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This doesn't sound as enticing to me as CR's more fantasy-oriented campaign, which is the main reason why I've stuck with D&D for so long. Horror is fine...but I prefer READING it than watching it in the form of movies, TV shows or in this case, tabletop campaigns
Given that this is more intended for short form session-based stuff, I'm thinking that the most we'll see of this is more of the minicampaign-like structure we see with exandria unlimited. Campaign 4 will most likely be the other RPG system they're developing: Daggerheart- which is more intended for long-form stuff
I mean, it *isn’t* supposed to be the new “DnD” they are *also* debuting soon. This is something akin to Vampire: The Masquerade. This type of TTRPY is usually more Roleplay focused with minimal combat. So it’s kinda the point that this doesn’t replace the system they’ll use in Season 4. Season 4 is going to be Daggerheart, the direct competition to D&D/Pathfinder. If I remember correctly they (Critical Role) are also dropping a card-based game soon as well. This is just one of several new systems they’ve come up with, and it sounds amazing. I would *adore* seeing this mixed into their new season. Daggerheart for the “meat” of the season’s content, with Obscura for the “marrow”, really deep lore and Roleplay with very little focus on combat encounters.
@@SchmartsyMan But there's so much combat oriented stuff in vtm. Why would anyone have minimal combat in a vtm game? *bigthonk* i wanna note that i've only played v20
Basic resource management is always a plus for me. I think every current D&D class should have something like what fighter battle masters do, to change/augment what they already do well.
Yessss agreed I've only been studying rpg design for a couple months but stuff like Battlemaster seems like such an obvious thing to give players a breadth of options within a certain theme
Yup, this is why one common homebrew buff for fighter is to make the battlemaster features baked into the class. It helps provide choices for utility/CC/damage, and it allows room for resource management.
@@piranhaplantX reminds me of a convo I had recently: that every class should have SOME 'warlock invocation' list for customization. Battlemaster is basicly warlock invocation for fighter XD
Idk, I still think the best part of D&D is when the classes have unique abilities and feel completely different when playing them. I went from my fighter who had 18 million things to do as a reaction to my warlock who is thus far much simpler and without that kind of baggage.
Feels like a fusion of Powered by the Apocalypse, Blades in the Dark, and World of Darkness, with enough of its own ideas to stand on its own two legs. As a long time player and early adopter of PBTA myself, I'm pleased as punch to see a d6 engine getting more eyes on it. D6 engines solve a lot of my personal issues with D20 engines, both as a player and GM, and I hope to see more interest in D6 games sprout out of this!
i dont think it really has any of its own ideas. in terms of feel it seems to be most like VtM, you focus on RP, character motives (VTM does it better imo) and roll for skills in dispersed moments.
I disagree with that take, and find it very disingenuous. By that standard, practically no games that people enjoy (TTRPG or not) 'stand on their own'. Because VTM (which is WoD) borrows elements from other pre-existing dice systems, and dice systems as a whole borrow their ideas from the gambling game systems that preceded them. Plus WoD is D10, not D6, which does have an impact on granularity of success. Further "Focus on the characters/motives with fewer dice rolls" is not exclusively WoD's idea. PBTA does it. ICON does it. Cogent does it. And those are just the ones I know off the top of my head. Candella is derivative, but 'derivative' does not mean 'unoriginal', nor that it doesn't have its own ideas or execution quirks that let it stand on its own or have its own playfeel.
Ah, so VtM/WoD now owns not only the idea of a motive/character driven system, but the gothic horror setting too, and no one else can make a TTRPG with similar themes or mechanics without being an unoriginal knock-off. What a childish attitude. You must be fun at parties. I bet you unironically call every MMO since 2004 a "WoW Clone" too. FYI, I don't watch CritRole. I couldn't care less what they do in their streams; I'm here because I'm excited for a new, interesting-looking D6 system that I would be happy to learn and engage with. If you're determined to continue being a child about this, please go do your pouting in a corner, and not in my replies.
Agreed, 80% of it are the same mechanics. I don't mind to be honest, blades in the dark is amazing, but it's a bit of a shame that it's advertised as "their own systems" without mentioning the forged in the dark system. The creator did tweet about it in passing, but that's it. Hope it's not gonna have negative effects on BitD. But the bottom line is : i love it :D
@@Inthepotwithdiogenes If they used it as inspiration then yes, if not then no Edit: Apparently they do cite that BitD & Vaesen are big inspirations in their Quickstart Guidebook for Candela Obscura
I do like that it is more geared toward GM-led or premade adventures than BitD is. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love how BitD is structured to organically create the story as everyone plays, but it does require a lot of imagination and creativity on the part of both the players and the GM. This system looks great for folks who aren’t as comfortable improvising, and it seems slightly less brutal than BitD’s “play your character like it’s a stolen car” style.
Agree, I see it similar to Monster of the Week in its episodic investigative RP focus. In this case possibly cthulhu lite. Perhaps some cthulhu adventures could be repurposed for a simple game?
Except for the error that milestones aren't advancement; getting the full track is advancement. Milestones are related to some Circle abilities; in the Quick Start, there's only one Circle ability the milestones affects.
@Everything's Alright to a degree. If you leave people with the right questions they're more likely to invest more personal time. People tend to be more open to invest monetarily on things they've already invested time into.
If you get a chance to watch the first episode, I'd recommend it. Everyone did a great job, the characters are strong right out of the gate, and I was entertained every moment from minute one through to the end.
The ticking gears behind Matt was pretty crazy. The set design probably wasn't too much since it's all projected backdrops. Just need a few solid digital artists.
@@terradon852It feels less like a side project to me and more like a product drop from another branch of the company. (Which, I guess it is.) They'll definitely drop the resources to market and display their new game the best they can.
@@means_well It's been confirmed that the set piece behind Matt is a real physical object, which is pretty bonkers. The set the trailer was filmed in (enclosure with eye motifs that Taliesin was in) was also physical, cf. bts videos posted on socials. The backdrops behind the players' tables may be projections or a mix, but at this point I'm not even sure about that, lol. But even so the costuming, lighting choices, player props like dice trays with their names on them were all VERY nice.
Very very similar indeed. While I haven't played the original Blades in the Dark but the Cyberpunk themed hack called Runners in the Shadow has mechanics almost identical to these. Note: It's been a while so I might remember some parts wrong, but I will explain the similarities to the best of my ability. - How the skills and dice work is the same, pretty much. - Drive and Edge work pretty much identical, apart from the consequences of using up last of your Edge (Trauma) while using up your Drive doesn't seem to have negative effects. Also there's no "Gilded Die" in RitS, so you can only regain Edge via downtime. - Speaking of downtime, "leveling up" is also pretty much identical, although the xp questions are different. There might be more similarities that I'm missing, but pretty much the "core" of both systems is nearly identical. I have to wonder if there were same people working on both projects or if they just were heavily inspired. Legally, you can't copyright mechanics, but even still it is a bit too close, imo.
I was thinking the same but FATE, but I never played blades in the dark yet they make FATE so this makes since. At least with FATE it felt like something was missing by not targeting anything so I look forward to how this plays since it seems more targeted to an idea.
You need to make more system explanation videos. This was broken down so well. I want to see this style of video for like Pathfinder, Mutants and Masterminds, Call of Cthulhu. They'd just be so good.
The things I like the most about it is how general the system is, and how easy it seem to apply it to other genres. A lot of people are comparing it to call of cthulu, but that game's system is much more tied to its setting. This I feel i could throw onto a sci-fi setting with minimal mechanical work and it would work wonders. Will make for a great community builder
While I don't disagree, I do feel it's a bit of a cop-out to laud a system that's super simple to be setting agnostic. If the system was "toss a coin: heads is good, tails is bad", that system would work in any setting as well. The real challenge would be in making a super involved system that still worked for every genre imaginable. Personally, I prefer it when the system is built with the genre/theme in mind. My favorite system is the Deadlands Classic system, which PEGInc made and used before they created Savage Worlds. Deadlands takes place in the "Weird West" - or "wild west with zombies" - and the Classic system is built around not only dice, but also poker chips and playing cards, as if the game took place around a poker table at a saloon. In combat, players are dealt cards, up to five, to represent action economy. Poker chips are gained by playing and succeeding at challenges, and can be either saved, converted into XP, or to boost a hero's die rolls and to power magical effects. The rulebook itself is filled with wild-west-esque language and nods to b-movie tropes. I don't see myself adopting Illuminated Worlds myself. For the theme, I'll probably stick with 20th Anniversary Vampire or Call of Cthulhu instead, neither of which are super complex systems and both of which I know reasonably well. But! The gilded die and the incentive to intentionally fail a roll is somewhat intriguing. There would just have to be more to it than what it seems there is at the moment. _For me, that is._ I'm not trying to dictate what kind of games/systems others are allowed to prefer.
