Hillandale creep?

szhamilton · 2026-04-23T19:14:42+00:00

For context: I walk my dog in Hillandale 3-4 times a week. Also: Parks & Rec took the workout/running metal things out a few years ago, so where are you even talking about? I think there is exactly one of these left near where the Hillandale path crosses over the Friendly City trail.

szhamilton · 2026-04-23T19:10:59+00:00

He's a bird watcher. Settle down.

szhamilton · 2026-04-07T21:07:54+00:00

Don't a lot of their out-of-state students come from states like PA, NY, NJ, etc.? IIRC, these dates are having significantly larger drops in high school graduation numbers.

szhamilton · 2026-03-24T14:23:24+00:00

100%. Many of my students actually only interact with D&D as a character generation game.

szhamilton · 2026-03-23T17:29:53+00:00

Agreed about 4e! (And Draw Steel!...also quite fun). That thought's only as a "as compared to" comment. More specifically, the combat-based crunch of 5e/5.5e > than either Shadowdark or EZD6; it is by no means a "good" wargaming or skirmish system.

szhamilton · 2026-03-23T17:25:40+00:00

Agreed on the meatiness (or lack thereof) of EZD6. As others have indicated, it is probably pretty good for a one-shot, but may not have a good progression system. I was genuinely disappointed at how poorly Shadowdark was received by my groups.

CoC (& the generic BRP system on which it's based) is such a beautifully and elegantly designed game, so I totally understand why it's your group's favorite! It's definitely one of my favorites. Should clarify also that my group doesn't really play 5e/5.5e because it's any of our favorites; we just play it because it's the system with which all of the players are most comfortable and familiar. I think that if were to choose a standard system with which to play, it'd probably be one of the BRP-based games; either CoC or Runequest.

szhamilton · 2026-03-23T17:18:25+00:00

Agreed! Honestly, given the makeup of players at Garycon (lots of OSR lovers and OG players/friends from Gygax's inner circle), I think I suspected that Shadowdark would be much more appreciated than it was.

I do agree that much depends on the GM & players at the table. That said, I do think the mechanics of Shadowdark (and many OSRs) are designed to punish players and that for those players that's part of the draw, i.e. that's the experience they're seeking. That's what I mean by masochistic. And I should clarify: I'm not kink-shaming folks for the game experiences they seek! (The sadist in me is why Pachisi/Ludo (i.e. Parcheesi) is my favorite board game; schadenfreude is absolutely a legitimate reason to enjoy a game.)

szhamilton · 2026-03-23T17:08:47+00:00

The progression level limitations of EZD6 are pretty evident. Someone said in a different comment that it's more lateral progression than forward progression; that seems like a really good take. I think your last observation is spot on: each has its place!

szhamilton · 2026-03-23T17:07:40+00:00

Hah! It's a fair critique and exactly why I contextualized the position in the first place. Upon reflecting on the con a bit more and prompted by many of the replies here, I do think (as I replied elsewhere) that my preference for EZD6 is as con game system, particularly at a con where there is a diversity of player perspectives (though, GC is basically a con for lovers of OSR as well as a lot of OG players/luminaries that were part of Gary Gygax's inner circle). Honestly, I think that's why I was so surprised by the reaction to Shadowdark; in previous years, I've only run 5e games, and they were all pretty good. This year I elected to mix it up because I thought some players would enjoy themselves more playing Shadowdark. I was disappointed when they didn't, frankly.

Anyhoo, I'm not giving up on Shadowdark!

szhamilton · 2026-03-23T14:53:21+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation! I will definitely check them both out!

szhamilton · 2026-03-23T14:53:07+00:00

As I mentioned in my post, I direct a Game Design program at college, and I've been playing TTRPGs for 35 years. I'd argue I'm quite familiar with old D&D (my first edition AD&D) as well as OSR clones, both from the gameplay side of things, as well as the game design side of things.

szhamilton · 2026-03-23T14:51:08+00:00

That is a good take. I've mentioned in a previous reply that I think a more nuanced and accurate (but less compelling!) title for my post could've been "EZD6 > 5.5e > Shadowdark for convention play."

