The Fellowship

What is Against the Darkmaster?

Against the Darkmaster is a tabletop pen & paper role-playing game of high fantasy, epic adventures, eldritch magic and bloody combat.

It draws inspiration from the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and Ursula K. Le Guin, Terrys Brooks and Goodkind, and their followers like Weis & Hickman, Jordan, Danielson and Williams.

Against the Darkmaster is also inspired by the great fantasy movies of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Think of The Lord of The Rings cartoon from Ralph Bakshi. Think of the heartbreaker movies a whole generation was raised to: Dragonslayer, Krull, Labyrinth, Clash of the Titans, Legend.

Finally, think of Against the Darkmaster as a mix of all the above as seen through the eyes of a heavy metal music fan. Now, prepare your dice and get ready to fight!

The System

Unified Mechanics

A simple resolution mechanic based exclusively on d100 rolls allows for fast play and easy-to-learn rules.

Customizable Characters

The combination of Vocations, Kins & Cultures allows to build extremely variegated playing characters.

Flexible Magic System

A magic system based on Magic Points and Spell Lores, open to all characters for maximum flexibility.

Bloody Tactical Combat

The Attack Tables & Critical Strikes system allows for lethal, tactical combat.
Maim, stun & kill your foes!

Travel & Exploration

Travel to distant, dangerous places and fabled lands with a system aimed at creating great, epic fantasy quests.

Character-Driven Play

The Passions & Drive system is especially designed to bring characters motivations and goals into play!

Famous Last Words

“Against the Darkmaster is the game I would have liked to play if it existed before I was defeated.”

- Sauron -

Here are the people behind the project

Massimiliano “Arioch” Caracristi

Author, Social Media Manager

Part-time game designer, amateur blogger, full-time gamer. Basically lives on fantasy books, anime and power metal. Secretly a wizard.

Nikola “Nikiliko” Segoloni

Author, Layout Editor

Your unconventional geek. I love history, soccer, video games, board games, role playing games, fantasy books, and technology, not in that specific order. Fell in love with RPGs after seeing Elmore’s red box cover.

Tommaso “SOLIDToM” Galmacci

Author, Art Director, Illustrator

40-something geek, old time roleplayer, fantasy addict, illustrator, graphic designer & amateur game designer. Fond of crunchy tabletop RPGs, Tolkien, and cheesy ‘80s fantasy flicks. Metalhead. Bodybuilder. Would-be barbarian.

Paolo “Denteblu” Vecchiocattivi

Contributor, Proof-reader, Arcane Web Developer

Fell in love with the Hobbit at nine years old, never recovered. Developer, geek, and tech lover, been role-playing over the last 30 years – better if IRL. Fantasy, history, and nostalgy addicted.

The Kickstarter

A softcover 300+ pages book containing all the rules needed to play the game for both players and GMs, fully illustrated by renowned fantasy artists like Marcin S. and Tazio Bettin.

A full game campaign divided in three standalone adventures, with gorgeous maps and detailed statistics of places, faces, and hazards and six pre-generated Characters.

A Game Master Screen and Table Mat containing all the tables and rules needed to play the game, plus a Player’s Cheat Sheet with rules summary.

COMING SOON

2019

Battle Hymns

While you gather your forces for the fight to come, listen to some anthems to inspire your soul and focus your mind.

Contacts

Leave a message, thou visitor, and join the ranks of the Free Peoples fighting the Endless War Against the Darkmaster!