Blades in the Dark (2017)

Shadowrun is a science fantasy tabletop role-playing game set in an alternate future in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. The game has gone through multiple variations and versions, since its first release in 1989, the latest "Sixth World" game system was published in 2019, by Catalyst Game Labs. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy, and crime, with occasional elements of conspiracy, horror, and detective fiction. The system it directly evolved from is Shadowrun 5th Edition Description Shadowrun takes place several decades in the future (2050 in the first edition, currently 2088). The end of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar ushered in the "Sixth World" with once-mythological beings (e.g. dragons) appearing and forms of magic suddenly emerging. Large numbers of humans have "Goblinized" into orks and trolls, while many human children are born as elves, dwarves, and even more exotic creatures. The Shadowrun world is cross-genre, incorporating elements of both cyberpunk and urban fantasy. Unlike in a purely cyberpunk game, in the Shadowrun world, magic exists and has "worked" since 2011. System Overview & Key Features The d6 Dice Pool The core resolution engine uses a massive pool of six sided dice. To attempt a test, a player adds their relevant Attribute and Skill together, then rolls that many dice. Every 5 or 6 rolled counts as a "hit" and players need to roll a certain number of hits to succeed. The Edge System In the Sixth World edition, Edge is a fluid tactical resource. Instead of tracking dozens of tiny situational modifiers, characters earn Edge points during a fight by having a superior position, better gear, or catching the enemy off guard. These points are spent immediately for rerolls or special combat actions. The Three Worlds The game takes place across three distinct layers of reality. Physical combat happens in meatspace, hackers project their consciousness into the virtual reality of the Matrix, and mages project their spirits into the magical Astral Plane. A well balanced team must handle threats from all three directions at once. Magic and Drain Spellcasters do not use spell slots. Instead, they can cast spells as often as they like, but channeling arcane energy takes a physical toll. Every time a spell is cast, the mage must resist "Drain" which can cause severe stun or physical damage if they are not careful. Additional links shadowrunsixthworld.com - Official Shadowrun website catalystgamelabs.com - Official Catalyst Game Labs website

Pathbuilder 2e is the premier digital character builder and sheet for Pathfinder Second Edition. Created by David Wilson (Redrazors), it is celebrated for its speed, near-perfect rules accuracy, and its comprehensive support for the game’s vast library of content. In a significant move for 2025 and 2026, the app finally expanded beyond Android and Web to include a native iOS and iPadOS release, making it accessible across the entire mobile ecosystem. Description Pathbuilder 2e is the "gold standard" for Pathfinder players who want to navigate the system's deep customization without choice paralysis. It tracks every feat, spell, and proficiency bonus from level 1 to 20, ensuring that characters remain rules-legal at every step. While it lacks the high-budget "Nexus" features of competitors like Demiplane, its utility is unmatched; it allows for rapid "theory-crafting" of builds and exports directly to PDF or Foundry VTT. It is widely considered a mandatory tool for anyone playing PF2e regularly. System Overview & Key Features Comprehensive Rules Integration The app is updated with incredible speed, usually incorporating new Paizo releases—like the 2025/2026 Remastered books and playtests—within days of their launch. It includes every ancestry, class, and archetype available in the game, automatically filtering options based on what your character qualifies for. Level-Up Planning One of its most loved features is the ability to plan a character's entire progression ahead of time. You can select your feats for level 15 while your character is still level 1, creating a "roadmap" that makes leveling up during a session as simple as tapping a single button. Cloud Saving and Syncing For users who unlock the full version, Pathbuilder offers cloud storage via Google Drive. This allows you to start a build on your desktop browser during your lunch break and pull it up on your phone or tablet at the gaming table later that evening. Variant Rule Support The paid version unlocks support for popular optional rulesets, such as Free Archetype, Ancestry Paragon, and Gradual Ability Boosts. These toggles allow groups to use the most common community-standard house rules with zero manual math. Pet and Companion Management Managing familiars, animal companions, and eidolons is a core part of Pathfinder. Pathbuilder provides dedicated tabs for these entities (in the paid version), tracking their specific stats, barding, and special abilities alongside the main hero. VTT and PDF Export The app features a robust export system. You can generate a clean, official-looking PDF character sheet or use "JSON" exports to import your character directly into Foundry VTT or Roll20 using community-made modules, saving hours of data entry. Additional links pathbuilder2e.com - Official Web Application Android App iOS/iPadOS App

