Shadowdark Resources

Shadowdark is an OSR-adjacent TTRPG designed by Kelsey Dionne and published by The Arcane Library. It won the ENnie Award for Best Game in 2023. It strips the rules down to the essentials — real-time torches, deadly combat, and a fast-moving dungeon crawl feel — while being accessible to players coming from D&D 5e.

We carry system-agnostic accessories that work great with Shadowdark — campaign journals for session notes, dungeon maps for crawls, dice accessories, and physical trackers. The 100 Dungeon Maps product is especially useful for Shadowdark's exploration-heavy playstyle.

Yes — the loot generator, shop generator, name generator, and encounter calculator are all system-agnostic. Shadowdark's treasure and encounter philosophy lends itself well to fast, improvised content, so having a loot table generator or random shop on hand fits the game perfectly.

Shadowdark is much lighter. Combat is faster and deadlier, character creation takes minutes, and the real-time torch mechanic (your light source actually burns out in real time) creates genuine tension. It's built for dungeon crawling where every decision has consequences. If 5e feels too safe or slow, Shadowdark is a common next step.

Largely yes. Shadowdark is designed to be compatible with a wide range of OSR content — most classic modules can be run with minimal conversion. That's part of its appeal: you get a modernized ruleset that still plays nice with decades of old-school dungeon content.

Dungeon maps, session note pads, campaign journals, dice towers, and general accessories all transfer across systems. For Shadowdark specifically, dungeon maps and initiative/HP trackers are the most useful given how quickly combat and exploration move.