I love stories where cute critters must overcome dire situations. That might sound sadistic on paper, but that’s essentially the backbone of many classic fairy tales. As adorable as Redwall can be, it’s no stranger to serious stories. Outcast of Redwall explores themes of complex redemption and moral good in one of the darker tales in the series. So it’s no surprise that new tabletop RPG Dark Forest looks right at home with those types of stories.
Dark Forest is a brand-new campaign setting for the Shadowdark RPG, with heavy inspiration from Redwall and classic DnD books. The Shadowdark engine is part of the OSR family, meaning it’s old-school tabletop vibes all the way. It’s rules-lite, with an emphasis on immersion and streamlined mechanics, no fussing about.
Paired with the darkly beautiful hand-drawn illustrations, Dark Forest feels like a blast from the past. Although its roots are simple, the world is anything but. Dark Forest features a fully realized setting, with factions, politics, and important figures for players to meet. It’s a living, breathing world, one that exists even without the player’s input.
My intrusive thought while reading through the sample PDF was “I should make Don Bluth’s Berserk”. For all of Berserk’s edginess, the core tale always felt like peak fantasy. Make them woodland critters, and I’m hooked by the concept. Now excuse me while I theorycraft a Dark Forest version of Guts.
As for the Kickstarter, the campaign promises tons of physical goodies. The highest tier, Dark Forest Complete + STLs, feature the following:
- Campaign Setting Hardcover
- Starting Adventure Printed Book
- Player’s Journal Print on Demand
- Dark Forest GM Screen
- 3x Printed Mini Adventures
- 3X Premade Characters with Printed Sheets
- OSR Fumble Deck
- VTT Tokens and Maps
- 3D Character Minis + STL Files
Note, all physical books come included with a PDF. If any of these interest you, the Dark Forest Kickstarter is still live, and joining now will net you some backer exclusives. Creators John and Nicole Clark have plenty of successful TTRPG projects under their belt. At over $76,000, Dark Forest’s campaign has rocketed well past its initial $5,000 goal.
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