey Dungeon Professor, Shadowdark does have a ranger class. It was made later on and available online.
Yeah, there are a lot of other options when you add in the Cursed Scrolls and those come straight from Kelsey too. If you want to mess with 3rd party writers outside of Kelsey, there are a ton of options. I will add while perusing some of the class and ancestry options in 3rd party books, some definitely have pretty obvious balance issues though.
@volairn70 I've noticed that too. However, since I have been making my own system following Shadowdark as the main structure, I have been making my own classes. It's surprisingly easy.
I guess he was comparing only core SD book and D&D PHB - if you take into account all supplements, third party stuff and the like for both games you will end up with a WAY more classes - for D&D and SD alike.
I have this as a kickstarter backer of Shadowdark. But I went looking for it yesterday online, and totally couldn't find it. Not on the Arcane library website, or the Drivethru profile. Do you know where you can source it?
@rolandschreurs6980 huh, strange. You're right, it's not online anymore. Well, it takes a minute, but you can collect the information from her creation videos. I did that when she first announced them.
okay.. this is.. hands down.. so far the best review of the 2024 phb that I've -seen-
Thank you kindly.
Yes, yes, and yes! And I hope it helps ShadowDark launch that much further.
@@sorenandersen6832 Share it. Every view counts.
@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 I’m extremely analogue but somehow remembered I can share to Facebook, and so share I did.
Shadowdark is a system that everything matters. You go out come back and celebrate you are alive. It so much fun to play and run. I run a game every other Monday at Games Plus in Mount Prospect IL.
Glad to hear about Jorphdan, but equally glad to see a review hear.
Ever since I was introduced to ShadowDark by a friend of mine I have never looked back. Congrats to Kelsey and The Arcane Library for their ENNIE awards!
never really heard of shadowdark
@@100madmicbut now you have! 😊
WotC's recent behavior has cemented my decision to use Shadowdark for my next game. Their winning all those GenCon awards also made me happy and interested. I ordered the book but I don't think it ships til later this month, thankfully they're a merciful publisher that gives us the PDF up front too.
I need to get my eyes checked, selective blurriness; but one thing is clear, I always watch Dungeon Craft content.
Thank you.
Woohoo I’m in a Dungeon Craft video🥳
I love the classified overlay. That made me smile
We ran a shadowdark oneshot where we merged good society into the rules to run a high society "knights tale" inspired adventure. Way easier that 5e.
I agree.
Our hobby is in good hands. Glad there are so many Indy game companies out there. ❤ Our community!
Love that this was more or less a stealth Shadowdark onboarding guide. Good stuff Dan!
After running an OD&D/AD&D hybrid campaign for decades, Shadowdark is the first modern RPG I *really* want to switch my campaign to.
@@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors check out Knave 2e as well since it has a bunch of stuff that can help flesh out your worlds a bit .
As an experiment I ran Shadowdark with my group of high school students for a semester. I then asked if they wanted to continue with Shadowdark or return to 5e. All 8 of them wanted to keep playing Shadowdark. It’s a lot easier for me to run as GM too!
Shadowdark pairs really well with AD&D. I mix and match both games and can easily convert my BECMI and AD&D modules for the mixed game. It moves much faster especially at higher levels.
That watch metaphor was amazing. Thank you, Dan.
I'm having an absolute blast running Shadowdark. My players are absolutely terrified at every turn and the body count is through the roof.
It's great.
Sounds like your players aren't very good at old school gaming 😂 The point of the game is to delve into dungeons and return ALIVE with the loot!
@tuomasronnberg5244 well, mine is a somewhat different scenario. They're myconids trying to escape the underdark because it's filling up with water.
It feels like Shadowdark is D&D and “D&D” is… something else.
Every edition of D&D since the first one, has had people saying that about the new one. I'm not saying you're right or wrong, but it's amazing how little things change.
@@ronarnold1507there are always DnDs 2%ers who hate it because it's the hipster thing to do. If everyone is happy with DnD, these people have to be the ones telling you your game sucks and you're a smuck for playing the most popular TTRPG of all time.