@@TheRawrnstuff while this is true, I thinn that a lot of the same players who play dnd are more up for a theme agnostic system than a specific one. The thing that makes dnd great is that it is easy to get people in with a plethora of styles and themes possible. For most people, the hardest part of playing a ttrpg is actually getting enough people interested in playing. The more obscure and specific a system is, the lower the chance that someone will be interested. Does that mean a system agnostic system is better? No, but if illuminated worlds want to actually make a dent on the market it is the dnd playerbase they need to take a piece from. The players like you who enjoy more specific systems most likely already don't play dnd anyways as it is rather theme agnostic already. It is clear that they are trying to create a new "base system" similar to GURPS but that can actually compete with dnd.
@@PJsutnop Oh, definitely. The d20 system is not great for creativity and roleplay due to its focus on carefully worded spells and focus on melee combat. On that front, the illuminated system has d20 beat, and I'm sure the majority of the new TTRPG renaissance players are only happy to have a less combat-focused system to sink their teeth into. To be completely honest as harsh as it sounds, as someone who likes to DM/GM games to "randoms" online, separating out players who want to play an "illuminated-style" game from the d20-system player pool is a good thing. Not to gatekeep D&D, but a group in which everyone wants the same kind of game runs better than a group where some people want A, others B. I believe it'll strengthen both groups in the long run. And Critical Role has the social capital to realize that difference in a real, perceivable way.
The Quickstart specifically mentions Blades in the Dark by John Harper and Vaesen by Nils Hintze as inspirations. :D Mechanically it seems closer to Blades in the Dark though, but without much of the meta-discussion of extra risk & reward. Also seems a bit more forgiving (no penalties with scars?), but probably need to play it to really say for sure. I've only played Vaesen once (and I kinda forgot specific mechanics), so can't really comment, but I do remember penalties can feel quite a bit harsh as well, so it's interesting here that there seems to be no penalties associated with scars. I wonder if they're gonna have a "build your organisation" mechanics in the full rules, though, since those two rulesets go pretty deep with building your own organisation...
"Who has time to start?" Ha! I started from the very beginning of Critical Role with campaign 1 two years or so ago and am now caught up. I have no regrets.
Ive only ever played dnd but this looks like a system i want to try. I particularly like how the teamwork elements seem baked into the system itself and the high stakes of the scar damage idea
Thank you!! I was so confused after CR's intro vid and have to wait for VoD to see them play. This made 100% more sense and now kind of excited for it, just sent to my playgroup for future things to try.
It is heavily inspired by Blades in The Dark, one of the game designers wrote Scum & Villany (a science fiction setting that uses the Blades in the Dark rules).
From what I've seen illuminated worlds is to blades in the dark what Cypher System is to D&D. Similar dice used, but different in how the dice are used. So long as Candela Obscura doesn't revolve around the DM counting down different "clocks" it's not blades in the dark. Hell, candela obscura sounds like it has as much in common with blades in the dark as it does with Genesys/Edge of the Empire.
@@CitanulsPumpkin Without seeing the full rules, only seen the QS rules, with the exception of drives this is the same game - hell most of the actions (or “moves” if you’re more PbtA player) are the same. Will be interesting to see how Cirlces compares to Gangs over time (especially around claims) Fully expect license (CC) or acknowledgement in full game (Will say seems to play smoother than Vaesen)
The whole system is very close to Spire, both mechanically, and in concept. The entire rolling / dc system is the same (but with d10s), multiple "HP" pools that have consequences for filling them, focus on short-form 1-3 session games, and an emphasis on non-combat solutions. Which is a good thing! I love Spire, it's my favorite system, definitely going to check this one out too, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to try something a little different.
This will play completely differently. I play Forged in the Dark systems pretty much exclusively, and this is certainly different enough that it seems worth owning both. They certainly won’t get sued. It’s just as different as Pathfinder is from D&D imo. Plus they’re open with the fact that Blades was an inspiration.
Watching about 1.5 hrs of the live stream, I enjoyed this system. While I don't think my current group would enjoy it as much as a d20 system, I would love to play this at least once with a group of roleplay focused players.
The gilded dice -> drive system seems like it encourages you to choose to fail sometimes, which IMO is really good for creating dramatic moments that the players feel responsible for.
Very interesting system. Played a few d6 systems so I get the general vibe. Kind of reminds me of Magical Burst, Blades in the Dark, or quite a few TTRPG-style board games. Honestly it does seem simple enough that it probably will be a good introduction to TTRPGs but the more roleplaying heaviness is a little bit of a drawback. Some players aren't comfortable with heavy roleplaying or good with on-the-fly creative thinking, which this seems to want to do. Will look more into it but first impression is that it is decent and more importantly simple.
Roleplaying systems are typically easier to understand than combat oriented systems (like pathfinder or warhammer). So it makes sense that this seeks to focus so heavily in roleplaying, it is after all an investigation game, much like Call of Cthulhu, which is also roleplay heavy just not always in the ways people assume. Now granted, they could've made a system that focuses more on narrative but then the system would probably have to be even simpler but these guys are voice actors, of course they'd wanna make a game based on one of their best skills. Still seeing how good this system is, I'm very hyped tonsee what their d20 system will be like, since I've been looking for a good replacement to d&d after using thst for so long.
I've run Vaesen a lot, and the tone and premise of Candela Obscura are exceedingly similar to it. Similar rules too, but CO is distinct, has an intriguing setting, and has slightly faster and easier play. I do like it, and they've presented a great intro! I'll likely run the quickstart game soon, as I have players eager to try it!
I absolutely love the vibes of this, I like how it's so simple and easy to get into and can't wait to see more of it and I can't freaking wait to see Taliesin playing (or dm-ing?)! 🖤
First Impression: Someone made a fusion of tri-stat Big Eyes Small Mouth, first edition Shadowrun, and first edition Call of Cthullu. This isn't a bad thing, these were all great games back in the day and with a little polish they still shine even today. It's good to see old concepts still holding up well in modern games. I'm a grognard of the Ye Olde Schoole and I've played more different RPG systems than most modern gamers ever dreamed existed. It's great to see the industry and gamer culture re-diversifying once more after the d20 'Mass Extinction'.
I know it's not really the intention, but I could absolutely run a series of SCP-themed sessions for my friends with this and I'm excited to try it out!
So the system is Blades in the Dark reskin. Not a bad thing, the BitD system is superbly flexible, and the original designer encourages reskins, I hope that Critical Role at least acknowledges the influence. It is great to see anything that encourages folks to branch out from D&D.
There was an incredibly similar system used by the dungeon dudes a while back. Though not exactly, I do like the newer mechanics, as it gives more breathing room for scenario development, and it's less confined.
They ran Monster of the Week which is in the same family of games. Blades in the Dark and Monster of the Week could be considered cousins as far as their derived games.
It reminds me of city of mist but simpler, and with a less crowded character creation. Love it. I'll try it for our next mistery one-shots. Perfect to pair with some old Call of Cthulhu adventures.
The announcement of the new gaming systems was huge for me. I have the creativity to make nice worlds and environments but almost no time to develop. The illuminated worlds system solved almost every problem I had to play with my friends.
My hope is that the other cast members will get a shot at the GM chair in this system, I'd really love to see Taliesin run a scenario in this setting for instance :) Hopefully, some of my players will want to try the system as well
Considering Matt has only been announced for GMing three sessions and Taliesin is the resident eldritch god as well as the center focus of the marketing for it, I think the end goal is for Taliesin to take over.
I asked ChatGPT to give 4 analogies to help understand a mixed success in a d6 pool rpg system. Here is its reply... "Here are four analogies to help you understand a mixed success in a d6 pool RPG game: The Quicksand Escape: Imagine you're trying to cross a treacherous patch of quicksand. You manage to make it to the other side, but not without sinking waist-deep and losing some valuable equipment along the way. You succeeded in crossing, but at the cost of a complication (losing items) that may impact you later. The Stealthy Intruder: You're attempting to sneak past a guard and reach the treasure room undetected. You successfully make it inside, but as you reach for the treasure, you accidentally trigger an alarm that alerts the guards. You achieved your goal, but the complication arises as you now have to face additional opposition in your escape. The Precarious Balance: You're trying to cross a rickety bridge over a deep chasm. You manage to make it to the other side, but during your crossing, a few planks break, making the return journey more dangerous. You succeeded in crossing the bridge, but the cost is that you've compromised your path back, adding a complication to your future choices. The Negotiation Challenge: You're engaged in a high-stakes negotiation with a rival faction. While you manage to secure some concessions and favorable terms, the other party also gains some leverage and information about your plans. You achieve partial success in the negotiation, but the cost is that your opponents now have more insight into your intentions, potentially complicating your future interactions. In all these analogies, you can see how the characters or players achieve their primary objective but face an additional cost or complication that arises as a consequence of their actions. This captures the essence of a mixed success in a d6 pool RPG game."
