The Dark Forest

Introduction

This project will fund the production of the tabletop roleplaying game, The Dark Forest. With your support I will be able to finish this exciting game book and companion game master/ monster book. 

What is The Dark Forest? The Dark Forest is a place where the mists ebb and flow with the tides of an unseen moon and alliances shift like the wind. A place of crooked paths and even more crooked politicians. A realm the inhabitants call the Dark Forest, a crossroads between worlds, between realities. One of those connected worlds is now the Earth. A rip in reality has opened up, connecting our world to The Dark Forest and through it to other connected worlds. On the other side of the rift lies what I call a graveyard waiting to claim the reckless. Step off the path, and the mists or the creatures within will devour you. Lose focus for just a second, and the road behind you may not be the same one you came from. There are things out there, things that stalk the fog, watching, listening for a sign. The Dark Forest doesn't forgive mistakes. It waits. It watches. It hungers. 

Unique Features:

1) Both Magic and Advanced Technology can be used together.

2) The 2d10 system gives a more expected outcome with smaller swing variability.

3) Loot & Shop interactions have been simplified without the need for players to count every penny or Game Masters to monitor spending or worry about dividing loot evenly.

4) "Field Guide" style of the creatures in the book The Field Guide to The Dark Forest.

5)  7 Unique races, 9 abilities, and 11 professions allow for a variety of gameplay styles. 

6) Five damage types which play into creatures’ immunities, vulnerabilities, and resistances… encouraging combat variations and learning from previous encounters.

7) Damage that matters, leaving game-impacting "scars" on unwary characters. 

8) Defensive choices to allow dynamic combat choices that can change on the fly, or be customized for specific battles.

9) Progression (leveling up) is shaped by your chosen profession, with each role gaining experience through specialized quests and challenges.

9) Use premade adventures and tips to create your own adventures for endless replayability.  

Reward Tiers

Reflex Boosted Digital & Digital Warrior are PDF versions of the core game book

Dawn Tidewalker & Lore Keeper give you access to the hardcover version of the core game book

The game master/monster book known as The Tide Master's Field Guide is available as an add-on in both PDF and hardcover versions for any of the reward tiers.

Any hardcover books selected will come with an accompanying PDF plus a code for a hardcover print-on-demand (POD) version of the book at cost. 

Who Am I?

I have been playing and making TTRPGs since the ‘90s. I am a high school physics and math teacher, and have been running game clubs for the past 15+ years. As someone who seeks ways to improve what is, I have been thinking of ways to make the games I play into the games I want to play. Playing The Dark Forest, as well as other TTRPGs with friends, has allowed me to test and refine my ideas. Now I’m ready to share it with other lovers of TTRPGs.  

Why Am I Doing This?

The Dark Forest project came about as a way to solve a few problems I had with the current systems I have been playing.  

Frustration #1 Too random: Some randomness and variability is good, but when the swing of a die roll can be 20 points, the value of the skill is too often overshadowed by the luck of the roll.  I am implementing a 2d10 system, where the expected outcome is more predictable, but there’s still the chance for extreme situations.  

Frustration #2 Combat: In some systems, you wait a long time for your turn to come around again.  Another concern is that it often seems like everyone’s job is doing damage.  My hope is that if characters have specific roles during combat, and if they can help each other during combat more, they might be more engaged and feel more impactful, reducing “downtime.”   Learning how best to coordinate with your team should also make your group more successful, even without leveling up.  I also want players to be able to adapt their strategies to the combat conditions. 

Frustration #3 Setting: I wanted to play in a modern setting with both magic and advanced technology. (Shadowrun, you do a great job here!) And, I wanted to give the Master of Tides options to place players into worlds of limited magic and/or technology, so they can structure the world and game to the level of magic/technology they want.  

Frustration #4 Simplicity: My goal is to make it easy for players to learn.  It is a hard line to walk, trying to give players enough choices while keeping it simple.  My focus is to give players a lot of choices during creation and leveling up, but a limited number of options while playing.  During play, the limited choices can be used in multiple ways, providing variation but without increasing complexity. 

Game Books

Books and Formats

There are two books. The Dark Forest: Game Book, which is the core rule book, and the Tide Master’s Field Guide to The Dark Forest, which has the creature stats, as well as other resources for game masters.  Both the printed books and PDF will be provided through drivethrurpg.com.  If the print version is chosen, you will get a code to print the book at cost. The hardcover color printing will be around $15 for the game book and $10 for the game master/monster book, and the shipping cost will depend on your location and be paid by you via drivethrurpg.com. If the PDF version is chosen a download link will be provided through drivethrurpg.com.

The Dark Forest: Game Book

The Dark Forest: Game Book is the complete core rule book, which contains everything needed to create and equip characters, along with the rules needed to play.  Inside, you will find the full game system, including how and which dice are used and how combat and skill checks are run.

The book includes 7 unique playable races, each shaped in different ways by their native cultures and their relationship to the Dark Forest.  9 special abilities that can be upgraded to enhance your playstyle.  It also includes 11 different professions, each representing a different approach to interacting with The Dark Forest—acting as a guide for advancement.

Abilities

Abilities let you perform super feats that give you more options in and out of combat. They get more powerful and can be upgraded as you increase in rank. 

Unique Worlds & Races

Solari - a solar punk land of community and advanced technology. Home to uplifted animals and rogue AI.

Eryndralis - a magical wonderland. Home to crystalline people, living rag dolls, and the blight.

The Dark Forest: Game Book includes a wide array of abilities, traits, skills, and techniques, allowing for true customization without overwhelming complexity.  Players have many choices to reinforce any playstyle from hyper-specialization to well-rounded... providing numerous and diverse ways to confront the threats of The Dark Forest, navigate the tides, or support allies. 

The Dark Forest: Game Book also contains a comprehensive list of weapons, armor, other tools, vehicles, and housing.  Access to equipment is governed by profession and rank, streamlining play while reinforcing the world-building.  

Tide Master's Field Guide

The Tide Master’s Field Guide to The Dark Forest is the Game Master’s book and includes a collection of Flora, Fauna, Frights, and Fiends… everything needed to make the world of The Dark Forest come alive, from the smallest animal to the most deadly “boss” and everything in between.  The descriptions for the monsters are in the form of journal entries by the first explorers to venture into The Dark Forest.  There are also descriptions of some of the worlds connected to The Dark Forest, so your adventures aren’t limited to The Dark Forest.  Additionally, there are tools and resources for new and experienced Game Masters, including puzzles, missions, gameplay tips, and FAQs.

Goals and Stretch Goals

$1,000 - Main Goal: 

The books are almost done... this will pay for the remaining editing and Human Cover Art.

$5,000 - Human Artists: 

I plan to selectively replace the AI art with original art created by human artists.  Raising this amount will cover the art for the different races and select art throughout The Dark Forest: Game Book.

$10,000 - Additional Human Artists:

Raising this amount will cover the art for the different professions and select art throughout The Dark Forest: Game Book.

$15,000 - Even More Human Artists: 

Raising this amount will cover the art for the different creatures throughout The Tide Master's Field Guide. 

$20,000 - ALL Human Artists: 

Raising this amount will cover the art for various illustrations throughout The Tide Master's Field Guide.