Implementing an Overloaded Encounter Die into Shadowdark

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One of the adventures I’m currently working on uses Shadowdark as it’s base system, and whilst designing encounters I was inspired, like several before me, of the possibility of porting the Hazard Die procedure into a TTRPG that doesn’t normally have one. In this specific case, for Shadowdark, how well it would work, what potential hiccups there might be, etc.

[TL;DR – Skip to the bottom for my final conclusion.]

During the initial thoughts I gave it, I had a minor but significant ‘revelation’ regarding how the Hazard Die generally treats light vs. how Shadowdark treats light, and was moved to share it right away. But after a bit more thought, I decided to do a proper deep look into implementing a Hazard Die procedure into Shadowdark. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to point out my “earthshaking” revelation when we come to it, but first, let’s consider the standard method Shadowdark uses for checking for random encounters:

1 – Encounters

“To check for a random encounter, the GM rolls a 1d6. An encounter occurs on a result of 1.”

It can be said that Shadowdark thus uses the ‘classic’ method for checking for random encounters. Most older editions of the original tabletop roleplaying game (the one with the two D’s and an ‘&’ in the middle) utilized this method, along with many retro-clones that sought to emulate those particular editions, as well as the many spiritual successors that sprung and continue to spring forth from the OSR since its birth until its death and onwards into undeath.

(Not to mention all the non-D&D TTRPGs that may also use a d6 to determine random encounters; they probably they exist somewhere.)

My point is, following that unnecessarily verbose section, is that Shadowdark utilizes a d6-based procedure, which makes implementing the similar d6-based Hazard Die a heck of a lot simpler.

Brief aside: If you’re reading this blog, I’m going to presume you have passing familiarity with the Hazard Die/System (aka the Overloaded Encounter Die) but if you’re not I’ll give you this very poor primer: Some clever bloke looked at the humble d6 Encounter Die and more or less thought “let’s use the rest of those results, that way something always happens when rolled, not just on a result of a 1!” – Before you know it a bunch of other useful procedures were tacked onto the the d6 and thus the Hazard Die was born!* 

Since then others have tinkered with the concept and made their own versions. For example, both 2nd editions of Cairn and Knave respectively utilize their own variants of the Hazard Die, the only difference between the two being the order the results are listed in. Since I’m a fan of both of those systems, I’m going to use them as references, along with the most recent version of the Hazard System by Necropraxis.

So it’s really no surprise considering if the Hazard Die might work when slotted into Shadowdark; since the game already uses a basic d6 encounter die to check for randos, why not?

 Let’s look further into the remaining Hazard Die results and find out:

1d6 Result	Hazard System	Cairn 2e Event Die	Knave 2e Hazard Die
1	Setback	Encounter	Encounter
2	Fatigue	Sign	Fatigue
3	Expiration	Environment	Burn/Depletion
4	Locality	Loss	Shift
5	Precept	Exhaustion	Sign
6	Advantage	Quiet/Discovery	Free

Listed above are three versions of Hazard Dice, all based on the d6. As previously mentioned, many have developed their own versions from the original concept, so there is no ‘official’ version; in fact, in necropraxis’ original concept, results of 5 and 6 were connected to Torches and Lanterns respectively, but now both tend to be lumped together. Just an example of how mutable this concept is.

So I’m going to go down through each result above and discuss its function and purpose, and how it could be tailored for Shadowdark. We’ve already touched on a result of 1, which is nearly universally an Encounter trigger, so on to…

2 – Fatigue

Most versions connect this result to Fatigue and interpret such as the PCs becoming tired and worn out in-game, and thus placing a choice before the players: Either they can choose to press on but suffer a some sort of detriment, Or they can briefly rest (usually a Turn’s worth of time; sometimes consuming a ration is also required) which has the drawback of prompting another roll of the Hazard Die following their rest.

In my personal experience, players are usually more willing to take a rest and risk the die again, instead of suffering a detriment, but I can see situations where PCs need to press on to avoid something worse.

Now this result of Fatigue looks a bit different through the Shadowdark lens: Because light sources are tied to a real-life timer in this game, taking a rest means literally reducing the light timer by 10 min, as well as prompting another roll of the Hazard die. To me, this hits differently when it’s actual time being lost, and not ‘imaginary’ time. 

The other component worth considering is what kind of detriment do the PCs suffer if they don’t stop and rest? I think the choice depends on what the potential trade off is, a.k.a how bad the detriment is: 

In the Hazard System the PCs suffer minor harm (1 HP). Cairn’s version, called Exhaustion, gives the PC’s get a choice between three options: Rest, gain a point of Fatigue, or consume a ration. In Knave, the drawback is taking 1 damage. It’s also worth noting that taking damage in Knave also limits the number of available inventory slots one has; gaining Fatigue in Cairn functions similarly. So the choice in those systems is a bit weightier than a simple point of damage.