They think they are better than you. 😅😂😅
Agreed. At about 3.5 Dungeons and Dragons started taking on a more super hero videogame vibe, it was slow but every edition after got more and more World of Warcraft and less and less J.R.R. Tolkien and lost it's fairy tale and mythology aspect. Fantasy is no longer fantastic in WotC, it's common and no longer special, like a video game.
I agree. I’m an 80’s/90’s kid. When I think of D&D I think of Swords and Scorcery, not this … Harry Potterish whatever 5E is …
@@convicsik So basically the problem is you're old and can't adapt. It's a classic case of juvenoia.
Boomer: "Back in my day, kids had respect and DnD was better."
Me: Back in your day people were even more bigoted and you had THACO. Case closed. New DnD is better. 😆 🤣 😂
Calling Shadowdark Tudor to D&D's Rolex is the most perfect analogy I've heard. Love, a fellow watch guy and future Tudor owner 👍
We've heard Deathbringer sing and know he has the soul of a bard. Thanks for your positive explanation of both games.
OK, I'm sold...
...by which I mean, I've just ordered ShadowDark!
🙂
Making attributes all useable for anything, with no difference by race, just means everyone will have the same bonus to everything. "When everyone is beautiful, no one is."
barbarian can now use strength for stealth checks by raging.. 😔
The 'compare/contrast' approach is simply brilliant here -- thanks again for all you do!
There’s one other big difference.
D&D: “It’s not made for you!”
Shadowdark: “It’s made for you.”
Good point. And it's a win-win for everyone - WotC have their request of certain demographic stays away from their game fulfilled, and you're playing a better version of D&D ;-P
@merethif Dungeons and Dragons is Dungeons and Dragons. Your game is the rip off. Just say you are playing Shadowdark and maybe quit trying to steal our name? 😅😂😂
Be proud, be Shadowdark.
@@007ohboy
Paladium FTW!
Shadowdark is what I wished dnd become some day...
@@007ohboy The professor considers the brand name to be like "kleenex" and "q-tip". It might be still its own trademark, but you can by another brand's kleenex, and it might even be just as good, or maybe better!
I run Shadowdark. I don't need another name or some genericization of another trademark. I play Shadowdark, even if I'm playing it in space. (Junkers, check it out! Shadowdark meets Space Hulk.)
cant wait to run Shadowdark from my friends! i'm already playing with layout ideas for their first dungeon crawl
Honestly I love the comparison format
Now I want to go out and replace my old watch, that I destroyed with sweat while living in Cairns, QLD.
I switched from 5e to Shadowdark after watching your first review. Never looked back since
Also there are the Shadowdark Cursed Scroll zines, which add classes and settings.
Also also Shadowdark sells actual PDFs, which D&D doesn’t.
I love how unbiased this review is, Professor DM! You clearly a succinctly explain the similarities and differences between the games, pointing out what has changed, and talking about what each game focuses on and is designed for. You judge each game based on what it is trying to do and be, rather than what you WISH it would do/be, which is something I truly wish more people did.
Also, I agree on the 1e/2e comparison with the 5e revised thing and am surprised I haven't seen anyone else mention this. Although I was born after the 1e/2e ADnD days, I've gone and looked at them and notice that this seems like a pretty apt comparison. Basically the same game, adventures and even characters can be used between them, etc.
Thanks for engaging!
You said in the video that you get the PDFs for the D&D books. You meant you get the DDB version. They do NOT give PDFs for their books. But you know this already.
Proven time and time again this doesn't actually solve piracy. Can't believe they're still doing this.
Amazing video. Only one addendum i’d make:
I’d say Shadowdark actually gives the players MORE options by removing rules. Anyone can trip a goblin because there’s no rule in Shadowdark implying you have to take the fighter class, then the battlemaster subclass, then the tripping attack maneuver.
Its all ability checks baby!
D&D 5e actually made that sort of thing more awkward than it used to be when WotC designers thought they were adding choice. By having so many classes and subclasses they had to have something to differentiate them. In D&D 3e anyone could attempt to trip, disarm, or sunder a weapon on their attack it was just that fighters might have taken feats that made them more efficient at it. As a DM you can always houserule that those sorts of maneuvers are possible by all, perhaps constrain some of them to martials or a martial background, but that then weakens the battlemaster as a subclass as they aren't so special. Horses for courses, as they say.
