Even though I’ve barely dabbled in playing ShadowDark, just for some scattered solo-play so far, I’ve been enjoying reading a lot of various Arcane Library and third party publications.  The first volume of Crownphage explores some urban shenanigans.  I gather that each volume will expand on the city of Everwatch, adding locations, NPCs, and more, mostly centered around an adventure.  The adventure that serves as the core of the first volume is Stone Tears.  It’s meant for 2nd to 3rd level characters, with an estimated eight hours of gameplay. 

There will likely be spoilers, so if you’re a player, you should skip this review.  The premise of the scenario is one I’ve seen before, but there’s nothing wrong with that.  In fact, I think you could have a lot of fun with it.  A noble is using a bassilisk’s gaze on people, turning them to stone, and then claiming them as his artistic works.  I could see not only playing up the decadent noble aspect, really tapping into the Robert W. Chambers of it all, but also using it to explore some of our contemporary world’s generative AI nonsense through the lens of artless wealthy people exploiting the labor and creativity of the poor.

There are several locations, along with some NPCs to populate them.  Some, like Haldor’s Estate are not likely to be used again after this adventure.  However, the Dockmaster’s House, the inn/tavern the Sleeping Goat, and Minstrel Hall could all become recurring locations if your PCs stay in Everwatch. 

Also in the volume are some rules for factions, some critters and NPCs, as well as suggestions for further reading.  I will need to print out some copies of the faction sheets, which let you track important members of the group, but also how they feel about your PCs.  One of the places I’ve probably fallen down the most in games I’ve run in the past is with factions.  I’ve rarely used them, and they do so much to add to the feeling of a living world. 

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