If you cannot pay stress for a consequence in 2.2, when on Earth do you GAIN stress? I can't find rules ANYWHERE in 2.2 for gaining stress, tho there are rules for paying it DOWN
Overall, it was unique, fresh, dangerous, and most importantly fun! It's a hard start when you don't know exactly what to expect, but once you hit the 2nd or 3rd dungeon, you'll be in the sweet spot of knowing what to bring and when to take downtime because you really don't want to lose your emotional support teddy bear (hehe).
I think this game really hits on nearly everything when it comes to emulating the taste of grit without having to commit to something as gritty as Band of Blades! The only thing that I just found grating, personally was the pacing. The 54 deck of cards is a good choice for this kind of thing but for me I'd often come to the same situation:
"Oh, my third 4 in a row, well time to roll 3d6"
When I started to get the same rooms over and over, it just felt a little sloggish.
To help with the pacing a little, I just removed two suites of number cards and kept all the facecards. I figured that while I couldn't imagine 4 different ways of evading a guy with a knife, I could always think of at least 2! This change really helped enhance the feeling of making progress without moving so quickly that everything was a pushover. In the end, my teddy bear made the ultimate sacrifice in killing Emperor Titan Kyne and saving everyone!. I would definitely recommend this to a newcomer of rpgs as is or modified!
I played a little bit of v1 a few years ago and absolutely loved it! Tremendously atmospheric and fluid gameplay, it's an amazing game. Just discovered the update today and I'm super-excited to try it but I am slightly pining for the sheer volume of different unique card descriptions in the original.
I'm just wondering: would it be possible to use all the v2 rules but with the v1 card tables? Would it completely screw up the balance and the new mechanics you've added? Or are they mechanically quite similar but more streamlined in v2? I'm also attracted to the lovely, concise new 2-page dungeon spreads, so if the v2 rules are best enjoyed as-written I'm totally happy to grab a torch and get delving!
I think the original card tables... should work fine? I mostly streamlined the dungeons in v2 to fit in a printed zine and to cut down on the amount of layout work I would have to do. But to my knowledge it should work out to about the same number of encounters per dungeon, and similar types of encounters. Nothing right off the bat that strikes me as a problem, though it has been a while since I looked at the original rules so, delver beware!
Ah that's really cool - nice to have the option between the two, and if there's some extra danger on the cards then all the better! Thanks for your reply and congrats on an amazing game :)
Hi! I am from Ukraine and am a very big fan of your game Torch in the dark. Because of that I introduced it to my friends and talked about it in our Ukrainian community. However there is definitely some struggles because of language barriers for some of us. And I thought that it would be great to translate it to Ukrainian language.
So I want to ask how it can be done and what conditions needs to be met for that? We also would like to know if it will be possible to sell translation with royalty to you?
We ready to fully translate the game itself and, if necessary, design some parts for better look.
Thank you for your game! We will be waiting for your answer.
Hello ! I love this game, it's one of my favorite solo RPG and one of the few I own in physical copy !
I'm thinking of creating another game based on it, can I ? It will be something very different, but I love the old-school dungeon-crawl and simple mechanics of this game.
Hi, I liked your game so much that I've created some enhanced rules, mostly for a tactical approach to Downtime. You can find it here: https://bsimone.itch.io/torchlight-streets I would love to know what you think of it!
Hi! I also am interested in buying this next paycheck. Is the zine a separate thing from the game itself? If I buy the zine, it will come with the PDFs of the game? last questions: what content is in the zine and do you have pictures of it?
The zine is a print version of the game. If you buy the zine you should also get copies of the PDF to download. The images on the store page are pages from the zine. Hope that helps!
I am going to purchase this when I get paid next week. I’ve been meaning to buy it for a while. I watched a YouTube video - by Ithaquas Bane - which reminded me about it. Also reminded me I meant to buy it. I had noticed that it has been updated. Is it still also possible to buy the older edition as well?
Is there like a post where I can see what the revised rules are? Is it better that the dungeons now have the same event for each of the generic non-human values?
Whether or not the changes to the encounters are "better" is up for you to decide, but I like how it speeds up play and makes it easier to see all the different encounters on each dungeon spread.
Oh I see. I get that the change speeds things up but I always thought the unique prompts for each and every number was fun as well. I know this isn't the intended direction but I wish both versions were still available. I mean I got this 2 years ago so I already have it but maybe someone else might appreciate it. Or its just me hahaha.
You're in luck! Someone else was also curious about the last version so I uploaded it as well. You should have access to both in the itch downloads for this game.