This seems a lot like Powered by the Apocalypse, which is a very good rules-light and setting-agnostic system, but the resistance system is very Blades in the Dark, and tying the catch-up mechanic (drive) into a special die seems to be a unique and engaging mechanic.
This seems really good actually. As a former collector of TTRPGs I've seen a lot of them and at first glance Candela Obscura seems pretty neat. A simple set of rules combined with a good guide on how to play in the Critical Role sessions seems ideal for new players. I don't just mean guide to the mechanics of the game but on how to navigate a role play heavy system. Many new players have a hard time grasping a game where your limiter is your own imagination (mostly).
Thanks for the explanation, I think it was even better than the official one. It's interesting how drives and resistances seem to be a generalization of inspiration (drive is pre-roll, and resistance is post-roll), but without depending on the DM to be awarded.
i'd definitly be interested if you started doing this with more RPG systems. There are a million good ones out there and it may be the push people need to give them a try.
You're right, it's not complicated. This kind of system isn't new; games like this have been around for as long as TTRPGs. That doesn't mean it's bad; there's not enough information to say for sure. But it's not novel.
Candela Obscura's system reminds me of another system. Doesn't "Blades in the Dark" also do a system when you roll several D6 and choose the highest among them? Drive seems like the Stress system from Bit, All it's missing is an alternate option like "A Devil's Bargain" Luckily the Drive system seems to be different enough since you can regain stre- I mean Drive.
Seems like an interesting system. It reminds me of the Powered by the Apocalypse line of games. I’ve been able to play Monster of the Week a few times, and it was a fun side game. Unfortunately, not a D&D replacement for me or my group. We enjoy the tactical combat as much as the roleplaying and exploration.
@@SebThorson I don’t have a lot of experience with PF2e, but I didn’t enjoy my time with it. It gives me D&D4e vibes, which I’d rather just play. I just wish the old programs that 4e had were still available (their death is why I never enjoyed D&D Beyond). I’ve not heard of Mythras, though. I’ll look into it. I recently picked up a 13th Age bundle, but haven’t had time to go through it.
I like this. I run games in our Czech fantasy RPG system that is more roleplay heavy and uses two D6 on EVERYTHING. It's very different to 5e in many aspects, but it's fun and it pushes people to roleplay even during an encounter. So I'm glad to see something simmilar for english audience. I understad there is FATE and other RP heavy systems out there, but this one has better PR just because Critical Role so more people will find out about it and try it and that's ok by me.
Great video! Wished this had appeared as a recommendation before shooting a review of the game. Didn't fully get the system, but think it's interesting and looking forward to trying it.
I'm excited to sit with my group and try it out. It reminds me of a mix of VtM and Call of Cthulu. Very social and rp heavy and humans going against eldritch forces from beyond. I feel it will be a good change of pace from the standard dnd fair
@@LupineShadowOmega Sure, there's nothing wrong with using a system that has a full published SRD. I would just have mentioned that it's an established system already used in lots of games.
@David Rourke I agree completely that they should at least acknowledge systems they took mechanics from. Calling it a new system is a bad look. It's very similar to DM Scotty's EZD6. With the D6 dice pool and resource mechanic.
Oh ppl should know, the quick start guide you get by buying it for $0 from the CR shop. Hopefully a huge number of ppl are interested and know to go download it, 8f simply as a show of support for non 5e ruleset creation going forward.
I'm glad you liked it but I was honestly pretty disappointed by the Quickstart rules (didn't watch the stream). It felt like just a combination of Blades in the Dark and Monster of the Week, which would be fine if it weren't quite a bit worse than either. There's basically no rules about how any of the items work despite calling out Bleed Containment Units as a necessary tool. There are errors in the mechanics like missing how Resistances come back and giving Slinks an ability they can never use. The included adventure is a railroad vacillating wildly between being extremely specific about what GMs should say and not giving any information at all, telling GMs they should just come up with core plot information for themselves. It keeps mentioning using flashbacks to tell stories, which seems to be inspired by Blades in the Dark, but doesn't give any of the cool mechanical methods for doing that which is what makes that game so notable. I'm hopeful the full game feels more complete but as it stands, I was pretty letdown.
Dissapointed by not explaining how items work ? Dude. This is a "Quick start" guide. Read up to page 7 and you can play the game as a player. Nothing else needed. The full book on the system will come out later
@@lefterismplanas4977 The adventure included in the guide specifically calls out a point where you should remind players about this item that protects against bleed. Odd when there's no actual guidance on what the item does or how bleed works. Compare this to other quickstart guides for other games where the adventures are designed to walk you through the mechanics presented in the guide and avoid mechanics not present.
@@lefterismplanas4977 Also just worth noting that you said the quick start guide will give you everything you need to be a player but that's pretty useless if the guide doesn't have enough info for someone to GM.
@@Katosepe it has enaough to be a GM too. Enaough to even include some premare scenarios. Qhat a pler need ends at page 7, extra lore and details go untill page 16 or something, and the rest is just for the GM. Pluss, the full book will release soon eoungh anyway
This is fantastic n I look forward to buying the books and playing this! I'm usually the "in between" DM. Filling in for the main DM when he has some burnout or can't attend a game. This might fit that role perfectly!
This looks really good but I think it should sell itself as a Forged in the Dark game, not its own new thing. No mention of position and effect, which are fairly core to FitD, but other than that it’s absolutely a hack.
This seems very similar to Vaesen in some ways d6 system, 6 is a pass 4 and 5 have consequences, very role play oriented. Blades in the dark is also similar.
Really reminds me of blades in the dark, a game i LOVED in the short few months i played. The further we get into this video the more i feel like maybe blades might be due some kind of aknowledgment by the CR team.
I've heard that one of the devs was a consultant on Blades in the Dark and a few offshoots and that there's a full Acknowledgement section in the main book thanking all the contributing influences.
I loved watching their first session with this system. I feel like it fills a big gap in the TTRPG world. Call of Cthulhu is a wonderful game system, but its really hard jump into if you're new, as character creation in quite complicated. The Illuminated Worlds system gives an easy intro for anyone that wants to throw a fun game together for some friends on short notice, or even just use as a low pressure alternative if your normal game cant run for any reason. I think they knocked it out of the park with this one and I'm really excited for the full release.
the system seems inspired by the Year Zero system. I've been reading Tales from the Loop, and both systems look very similar. Which is a plus for me. Even the Scar system looks straight up from Things from the Flood. .. lol was finishing watching the video while typing. Hell, The Exp system is straight up from the Tales from the loop. Did you face your "problem", Did you use your "pride"?
idk.. it sounds like a very well thought out game! i like the scar system.. the idea that your character is forever changed is really cool! And the gilded dice system is such a fun concept and very clever! but i LOVE rolling dice.. i love rolling d20s.. I love combat and spell casting... All in all.. sounds like this system isn't for me :( But i may find a way to incorporate some of these concepts into my next dnd campaign. Sorry but dnd has all the things i love, if this system had managed to keep the d20's and combat i would probably be makin the switch. I wouldnt object to a one shot if i were ever invited but itt does not look like it will setosity my gaming addiction.
I was watching and I noticed that a distinct lack of a hard combat phase was something I missed too, as it's a good way of "resetting" your attention after playing or watching for so long. I've definitely seen other similar systems (typically made using the Blades in the Dark system which this is very similar to) that implement things like spellcasting though, so a more fleshed-out combat system is not unreachable!
interesting that that is your take, I thought this game had too MUCH die rolling. it came across as too many disparate categories. it felt like skills. actions abilities resistance...sort of leaves me cold.
14:00 Actually, it did feel like it. I haven't seen any of the Critical Roll content on this, yet by this point in the video I already felt I understood the system completely.
Some problems with the system: The GM telling others what they did is not very player friendly, and requires an EXTREMELY Matt Mercer-y GM to be effective. The Matt Mercer effect rages will then be quintupled. Players can lie on Illumination questions. No obvious penalties for such. No obvious & clear limitations on illumination questions Requires a group that can trust each other to perform team actions Is BEGGING for an RPG Horror story fest in regards to all of the above and more.
Players can lie about every single aspect of every single game though. Everything else is more of a communication issue. Also the GM does not HAVE to narrate what the players are doing. As with DnD you will always have the option to let them describe what the player does and then fill in the gaps according to the role. :)
I really like the system. It would have been perfect for the first mini campaign/ one shot series I played with some friends. We played in "how to be a hero" and it was just us traveling around a city and excorcise demons by gathering clues and figuring out how to actually do it.
Avatar is based on Powered by the Apocalypse. This one is based on Blades in the Dark. The main difference is that you have skills instead of moves, plus the whole group sheet thing (forged in the dark games all have something with a sheet for the entire group, be it the gang for Blades, the spaceship for Scum & Villainy etc).
