THE DARK PEAKS: DEEP MAW CORE Rules by Kieran Mathers (@TalesPeaks)

“Paring down the RPG combat system to a single attack roll, and adding lethality back into a single strike, THE DARK PEAKS: DEEP MAW is a game all about taking risks and surviving them.”

In the Dark Peaks: Deep Maw you are no stalwart hero of renown, you aren’t born with innate magical abilities (though through sheer bloody-mindedness and luck they may live to gamble with their life beseeching the Idol for the Art), and you most certainly don’t come from a background of wealth, privilege or education. You are poor as dirt farmers, poachers and shepherds wielding the tools of your former trades as weapons against monsters in the Deep. Common folk swept up in the Festival of Blades and protection of your home from the evil spilling out from the dark below!

A simple, yet robust system that allows for frenetic and exciting combat that will have everyone at the table gripped and panicked with all actions from both sides occurring simultaneously. These wild melees truly feel like a battle between life and death, managing to capture the vicarious excitement we feel when reading or watching ordinary folx risk life and limb. There’s almost a feeling of chess and tabletop wargaming in the strategy that goes into so many moving parts at once. It’s impressive to feel the danger and the odds stacked against, without it feeling too hopeless, and your options for combating your enemy being limited without losing the fun of playing.

The lore and setting are at once rich and vital, while asking questions of the players and GM encouraging world building.

The resources for the Games Master are detailed, covering all aspects of managing the game, discussion of roleplay and helping the players build up their PCs and bonds, expedition, encounter and campaign design, as well as a huge range of monsters and minions of the Deep all presented with aesthetic and easy to reference Creature Cards from the thugs and rogue adventurers, the myriad Taur of Deepmaw, the warped Dusklings, the terrible and horrifying Nightchoir, and the truly terrifying Monsters of the Black, as well as in depth advice for creating your ow. Deep Dwellers!

A Developer’s Commentary allows greater insight into the game’s design, and an extremely helpful Appendix has absolutely everything you could ask for in quick reference in the back.

This is nearly 100 pages of stygian doom and dungeon-crawling fun crafted by someone who has clearly been playing all the games, taken notes and used all that experience to make something that will not only appeal to the OSR crowd, but to anyone after some serious fun that doesn’t have to be taken too seriously! It’s impressive to feel the danger and the odds stacked against, without it feeling too hopeless, and your options for combating your enemy being limited without losing the fun of playingplaying

I will be back with an in depth review this deserves in the future! CREDITS LEAD WRITER AND SYSTEM CREATOR: KIERAN MATHERS HEAD ARTIST: GEMMA DASS MATH BRAIN: TOM HALLAM EDITOR: CYNTHIA BUTOR CREATIVE CONSULTANTS: ADELEEN, JANS, INSPIRATION TAKEN FROM DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS 5TH EDITION, WORLD OF DARKNESS 2ND EDITION, PATHFINDER 1ST EDITION, DUNGEON WORLD, INDEX CARD RPG, AND THE DUNGEON CRAFT YOUTUBE CHANNEL. PLAYTESTING SERVICES PROVIDED BY GEMMA, KRIS, NADZ, JANS, ETHAN & GARETH. ILLUSTRATIONS ARE PROVIDED UNDER NON-EXCLUSIVE LICENSE BY DEAN STOCKTON, JACK HOLLIDAY, ERIC LOFGREN, DANIEL COMERCI (DANIELCOMERCI.COM), MAD GOBLIN GAMES, USED WITHIN TERMS OF LICENSE, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DUNGEON ART ASSETS CREATED BY DUNGEONARIUM AND USED WITH PERMISSION.OTHER UNCREDITED ART USED UNDER SHUTTERSTOCK.COM COMMERCIAL LICENSE.

My Affiliate Link: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/338697/THE-DARK-PEAKS-DEEP-MAW-CORE-RULES?affiliate_id=1507682

If you want to try before you buy – check out the Festival of Swords, a PWYW stand-alone adventure in the Dark Peaks: Deep Maw setting, with a full set of rules and enemies to take on in a deadly dangerous dungeon! https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/338698/THE-DARK-PEAKS-FESTIVAL-OF-SWORDS-SECOND-EDITION?affiliate_id=1507682