“Covering the basics” is a easy-to-follow set of articles helping players get through the first steps of the game. You found a game to join? Well done, but now what? Think of your favourite characters from either a book, movie or a tv show. Can you form a list of what actually makes them stand out from all the others? Not just what they look like or what their actions were in the story. Most likely, once you stripped those characters of their physical appearances and put aside the plot of what they achieved throughout you are still left with elements that actually made them become memorable. The time you had with that character was most likely a fragment of their entire life. Their actions, beliefs and behaviour was likely derived from something that made them that way.   It was their backstory. A backstory as a structure When creating your character, once you set aside the technical attributes and specifics, it is worth spending more time on figuring out who they are. While it might feel like a waste of time and effort to spend too much time on building their backstory, it is likely to help you out in the long run. Assuming your character will be yours for a longer period (not one that is built for a quick oneshot), understanding them will become invaluable. Not just for the Game Master to know where your character is from and how they ended up as an adventurer - but it will help you stay consistent throughout the campaign. Your character should stay consistent. This isn’t to say that they can’t evolve and grow throughout the adventure - they most definitely should be affected and moulded by their experiences throughout the story. But at their core, they should still be the same person from session to session. And this is why having a thorough backstory is important. Knowing how they would react in a situation should come from understanding why they would act that way. What experience in their previous life set them up to see the world in this way. It will also be a great framework for your Game Master to have and construct around. After all, they dont know your character. But having a reference document (a backstory) will be of great help. Matching the theme Before you start collecting various ideas and concepts for your character be sure to familiarize yourself with the game and it's world you are about to bring them into. Whether the story will focus heavily on the world and the politics or will there be enough "screentime" for the characters to develop their story. Hoping to fully go through your character's backstory in a game that will not give enough time for that will lead to disappointment and potentially disinterested players. All of that should be discussed during your session zero, where the theme and topics are set and agreed upon. The theme of your character should fit both with the world and potentially with other players. Of course the generic tabletop gaming table will include characters of different styles and themes. However, depending on the immersion balance and expectations, you might want to discuss this with other players, without delving too deep into specifics. Agreeing on following a similar theme or storyline will help your party feel more likeminded and in the same genre.  /images/general-media/1779464200_QOr2M7LS.jpg Think big, write small Before you end up with a document, that is stretched over tens of pages (Which most GMs will not bother to read and memorize) try and create a rough overview of their story so far. Limit yourself to a few paragraphs at the most. As an example, let’s create a character alongside this article. Meet Bork… the orc. To start off with, let’s focus on simply creating an outline of who they are. Bork’s life began in tragedy when a brutal bandit raid destroyed his birth-tribe's village. His parents either perished or were forced to flee in the chaos, leaving the infant behind to perish in the smoke. He was saved by a twist of fate when Ningo, an aging gnome hunter drawn by the smoke of the burning huts, discovered the crying orc baby in the ashes and chose to adopt him. Raised in Ningo’s secluded woodland home, Bork’s upbringing was completely upside down for an orc. Instead of being taught bloodlust and brute force, he was raised on gnomish values of curiosity, patience, and meticulous planning. Ningo taught him how to survive using stealth, tracking, and clever traps, resulting in a towering, muscular adult orc who could move with surprising grace and possessed a gentle, analytical mind. Once Bork reached adulthood, Ningo realized his adoptive son was shrinking himself down to fit into a gnome's world. Wanting Bork to forge his own identity rather than just mimic his upbringing, Ningo encouraged him to venture out into the world. Equipped with a heavy pack, a hunting bow, and a mind full of gnomish meals, Bork set off into the wider world to discover who he truly wanted to be. And thats it - this is Bork in a nutshell. But what we have established throughout this brief introduction are multiple key elements we can built upon. What was the tribe like, who were the bandits? Why did they raid the tribe? Who were his biological parents? What is Ningo’s story? What kind of values did he instill in Bork? And many others. But as a brief overview we have much to work with. From here you can fill in the blanks, separate it into various other subsections to dive deeper into. Find answers, more questions and potentially leave things vague. Many elements can be left vague so that your Game Master can pick elements to integrate into the campaign story. Unique. In this version To quote Mark Twain: "There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations." While you can try and work on an uniquely unique concept, it is unlikely that you will be negatively called out for "reskinning" an existing character from a popular franchise. But if your goal is to create an interesting character, borrowing from other creators and slightly modifying them is perfectly acceptable. Just be respectful about it and acknowledge that your character is either an intentional or unintentional between you and someone else. There is no shame in basing different bits of your character off something else.   /images/general-media/1779464798_xLnOlEbn.webpYour GM will thank you for any cutlery you prepare for him Knives and other “cutlery” Knives Years ago a reddit user jimbaby introduced a system called “Knife theory”. A simple system to build plot hooks into your character’s backstory. These “knives” are elements that resonate with your character - and your Game Master can use to “stab” your character with (metaphorically). There are various types of knives you can craft:   Relationships - Bork’s biological parents. Or his adoptive father, Ningo. Debts/Vows - Bork’s somewhat suppressed hatred towards the bandits and his desire to one day avenge his tribe. Unanswered questions - Who were his parents? Why did the bandits assault the tribe? What is the deal with Ningo? Internal conflict - Being part orc, part gnome, he might have found it difficult to fit in with his non-traditional life. A secret - Perhaps Bork has throughout the years ventured back to where he grew up and discovered something that he shouldn’t know. And many others in a similar style. While these knives aim in different directions and are rather vague, pick those that  resonate with you and dive deeper. You don’t have to cover all five themes - a few will suffice. But by creating those knives (and handing them to your Game Master), be aware that you are giving them permission to use those at any point in time. If you don’t want Ningo to be put into any danger - make that explicitly clear and keep any knives pointing away from them. Try and aim for three to five different knives. Some of them might require you to collaborate with your GM to make sure they can find a way to fit it into their story. Spoons In addition to sharp knives, you can create “spoons” - these are minor, everyday character flavor details that bring them to life (Their favourite tavern meal, their distinct posture, or how they sleep). These are not elements that are to replace knives - you can include them to bring more character and personality to your adventurer. These will help you flesh out your character in a more real sense. Connecting these spoons to their backstory, you can discover what makes them tick, what brings them joy and what hobbies or habits they might have. Even a powerful warlord can find enjoyment in knitting. And it makes them less two-dimensional, showing them as more "human". Forks The character's core motivations and prongs of desire. Goals and ambitions that they would like to strive towards throughout their story. These are more proactive elements that you as a player will gravitate towards throughout their journey. Forks should also be shared with your GM, as they could seed the story with situations and possibilities you would like to stick a fork in. Expand and summarize By now you will have a general overview of your character with various plot hooks and ambitions. While preparing those, you can expand your current overview with additional details to connect various bits and pieces. Adding additional characters your character may have had encounters or relationships with is a great way of introducing additional knives and expanding the character’s story.   When collecting your knives, you are bound to discover gaps or missing connections: Bork enjoys reading  - but it is likely that he has exhausted Ningo’s library many times over. This allows you to expand his backstory with a travelling librarian or a salesman who would bring him books to consume. Or a friend who shares a similar passion with whom he used to discuss various stories with. Throughout this process you may want to have a separate section for key takeaways. In addition to describing his book club friend and their encounters, create a short summary: Frank(27), a human farmer, also interested in books - friend, but hasn’t seen him in over two years. These quick summaries will help you to quickly recall various elements from Bork’s backstory. And your Game Master has a handy list to quickly reference, as they will most definitely not be able to remember your entire backstory at all times. /images/general-media/1779465015_mS7MPpFH.gifKeep in mind. You are not writing a book, you are creating a refererence document Done but never completed Make sure to give your Game Master enough time to process your character’s backstory, ask for clarifications and potential changes. You want your character to be part of their world, not have it as a separate entity forced into their story. And feel free to continue expanding your backstory throughout the campaign. Not exactly changing anything overly important (unless the change is explicitly done with the permission of your GM), but instead expanding on elements that already exist in your story. The more different elements your backstory has, the more the other characters’ have to discover and find out about. Understanding and knowing your character will help you make decisions on the spot, that feel in-character for them. Ready to find a dnd group and start working on your character? Post your profile and put yourself out there.