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Once, we lived at the peak of an era of unbridled human Radiance. Then, everything came crashing down. The cataclysm tore down our cities, broke our machines, and rearranged the very continents beneath our feet. The societies of old Earth are gone. This is an unfamiliar world, littered with the wreckage of what came before and shaped by a strange new physics that feels almost like magic.

The land is littered with ancient machines running haywire, new and extraordinary forms of life, and autocrats big and small vying for power. But for once we have a chance here: a chance, for once, to build something good, something better than all the human flaws and ancient tyrannies of the world we lost. And this is how we do it.

In this Forged in the Dark tabletop RPG, you'll assemble a crew of brave and compassionate adventurers who explore this strange new world, find out how to help people among the teeming threats that dot its landscape, and figure out what it looks like to build a better future.

This game is in development! The currently-available version, 0.6, is a playtest edition for a discounted price. If you buy the digital playtest version, you'll receive every future update to the digital edition of the game without having to pay again. If you're trans and can't afford it, you can email me (shadelight.workshop@gmail.com) to receive a free copy.

Find a link to our Google Sheets template here, and to the official Discord server here!

Finally, proceeds from sales of Songs for the Dusk will be going to aid for Palestine indefinitely. See my creator page for details.

StatusIn development
CategoryPhysical game
Rating
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
(135 total ratings)
AuthorKavita Poduri
TagsExploration, Fantasy, Forged in the Dark, Post-apocalyptic, Sci-fi
Average sessionA few hours
LanguagesEnglish
LinksTwitter

Purchase

Buy Now$15.00 USD or more

In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $15 USD. You will get access to the following files:

Songs for the Dusk beta - v0.62.zip 106 MB

Development log

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Comments

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I am happy and excited to have stumbled on a game that takes the post apocalypse setting and instead of doom and gloom tries to structure it about people doing the right thing and rebuilding. This is a rare subgenre and I really appreciate it. I look forward to playing the full release.

I'm really excited for the final v1.0 version. Thank you very much for your hard work, Kavita! Good luck!

I've run and played a couple of sessions of this game and had a good time on both ends. It requires a bit of practice to run smoothly, so maybe a session zero / practice session would help if you have inexperienced players. The setting is a delight, and the use of clocks and teamwork means things can get tense but never feel beyond hope.

I found the playbook a little overwhelming in PDF form, so physical notes or liberal use of the highlight and comment features could help. This was because there was so much there, not because of any flaw in the design, though a table of contents at the start or index at the end could help.

The game is still regularly updated and has a discord for support if needed. I would recommend this game to a friend, and expect to continue playing it personally into the future!

Do you have a discord or somewhere to ask questions?

yes! it's linked in the pinned tweet on the game's twitter account here.

I'm not seeing the link that you mentioned, but I would be very interested in the Discord Server.

(+1)

you're completely right; i changed things up recently and it's not there anymore. find the invite link here, and i'll update the game description as well.

I do not have a Twitter account, but I am trans, so what is another way I could obtain the files?

Please feel free to email the game's email address, songsforthedusk@gmail.com!

Thank you.

(+1)

I saw on Twitter there was an update. Our last attempt at a game died because we got a new baby and a new house, but now I definitely want to try again. I'm so excited that this project is still going strong.

(+2)

Every game of SftD I've played in or watched has been loaded with style! This game is full of colour and life and love and I highly recommend it.

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Uh, pretty sure I made a comment a not-too-long while back about the Witch playbook; namely the note attached to it.
Specifically how the gender essentialist elements in that note have some unfortunate implications, and are alienating to transmasculine and non-binary players.

Did that point of criticism get deleted?
If so, why?
(Without context, that is deeply concerning.)

(+7)

Hello! I apologize for the error; the comment was deleted by mistake, and I couldn't find a way to restore it. That said, I'll do my best to address those concerns now.

I don't believe the Witch's note encourages gender essentialism at all; I made a point of being very clear that the feminine traits I encourage players to express in their Witches are socially determined, not biologically determined. (This is to say, the traits I list as examples are considered feminine in many specific societies, but are not biologically feminine in any sense.) The transmasculine and nonbinary people I've encountered so far haven't expressed any discomfort with the note or what it's intended to communicate, but if the topic does come up from such a person, I'll be happy to clarify.

