Songs For The Dusk
A downloadable game
Once, the Earth was Radiant, flush with prosperity like humankind had never seen. Impossible cities floating on the waves, whole pathogenic strains eradicated overnight, machines that could touch the very fabric of reality—these were but a few of the gifts we gave each other. We lived in the age of miracles.
Then came the cataclysm. Our societies collapsed and our sky was torn asunder. But by some miracle or another, our bunkers survived the fall. We stumbled out into a new world, littered with old technology and dancing with strange new power, and we started to rebuild.
But do not mistake this novelty for peace. Old war machines linger on, and young empires bicker for power and control. Life is still a fragile thing.
Still, our world has known glory before, and it's known disaster too. Now we have a chance to decide what comes next. Make the most of it.
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Songs for the Dusk is a Forged in the Dark science-fantasy tabletop RPG for an MC and 2-5 players. Create a crew of brave and compassionate adventurers called striders, ground them in a community of your own design, and watch as they figure out what it means to build a better future together. Play a valiant Aegis, a clever Scholar, or a transcendent Witch; run missions as a crew of unbreakable Rangers or as a group of charming Silvers. Meet fresh new spirits, grapple with old human conflicts in a new context, and hear the notes of a new physics humming beneath the surface of the world—or better yet, channel transcendent powers and conduct the music of the cosmos yourself.
In the downtime between missions, your striders can relax with each other or local NPCs, work on personal or technical projects, or even improve the very community they live in. You'll do more than just build a place you love—you'll have the chance to help it grow and change alongside you.
Songs for the Dusk contains the following:
- A rules PDF in full color
- Playbook, crew, and rules reference sheets
- Quickstart adventures and appropriate sheets for players and the MC
Find a link to online play materials here, and to the official Discord server here. Note that the server doesn't publish welcome messages, so you should be able to join and take a look around without having to announce your presence.
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Songs for the Dusk is by Kavita Poduri, with game design, visual identity, and layout by Quinn Vega, additional layout by Caro Asercion, and final layout and graphic design by Minerva McJanda. The game's cover is by Ashanti Fortson, with cartography by Annie Johnston-Glick and interior art by Yuri Runnel.
If you are trans and can't afford Songs' price point, please email me (kavita@leafside.studio) to receive a free copy.
Proceeds from sales of Songs for the Dusk will be going to aid for Palestine indefinitely. See my creator page for details.
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Songs' first official expansion, Daybreak, is live here for pay-what-you-want!
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $25 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Development log
- V1.1Jan 07, 2025
- Autumn DLC Development UpdateNov 27, 2024
- Bugfix (1.0.1)Jun 17, 2024
- 1.0 is outJun 14, 2024
- SFTD Release Date!May 26, 2024
- Winter Development Update (1.0 release info!)Dec 17, 2023
- Brief update on aid to PalestineNov 30, 2023
- Revenue update — Palestinian Children's Relief FundOct 17, 2023
Comments
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Hi there! I had this recommended to me by Thursday Garreau while conducting research for my masters thesis on TRPGs for social change. It looks so cool! Would you be interested in connecting with me about your work? :D
Sure! Feel free to contact me at kavita@leafside.studio.
You should put a link to Daybreak on this page somewhere!
So I should! It's linked at the bottom of the page now.
Hey! I just noticed that the Helix Nine faction has the same quirk as the Lunar months.
Hi; this is going to be patched in the next update! Hopefully that'll come...soon.
Hello! Love this so much, finally getting a group going for it (and boy does everybody love your premise + setting!). One note, the PDF playbooks seem to still reference "quirks" under the advancement triggers, which I believe are now Scars per the 1.0 release?
Oh, thanks for catching this! I'll update it in the next patch.
one more question/note, are the different crew types supposed to have a unique XP trigger that I’m just not seeing denoted anywhere?
They do not! Investing personal xp is the primary method of crew advancement.
Gotcha, I was just confused by the wording on page 42 & my prior assumptions from other FITDs! Thanks for the response :).
Maybe it's only my copy, but it appears that the "Rangers" playbook is missing from the list of Crews -- there's a page for it, but a lot of text is missing from it.
I'm looking at the PDF of the main text and the crew sheet, and they both seem intact to me. Maybe try redownloading? If that doesn't fix things, please show me a screencap and I'll see if I can figure out what's going wrong.
Redownloading worked! How odd. Thank you for helping troubleshoot!
Love this game! Would you ever consider doing a print run? The art and layout are so nice and I'd love to hold them in my hands!
It's not impossible but it's a years-down-the-line timescale if it happens; abandoning print was how I managed to get the project done at all. Still, I'll be sure to let folks know if it ever seems like it might come together.
Ah fair enough! If it does happen, I'm looking forward to it!
Just picked up this game and super excited to bring it to the table. The spin on FITD with less 'dark' and the addition of the community aspect are really cool. My crew plays online though so I'm wondering if there are any plans to update the Roll20 character sheets? it looks like a few things aren't quite 1.0 compliant (Like Read instead of Decipher, no Harmony on the Crew sheets, no Anchors on the Plabooks, etc...). Thanks!
Unfortunately no; Roll20 requires a paid subscription to edit sheets. The Google playsheets linked on this page are the officially-supported solution as of now.
Cheers! It's a shame they gone that way... I'll check out the Google sheets. Now just to convince my curmudgeonly old players to change :)
I have loved this game every single time I've had the chance to play it, but I think that's because I'm really connecting to games that inspire and encourage hope, that push us to imagine how things could be better, how we could act in our communities to help others and improve everyone's life, and how we can act to help others in different communities. Much like Wanderhome, Traverser, and Ecopunk 2044, this game inspires me. Thank you for creating it.
Congrats on 1.0!
@ browsers ...
This is a clever and thoughtful adaptation of Forged in the Dark - one of the best ones I've come across and, from my perspective, more than a hack. Not grimdark, much more solar punk in tone, with background info that is broad and inspiring rather than narrow and detailed. Lots of room to experiment.
It also works very well solo or GM-less if you have some experience with solo and enjoy narrative agency.
Is there a typo in the game description? "We lived in the age of ."
Just patched this ("age of miracles"); thanks for pointing it out
Big congrats for the 1.0 version release, Kavita and team!
I really like the look of this game, and really want to support it, but $25 is a lot for a PDF.
Asking for a free copy doesn't help you much, so I was hoping we might see a Pride Month pre-launch discount.
I don't have any plans for a pre-launch discount, but I'll probably consider a post-launch discount! Additionally, I don't keep the money I make from this game anyway; it generally goes towards relief efforts for Palestinians.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
The only comment on societal aspects is that they are traditionally devalued. Maybe a phrasing issue?
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.
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.
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?)
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.
I'll take your feedback into consideration!
Hi! Bought the game and am wondering if there's a google sheet for online play?
there will be in the v0.5 release! the hope is we can get that out by january.
Perfect! I'm excited!
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!
I got to be a catgirl Guardian and punch racist arms dealers and then go home to my catgirl wife 5 stars
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.
Hi - Do I need a copy of Blades to play this?
Nope! The game is pretty self-sufficient!