This makes us have to consider what sort of detriment in Shadowdark can provide a meaningful choice for the PCs when confronted with a Hazard Die result of Fatigue. Some options to consider:

• HP Loss – Given that the overall HP amounts in Shadowdark is relatively low, this choice has a bit of weight, but I also feel that HP loss is the easiest to shrug off or recover from.
• HP Max Lowered – Rather than direct harm, this would lower one’s overall vitality. This option has a bit more gravitas, though I feel that its implementation might be a bit clunky and difficult to track efficiently.
• Stat Loss – A particularly punishing determent in my opinion that effectively forces the PC to always rest.
• Gear Slots – Shadowdark uses an inventory slot system similar to Cairn and Knave, with a number of slots equal to your strength score or 10, whichever is higher. I think there’s decent potential here.

Combined, I think minor harm (1 HP) and temporary gear slot loss together make a considerable drawback for not opting to rest. Is it too much though? Is it too little? Is resting still the preferred choice? That requires play to be determined. 

Finally, rations. When one rests does one also consume a ration? And if they can’t/won’t, can they even rest? I’d say the GM decides. I do like Cairn’s choice of making consuming a ration an option in lieu of resting, rather than mandatory consumption. It puts a bit more emphasis on carrying extra rations. But for now, I’m going to leave rations out of this result.

Again, this is the result that probably needs the most playtesting to figure out the perfect balance between options.

3 – Expiration

The Hazard System lists Expiration as the cessation of transient conditions, such as light sources or spells. Knave calls it Burn / Depletion (relative to dungeon or wilderness environments) and specifically relates to light sources / perishable items respectively. In Cairn it’s called Loss and also effects light sources and ongoing spells.

Before we talk about light (and my flash of insight), let’s briefly touch on ongoing spells in Shadowdark. In this game, most spells have a much shorter duration than their contemporary counterparts, the majority of lasting no longer than 10 rounds at the most. Example for comparison: Mage Armor in Shadowdark only lasts 10 rounds whereas in 5E it lasts for 8 hours! Partially the reason for this particularity is avoiding arbitrary time units that don’t fit in the ‘real time’ initiative system that Shadowdark uses.

Granted, a handful of spells do last a day or more, and some can be maintained at length if the caster specifically focuses on them, but I have a feeling that in regards to the latter, the caster will have let it elapse long before a result of Expiration pops up on the Hazard Die. So let’s not consider spell expiration as a viable result going forward.

Light

Okay. This is the big one. The one I had my ‘brilliant’ revelation on.

Light is a big part of Shadowdark and Kelsey reminds us to not let the characters and the players become complacent about it. As the writer and designer of Shadowdark, Kelsey Dionne, wrote:

“Don’t let light sources be ‘set it and forget it.’ The characters must protect their light sources and keep them from going out.”

A brief tangent: Tracking light sources in our dungeon games can be a real pain in the neck sometimes. Most torches are good for about 60 min; though not exactly realistic, their choice of duration was a useful measurement of time because one can fit six 10 minute Turns into an hour, and if you or your players are paying attention after the sixth Turn, that single light source ought to be replaced. Unfortunately, players/GMs tend to forget all these trivialities whilst having fun. (Plus multiple light sources lit at different times with different lengths of duration compounded this issue further.) 

Now Kelsey sees this tricky problem of tracking the longevity of light sources and she comes up with a clever idea: Tie all current light sources to a real-world timer. Screw realism! Screw proceduralism! The torch only lasts until the timer goes off, if not sooner. DONE! Problem solved!

I have to admit, I really like this. It’s elegantly simple. And it changes the play dynamic by connecting light, a resource, with playtime. It encourages players to avoid wasting time because they’d literally be wasting light, very important in a dark and dangerous dungeon where none of the PCs can see in the dark but all of the monsters can!

But since the duration of in-game light sources in Shadowdark is tied to a real-life timer, rather than the Hazard Die itself being rudimentary timer, this brings up dilemma when the Expiration result is rolled: 

Either:

 A) The current light source expires before its ‘time’, which, though adding a twist to play, does strike me as somewhat arbitrary, possibly unfair, and potentially punishing if that particular result gets rolled multiple times within the average real-life span of said light source. 

OR 

B) The GM opts to ignore* any Expiration results rolled, which to me, essentially makes this result on the Hazard Die redundant.