Looks like it runs a lot like Blades in the Dark. Which I certainly can see being a better system if your looking for a more narrative and role play driven sessions. I’ve really enjoyed playing blades in the dark and the sci-fi version scum and villainy. And you really move the pace along if you’ve got a good team of friends who really enjoy the roleplay and a DM that can improvise it’s very easy going system.
My impressions are: This a good "Taking a break from DnD combat" oneshot. It's way better than most dicepool systems, but "mixed success" is always something that'll make some tables different games from each other based on GM interpretation. Like is it you pick the lock but bend your lockpicks or you break the lock on accident with a loud snap that echoes up and down the hall as guards are alerted to you. As a WWN player, I've found GM intepretation rules tend to lead to wildly different games, since it has a lot of those. It's easier to understand, but it asks a lot of the GM and again from intepretation, tables will feel like different systems outright
So they reinvented Blades in the Dark? Not a complaint - Blades in the Dark is great and there are differences - but it screams Blades in the Dark to me
It's a shame that Darrington Press based this entire system off of Blades in the Dark (not a new system) and yet they gave no credit to Blades in the Dark even though it is almost an exact copy other than like three words changing on character sheet.
Coming from an academic background, I heavily believe that "The good guys cite their sources". Consider our reaction of Wizards of the Coast (other villainous corporations are available) re-skinned an existing game and sold it as theirs. I hope the full version (when published) will contain proper citations of major influences.
Listening to this, and reading the sheets from what you showcased on screen, I'd almost draw some similarities to Blades in the Dark/Forged in the Dark titles, as well. With the individual characters, the d6 pools, how results are calculated, as well as a team sheet with resources that also levels up as the party succeeds in their missions. I always felt those were very approachable systems (once you get past some of the concepts that seem foreign compared to D&D and other d20 systems), and this seems like it would be as well.
Im still finding it hilarious that the DND community was told to expect to pay for using their imagination or *never say* DND. Then the community replied: “OK” 😂
Been designing my own system for a while which is more in line to Wrath&Glory. d6 system only where there's no negative modifiers, just modifiers to how you interpret the base result of the die. 6 is two successes 4+ is a success 1-3 no success "Disadvantage" or a +/-1 or 2 simply changes how you read the final value of each die and while powerful, much harder to achieve. With dice bots, you can custom make a macro to auto read results though it's still easy to add up the number visually with real dice and overall my players have had a lot of fun because it feels more rewarding. Add up number of successes and if it meets or exceeds the target threshold, you succeed. The first d6 rolled determines a Critical when applicable, but has no effect on an automatic, the overall test still needs to succeed or fail beforehand. Like W&G, you start from an Attribute of 1 and spend EXP to increase them, whatever your score is, that's your direct modifier to those associated skills. You can gain increases to proficiency but that modifier is tied to your Tier which can't exceed the Tier of play difficulty.
The game rules remind me of a more advanced version of Fate. I'm definitely intrigued; I loved Fate but it was a little too simplistic for my taste. This sounds like a nice balance of Fate and D&D!
Imo this is just slimmed down FATE, a lot simpler. They have prettier character sheets though, so that's something that's more complex. The biggest differences I've seen are they made combat easier, added a bunch of ways to boost your chance of success, and made character creation at the start of a campaign unimportant to playing the game in favor of quick start.
While it seems obvious to veteran Role-players advice for new players: Don't mark the tracks that change often. Drive is easy to track with counters or even a die. And won't wear down the character sheet. Between sessions yes go ahead and mark things as needed so you remember where you are at, but during a game save the time and your pencil.
I am happy to hear this d6 system is different enough from other RP heavy ones I've played, though it is similar (e.g., use of mixed successes). I like the sound of the party leveling and party ability mechanics. Encouraging teamwork with the system itself seems like a good idea. I don't even watch CR, but I'd play this. I also just like that this might make D&D players more aware of this kind of system (Apocalypse World, Blades in the Dark, etc.). As someone who can get burned out on running D&D, I like the idea of a world where players are already sold on this kind of system.
No one can deny that it was very heavily inspired by FitD. Seems like a cheap ploy to release it as a 'new, proprietary' system. All the FitD creators want to see when their system is used is an acknowledgment of that fact, nothing more. No legal bureaucracy, just the respect they deserve. And now it's presented as if someone came up with a completely original idea...
I think this balance reflects the source. I recall whole 4 hours Critical Role sessions without a piece of action. That's OK for broadcast entertainment - actors gonna act. Some play groups will want to slick with blood and guys action - there are systems for that. Some might want to try something different, without the penalty of reading 600 pages before you play. This fills the latter gap. I'd be amazed if anybody expected Candela Obscura to displace D&D in terms of sales. The commercial objective is likely to place in the top 5% of competing independent rules.
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This doesn't sound as enticing to me as CR's more fantasy-oriented campaign, which is the main reason why I've stuck with D&D for so long.
Horror is fine...but I prefer READING it than watching it in the form of movies, TV shows or in this case, tabletop campaigns
Cannot enter the competition says my mane and email are spam ???????? :-( (This entry has been flagged by our anti-spam system. (34) )
Sorry do you know if the giveaway is worldwide? I'm in Europe do you think i can participate?
Worldwide giveaway? I'm from south america
There's a scammer pretending to be you that replied to my comment on this video
Your ability to turn large amounts of info into quick, easily understandable videos is truly incredible.
Seriously main reason I love this channel. Reminds me of LTT in a way, big flashy content mixed with really good ELI5 breakdowns.
This dude could be a college professor with his teaching abilities
Yeah, no kidding. I feel like I could play the game almost now even, just after a mere quarter hour. A * quarter of an hour *.
Bonkers, DS. Bonkers.
I enjoy his explaination far more than I think I will enjoy this game system.
so cool of Taliesin to lend the crew his clothing and basement so they can play this
I was just happy he lent is diary so they could play this game.
Given that this is more intended for short form session-based stuff, I'm thinking that the most we'll see of this is more of the minicampaign-like structure we see with exandria unlimited. Campaign 4 will most likely be the other RPG system they're developing: Daggerheart- which is more intended for long-form stuff
I mean, it *isn’t* supposed to be the new “DnD” they are *also* debuting soon. This is something akin to Vampire: The Masquerade. This type of TTRPY is usually more Roleplay focused with minimal combat. So it’s kinda the point that this doesn’t replace the system they’ll use in Season 4. Season 4 is going to be Daggerheart, the direct competition to D&D/Pathfinder. If I remember correctly they (Critical Role) are also dropping a card-based game soon as well. This is just one of several new systems they’ve come up with, and it sounds amazing.
I would *adore* seeing this mixed into their new season. Daggerheart for the “meat” of the season’s content, with Obscura for the “marrow”, really deep lore and Roleplay with very little focus on combat encounters.
@@SchmartsyMan But there's so much combat oriented stuff in vtm. Why would anyone have minimal combat in a vtm game? *bigthonk*
i wanna note that i've only played v20
@@aronsvanlaugsson5338 I always view combat in vtm as we've run out of options/someone messed up, aside from the times you go into an expected fight.
Depending on when they release I'm wondering if they'll switch partway through Campaign 3.
@@aronsvanlaugsson5338 why are ya fighting in VTM? thats last resort in that game. its like fighting in call of Cthulhu
The DM companion was doing her best! She deserves more praise! 🥺
I almost took my little DM Companion corgo to listen in a different room. Stubby is a good boi.
He had the best DM companion!
No, she needs to do better.
@@LegendStormcrow - corgoids are best, right after regular corgis.
Basic resource management is always a plus for me. I think every current D&D class should have something like what fighter battle masters do, to change/augment what they already do well.
Look up spheres of power/might 5e
Yessss agreed
I've only been studying rpg design for a couple months but stuff like Battlemaster seems like such an obvious thing to give players a breadth of options within a certain theme
Yup, this is why one common homebrew buff for fighter is to make the battlemaster features baked into the class. It helps provide choices for utility/CC/damage, and it allows room for resource management.
@@piranhaplantX reminds me of a convo I had recently: that every class should have SOME 'warlock invocation' list for customization. Battlemaster is basicly warlock invocation for fighter XD
Idk, I still think the best part of D&D is when the classes have unique abilities and feel completely different when playing them. I went from my fighter who had 18 million things to do as a reaction to my warlock who is thus far much simpler and without that kind of baggage.
Feels like a fusion of Powered by the Apocalypse, Blades in the Dark, and World of Darkness, with enough of its own ideas to stand on its own two legs. As a long time player and early adopter of PBTA myself, I'm pleased as punch to see a d6 engine getting more eyes on it. D6 engines solve a lot of my personal issues with D20 engines, both as a player and GM, and I hope to see more interest in D6 games sprout out of this!
i dont think it really has any of its own ideas. in terms of feel it seems to be most like VtM, you focus on RP, character motives (VTM does it better imo) and roll for skills in dispersed moments.
