I've been hyping this game since the first time it got released, try to catch up with the updates through discord and discuss with friends, who are also fans of many TRPG systems (DnD, PF, PBTA, FITD, OSR). Finally we got the chance to play the game. It was fun, but the system is not as good as what we expected. I really love the writings on some parts of the book, my favorite is the mindset and the classes. It allows us to be creative and get more player agency, also creating a good table environment. Also the aesthetics, the colors, designs, and the art are great, they are really pleasing to the eyes and capture my interest. However, I guess the editing can be improved, because there are a lot of terms scattered here and there. It seems like there are plenty of things that added that is not really adding much to the experience, but instead it is kind of hindering. Some of the terms are highly thematic (e.g. thorns, sparks) meanwhile some of the terms are just mundane words (e.g. interrupt, always) that as a beginner I don't really notice that there is a special rules for that particular term, and there is also term that is widely used in other TRPGs with different meaning (push). So it can be confusing, and perhaps would be better simplified. Tangles can be fun, but I think something like Devil's Bargain might be more often be used by the group. Montage Roll feels off when it is not really build on top of anything, just straight 2d6 without the chance to setup, using tools or environment as advantage, etc.. I feel like Action Roll in FitD can also handled as Montage Roll but with more freedom to influence the roll, rather than just straight 2d6. I already purchased the campaign book and looking forward to running a campaign with this system, but at this point I don't think the game really have specific mode of play that I want. However I can see a lot of potentials in this game and I would love to see the game grows!

Played this with some friends who are a fan of Story Games like Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) and Forged in the Dark (FitD). Most of us love Old School Renaissance games. Some of us also fans of Dungeons & Dragons, while others have moved on to Pathfinder 2e.

Initially, we were hyped about the system because of its super fast, cinematic narrative rules system, and the stuff that we love seemed to be represented in this game. But after reading and playing Grimwild, it wasn't as we expected.

First of all, we really appreciate how the game tries to help the readers to get into the mindset, because the creator probably expected that people who play D&D and haven't tried other games.

But then when we scour through the rulebook, lots of the information regarding the mechanics are scattered. We also see that there are some inconsistencies regarding mechanical terms that aren't in bold or highlighted, which is easily missed. We feel that it can be better edited.

Speaking of mechanical terms, the game has lots of terms. Lots of mechanics for a narrative game. The game does feel that it wants to combine D&D/Pathfinder, OSR, FitD into one game. Hence why we feel the game doesn't have a clear focus or theme when we play it.

But the mechanics do give way to awesome character creation. We love the tools provided for cinematic play as well.

Hopefully in the future this game will be remastered, because lots of the ideas are very well thought of. Unfortunately, the execution and the editing aren't as good as the ideas.

Highly recommend! As a free product, this book is absolutely packed. It takes some of the ideas of Dungeon World and has its own details and flair. The classes feel familiar from D&D, but with their own spin. As a GM, I really appreciate the monster blocks in this book. The descriptions, wants/doesn't want, color variations, and sights smells and sounds as clues about the monster are exactly the kind of world building blocks that I'm looking for.

While this book has a lot of content, I'm planning on buying the full version to support the publisher. It's absolutely worth it if you're looking for fantasy outside of the classic D&D ecosystem.

Wonderful system if you like improv with a nice and fast mechanical resolution system. Love free form magic!

At first I did not understand this title. I thought to myself, am I wasting money on something that sounds great on paper but not so much when you run it. I am happy to say that was a completely false statement.

I mostly play by post, which creates challanges on its own without ever including a system. When I first started using this system at the virtual table, I was surprised by how easy it was for me. It seemed to just flow and the players loved it. The constant action gave me a flexible set of rules for nearly everything.

I will say that doesn't mean I see this working for everything, and I should mention that in this review. Let's talk about what it does well and then what it does poorly.

PROS:

• Simple system with enough crunch to keep basic players interested in the game.
• Goals which I think are required to keep players engaged, more so than treasure.
• A basic leveling system that keeps casual players engaged for several sessions.
• Classes should allow players to choose freely and enjoy their experience, including options for cross-class play to enhance the game's variety.
• Great rules for making monsters on the fly and challenges that all use the same idea but translate differently to the players.
• A combat system that offers more than I swing, you swing, roll damage, check soak. Players are encouraged to be creative.
• Open licening allows for the system to grow beyond the creator which is always a plus.

CONS:

• An inexperienced GM will suffer with this system much in the same way as with something like FATE.
• No skills lead to confusion with the vantage system, which tends to lead to more handwaving tactics when the characters want to do something challenging.
• Magic is pretty well detailed but leaves a decided amount of interpretation for the GM. It would have been nice to include some more detailed rules for how to creator does his magic.
• This system is not one that I see working for all settings but I have a feeling the games coming out in the future might force it's luck. I think some will be hits like Grimwild, and others might be pure duds. Only time will tell.
• More setting, classes and everything that makes the game great would be nice without having to rely on the community to come up with ideas that may not be as balanced as the original book.

Overall, this game is pretty solid. I could've knocked off a star but it works pretty well. I am not going to knock it and I can't wait to see what other settings and rules come out for it to expand the main book. Looking forward to a bright future with this one.