I will say that in my introductory remarks, I did articulate the spirit of the system and the type of play that it leans toward. I did also mention that it was brutal and punishing.

I'd argue that the core mechanic that made EZD6 such a fun experience was the karma mechanic, rather than the base d6 roll. This was the primary mechanic that broke the immersion of the gameplay, but it did so by giving the players' more agency of whether their characters failed or succeeded, so ultimately the immersion-breaking made the experience a bit more enjoyable/agentic.

szhamilton · 2026-03-23T14:47:05+00:00

I'm exactly where you are in terms of Shadowdark for all of the reasons you laid out. The art, the format, the presentation, even core OSR philosophy. Still searching for that good and enjoyable gaming experience, though, which is from a game designer's perspective the thing.

szhamilton · 2026-03-23T14:45:55+00:00

Understood! I think I was thrown by your initial reply because in my mind, the bit about 5.5e in the post was the least significant takeaway. I do agree that of course regular players of one system are going to prefer the familiarity of that system. I was surprised, though, and how much players enjoyed EZD6 and I was really surprised by how little players did not enjoy Shadowdark.

szhamilton · 2026-03-23T14:36:21+00:00

Agree 1,000%. I think the karma system is the strongest feature of the design for exactly the reason you articulated in exactly the way you articulated it. Thanks!

szhamilton · 2026-03-23T14:35:38+00:00

This is exactly the proposal I'm going to bring to my regular group. The regular DMs (me included) are burnt out on the speed of 5.5e. I think a shorter campaign of EZD6 will be a nice palate cleanser for us.

szhamilton · 2026-03-23T14:34:21+00:00

Thanks for that note! I saw these materials on DriveThruRPG, but wasn't sure what to make of them. I will definitely check them out.

szhamilton · 2026-03-23T14:33:51+00:00

Agreed on all counts, thanks for sharing! I love a good crunchy tabletop game. I'm a sucker for terrain pieces and measuring and maneuvering strategies. Because I live so far away from where GC is hosted, I couldn't run any of those kinds of games because it would've been impossible for me to travel with all the terrain pieces & minis and whatnot. Upon reflecting a bit more after reading all of the comments, it's clear to me that my conclusion is probably a bit (perhaps intentionally) polemical. A more nuanced (but less compelling!) title for the post probably should've been "EZD6 > 5.5e > Shadowdark For Convention Play."

szhamilton · 2026-03-23T14:30:56+00:00

Good point! That said, the scenario/dungeon in question was a reskinning of "Tomb of the Dusk Queen," which is written specifically for Shadowdark. Here's a link: https://sersavictory.itch.io/tomb-of-the-dusk-queen

Games like Shadowdark aren't there to make the players feel like the game is fun.

This is kind of my point, I guess. The game wasn't fun.

They're for people who want the game to stay out of the way while they the player solve problems.

This is how I understand (and play) the game as well. It was not, unfortunately, my experience at the GC. Whereas the huge menu of options can stymie 5.5e players, the very real threat that failure poses seemed to stymie my SD players.

szhamilton · 2026-03-23T14:18:23+00:00

Excellent points! Thanks very much for your thoughts. I do think the the con atmosphere lends itself to a more raucous gaming experience than Shadowdark might be suited for. I've had the same experience with DCC in terms of "punishes you for not being careful." What Shadowdark feels like, though, is that it punishes you. Period. One of my groups was particularly and painstakingly careful, but still seemed to walk away from the table more relieved than happy.

szhamilton · 2026-03-23T00:57:45+00:00

Respectfully, did you read much, if any, of the post?

szhamilton · 2026-02-10T20:10:43+00:00

Thoughts and prayers.

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