Into The Dark Character Folio
Printable character sheet booklets to use with Shadowdark
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Introduction
This week is seeing the initial release of the ‘Into the Dark Character Folio’ and catching up on what we’re working on. Explanation and link to the free ITCH.IO download below.
The Thing
The release version is labeled V0.5 because it’s a beta release. I’m designing these character folios - this standard one and the kids version released previously - to help facilitate introducing tabletop roleplaying to new players and swift live character generation for veteran players.
In a constantly shifting balance, I am going back and forth between reading books, drawing maps, and learning layout tips and tricks. This exercise has been great in exercising all of the above. I plan to iterate on this as I run live games with it and see what sticks and what needs fixed.
The design is a two-page spread per character sheet. Shadowdark can be reduced down to the size of a 3x5 notecard if you really push it, and I am also a fan of Index Card RPG’s ideas in this OSR thought as well. We’re focused on balancing ease of use with simplicity so some adornment and spreading things out a bit is warranted. There are necessities to make this a Shadowdark sheet, and some liberties I am taking in my own running of the game that are reflected in the sheet.
Character name and portrait space - I like when players utilize the space to draw portraits even if mine are not great.
Room to enter ability stats and mods - OSR stuff I’ve been reading has ideas that actually put the ability SCORE to work rather than just the MOD, but I am here for the MOD focus of Shadowdark. I want the option to try one of these ideas that will take two of the scores and combine them to make a resource pool (like a sense of self that is Charisma + Constitution)
Ability - This is where the racial ability goes, or in my case I plan to just let the players pick one of the species bonuses (or roll to randomize)
Character background
Belief - this is a combination of alignment and a god to follow, I plan to provide a list of gods to this effect (not in the ITCH version):
Class Type - Fighter, Thief, Priest, Wizard - Defaults from the Shadowdark book.
AC/HP/Spells/Talents
Gear Slots
Coinage
Freespaces
Using some opacity settings I have some hints built into the background…
The version I am printing for my personal games will have copywritten material that cannot be put into something given out to the public, but even with that extracted I figure people might get some use out of this easily printable character sheet folio and so I’m releasing it on ITCH for free. With a printer and three 8.5x11 pages printed double sided you can get four character sheets and a double paged notes section. Check it out below.
Other Stuff
I’ve purchased many die sets. As one of the ‘forever DMs’ that is always looking to introduce more people to the hobby, I like to provide players with dice when they’re playing for the first time.
This has been mentioned previously, but this Character Folio is designed to be one part of a package I want players sitting down at the table for the first time to experience. Character sheets, dice, character token, pencil/pen, dice baggie. I want the new player to sit down and then immediately have them receive a tactile experience that they can touch while I explain what they are about to embark upon…
I turned forty over the weekend. This isn’t super important other than my wife is using it as an excuse to help me plan a cool party - which is going to be helping me get a large two-table Shadowdark game organized and played with both my veteran friends and a pile of friends who have never rolled a polyhedral dice (outside a D6 of course).
Again, that version will have seven step process spelled out for character generation, but I cannot include that in the release of the character folio. But that is why this thing now exists, hopefully others can find it useful. If you like it, please comment, like share and all that.
I will certainly report to this publication how that game goes, the dungeons we end up making for it, and the experience that can be gleaned and distilled for your use, dear reader.
Till next time!
Thanks for Reading!
Please like, share, and comment your thoughts!
Even if late, happy birthday!!!
May the fun be always at your table!
Thanks! May the fun be spread far and wide :)