A silly question. What does "stress" actually do? I can't find it in the main document, I feel like I must have missed it. What happens when we get to 6 stress?
Just wondering, is the "Reference Sheet" side of the character sheet supposed to be blank? That's what I'm seeing when I download it. Really enjoyed the old version of the game. Just downloaded 2.2, and I'm looking forward to seeing how things have changed.
First of all, hats off to Michael for writing over 400 card prompts for this game. (In his place I would have simply gone insane). I never knew what was around the corner! The stakes are definitely high, and my heart was pounding as I risked it in my effort to defeat the Viscount. I have more to say, but this little text box isn't big enough; my full thoughts on A Torch in the Dark can be read on my wordpress blog.
Thank you so much for the kind words and incredible review! I feel like I bit off more than I could chew with the prompts, to be honest. Version 2.1 of the game will be released soon and it has much fewer unique encounter prompts, though I hope it's still just as exciting.
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If you cannot pay stress for a consequence in 2.2, when on Earth do you GAIN stress? I can't find rules ANYWHERE in 2.2 for gaining stress, tho there are rules for paying it DOWN
Page 13 under Risking it and Risk Rolls:
"Your character can also push themselves by marking 1 stress and getting +1d to the pool before you roll."
Danke schoen- frustration at not being able to find it was making it more difficult to find :)
Finally finished a whole game!
Overall, it was unique, fresh, dangerous, and most importantly fun! It's a hard start when you don't know exactly what to expect, but once you hit the 2nd or 3rd dungeon, you'll be in the sweet spot of knowing what to bring and when to take downtime because you really don't want to lose your emotional support teddy bear (hehe).
I think this game really hits on nearly everything when it comes to emulating the taste of grit without having to commit to something as gritty as Band of Blades! The only thing that I just found grating, personally was the pacing. The 54 deck of cards is a good choice for this kind of thing but for me I'd often come to the same situation:
"Oh, my third 4 in a row, well time to roll 3d6"
When I started to get the same rooms over and over, it just felt a little sloggish.
To help with the pacing a little, I just removed two suites of number cards and kept all the facecards. I figured that while I couldn't imagine 4 different ways of evading a guy with a knife, I could always think of at least 2! This change really helped enhance the feeling of making progress without moving so quickly that everything was a pushover. In the end, my teddy bear made the ultimate sacrifice in killing Emperor Titan Kyne and saving everyone!. I would definitely recommend this to a newcomer of rpgs as is or modified!
Hi Michael,
I played a little bit of v1 a few years ago and absolutely loved it! Tremendously atmospheric and fluid gameplay, it's an amazing game. Just discovered the update today and I'm super-excited to try it but I am slightly pining for the sheer volume of different unique card descriptions in the original.
I'm just wondering: would it be possible to use all the v2 rules but with the v1 card tables? Would it completely screw up the balance and the new mechanics you've added? Or are they mechanically quite similar but more streamlined in v2? I'm also attracted to the lovely, concise new 2-page dungeon spreads, so if the v2 rules are best enjoyed as-written I'm totally happy to grab a torch and get delving!
Thanks for this awesome game.
That's a good question.
I think the original card tables... should work fine? I mostly streamlined the dungeons in v2 to fit in a printed zine and to cut down on the amount of layout work I would have to do. But to my knowledge it should work out to about the same number of encounters per dungeon, and similar types of encounters. Nothing right off the bat that strikes me as a problem, though it has been a while since I looked at the original rules so, delver beware!
Ah that's really cool - nice to have the option between the two, and if there's some extra danger on the cards then all the better! Thanks for your reply and congrats on an amazing game :)
Hi! I am from Ukraine and am a very big fan of your game Torch in the dark. Because of that I introduced it to my friends and talked about it in our Ukrainian community. However there is definitely some struggles because of language barriers for some of us. And I thought that it would be great to translate it to Ukrainian language.
So I want to ask how it can be done and what conditions needs to be met for that? We also would like to know if it will be possible to sell translation with royalty to you?
We ready to fully translate the game itself and, if necessary, design some parts for better look.
Thank you for your game! We will be waiting for your answer.
Hey there!
Broadly I'm okay with folks translating my work and selling it. If you have specifics please email me at michael @ notwriting . net
Hello ! I love this game, it's one of my favorite solo RPG and one of the few I own in physical copy !
I'm thinking of creating another game based on it, can I ? It will be something very different, but I love the old-school dungeon-crawl and simple mechanics of this game.
