Forged in the Dark (2017)

Overview

Forged in the Dark is a tabletop roleplaying game framework and System Reference Document created by John Harper. Released in 2017, it is the underlying engine that powers Blades in the Dark and has since been used by independent designers to build countless other games, such as Scum and Villainy and Band of Blades. It excels at telling stories about capable but flawed groups of people pulling off daring missions against overwhelming odds. The system it directly evolved from is
Blades in the Dark https://groupfinder.eu/library/blades-in-the-dark
Description Instead of being a single game, Forged in the Dark is an open license toolkit. Players form a crew, whether they are space smugglers, military mercenaries, or rebel outcasts, and undertake dangerous missions known as Scores. The system is heavily narrative and focuses on failing forward, meaning a bad dice roll never stalls the story, but instead introduces a new complication. It completely eliminates tedious planning phases by throwing players directly into the action. System Overview & Key Features
The d6 Dice Pool To resolve a risky action, a player rolls a pool of six sided dice based on their action rating. The highest single die determines the result. A six is a full success, a four or five is a partial success with a consequence, and a one to three is a bad outcome.
Position and Effect Before the dice hit the table, the Game Master establishes the Position (Controlled, Risky, or Desperate) and the Effect (Limited, Standard, or Great). This ensures everyone understands exactly what is at stake and how much impact the action will have.
Progress Clocks The game tracks complex threats and long term projects using circular clocks divided into segments. A stealth mission might have a clock for the guards going on high alert, filling up bit by bit as the players roll partial successes or failures.
Stress and Resistance Characters have a Stress track that they can spend to push themselves for extra dice or to assist an ally. More importantly, players can spend Stress to resist any consequence the Game Master introduces, allowing characters to survive deadly situations by sheer willpower.
Flashbacks Players do not need to spend hours planning a heist or mission. When they encounter an obstacle, they can simply spend Stress to declare a flashback, narrating how their character anticipated the problem and set up a solution in the past.
Phases of Play The game flows through specific phases. Free Play is where characters gather information and choose a target. The Score is the actual mission. Finally, Downtime allows the crew to recover from injuries, reduce their heat, and work on personal projects before the cycle begins again.
Additional links bladesinthedark.com https://bladesinthedark.com - Official System Reference Document and rules database evilhat.com https://evilhat.com - Official Evil Hat Productions website

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Posted 22 hours ago
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BitD
Blades in the Dark
CoC
Call of Cthulhu
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Izzy
I'm Izzy. 28. They/it.  I have over 10 years of experience in the tabletop space. On/off over the years with playing as finding groups that stay together takes time.  I have played in 2 completed 5e dnd campaigns that lasted over 2 years separately. Rime of the Frostmaiden & a homebrew Strahd campaign.  I will happily play in 5e & 5.5e games, though I have had an increased interest in p2fe/p2fre!  Tabletop games i have liked and played, would play again: 5e, pf2e, Vampire the Masquerade, Monster of the Week, Monsterhearts, Wanderhome, Call of Cthulhu  Tabletops I have not played but would be interested in: Blades in the Dark, Scum and Villainy, other Powered by the Apocalypse games or Forged in the Dark games, pf1e, Werewolf the Apocalypse, other World of Darkness games, Cyberpunk Red, etc etc My main goal as a player is to be a group player, to be someone that is wholly on the team with the other players! I love the collaborative nature of tabletop most, and why I always hold myself to be flexible and prioritize everyone's enjoyment and keep the table flowing! My characrer ideas are always many, but playing a characrer to the T is not a priority in the sense; that if it disrupts the flow and story of the table or conflicts wirh the group? Then I scrap that idea or develop the character different to mesh better!
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PbtA
Powered By The Apocalypse
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Berkeley
Online
Cameron
Looking to join some narrative or OSR games! Really want to play in Monster of the Week and Apocalypse World.
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Homebrew
Homebrew
BitD
Blades in the Dark
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Michelle
Let’s go on an adventure together! I'm looking for a free, cooperative, consent-based, story-focused TTRPG table. I enjoy character-driven games with party relationships, meaningful combat, exploration, mystery, downtime, and earned emotional moments. Ideal balance: about 50% roleplay, 30% combat, 20% exploration. I like sincere games with humor, but not constant bits, edgelord behavior, or main character syndrome. I fit best with players who share spotlight, cooperate, respect boundaries, and care about everyone’s character mattering. Consent and safety are important to me. Heavy themes, PvP, romance/flirting, sexual content, intense character conflict, or major effects on another PC should be discussed first. Lines and veils should be respected. I’m in Hawaiʻi Time / UTC-10. Weekends are best, and I prefer 2–3 hour sessions. I’m open to voice, PBP, or hybrid formats. Not a good fit for bigotry, disruptive rules-lawyering, non-cooperative play, unconsented PvP/romance/sexual content, trauma dumping, or using RPGs as therapy. Message me on Discord; I’m more responsive there. Please say you saw my Groupfinder post and send a short game pitch. Discord: goldaline

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