On Shadowdark
I recently started a Shadowdark campaign. We're three sessions in, with one fatality and one character who was taken by enemies, whose fate is presently unknown. The short version: Shadowdark slaps like I owe it money. The longer version: A simple, intuitive, tightly designed little game that does exploration well. Experience comes from finding treasure and carousing. If this is your jam, Shadowdark is your huckleberry. If you want a game where combat has rewards (other than, you know, not dying) then you should probably look elsewhere. The best part: nobody can see in the dark and torches burn in real time. This creates an inherent time pressure reminiscent of the NES game Shadowgate, where the music becomes very stress-inducing when your light burns low. There are light spells, but they are not guaranteed and are extremely fragile. They mitigate the time pressure, but they do not remove it. Darkness is a very Zork You-Will-Be-Eaten-By-a-Gru...