I also vaguely remember your comment expressing surprise that Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts wasn't cited as a touchstone; Kipo was released after the v0.4 edition of this game, and its genre, while close, is slightly orthogonal to what Songs is intended to be.

(+7)(-6)

Ugh, I just typed up a whole response and lost it to a misclick, so I guess I'm going to try and summarise what I recall.
Apologies if bullet-pointing it comes off as harsh or curt as a result; not at all my intent, and I appreciate the response.

Fair enough on the error. Itchio could perhaps use an 'undo' function there.


  1. The note explicitly refers to certain traits and behaviours as "feminine" and "femininity"; there's no pushback on such claims at all.
    The only comment on societal aspects is that they are traditionally devaluedMaybe a phrasing issue?
  2. I feel like it is possible to still nudge players towards those behaviours without playing into the notion that empathy and gentleness is inherently or innately or necessarily feminine.
    I'd also question the association of witches with "concern with appearance", but that's a bit of an aside. Unless it's meant to include those whose concern for appearance may be less conventional beauty and more other concerns.
  3. There seems to be a bit of touching on historical persecution, tying it in to modern discrimination and bigotry, but it comes with a seeming neglect of the fact that, in several nations, it was instead men who were the primary demographic tried for witchcraft and killed?
    I know that historical fact and the narrative tropes do diverge, but it stills a little off to have such a strong focus on 'Witch = woman'.
    Especially with the mention of the 21st century also, in which witchcraft now very much has a strong Queer element to it.
  4. Given that focus, mentioned briefly in the description and then hammered home with the note, the comments on not having to play a woman and how others at the table should not be policing gender expression... kinda seem incongruous.
    It comes off a bit "You don't have to, but-"; as though the people at the table shouldn't because the book's already on it.
    (I know part of the point may be to challenge preconceptions and get people to think about such things, but... I wonder if perhaps that might work even better separated from the Witch playbook as a sort of general blurb on roleplaying and how one might approach the setting?)
  5. I would love to see just as much attention paid to the association of witchcraft with liminality and the navigation/management/safeguarding of boundaries and gaps and the people/creatures/ideas within such spaces.
    It's mentioned briefly in the description with the "on the edge of society" element but overwhelmed and left aside by the note, which seems such a shame because that is where a lot of interesting material and characterisation can arise.
    (I may be somewhat biased by Pratchett here admittedly, but it definitely feels like a recurring role and definition of witches and witchcraft that crops up a lot elsewhere. The subversive aspect has a lot of room to play.)

I know I'm missing one or more things that I definitely typed up before, but I can't recall right now so I guess that's the best I can do.
Sorry again if the readability and tone has suffered in the retype, and thanks again for the time and effort you've taken.

(+4)

I'll take your feedback into consideration!

Hi! Bought the game and am wondering if there's a google sheet for online play?

(+1)

there will be in the v0.5 release! the hope is we can get that out by january.

Perfect! I'm excited!

(+10)(-1)

Having just recently finished the first full read through, the setting and tone of Songs for the Dusk is absolutely enrapturing. The departure from heavy grit and seemingly insurmountable odds to something that is intentionally challenging but meant to grow is a refreshing change for Forged in the Dark games. Particularly the dedication to crafting systems, prevalence of magic that is ubiquitous but difficult, and the introduction of the Harmony system (with focus to teamwork) makes the mechanics fresh. 

But it is the setting that has caught me the most. I, personally, tend to bounce off the settings presented with Forged in the Dark games, but Tamaris is full of potential. The level of detail behind factions is just perfect enough to give a place to start, thanks especially to the Situation and Clock sections of the faction detailing. Capturing the feeling of a seeming post-utopia that has changed the world but only exists as myth is difficult but done well here. 

I eagerly await any further updates and look forward to getting to play some Songs for the Dusk

(+19)

I got to be a catgirl Guardian and punch racist arms dealers and then go home to my catgirl wife 5 stars

(+7)

While still under development, Songs for the Dusk is already chock full of inspiration!

It catapults Forged in the Dark games into an entirely new direction of community building and exploring and struggling for a future with a hopeful outlook.

The Playbooks are full of contacts you want to meet, stuff you want to come into play and prompts and abilities you to see in action! And their implementation, printed, for Roll20, or as Character Keepers/formatted spreadsheets do a great job of making play with them easy.

(+1)

Hi  - Do I need a copy of Blades to play this?

(+1)

Nope! The game is pretty self-sufficient!