I disagree with that take, and find it very disingenuous. By that standard, practically no games that people enjoy (TTRPG or not) 'stand on their own'. Because VTM (which is WoD) borrows elements from other pre-existing dice systems, and dice systems as a whole borrow their ideas from the gambling game systems that preceded them. Plus WoD is D10, not D6, which does have an impact on granularity of success. Further "Focus on the characters/motives with fewer dice rolls" is not exclusively WoD's idea. PBTA does it. ICON does it. Cogent does it. And those are just the ones I know off the top of my head.
Candella is derivative, but 'derivative' does not mean 'unoriginal', nor that it doesn't have its own ideas or execution quirks that let it stand on its own or have its own playfeel.
@@NagaTales the cast of CR played a VtM game and copied it. You can just eatch the episode.
Ah, so VtM/WoD now owns not only the idea of a motive/character driven system, but the gothic horror setting too, and no one else can make a TTRPG with similar themes or mechanics without being an unoriginal knock-off.
What a childish attitude. You must be fun at parties. I bet you unironically call every MMO since 2004 a "WoW Clone" too.
FYI, I don't watch CritRole. I couldn't care less what they do in their streams; I'm here because I'm excited for a new, interesting-looking D6 system that I would be happy to learn and engage with. If you're determined to continue being a child about this, please go do your pouting in a corner, and not in my replies.
I am almost certain it's explicitly a Forged in the Dark game
This seems extremely similar to blades in the dark
it looks mostly like a reskin tbh
Agreed, 80% of it are the same mechanics. I don't mind to be honest, blades in the dark is amazing, but it's a bit of a shame that it's advertised as "their own systems" without mentioning the forged in the dark system. The creator did tweet about it in passing, but that's it. Hope it's not gonna have negative effects on BitD. But the bottom line is : i love it :D
As far as I can tell it's a modified version of blades but I'm not super familiar with D6 systems
Yeah, i noticed that as well. Feel like blades might be due some acknowledgment by the CR team
@@Inthepotwithdiogenes If they used it as inspiration then yes, if not then no
Edit: Apparently they do cite that BitD & Vaesen are big inspirations in their Quickstart Guidebook for Candela Obscura
This game is very close to Blades in the Dark. Hopefully we'll see people branching out into the broader BitD/FitD and PbtA market.
I do like that it is more geared toward GM-led or premade adventures than BitD is. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love how BitD is structured to organically create the story as everyone plays, but it does require a lot of imagination and creativity on the part of both the players and the GM. This system looks great for folks who aren’t as comfortable improvising, and it seems slightly less brutal than BitD’s “play your character like it’s a stolen car” style.
Agree, I see it similar to Monster of the Week in its episodic investigative RP focus.
In this case possibly cthulhu lite. Perhaps some cthulhu adventures could be repurposed for a simple game?
That's what I was going to say
This explanation was orders of magnitude easier to understand than the one that critical role released on their own channel
tbf, I took like 2x as long haha
Except for the error that milestones aren't advancement; getting the full track is advancement. Milestones are related to some Circle abilities; in the Quick Start, there's only one Circle ability the milestones affects.
This 100 percent!
@@DnDShorts better to take long and be understandable than short and be left with questions
@Everything's Alright to a degree. If you leave people with the right questions they're more likely to invest more personal time. People tend to be more open to invest monetarily on things they've already invested time into.
If you get a chance to watch the first episode, I'd recommend it. Everyone did a great job, the characters are strong right out of the gate, and I was entertained every moment from minute one through to the end.
Also I was amazed at the set design and outfits. It all looked amazing for something of a side project.
The ticking gears behind Matt was pretty crazy. The set design probably wasn't too much since it's all projected backdrops. Just need a few solid digital artists.
@@terradon852It feels less like a side project to me and more like a product drop from another branch of the company. (Which, I guess it is.) They'll definitely drop the resources to market and display their new game the best they can.
@@means_well It's been confirmed that the set piece behind Matt is a real physical object, which is pretty bonkers. The set the trailer was filmed in (enclosure with eye motifs that Taliesin was in) was also physical, cf. bts videos posted on socials.
The backdrops behind the players' tables may be projections or a mix, but at this point I'm not even sure about that, lol. But even so the costuming, lighting choices, player props like dice trays with their names on them were all VERY nice.
I plan on doing so my next work day.
This system seems very similar to Blades in the Dark, just a bit less brutal.
Very very similar indeed. While I haven't played the original Blades in the Dark but the Cyberpunk themed hack called Runners in the Shadow has mechanics almost identical to these. Note: It's been a while so I might remember some parts wrong, but I will explain the similarities to the best of my ability.
- How the skills and dice work is the same, pretty much.
- Drive and Edge work pretty much identical, apart from the consequences of using up last of your Edge (Trauma) while using up your Drive doesn't seem to have negative effects. Also there's no "Gilded Die" in RitS, so you can only regain Edge via downtime.
- Speaking of downtime, "leveling up" is also pretty much identical, although the xp questions are different.
There might be more similarities that I'm missing, but pretty much the "core" of both systems is nearly identical. I have to wonder if there were same people working on both projects or if they just were heavily inspired. Legally, you can't copyright mechanics, but even still it is a bit too close, imo.
That was my first thought, they’ve obviously been influenced by forged in dark - which is great as it’s an awesome system.
I was thinking the same but FATE, but I never played blades in the dark yet they make FATE so this makes since. At least with FATE it felt like something was missing by not targeting anything so I look forward to how this plays since it seems more targeted to an idea.
@@backonlazer791 they Take "free inspiration" from Blades in the dark and the settings is essentially Call of Chtulu a bit ler dark
Was exactly my thought. Played a long Blades game and the system is very good for the type of game it is.
You need to make more system explanation videos. This was broken down so well. I want to see this style of video for like Pathfinder, Mutants and Masterminds, Call of Cthulhu. They'd just be so good.
THIS
The things I like the most about it is how general the system is, and how easy it seem to apply it to other genres. A lot of people are comparing it to call of cthulu, but that game's system is much more tied to its setting. This I feel i could throw onto a sci-fi setting with minimal mechanical work and it would work wonders. Will make for a great community builder
While I don't disagree, I do feel it's a bit of a cop-out to laud a system that's super simple to be setting agnostic.
If the system was "toss a coin: heads is good, tails is bad", that system would work in any setting as well. The real challenge would be in making a super involved system that still worked for every genre imaginable.
Personally, I prefer it when the system is built with the genre/theme in mind. My favorite system is the Deadlands Classic system, which PEGInc made and used before they created Savage Worlds.
Deadlands takes place in the "Weird West" - or "wild west with zombies" - and the Classic system is built around not only dice, but also poker chips and playing cards, as if the game took place around a poker table at a saloon. In combat, players are dealt cards, up to five, to represent action economy. Poker chips are gained by playing and succeeding at challenges, and can be either saved, converted into XP, or to boost a hero's die rolls and to power magical effects. The rulebook itself is filled with wild-west-esque language and nods to b-movie tropes.
I don't see myself adopting Illuminated Worlds myself. For the theme, I'll probably stick with 20th Anniversary Vampire or Call of Cthulhu instead, neither of which are super complex systems and both of which I know reasonably well.
But! The gilded die and the incentive to intentionally fail a roll is somewhat intriguing. There would just have to be more to it than what it seems there is at the moment.
_For me, that is._ I'm not trying to dictate what kind of games/systems others are allowed to prefer.
@@TheRawrnstuff while this is true, I thinn that a lot of the same players who play dnd are more up for a theme agnostic system than a specific one. The thing that makes dnd great is that it is easy to get people in with a plethora of styles and themes possible. For most people, the hardest part of playing a ttrpg is actually getting enough people interested in playing. The more obscure and specific a system is, the lower the chance that someone will be interested.
Does that mean a system agnostic system is better? No, but if illuminated worlds want to actually make a dent on the market it is the dnd playerbase they need to take a piece from. The players like you who enjoy more specific systems most likely already don't play dnd anyways as it is rather theme agnostic already. It is clear that they are trying to create a new "base system" similar to GURPS but that can actually compete with dnd.
@@PJsutnop Oh, definitely. The d20 system is not great for creativity and roleplay due to its focus on carefully worded spells and focus on melee combat. On that front, the illuminated system has d20 beat, and I'm sure the majority of the new TTRPG renaissance players are only happy to have a less combat-focused system to sink their teeth into.
To be completely honest as harsh as it sounds, as someone who likes to DM/GM games to "randoms" online, separating out players who want to play an "illuminated-style" game from the d20-system player pool is a good thing. Not to gatekeep D&D, but a group in which everyone wants the same kind of game runs better than a group where some people want A, others B. I believe it'll strengthen both groups in the long run.