You could have done Sly Flourish's idea. Instead of blurring pages out superimpose an image of Shadowdark over the PHB. Yet another great video from the good Professor!
Playing our third session of ShadowDark tonight! It has quickly become my favorite game to run and my players are loving it 🖤
Great to hear!
I'm definitely #TeamShadowdark. Reminds me more of the Moldvey edition I first played. Newer editions of D&D (even 5e) have gotten so complicated they remind me more of doing my taxes than role-playing
Whatever you think of shadowdark as a game, to me it's become the gold standard in terms of writing and layout. It's so ridiculously intuitive and easy to navigate!
I already have Shadowdark (I was a backer), and it deserves all the praise.
Thank you, Professor, for another great video.
I find that you very well sum up the presented products (at least for what little I have seen of the new player handbook, shadowdark I know better) and the comparison excellent as well as informative. I also find great fun at the blur and drawing. After the story you just told, it is perfectly understandable and quite frankly funny.
I will admit I personaly prefer shadowdark for quite exactly all the reasons you mentioned. I have a few things I would do differently of course, but the game is so well put and modular that I can easily do just that. Its lighter rules make it a lot easier to adapt to the needs of a specific table and it guides the reader better on how they could do it. And for me who personally suffered from character build overdose as a player, loosing all fun with them, I love how the talents table just break this rythm. It is liberating as well as it is quick and fun for new players.
Sidenote, I'm super glad for the Arcane Library and Kelsey Dionne. I think this game greatly deserved this prize and recognition.
Excellent review! Everything seems so much clearer now!
I ran into you in an elevator checking out of a hotel with all my GenCon loot. I thought “that guy looks like professor dungeon master, let me look at his badge…it says Dave not Professor, it can’t be the same guy” took me several hours on the road before I realized my mistake!
Wouldn’t have wanted to bother you but here I’ll say love your videos and thanks for your channel! Hope you had an awesome GenCon
Damn, i guess i have to get trough the dnd part to get to the nice stuff.
Lol. Glad you enjoy Shadwodark.
Respect my friend , love how you did the review. ordering shadowdark today. hope your well. thanks
BECMI now, BECMI tomorrow, BECMI forever!!!
I love how you go above and beyond to blur all the PHB pages which highlights the Shadowdark pages you can see even more. Well done!
Hahaha love the character drawings on the DND guide. While DnD was my first rpg game ever played, I’m moving on. ShadowDark is in the running for sure.
I ran a Shadowdark one-shot for my regular group (who are loyal 5e players) and they loved it. It won’t replace the ampersand at our table but it’s earned a place. I haven’t mastered it yet, but it was still the most relaxed I’ve felt running a game. No one’s been making any noise about trying the new edition of D&D
The older D&D gets, the less I like it. I don't want to run a high-fantasy game that includes every gonzo race imaginable. I don't want to figure out how to incorporate Asimars and Goliaths into a game world that I've been running off and on since the 80's. I guess I'm getting old, but I don't see how those races fit into a Euro-fantasy world. Not sure how easy it will be to find a local group that plays any edition that's not 5E or "2024E", but maybe it's time to try.
Exactly! A D&D tavern now has more in common with a cantina on Tatooine than a medieval tavern.
Start one! Doesn't matter if you only get two players. People will see it and talk.
I must admit, I even found the sheer variety of monsters in old D&D a bit much. Goblin and Kobold are just English and German equivalents. But they felt the need to provide endless variety for hacking and slashing. I have both cut back on that _and_ confined some creatures to particular settings - a troll and a centaur live in rather different climes for instance.
@@originaluddite I hear ya. There are plenty of monsters that I've never used in decades of DMing. Back in the 2E / 3E days I had gone through all the various monster books and tabbed the pages for the monsters that I felt definitely had a place in my game world and jotted little notes to myself about them and where / how they fit in.
@@mikeb.1705 yeah, I feel this approach renders things a little more believable and also allows you to explore those creatures you have chosen a bit more. Courses, there's always the 'mad lich makes a menagerie' if you want to mess with it. :)
5:21 For Shadowdark, I would categorize talents in some way, and depending on what the PC did during the last level, let them roll on one or two of the categories to let talents still be random, but more tailored.
