Games in The Dark

Welcome back to Games in the Dark as we continue our Shadowdark journey in Episode 2.

This week, the gauntlet returns, but this time the stakes are higher. Thrown into a brutal desert arena, a group of enslaved fighters are given a single chance at freedom: land the killing blow on a disgraced gladiator known as Ramir the Lion.

What follows is chaos, betrayal, and blood in the sand.

Alliances crumble as quickly as they form. Survival becomes a gamble. And one fighter rises above the rest, only to discover that freedom might not mean what it seems.

A prophecy is spoken.

A champion is crowned.

And something far darker begins to unfold.

Welcome to the arena.

After the chaos in Land O’Smiles, the crew breaks character to unpack everything that just went down. From the reveal of Mayor Jessie Pettigrew as a synth to the brutal ambush that followed, we dive into the decisions, dice rolls, and near-misses that shaped the fight.

We talk strategy, what went right, what went very wrong, and how close certain characters came to not walking away at all. There’s also some behind-the-scenes insight into how the Fallout 2D20 system handled the encounter, how TaleSpire played into the experience, and what might’ve changed if just a few rolls went differently.

Expect theories, reactions, a bit of chaos, and some honest takes on where the story might go next in the Appalachian wasteland.

Welcome to Games In The Dark as we begin our Fallout 2D20 tabletop RPG campaign set in the Appalachian wasteland.

The pieces fall together as our group discovers that Mayor Jessie Pettigrew is a synth and is responsible for the town's ailments.

The showdown begins as our group is ambushed by Jessie and his fellow synths. Blood, lasers and a lot of luck is thrown out in this clash to determine the fate of the Land O’Smiles

We are using the official Fallout 2D20 system by Modiphius and running it inside TaleSpire for tactical combat and cinematic roleplay.

If you enjoy Fallout lore, tabletop RPG actual play, DnD style campaigns, post apocalyptic storytelling, or gritty character driven chaos, this series is for you.

Subscribe for weekly episodes and follow the story from the beginning.

Go beyond the gauntlet in this ShadowDark After Dark episode, where we break down everything that happened in the brutal Ras-Godai trial.This is the full spoiler-filled debrief of our Level 0 funnel episode, analyzing every decision, every death, and every mistake that led to survival or total annihilation. If you watched the main episode, this is where we unpack the chaos.We dive deep into:Why certain players survived the gauntletThe deadliest encounters and how they played outStrategy breakdowns and missed opportunitiesLessons learned for ShadowDark RPG playersBehind-the-scenes decisions and table talkIf you’re running ShadowDark or love OSR-style brutal gameplay, this breakdown will give you insight into how deadly funnels really play out and how to survive them.⚠️ Full spoilers for Episode 1 of Games In The Dark

The Ras-Godai are a legendary group of desert-dwelling assassins who train from a young age to deal death. Fabled among the dunes and oases that dot The Djurum, the Ras-Godai test their young apprentices in a grueling and bloody gauntlet to see who is worthy to become a full-fledged assassin and journey out into the greater world. Our players begin their journey in ShadowDark by entering this gauntlet with a troupe of Level 0 characters and seeing if they can make it out alive. Keep tally of all the aspirants who meet a bloody end in this episode of Games in the Dark.

After the chaos of Fallout RPG Episode 2, the crew from Games in the Dark sits down for the After Dark discussion. We break down the moments that led to us accidentally creating an orphan, talk through character decisions, laugh at the ridiculous situations we got ourselves into, and share some behind the scenes thoughts from the session.

If you enjoy Fallout tabletop RPG gameplay, actual play podcasts, tabletop storytelling, and chaotic party decisions, this is where we unpack it all.

Expect jokes, reflections, and a few “what were we thinking?” moments as we look back at Episode 2.

Last session we kicked down a farmer’s door looking for answers.

This session we realized he had a kid.

After a messy encounter with a ghoul, the crew finds themselves responsible for Molly, a confused little girl who suddenly has a lot fewer parents. While trying to figure out what actually happened at the farm, the group starts uncovering something much stranger going on in the settlement. Missing bodies, strange headaches, and a mysterious signal coming from the town generator all point to a bigger problem lurking under the surface.

Meanwhile, Sneed is learning how to babysit, Nanny is performing questionable medical procedures, Lenny is threatening people with radioactive water, and Crane is still trying to figure out what exactly he's supposed to be doing.

Just another normal day in the wasteland.

Welcome back to Games in the Dark.

Welcome to Games In The Dark as we begin our Fallout 2D20 tabletop RPG campaign set in the Appalachian wasteland.

The settlement of Land O Smiles celebrates its first Founders Day. One year of survival. One year of order in a chaotic world. Then the music stops.

What starts as a simple welfare check on two tarberry farmers turns into a violent confrontation inside a blood soaked barn. Shotgun blasts. Grenades. Severed limbs. A man claiming he does not know his own wife. And something crying in the dark.

In this episode you meet:

Throckman the Sneed, a vault dweller with suspiciously good luck and a fondness for explosives

Lenny, a hardened ghoul who has seen decades of brutality

Nanny, a Mr Handy caretaker with a buzzsaw and strict rules about child safety

Crane, a former raider attempting to live inside a settlement he does not respect

We are using the official Fallout 2D20 system by Modiphius and running it inside TaleSpire for tactical combat and cinematic roleplay.

If you enjoy Fallout lore, tabletop RPG actual play, DnD style campaigns, post apocalyptic storytelling, or gritty character driven chaos, this series is for you.

Subscribe for weekly episodes and follow the story from the beginning.

In this episode, we dive deep into Fallout tabletop RPG character creation, breaking down origins, attributes, skills, perks, equipment, and backstories as we build our characters from the ground up. From luck-based ghouls to chemists with unexpected talents, this session sets the tone for the entire campaign.

We share our personal experiences with Fallout games, explore how RPG mechanics translate into tabletop play, and talk through the choices that will shape our characters and the story ahead. Expect humor, worldbuilding, and a lot of excitement as we prepare for the wasteland.

If you love Fallout, tabletop RPGs, or character-driven storytelling, this is the perfect place to start.

Venturing deeper into Jimmy’s Hell, the quartet of local investigators navigate the maze of laurel while a mysterious beast stalks them from the undergrowth. Violence, fear, paranoia, and strange dealings abound in this third and final part of The Old Gods of Appalachia.

'Omega' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au