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This item is currently on backorder. All orders placed are expected to ship in February. Backordered items placed before that date are expected to ship in November. You will still receive the PDF immediately when ordered. Orders that contain this and other products will ship when the entire order is available.
Old-school gaming, modernized. Jump into the critically-acclaimed TTRPG that raised $1.3 million on Kickstarter! One book, all you need to play.
Shadowdark won the 2024 Three Castles Award for best game design, as well as four gold ENNIEs: Product of the Year, Best Game, Best Rules, and Best Layout & Design.
This is the hardcover book plus a free PDF download. Just want the PDF version? Link here.
Join the Shadowdark Newsletter to get two free adventures!
I'll also share occasional updates, freebies, and new releases so you can stay in-the-know about what's happening with Shadowdark RPG.
What Is Shadowdark RPG?
Shadowdark is what an old-school fantasy adventure game would look like after being redesigned with 50 years of innovation.
Shadowdark RPG is fast, familiar, intuitive, and deadly. It’s built for sword-and-sorcery adventures where fell monsters slither in darkness and ancient gems glint upon forgotten thrones, waiting to be discovered.
In Shadowdark RPG, real time comes into play. A torch only holds back the looming darkness for one hour of actual game time! There isn't a moment to spare when your only light source is guttering low...
Get ready for old-school gaming in a whole new light!
Get Started Playing
Get Yours
Enter the Shadowdark for the first time. The FREE digital Shadowdark RPG Quickstart Set is the perfect way to introduce you to the game.
These two 68-page PDFs and eight pre-made characters are all you need to play Shadowdark games from 1st-3rd level.
The Game Master Guide even includes a complete adventure, Lost Citadel of the Scarlet Minotaur!
Cursed Scroll Zine
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Enhance your game world with new classes, spells, monsters, hex crawls, and critically acclaimed adventures!
Each Cursed Scroll zine is a complete, 68-page mini-setting you can drop right into your campaign.
Explore gloomy forests, shimmering deserts, and the frozen northern isles in issues 1-3!
2024 Product of the Year
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Shadowdark RPG won the Three Castles Award for best role-playing game design and the gold ENNIEs for:
- Product of the Year
- Best Game
- Best Rules
- Best Layout and Design
Jump into the award-winning RPG that raised over $1.3 million on Kickstarter!
Discord Community
Join The Discord Server
Join the free Arcane Library Discord server to get access to the largest online Shadowdark community!
Meet other players, ask questions, and get inside looks at developing Shadowdark material.
Publish Third-Party Content
You can use the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License to freely publish material that is compatible with Shadowdark RPG!
Find a copy of the most recent version of the license (V1.1) in the Creator Kit.
In a post-OGL world, licensing can be frustrating for creators. Our goal with this license was to keep it short, simple, and direct, not overstuff it with legalese, and give you as much freedom as possible.
We're also publishing the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License as part of the core rulebook so it will always be available for creators to rely on.
If you have any questions, please reach out to contact@thearcanelibrary.com.