And Critical Role has the social capital to realize that difference in a real, perceivable way.
Call of Cthulhu is the Basic Roleplaying system with a mechanic for sanity added. Basic Roleplaying csn be used for anything, really.
It is a d6 pool system and lifts alot from Ghostbusters and other previous d6 sysyesm
The Quickstart specifically mentions Blades in the Dark by John Harper and Vaesen by Nils Hintze as inspirations. :D
Mechanically it seems closer to Blades in the Dark though, but without much of the meta-discussion of extra risk & reward. Also seems a bit more forgiving (no penalties with scars?), but probably need to play it to really say for sure. I've only played Vaesen once (and I kinda forgot specific mechanics), so can't really comment, but I do remember penalties can feel quite a bit harsh as well, so it's interesting here that there seems to be no penalties associated with scars.
I wonder if they're gonna have a "build your organisation" mechanics in the full rules, though, since those two rulesets go pretty deep with building your own organisation...
"Who has time to start?" Ha! I started from the very beginning of Critical Role with campaign 1 two years or so ago and am now caught up.
I have no regrets.
I started right around the time the Covid lock down started. That gave me a bunch of extra time on my hands.
Ive only ever played dnd but this looks like a system i want to try. I particularly like how the teamwork elements seem baked into the system itself and the high stakes of the scar damage idea
If this video can be summarized in any way, it’s Blades in the Dark. Dice roll rules are the same, even the drive (push yourself, stress, etc.).
My dude! I watched their rule explanation before yours and you did mountains better explaining it. You're awesome man. Keep it up.😄
Seems a lot like Call of Cthulhu, which is a fantastic game itself.
Thank you!! I was so confused after CR's intro vid and have to wait for VoD to see them play. This made 100% more sense and now kind of excited for it, just sent to my playgroup for future things to try.
This strikes me as similar to Blades in the Dark, if people know that one. Maybe that's intentional, but hey, just something I noticed with the rules.
It is heavily inspired by Blades in The Dark, one of the game designers wrote Scum & Villany (a science fiction setting that uses the Blades in the Dark rules).
Because it is Forged in the Dark - it’s all a little underhanded
That's because Illuminated Worlds System is really iteration of Forged in the Dark.
From what I've seen illuminated worlds is to blades in the dark what Cypher System is to D&D. Similar dice used, but different in how the dice are used.
So long as Candela Obscura doesn't revolve around the DM counting down different "clocks" it's not blades in the dark. Hell, candela obscura sounds like it has as much in common with blades in the dark as it does with Genesys/Edge of the Empire.
@@CitanulsPumpkin Without seeing the full rules, only seen the QS rules, with the exception of drives this is the same game - hell most of the actions (or “moves” if you’re more PbtA player) are the same.
Will be interesting to see how Cirlces compares to Gangs over time (especially around claims)
Fully expect license (CC) or acknowledgement in full game
(Will say seems to play smoother than Vaesen)
The whole system is very close to Spire, both mechanically, and in concept. The entire rolling / dc system is the same (but with d10s), multiple "HP" pools that have consequences for filling them, focus on short-form 1-3 session games, and an emphasis on non-combat solutions. Which is a good thing! I love Spire, it's my favorite system, definitely going to check this one out too, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to try something a little different.
This new system sounds very similar to Blades in the Dark but less complicated, I like it!
This will play completely differently. I play Forged in the Dark systems pretty much exclusively, and this is certainly different enough that it seems worth owning both. They certainly won’t get sued. It’s just as different as Pathfinder is from D&D imo. Plus they’re open with the fact that Blades was an inspiration.
@@DrDinoNuggies Apparently John Harper helped design Candela
@@DrDinoNuggies they wouldn't get sued either way because of the way that FitD is licensed. As long as they give attribution.
I really liked that it moves right along play time wise. And it can definitely be adapted to other settings.
Watching about 1.5 hrs of the live stream, I enjoyed this system. While I don't think my current group would enjoy it as much as a d20 system, I would love to play this at least once with a group of roleplay focused players.
I really enjoyed d10 systems. Mostly flat-out percentages
The gilded dice -> drive system seems like it encourages you to choose to fail sometimes, which IMO is really good for creating dramatic moments that the players feel responsible for.
Very interesting system. Played a few d6 systems so I get the general vibe. Kind of reminds me of Magical Burst, Blades in the Dark, or quite a few TTRPG-style board games. Honestly it does seem simple enough that it probably will be a good introduction to TTRPGs but the more roleplaying heaviness is a little bit of a drawback. Some players aren't comfortable with heavy roleplaying or good with on-the-fly creative thinking, which this seems to want to do. Will look more into it but first impression is that it is decent and more importantly simple.
It is based on Forged in the Dark (Blades in the Dark) and some other game.
Roleplaying systems are typically easier to understand than combat oriented systems (like pathfinder or warhammer). So it makes sense that this seeks to focus so heavily in roleplaying, it is after all an investigation game, much like Call of Cthulhu, which is also roleplay heavy just not always in the ways people assume.
Now granted, they could've made a system that focuses more on narrative but then the system would probably have to be even simpler but these guys are voice actors, of course they'd wanna make a game based on one of their best skills.
Still seeing how good this system is, I'm very hyped tonsee what their d20 system will be like, since I've been looking for a good replacement to d&d after using thst for so long.
I've run Vaesen a lot, and the tone and premise of Candela Obscura are exceedingly similar to it.
Similar rules too, but CO is distinct, has an intriguing setting, and has slightly faster and easier play.
I do like it, and they've presented a great intro! I'll likely run the quickstart game soon, as I have players eager to try it!
I absolutely love the vibes of this, I like how it's so simple and easy to get into and can't wait to see more of it and I can't freaking wait to see Taliesin playing (or dm-ing?)! 🖤
First Impression: Someone made a fusion of tri-stat Big Eyes Small Mouth, first edition Shadowrun, and first edition Call of Cthullu.
This isn't a bad thing, these were all great games back in the day and with a little polish they still shine even today. It's good to see old concepts still holding up well in modern games.
I'm a grognard of the Ye Olde Schoole and I've played more different RPG systems than most modern gamers ever dreamed existed. It's great to see the industry and gamer culture re-diversifying once more after the d20 'Mass Extinction'.
This is 100% classic Call of Chthulu just without the sanity system.
I am interested to give it a go. I like role-playing heavy systems that focus more on ingenuity and creativity over number crunching.
First impression: This sounds basically like a Forged in the Dark game (based on the game Blades in the Dark by John Harper).
I know it's not really the intention, but I could absolutely run a series of SCP-themed sessions for my friends with this and I'm excited to try it out!
I think that IS the intention, actually. It's a flexible system meant for a variety of settings.
So the system is Blades in the Dark reskin. Not a bad thing, the BitD system is superbly flexible, and the original designer encourages reskins, I hope that Critical Role at least acknowledges the influence. It is great to see anything that encourages folks to branch out from D&D.
There was an incredibly similar system used by the dungeon dudes a while back. Though not exactly, I do like the newer mechanics, as it gives more breathing room for scenario development, and it's less confined.
Dungeon world, maybe? I played it once and it feels similar to this.
Blades in the dark perhaps? it's what started FitD which is what Candela Obscura is most likely inspired by along with Call of Cthulhu.
Monster of Week also used Powered by Apocalypse system
They ran Monster of the Week which is in the same family of games. Blades in the Dark and Monster of the Week could be considered cousins as far as their derived games.
Just to support everything said in the comments, but it is 'Forged in the Dark' which is very cool as its a great system.
It reminds me of city of mist but simpler, and with a less crowded character creation. Love it. I'll try it for our next mistery one-shots. Perfect to pair with some old Call of Cthulhu adventures.
Idk why but this video made way more sense to me then the official video they put out explaining it. Thank you!
In their defense, I took twice as long to explain everything than they did haha
The announcement of the new gaming systems was huge for me. I have the creativity to make nice worlds and environments but almost no time to develop. The illuminated worlds system solved almost every problem I had to play with my friends.
I've been dying for you to make this video. Thanks for the efficient info dump!
The game system they're using seems to be 90% blades in the dark system.
Love it! Closest thing to possibly lure me back TTRPG since DnD took over..
My hope is that the other cast members will get a shot at the GM chair in this system, I'd really love to see Taliesin run a scenario in this setting for instance :) Hopefully, some of my players will want to try the system as well
Considering Matt has only been announced for GMing three sessions and Taliesin is the resident eldritch god as well as the center focus of the marketing for it, I think the end goal is for Taliesin to take over.