Yes you can make a game based on A Torch in the Dark!
Hi, I liked your game so much that I've created some enhanced rules, mostly for a tactical approach to Downtime.
You can find it here: https://bsimone.itch.io/torchlight-streets
I would love to know what you think of it!
That's very cool! Definitely adds to the difficulty of the game!
Hi, I've added on my blog two Actual Plays with Review. Italian language.
Dungeon #1 and Dungeon #2
Hey, any chance for a few more community copies?
Absolutely, send me an email and I can hook you up with one.
michael @ notwriting . net
Hi. Can you use treasures when you lose an item?
Yes you can!
Pg. 15 "
She draws the ace of clubs. Sheila
consults the Dungeon Guide for the Vault of
Viscount Alard Hund to see what encounter
the 2 of clubs represents."
I'm assuming this is a typo. In any case, I'm excited to try this. The mechanics here are very intuitive.
Thanks for pointing that out. I've added it to the list of revisions.
On pg. 16 of v2.2, toward the bottom of the left column: "You must at least 1 stash on a downtime roll."
Yup. That should say "You must spend at least 1 stash on a downtime roll." I have it noted for changing when I have time to update the text.
Does the zine lay flat when open? Thank you!
I just tried it. Not really, but you don't need to bend it backwards too much to make it if that's your preference.
Thank you!
Hi! I also am interested in buying this next paycheck. Is the zine a separate thing from the game itself? If I buy the zine, it will come with the PDFs of the game? last questions: what content is in the zine and do you have pictures of it?
Sorry for all the questions! Thanks!
The zine is a print version of the game. If you buy the zine you should also get copies of the PDF to download. The images on the store page are pages from the zine. Hope that helps!
That helps a lot thank you!
Just bought the zine, so excited!
Hi,
I am going to purchase this when I get paid next week. I’ve been meaning to buy it for a while. I watched a YouTube video - by Ithaquas Bane - which reminded me about it. Also reminded me I meant to buy it. I had noticed that it has been updated. Is it still also possible to buy the older edition as well?
cheers
Kev
Hey there! I guess I could make the older version available for purchase as well. I'll look into that soon!
Done! The older version is now available along with the newest version when you purchase the game.
Thank you, as soon as I get paid I will be making a purchase. I’m really looking forward to playing.
Hello, I purchased the Zine thru PayPal. I did not see Please include your shipping details at the download page.
So if I need to send you my shipping information, please let me know.
Thanks
Yup, you do!
Send me an email: michael@notwriting(dot)net and I'll get you sorted.
Is there like a post where I can see what the revised rules are? Is it better that the dungeons now have the same event for each of the generic non-human values?
The latest devlog has a pretty good rundown of the changes: https://notwriting.itch.io/a-torch-in-the-dark/devlog/460945/a-torch-in-the-dark...
Whether or not the changes to the encounters are "better" is up for you to decide, but I like how it speeds up play and makes it easier to see all the different encounters on each dungeon spread.
Oh I see. I get that the change speeds things up but I always thought the unique prompts for each and every number was fun as well. I know this isn't the intended direction but I wish both versions were still available. I mean I got this 2 years ago so I already have it but maybe someone else might appreciate it. Or its just me hahaha.
You're in luck! Someone else was also curious about the last version so I uploaded it as well. You should have access to both in the itch downloads for this game.
A silly question. What does "stress" actually do? I can't find it in the main document, I feel like I must have missed it. What happens when we get to 6 stress?
Stress let's you push yourself to get +1d when you Risk It. No penalty if it fills, you just can't push yourself any more.
oh ok thanks!!
Just wondering, is the "Reference Sheet" side of the character sheet supposed to be blank? That's what I'm seeing when I download it. Really enjoyed the old version of the game. Just downloaded 2.2, and I'm looking forward to seeing how things have changed.
Oh dang, sorry about that! Must've forgot to update it with the newest release. Fixed now.
Awesome, thanks!
First of all, hats off to Michael for writing over 400 card prompts for this game. (In his place I would have simply gone insane). I never knew what was around the corner! The stakes are definitely high, and my heart was pounding as I risked it in my effort to defeat the Viscount. I have more to say, but this little text box isn't big enough; my full thoughts on A Torch in the Dark can be read on my wordpress blog.
Thank you so much for the kind words and incredible review! I feel like I bit off more than I could chew with the prompts, to be honest. Version 2.1 of the game will be released soon and it has much fewer unique encounter prompts, though I hope it's still just as exciting.