I have been a fan of 'Forged in the Dark,' games, and have been looking for a system or a Hack to play in a Fantasy setting, with magic still feeling Magical. And I found it here in Grimwild! I have read the system and even played in some online games, and it works very very well. It feels like a simple mechanics, yet with complexity when it comes to how to use certain abilities with the narration. Also, the rules for Exploration is really good, in general! If you want a way for Players to feel engaged when exploring, yet simple, than give it a try!

This is a wonderfully cinematic game that gives the heroic fantasy feel in a rules-medium and narrative-first package. I'm excited to see where the Moxie system goes from here!

There is a lot of cool stuff here - I'm especially impressed with the way the book is laid out and the excellent bestiary. It's a clever mash-up for a narrative-driven, Forged-in-the-Dark style approach with familiar and traditional F20 elements. Worth a look.

Grimwild is the spiritual successor to Dungeon World. Thematically, the game feels like D&D with all of the tropes of the classes packaged up nicely as backgrounds and paths. The rules are short and sweet and pack a lot of punch -- with a ton of novel ideas that take some real chewing on and digesting in order to see how they elevate gameplay.

Take diminishing pools for example, which turn the predictable clocks from Blades in the Dark into random speedy hourglasses that keep the players on edge the whole time. Consider the Vigilance rules around Hint/Reveal/Strike that negate the need for boring chore of deciding what to do when someone says "I failed my Perception check!" Even Vantage, Wises, Story, and Potency worm their way into your brain as workarounds so you DON'T need to roll dice for something you're good at -- you JUST DO IT.

Of course, the star of the game are things like spellcasting touchstones and crucibles that mash up a few thematic words and generate creatively designed spells on the fly, tweaking the power up and down mechanically. It hits the perfect blend of the narrative improv and mechanical crunch that I want from my D&D heartbreaker. This is game that we've picked up in between D&D weekly games for one-shot material. This is the game we've converted our level 10 D&D characters in a 2 year long campaign module into Grimwild PCs to run a faster, smoother theater of the mind game.

Grimwild will be a well loved book in the years to come, with an exploration deck alongside it -- for those nights I want to play a solo game with my old D&D PCs that were just sitting around in D&D Beyond, doing nothing.

Grimwild turned out to be the fantasy game I always wanted - having sifted through dozens of games hovering around the complexity level of Blades in the Dark this just hits all my boxes for what I wanted. I'll be keeping a close eye on future games using the Moxie system as well.

If you want to be persuaded for this game I recommend looking at the spellcasting and exploration systems. They're both very simple yet give you so much heft to work with creatively as both player and GM.

Grimwild is a fantastic TTRPG choice for players and GMs who appreciate narrative-driven and cinematic gameplay. I’ve had the pleasure of running it for two different groups and playing it a few times under various GMs, and every session was an absolute joy. I even managed to persuade my in-person DnD 5e group to give it a shot, and it became their gateway to a more flexible and collaborative style of play, moving away from the crunch and rigidity of 5e. I especially love using an imaginative camera to frame moments and build cool scenes. While I’ve run other narrative-focused games before, I feel like Grimwild has significantly improved my GMing skills. It's packed with great features, and I honestly can't find the words to express just how much I've enjoyed this title so far.

I backed this game this past summer and so glad I did. I have over 25 years experience playing TTRPGs, starting with 2e AD&D. The past 10 years or so, I've been more into more narrative games and I got to say Grimwild is my new go to. I've GMed a few times and have been a player a bit now and I really like how easy it is to create a character, have a cohesive group and tell a story together. This is going to be my default game when it comes to play in the future.

Based on Forged in the Dark system and a hint of Ironsworn and located in high fantasy DnD like universe, this game is perfect for solo play. Big recommendation to all soloist out there.

I had backed this on an impulse. being absolutely fed up on D&D and wanting something different. I had never experienced narrative-first TTRPGs and this has been my first.

For the past 4-5 months, I have been obsessed with it. I'm running 3 play by post game, ran multiple one shot, created supplement for the system. I can't see to put this down.

The rules are made to favour the narrative as much as possible, offering players and DMs means to envision their actions and the narrative how they want. The mechanics make an almost seemless transition between the two. The core rules are simple enough to pick up and allows light readers to be able to jump in. The rest of the book is filled with content geared towards DMs and supplement to players wanting to push their narrative forward, or want to understand more about what can arise when playing.

The extra chapter from this paid version is filled with J.D's thoughts about how he envisionned specific rules and plays. There is also great supplements, two extra paths (classes), a bunch of magical items and/or cursed items.

This book is a labor of love, with a newly established system that I'm sure a lot of people will keep a lookout for.

I've been looking for a great Fate-ish/FitD/d6 pool fiction first fantasy game for a long time and so far this is definitely one worthy of playing long term.

Grimwild is generally narrative like it's FITD and Dungeon World ancestors, but with enough gamist elements to be trad gamer friendly. Paths (classes/playbooks/etc) are distinct and interesting while allowing you to lock into niche protection by staying in your path or a more modern gaming approach of mixing and matching as necessary. The magic system is inspiring, allowing players to create their own spells and not needing the 100 page spell lists of old with d66 tables to create fun spells randomly.