*The GM could just re-roll until they get another result, but to me that’s pretty much the same premise.

Yet, do not fret! Kelsey has already provided us with the perfect answer to this dilemma on page 110 in a little table titled Light Mishaps. Whenever a result would call for light sources to expire, just turn to that table, roll that d6 a second time, and as the book puts it: “Attack the Light!” All the results but one on this table give the PCs the opportunity to prevent losing their current light source sooner than expected. This adds a twist to play without being overtly punishing.

I quite frankly LOVE tying this little table to the Hazard Die because it ties it to a Procedure, as I feel I am liable to forget about it otherwise!

I suppose and accept that this ‘revelation’ I had may have been obvious to some, but it just clicks so darn well I had to point it out anyway.

Valid Question: What if my PCs are in a location where they aren’t using a light source, such as outside during the day? The answer that pops into my mind is to have a ration expire/spoil.

4 – Locality

Essentially following this result, the local environment changes in some way, potentially in a manner that the PCs may have to react to. Perhaps the simplest example for this is rain whilst travelling outdoors, or a tunnel collapsing whilst underground. Unless your dungeon is specifically a static, sterile environment, it should be a living-breathing supernatural underworld where stuff should happen. A result like this I think fits in perfectly into Shadowdark.

5 – Precept

Some refer to this result as Sign, Clue, or Spoor. The intent is that instead of an Encounter, the PCs find evidence of the next potential encounter, possibly giving them clues or ideas on how to deal with or avoid it. Simple to implement: The GM just rolls for the next Random Encounter now and provides the PCs with some sort of in-game knowledge or clue about it. When the result of 1 is next rolled, hopefully your PCs are ready! 

6 – Quiet/Free

Several versions of the Hazard Die leave the result of 6 intentionally blank or empty, under the premise of keeping the Hazard Die from getting too overcrowded, giving the PCs a break, and/or erring towards the original premise of nothing happening. Given nothing happens during the other 2-to-6 results on Shadowdark’s standard Encounter Die, I think it’s fine to have a ‘free parking’ space.

That said, specifically during wilderness exploration in Cairn 2e, a result of 6 means Discovery; the PCs discover a boon of some sort, so we can certainly make the 6th result specifically a positive result for the PCs, though personally I’m a fan of it being an empty result; one can use the previous result of Precept to convey a discovery.

Frequency

Though we’ve gone through all the potential results our Hazard Die can generate, there’s an additional thing we should consider: frequency.

In Shadowdark, an Encounter is generally only rolled if the environment the PCs are in is considered dangerous, and even then the frequency the die is rolled depends on the level of danger: 

• In areas considered Unsafe, the check is every three rounds.
• In Risky areas, the check is every two rounds.
• In Deadly areas, the check is every round.

The above specifically relates to dungeon and underground environments; when checking for Encounters during overland or wilderness travel, the GM uses the same three danger levels, but instead replaces the number of rounds with in-game hours.

This gives us a general idea on how frequently we’d be rolling a Hazard Die instead of the Encounter die. And looking at it, I do like the premise that generally more happens, the more dangerous the environment.

To give us a some degree of comparison, in Old School Essentials, typically wandering monster checks are made every second round in dungeon areas; in wilderness areas the check is typically once per day. In systems that already utilize some form of the Hazard Die, such as our examples of Cairn 2e and Knave 2e, checks are made at the end of every turn.

Considering this, I feel that the frequency of Hazard Die use in Shadowdark strikes a good balance between not too much and not too little. 

Conclusion

With a few tweaks, I think the Hazard Die cannot only be easily implemented in Shadowdark, but to a degree I think it’s also thematically appropriate. I am aware that part of the intentional design of Shadowdark is to cut back on the amount of procedures the GM needs to manage, but I feel the Hazard Die is a good fit because they’re going to be rolling to check for encounters anyway, so this just adds an opportunity to inject a bit more verisimilitude into the game per roll.

So without further rigamarole here’s my tailored Shadowdark Hazard Die:

1. Encounter – Random Encounter.
2. Fatigue – Either rest for 10min or lose 1 HP + a gear slot.
3. Expiration – A Light Mishap occurs OR a ration expires/spoils.
4. Locality – The local environment changes in someway.
5. Precept – Sign of nearby encounter or clue to something hidden.
6. Quiet – Nothing occurs.

The primary reason why I wrote out this whole breakdown was for me to carefully consider all facets of this procedure before I implement it in my own games of Shadowdark, and I like to think I did a decent job of it.

Hope y’all find it of some use.

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