@@michaelgrey1503 Makes sense! :)
I asked ChatGPT to give 4 analogies to help understand a mixed success in a d6 pool rpg system. Here is its reply... "Here are four analogies to help you understand a mixed success in a d6 pool RPG game:
The Quicksand Escape: Imagine you're trying to cross a treacherous patch of quicksand. You manage to make it to the other side, but not without sinking waist-deep and losing some valuable equipment along the way. You succeeded in crossing, but at the cost of a complication (losing items) that may impact you later.
The Stealthy Intruder: You're attempting to sneak past a guard and reach the treasure room undetected. You successfully make it inside, but as you reach for the treasure, you accidentally trigger an alarm that alerts the guards. You achieved your goal, but the complication arises as you now have to face additional opposition in your escape.
The Precarious Balance: You're trying to cross a rickety bridge over a deep chasm. You manage to make it to the other side, but during your crossing, a few planks break, making the return journey more dangerous. You succeeded in crossing the bridge, but the cost is that you've compromised your path back, adding a complication to your future choices.
The Negotiation Challenge: You're engaged in a high-stakes negotiation with a rival faction. While you manage to secure some concessions and favorable terms, the other party also gains some leverage and information about your plans. You achieve partial success in the negotiation, but the cost is that your opponents now have more insight into your intentions, potentially complicating your future interactions.
In all these analogies, you can see how the characters or players achieve their primary objective but face an additional cost or complication that arises as a consequence of their actions. This captures the essence of a mixed success in a d6 pool RPG game."
This system sounds VERY close to Blades In the Dark.
People from Blades were consulted and even helped in making CO...
Feels like monster of the week/call of cthulhu. Hope this shows alot of the newer ttrpg players that there's more than just dnd out there
This seems a lot like Powered by the Apocalypse, which is a very good rules-light and setting-agnostic system, but the resistance system is very Blades in the Dark, and tying the catch-up mechanic (drive) into a special die seems to be a unique and engaging mechanic.
This seems really good actually. As a former collector of TTRPGs I've seen a lot of them and at first glance Candela Obscura seems pretty neat. A simple set of rules combined with a good guide on how to play in the Critical Role sessions seems ideal for new players. I don't just mean guide to the mechanics of the game but on how to navigate a role play heavy system. Many new players have a hard time grasping a game where your limiter is your own imagination (mostly).
Now that I'm seeing it explained, it's a LOT like Blades in the Dark which is an excellent TTRPG.
Thanks for the explanation, I think it was even better than the official one. It's interesting how drives and resistances seem to be a generalization of inspiration (drive is pre-roll, and resistance is post-roll), but without depending on the DM to be awarded.
It's basically Blades in the Dark with a bit a of a reskin
Definitely seems to have taken inspiration from the likes of Powered by the Apocalypse and Blades in the Dark. Sounds intriguing.
i'd definitly be interested if you started doing this with more RPG systems. There are a million good ones out there and it may be the push people need to give them a try.
You're right, it's not complicated.
This kind of system isn't new; games like this have been around for as long as TTRPGs.
That doesn't mean it's bad; there's not enough information to say for sure. But it's not novel.
Candela Obscura's system reminds me of another system.
Doesn't "Blades in the Dark" also do a system when you roll several D6 and choose the highest among them?
Drive seems like the Stress system from Bit, All it's missing is an alternate option like "A Devil's Bargain" Luckily the Drive system seems to be different enough since you can regain stre- I mean Drive.
Blades in the dark - awesome choice for a new system!
Seems like an interesting system. It reminds me of the Powered by the Apocalypse line of games. I’ve been able to play Monster of the Week a few times, and it was a fun side game. Unfortunately, not a D&D replacement for me or my group. We enjoy the tactical combat as much as the roleplaying and exploration.
I got PbtA vibes immediately as well, tho it seems a bit more involved than that whole system, more resource management, which I'm a big fan of.
Pathfinder 2e is the most obvious replacement. You could also try Mythras (with Classic Fantasy addon).
@@SebThorson I don’t have a lot of experience with PF2e, but I didn’t enjoy my time with it. It gives me D&D4e vibes, which I’d rather just play. I just wish the old programs that 4e had were still available (their death is why I never enjoyed D&D Beyond). I’ve not heard of Mythras, though. I’ll look into it. I recently picked up a 13th Age bundle, but haven’t had time to go through it.
I like this. I run games in our Czech fantasy RPG system that is more roleplay heavy and uses two D6 on EVERYTHING. It's very different to 5e in many aspects, but it's fun and it pushes people to roleplay even during an encounter. So I'm glad to see something simmilar for english audience. I understad there is FATE and other RP heavy systems out there, but this one has better PR just because Critical Role so more people will find out about it and try it and that's ok by me.
That's blades in the dark isn't it? Or close enough
Great video! Wished this had appeared as a recommendation before shooting a review of the game. Didn't fully get the system, but think it's interesting and looking forward to trying it.
Sounds very "Blades in the Dark".
I'm excited to sit with my group and try it out. It reminds me of a mix of VtM and Call of Cthulu. Very social and rp heavy and humans going against eldritch forces from beyond. I feel it will be a good change of pace from the standard dnd fair
Seems like a solid system, although i prefer a more combat focused RP
Can't wait to watch the CR episode!
So it's just the Forged in the Dark system by John Harper?
Which is itself a hack of the Apocalypse World system.
@@LupineShadowOmega Sure, there's nothing wrong with using a system that has a full published SRD. I would just have mentioned that it's an established system already used in lots of games.
@@DavidRourke Agreed. Like I for one am interested in their twists, but it probably should have been mentioned up front.
@David Rourke I agree completely that they should at least acknowledge systems they took mechanics from. Calling it a new system is a bad look.
It's very similar to DM Scotty's EZD6. With the D6 dice pool and resource mechanic.
Stras Acimovic and Layla Adelman worked with Forged in the Dark
Oh ppl should know, the quick start guide you get by buying it for $0 from the CR shop. Hopefully a huge number of ppl are interested and know to go download it, 8f simply as a show of support for non 5e ruleset creation going forward.
I'm glad you liked it but I was honestly pretty disappointed by the Quickstart rules (didn't watch the stream). It felt like just a combination of Blades in the Dark and Monster of the Week, which would be fine if it weren't quite a bit worse than either. There's basically no rules about how any of the items work despite calling out Bleed Containment Units as a necessary tool. There are errors in the mechanics like missing how Resistances come back and giving Slinks an ability they can never use. The included adventure is a railroad vacillating wildly between being extremely specific about what GMs should say and not giving any information at all, telling GMs they should just come up with core plot information for themselves. It keeps mentioning using flashbacks to tell stories, which seems to be inspired by Blades in the Dark, but doesn't give any of the cool mechanical methods for doing that which is what makes that game so notable.
I'm hopeful the full game feels more complete but as it stands, I was pretty letdown.
Dissapointed by not explaining how items work ?
Dude. This is a "Quick start" guide. Read up to page 7 and you can play the game as a player. Nothing else needed.
The full book on the system will come out later
@@lefterismplanas4977 The adventure included in the guide specifically calls out a point where you should remind players about this item that protects against bleed. Odd when there's no actual guidance on what the item does or how bleed works. Compare this to other quickstart guides for other games where the adventures are designed to walk you through the mechanics presented in the guide and avoid mechanics not present.
@@lefterismplanas4977 Also just worth noting that you said the quick start guide will give you everything you need to be a player but that's pretty useless if the guide doesn't have enough info for someone to GM.
@@Katosepe it has enaough to be a GM too. Enaough to even include some premare scenarios.
Qhat a pler need ends at page 7, extra lore and details go untill page 16 or something, and the rest is just for the GM.
Pluss, the full book will release soon eoungh anyway
This is fantastic n I look forward to buying the books and playing this! I'm usually the "in between" DM. Filling in for the main DM when he has some burnout or can't attend a game. This might fit that role perfectly!
This looks really good but I think it should sell itself as a Forged in the Dark game, not its own new thing. No mention of position and effect, which are fairly core to FitD, but other than that it’s absolutely a hack.
This seems very similar to Vaesen in some ways d6 system, 6 is a pass 4 and 5 have consequences, very role play oriented. Blades in the dark is also similar.
Really reminds me of blades in the dark, a game i LOVED in the short few months i played. The further we get into this video the more i feel like maybe blades might be due some kind of aknowledgment by the CR team.
I've heard that one of the devs was a consultant on Blades in the Dark and a few offshoots and that there's a full Acknowledgement section in the main book thanking all the contributing influences.
John Harper, the creator of blades, helped with the project (see Touchstones in the quickstart).
@Tal Tamary no way!! That's very neat, ty
I loved watching their first session with this system. I feel like it fills a big gap in the TTRPG world. Call of Cthulhu is a wonderful game system, but its really hard jump into if you're new, as character creation in quite complicated. The Illuminated Worlds system gives an easy intro for anyone that wants to throw a fun game together for some friends on short notice, or even just use as a low pressure alternative if your normal game cant run for any reason.