I let them spend Learning (Downtime Activity) to practice focused training and if they succeed they can roll 3d6 drop one for their next talent roll. It gives them more flexibility that way.
I always appreciate a book ribbon shout out! And it’s non-glossy paper so there’s no glare!
Except form the not-beholders!
@@oz_jones the definitely-not-beholders
My group and I are using OSE + house rules to run our Greyhawk campaign, but I plan on getting a copy of ShadowDark as soon as I have room in the budget, but based on what I have seen, including this review, I know which one of SD and 5.5 fits our play better. And lest anyone think we're all grognards:
-I am not a wargamer from the '70s. I didn't start playing D&D until '90, though I was aware of it and interested before that.
-Two of my players are =/> 15 years younger than me, and have been more familiar with 3.5 and 5th ed before we started this campaign, and each have stated they prefer old-school over superhero.
I think the greatest testament to how much fun we're having is that we started with the intent of a one-or-two-shot, but we all wanted to keep going.
The rule sets don't determine whether or not you'll have fun, but they are a factor. The fact that Hasbro leaves a foul pall over the whole thing (even more so than TSR at their worst) mostly affects whether I want to spend money there, rather than whether I think the price asked is worth what I am getting. That is its own question.
Well said. My group is so similar to yours I had to check your name to be sure it wasn’t my DM posting. Game on buddy!
@@AnotherMike2 🤘
A couple months back I set my own OSE Advanced - Greyhawk campaign (playing in the Wolf Nomads) to the side to try out ShadowDark with my group. Just played our third session this evening, and even though I'm a big fan of OSE, we will be sticking with SD for the foreseeable future. We're just having way too much fun right now.
Congrats to Shadowdark for its Ennie. I'm glad I kickstarted it. :)
Thanks for the overviews and the comparisons. As always, you are wonderfully helping people consider their options 🤩
I love Shadowdark and all of Dungeon Craft's videos! The real news is Shadowdark SWEPT the ENNIEs for a great reason: It's an amazing game. Oh, and Shadowdark is available NOW!
I recommend picking up lots of independent games like Shadowdark, OSE, Mörk Borg, LotFP, and absolutely DEATHBRINGER for the vibes, for the settings, and for anything you want to trivially port over that doesn't already exist made specifically for Shadowdark.
When I saw Shadowdark after the Professor posted it on Patreon (and just a couple days before it went live here on RUclips), I knew I had to have that game in particular because its extreme brevity fits how I have to GM (I'm legally blind), and it feels like when I stopped working on my rules in 2020, I'd come up with about where Kelsey Dionne started. And she's improved then through constant playtesting.
I know what game I'm PROUD that I bought. And I know what game I won't be buying at all. Lizards of the Ghost can keep their "Gaming as a Subscription Service", I don't need it.
Thanks for sharing.
Great job comparing and contrasting both games. I grew up playing 1st and 2nd edition AD&D and eventually moved on to 3rd as well. I’ll be buying the new D&D books but I’m enjoying Shadowdark and plan on sticking with it for the time being. Thanks for all of the informative and entertaining content.
Game on!
Really dig the Shadowdark art I'll likely pick up the book for that alone even with a backlog of TTRPGs to try out.
“It’s really cool, you’ll have to take my word for it.” I’m dead
Our group has happily moved from 5e to Shadowdark and we are having a great time. Much faster and easier but no less enjoyable.
Thanks for reviewing the 2024 D&D Players Handbook! This content helped fully cement my plan to use Shadowdark for my next campaign!
Solid review and well played, Professor 😂
Thank you!
Shadowdark is brilliant. I've been hooked on it since the end of last year, and it has brought so much enjoyment to my table. My teenage son said it best: "RPGs need some risk to be fun. They aren't nearly as enjoyable if I already know from the beginning that everything is going to be ok and everyone is going to make it."
