| Shadowdark | |
| Designer: | Kelsey Dionne |
| Date: | 2023 |
| Genre: | Tabletop role-playing game, fantasy |
Shadowdark is a grimdark fantasy tabletop role-playing game created by Kelsey Dionne and published in 2023 after raising 1.4 million dollars on kickstarter. It won four gold medals at the 2024 ENNIE Awards.[1] [2]
Gameplay focuses on risk evaluation and problem-solving. Players generate character statistics and class abilities through randomized dice rolls. Shadowdark uses a 20-sided die for action resolution.[3]
In an interview with Rob Wieland for Forbes, Dionne explains, "There is a lot of gritty humanity to being a dungeon crawler with a sword and a torch who's only one mistake away from disaster. Unseen monsters, fading resources, the quest for treasure and glory... we understand these struggles implicitly because they are reflections of our daily lives."[3]
Shadowdark won four gold medals at the 2024 ENNIE Awards: Product of the Year, Best Game, Best Layout and Design, and Best Rules. Rob Wieland for Forbes writes that Shadowdark has "become my first choice for down and dirty dungeon crawls".[4]