Plunderlight Early Access
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The Basics
Plunderlight is a dark fantasy role-playing game about ambitious characters following their convictions in a world of stark iniquity. There are deals in dark alleys¸ harrowing chases through haunted forests¸ duels fought in the morning rain¸ and pacts made with otherworldly powers who care naught for the plight of mortals.
We play to find out if the characters' convictions drive them to disaster and sorrow¸ wealth and fame¸ or to revolution.
The Setting
The game takes place in the last days of a medieval period. Imagine our world in the 1480s. The printing press is a new invention¸ allowing information to move and propagate faster than ever before. The progeny of conquerors and despots have ruled over common folk for nigh on a thousand years¸ growing fat on the exploitation of serfs¸ peasants¸ and any outsiders. Wealthy merchant adventurers are little better¸ seeking to exploit the trust of their common born kin and the greed of the nobility they aspire to emulate to amass their own great wealth.
The world is also one of dark fantasy . Ambitious scholars collude with otherworldly powers to bring about sinister sorceries. Remnants of the ruinous past dot the countryside¸ promising great wealth for those who plumb their depths¸ and doom to those who linger too long within their hollows.
Gameplay
Plunderlight offers an infinitely flexible fiction first system where the narration of the game as established by the GM and players directly influences the dice rolled. The core action loop is:
The GM describes the challenges facing the characters. The player describes how their character addresses the challenge. The GM and players work together to decide what elements of the fiction can be tagged for Edges and Setbacks. Start with 2D10. After cancelling each other out on a 1-for-1 bases¸ each Edge or Setback gives +1D10¸ up to +3D10 (a total of 5 dice rolled). The player rolls their dice and keeps 2 to add to their Skill¸ Relationship¸ or Reputation modifier. If they rolled with an Edge¸ they keep the 2 highest dice. If they rolled with a Setback¸ they keep the 2 lowest dice. The roll generates Hits based on the sum of the kept dice and the character's modifier. Hits can be spent to avoid complications or retribution¸ bring about the character's intent¸ gain Momentum¸ or to create an advantage for future rolls. The player describes how their character brings about the effects of their Hits. The GM describes how the world reacts to the character's actions. What You Get A 209 page PDF of the core rules. A 7 page PDF of the character sheet. Access to all future updates to the digital core rulebook and sheets. Required Materials Paper & Pencils. At least five ten-sided dice. (Recommended) Print outs of the character foliot for reach player. Layout
Plunderlight is laid out for printing on 6" x 9" pages. It features generous margins for annotation. Whether you're writing down clarifications of game procedure or your own house rules¸ Plunderlight gives you the space to make the game your own. It's okay to write in your book. That's what the margins are there for.
Plans for the Future
Plunderlight is in active development and playtesting. The game files will be updated regularly as the game evolves. Illustrations will be commissioned to open each chapter and to fill out pages left blank for layout reasons. As art assets are developed¸ an artless version of the game will be made available for no cost.
NOTE: Plunderlight is in active development. The downloads here will be updated with each new version until the game is completed. Plunderlight is laid out for print and may not view optimally on mobile phones and small tablets. For best viewing in Adobe Acrobat¸ set page display to 'Two Page View' and check 'Show Cover Page in Two Page View.'