I think they knocked it out of the park with this one and I'm really excited for the full release.
Isn't this exactly like Blades in the Dark?
it is ('almost', to be precise, but it really is)
Yeah it's definitely a variant.
the system seems inspired by the Year Zero system. I've been reading Tales from the Loop, and both systems look very similar. Which is a plus for me.
Even the Scar system looks straight up from Things from the Flood. ..
lol was finishing watching the video while typing. Hell, The Exp system is straight up from the Tales from the loop.
Did you face your "problem", Did you use your "pride"?
idk.. it sounds like a very well thought out game! i like the scar system.. the idea that your character is forever changed is really cool! And the gilded dice system is such a fun concept and very clever! but i LOVE rolling dice.. i love rolling d20s.. I love combat and spell casting... All in all.. sounds like this system isn't for me :( But i may find a way to incorporate some of these concepts into my next dnd campaign. Sorry but dnd has all the things i love, if this system had managed to keep the d20's and combat i would probably be makin the switch. I wouldnt object to a one shot if i were ever invited but itt does not look like it will setosity my gaming addiction.
I was watching and I noticed that a distinct lack of a hard combat phase was something I missed too, as it's a good way of "resetting" your attention after playing or watching for so long. I've definitely seen other similar systems (typically made using the Blades in the Dark system which this is very similar to) that implement things like spellcasting though, so a more fleshed-out combat system is not unreachable!
interesting that that is your take, I thought this game had too MUCH die rolling. it came across as too many disparate categories. it felt like skills. actions abilities resistance...sort of leaves me cold.
14:00 Actually, it did feel like it. I haven't seen any of the Critical Roll content on this, yet by this point in the video I already felt I understood the system completely.
Isn’t this just super similar to blades in the dark, but in a different setting?
This was an excellent summary, I feel like I’m pretty much ready to start playing. The game itself looks like a lot of fun too!
Seems a lot like TinyD6 from Gallant Knight which I'd also recommend. I'd be willing to give their system a try.
So it’s like Monster of the Week? Now I’m really excited to play.
Some problems with the system:
The GM telling others what they did is not very player friendly, and requires an EXTREMELY Matt Mercer-y GM to be effective. The Matt Mercer effect rages will then be quintupled.
Players can lie on Illumination questions. No obvious penalties for such.
No obvious & clear limitations on illumination questions
Requires a group that can trust each other to perform team actions
Is BEGGING for an RPG Horror story fest in regards to all of the above and more.
Players can lie about every single aspect of every single game though. Everything else is more of a communication issue. Also the GM does not HAVE to narrate what the players are doing. As with DnD you will always have the option to let them describe what the player does and then fill in the gaps according to the role. :)
I really like the system. It would have been perfect for the first mini campaign/ one shot series I played with some friends. We played in "how to be a hero" and it was just us traveling around a city and excorcise demons by gathering clues and figuring out how to actually do it.
This is very similar to the new Avatar ttrpg system, it is a dual d6 system and is a heavy roleplay system as well.
Avatar is based on Powered by the Apocalypse. This one is based on Blades in the Dark. The main difference is that you have skills instead of moves, plus the whole group sheet thing (forged in the dark games all have something with a sheet for the entire group, be it the gang for Blades, the spaceship for Scum & Villainy etc).
I'd run this system as an intro for new players. I like it; it focuses on one die that mostly everyone knows, and it's only got a few extra rules.
Looks like it runs a lot like Blades in the Dark. Which I certainly can see being a better system if your looking for a more narrative and role play driven sessions. I’ve really enjoyed playing blades in the dark and the sci-fi version scum and villainy. And you really move the pace along if you’ve got a good team of friends who really enjoy the roleplay and a DM that can improvise it’s very easy going system.
My impressions are: This a good "Taking a break from DnD combat" oneshot. It's way better than most dicepool systems, but "mixed success" is always something that'll make some tables different games from each other based on GM interpretation. Like is it you pick the lock but bend your lockpicks or you break the lock on accident with a loud snap that echoes up and down the hall as guards are alerted to you.
As a WWN player, I've found GM intepretation rules tend to lead to wildly different games, since it has a lot of those. It's easier to understand, but it asks a lot of the GM and again from intepretation, tables will feel like different systems outright
So they reinvented Blades in the Dark? Not a complaint - Blades in the Dark is great and there are differences - but it screams Blades in the Dark to me
Mhm I love FitD titles, but it’s disingenuous to me to call it an original system unless they twist it up more.
This is incredibly similar to the Powered by the Apocalypse system, which is an awesome D6 system I definitely recommend.
It's a shame that Darrington Press based this entire system off of Blades in the Dark (not a new system) and yet they gave no credit to Blades in the Dark even though it is almost an exact copy other than like three words changing on character sheet.
I agree.
Coming from an academic background, I heavily believe that "The good guys cite their sources".
Consider our reaction of Wizards of the Coast (other villainous corporations are available) re-skinned an existing game and sold it as theirs.
I hope the full version (when published) will contain proper citations of major influences.
John Harper himself helped out in the development of Candela Obscura
Listening to this, and reading the sheets from what you showcased on screen, I'd almost draw some similarities to Blades in the Dark/Forged in the Dark titles, as well. With the individual characters, the d6 pools, how results are calculated, as well as a team sheet with resources that also levels up as the party succeeds in their missions. I always felt those were very approachable systems (once you get past some of the concepts that seem foreign compared to D&D and other d20 systems), and this seems like it would be as well.
Im still finding it hilarious that the DND community was told to expect to pay for using their imagination or *never say* DND.
Then the community replied: “OK” 😂
Been designing my own system for a while which is more in line to Wrath&Glory. d6 system only where there's no negative modifiers, just modifiers to how you interpret the base result of the die.
6 is two successes
4+ is a success
1-3 no success
"Disadvantage" or a +/-1 or 2 simply changes how you read the final value of each die and while powerful, much harder to achieve. With dice bots, you can custom make a macro to auto read results though it's still easy to add up the number visually with real dice and overall my players have had a lot of fun because it feels more rewarding.
Add up number of successes and if it meets or exceeds the target threshold, you succeed. The first d6 rolled determines a Critical when applicable, but has no effect on an automatic, the overall test still needs to succeed or fail beforehand.
Like W&G, you start from an Attribute of 1 and spend EXP to increase them, whatever your score is, that's your direct modifier to those associated skills. You can gain increases to proficiency but that modifier is tied to your Tier which can't exceed the Tier of play difficulty.
The game rules remind me of a more advanced version of Fate. I'm definitely intrigued; I loved Fate but it was a little too simplistic for my taste. This sounds like a nice balance of Fate and D&D!
Imo this is just slimmed down FATE, a lot simpler. They have prettier character sheets though, so that's something that's more complex. The biggest differences I've seen are they made combat easier, added a bunch of ways to boost your chance of success, and made character creation at the start of a campaign unimportant to playing the game in favor of quick start.
It's based off Blades in the Dark, which is also a narrative focused game like Fate.
While it seems obvious to veteran Role-players advice for new players:
Don't mark the tracks that change often. Drive is easy to track with counters or even a die. And won't wear down the character sheet. Between sessions yes go ahead and mark things as needed so you remember where you are at, but during a game save the time and your pencil.
I am happy to hear this d6 system is different enough from other RP heavy ones I've played, though it is similar (e.g., use of mixed successes). I like the sound of the party leveling and party ability mechanics. Encouraging teamwork with the system itself seems like a good idea. I don't even watch CR, but I'd play this. I also just like that this might make D&D players more aware of this kind of system (Apocalypse World, Blades in the Dark, etc.). As someone who can get burned out on running D&D, I like the idea of a world where players are already sold on this kind of system.
This reminds me a little of the Forbidden Lands system
The comments here are convincing me to go check out Blades in the Dark :)
Excellent choice. Very well playtested and designed game
I'll definitely give it a shot always looking for a new game for game nights
No one can deny that it was very heavily inspired by FitD. Seems like a cheap ploy to release it as a 'new, proprietary' system. All the FitD creators want to see when their system is used is an acknowledgment of that fact, nothing more. No legal bureaucracy, just the respect they deserve. And now it's presented as if someone came up with a completely original idea...
I think the focus on role play might lock out a lot of players who play a very action packed dnd game, excited to try something different though.
I think this balance reflects the source.
I recall whole 4 hours Critical Role sessions without a piece of action.
That's OK for broadcast entertainment - actors gonna act.
Some play groups will want to slick with blood and guys action - there are systems for that.
Some might want to try something different, without the penalty of reading 600 pages before you play.
This fills the latter gap.
I'd be amazed if anybody expected Candela Obscura to displace D&D in terms of sales.
The commercial objective is likely to place in the top 5% of competing independent rules.