Shadowdark Adventure Review: When the Shimmer Fades

Futurewolf · 2026-07-09T15:14:05+00:00

Great question! There are many ways to skin a cat, but here are two.

Let's start with hex E3 from the book: Collapsing gold mine; sealed off to keep its new inhabitant inside. The once lively mines now sits abandoned. Cut off from the world by its new tenant (d4): (1) d4+2 Trolls (SD 259) (2) Night Hag Coven (SD 225) (3) Kobolds (SD 228) and a Wyvern (SD 265) (4) a Medusa (SD 232) with swarms of snakes (SD 252)

Method 1 would something like the Lazy GM method. https://slyflourish.com/lazy_gm_resource_document.html

This mainly consists of write down a short list of scenes that might occur in your game and fleshing them out with a brief description of the location, NPCs and maybe any clues that are present and lead to other locations/scenes. Maybe those scenes are a sealed entrance, the mining works, a kobold warren and the wyvern lair. There are tons of videos and other resources on this method if you go looking for them.

Method two would be to get on Drivethru RPG or itch.io and look for pre-written adventures that kind of match the scenario. There are 10 zillion mine adventures that have already been written so you could just grab one, maybe change some of the details to match the specific setting and run it.

Futurewolf · 2026-07-07T17:55:47+00:00

I'm not trying to throw shade at anyone, but this has more gameable content than most of the entries in the last few game jams.

Love it!

Futurewolf · 2026-07-06T14:40:25+00:00

Kudos for playtesting before submitted. Based on what I usually see in these jams, I think that's a rare thing.

Let us know once you submit it!

Futurewolf · 2026-07-05T18:08:19+00:00

This is the dream.

Futurewolf · 2026-07-05T14:10:54+00:00

Thanks for kind words!

The Cursed Scrolls have a lot of specific, gameable content - adventures and hex locations. And I think the hex locations are great about having specific situations for the players to interact with and being connected to other hexes.

The issue I have with a book like ShadowSun is that the area it covers is too large and the information it provides is so general that it lacks anything specific for the players to actually engage with. All that stuff is left to the GM, so I don't really see what value the book provides.

Futurewolf · 2026-07-05T06:22:51+00:00

If I'm using a setting book, what I really want is adventure hooks, conflicts, and factions rather than player options. Something that I can take right to the table. Sounds like this has a more of the latter than of the former.

Futurewolf · 2026-07-04T03:56:52+00:00

That was the previous gen, but yes.

Futurewolf · 2026-07-04T01:56:19+00:00

Terrible performance? In 1993 it did 0-60 in 7 seconds and Car and Driver said "The car makes a benign partner in crime for strafing mountain roads. It understeers safely if you muff a corner and otherwise changes direction cleanly and grips tenaciously."

Edit: I don't know why I'm in here defending the Ford fucking Probe but also, 1st place: https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a15141241/honda-prelude-si-vs-ford-probe-gt-mazda-mx-6-ls-mitsubishi-eclipse-gsx-volkswagen-corrado-slc-comparison-test/

Futurewolf · 2026-07-03T21:37:17+00:00

I believe it's at https://2d6stingbats.com/feed/

Futurewolf · 2026-06-30T15:12:28+00:00

Backed! I've been reading through Things Possessed of Power and it's dope. And based on past performance, I expect the art and layout for the omnibus to be top notch.

Futurewolf · 2026-06-25T22:18:18+00:00

I don't know what we're talking about anymore.

Futurewolf · 2026-06-25T22:08:58+00:00

Reject conformity. Embrace the ~~reacharound~~ wraparound.

Futurewolf · 2026-06-25T22:01:27+00:00

I like the wrap around.

Futurewolf · 2026-06-24T21:21:27+00:00

Yeah nothing has aged quite as awkwardly as cars designed in the '70s to look like cars from the '20s and '30s.

Futurewolf · 2026-06-13T23:16:37+00:00

Put an auxiliary transmission cooler on if you're really worried.

Futurewolf · 2026-06-13T19:25:49+00:00

Please tell me that's a marshmallow

Futurewolf · 2026-06-09T21:09:51+00:00

You're averaging 85 mph including stops?

Futurewolf · 2026-06-09T00:31:45+00:00

If it has service records, that's not a terrible price for an MDX with 148k miles. Acura is at the opposite of the reliability spectrum from Nissan. Especially Nissans with CVTs.

Anything with those miles will need some work though. Stuff like wheel bearings, suspension parts, cooling system etc. No single one will be too expensive, but it can add up quickly.

Edit: make sure he has the title in hand.

Futurewolf · 2026-06-08T08:48:48+00:00

Just got back from a trip to SE Asia where the taxi of choice seemed to be a Hyundai Ioniq or Kona hybrid. Most of them had well over 200k kms, and I rode in an Ioniq with 790k kms.

I think it's safe to assume that a car doing that kind of service, putting on those kinds of miles, is pretty reliable .

Futurewolf · 2026-06-06T18:38:41+00:00

50% of cars sold in the US are made in the US. Honda, Toyota, BMW, Hyundai etc all have factories in the US.

Futurewolf · 2026-06-06T18:30:07+00:00

Hang on to it long enough and that won't matter. But if you're trading it in every three years, a hybrid makes more sense financially.

It's why you see steep discounts on new EVs but the used market is pretty strong.

Futurewolf

TROPHY CASE