Congratulations to Kelsey and Shadowdark for sweeping the ENNIEs! Very well deserved in my opinion. I ditched DnD for SD. Love it. Like the Professor said, Shadowdark is the DnD I grew up with and loved (only with streamlined rules and organization). For younger generations that didn't grow up with this flavor of DnD (real risk, rulings not rules, DIY etc.), I can only strongly urge you to give the different playstyle a try. And I strongly agree with another point made in this video--many people like to categorize SD as good for dungeon crawling only. It's true that the rules shine in that regard, but SD works PERFECTLY well for any rpg context you like--city, jungle, hills, whatever.
I'm just becoming more and more convinced to try Shadowdark. Might even switch over, but I want to leave that ball in my players' court because we did start the campaign using 5e 2014 and I don't want them to lose their character's core fantasies.
I loved the comparison format. Now I need to try Shadowdark!
Awesome video! Lots of laughter, even more than the one the Alexandrian did :). Can't wait to see you go over draw steel as it progresses further
Ok I REALLY need to check out Shadowdark. Also, I agree with Deathbringer 100% regarding freaking bards. Tapdancing, sarcastic weasels casting "glamours", singing tavern ballads filled with trite innuendo in the dank, dark dank dungeon full of horrors that you're trying not to attract? Excellent axe fodder, right there!
Rules light rules! Having said that, this felt like a very balanced and positive take on both systems.
Shadowdark is going to power my adventures... Until the next iteration of Deathbringer is published.
I am a carbon based life form who enjoys Dungeon craft!
Thank you!
I haven't ran it yet but Shadowdark is so freaking cool. It's in our group's roster and I'm so excited to run it, I was a player in a Shadowdark game in a different group and I had a blast.
Ahhh, the thinly blurred…uh, veiled! Yes! “thinly veiled” sarcasm was sweet music to my ears. Brilliant, Professor!
Three cheers for Kelsey!
As a self-proclaimed wet blanket when it comes to Hasbro and its Mini-me, I do not play the dampersand game and have not for decades.
I have Shadowdark, investing in its crowdfunding as a sign of solidarity and form of protest against the “Million dollars!” toy company and its villainies. I would play SD, or Deathbringer I will add, in a heartbeat and with great relish.
I love that you keep a light cheery tone when showing blurred content. I mean, you did exactly what they asked and I think the result is exactly what they deserve. I will look at my old D&D stuff with nostalgia but the collection will never grow again. Shadowdark will be added to my shelf. Keep doing what you're doing.
Thanks for sharing.
I love all Shadowdark reviews by Dungeon Craft!
I watched for the Shadowdark review....And the Professor!
Shadowdark is awesome and those Ennies were well deserved. Well done Kelsey.
Shadowdark really, really deserves the win. Such a fantastic distillation of whats actually super fun about both modern and OG D&D, and the book it self is SO sick. Great product, beautifully and obviously lovingly crafted.
Somehow, the behaviour of WOTC some how doesn't surprise me at all. I won't be giving them any of my money.
Thanks for sharing.
shadowdark i purchased it and love how easy to use it is.
I’ll need to pickup Shadowdark. Especially since I won’t support WotC anymore
I do concur
Here for Prof and Shadowdark. The best kickstart I’ve been a part of. Thanks for the push Prof.
You're welcome!
I really like Shadowdark. Our group played 5e, and it was okay until we hit the hitpoints blought of higher levels, and then it wasn't.
As an aside we also played the beta version of Daggerheart through to 10th level, and I really enjoyed it too. I also enjoy Castles and Crusades, and Savage Worlds, and Cypher System and... and... and... I like all of them more than 5e. 😊
As a fellow watch enthusiast, I totally get and agree with the Rolex/Tudor reference. Well played Sir!
I enjoy both epic and gritty fantasy, although I haven't done 5e in years and haven't had a chance to try Shadowdark yet (although thanks to PDM I found out about it and joined the kickstarter so have a copy). Currently doing Pathfinder 1e and Rifts (Palladium Fantasy world currently) for fantasy along with Pulp Cthulhu (shoutout and thanks to Seth Skorkowski for turning me on to the Pulp version and some of the benefits for a campaign) and the Fantasy Flight version of Star Wars (or the funky dice version as my group calls it) to throw in some pulp/horror and sci-fi into the mix.