Kadomi@buecher.pnpde.social reviewed Candela Obscura by Spenser Starke
Blades in the Dark meets Vaesen
4 stars
Candela Obscura is the first TTRPG system by Darrington Press, more commonly known as the folks from Critical Role. As such, I found it an interesting choice that they did not go for stealing a share from the DnD crowd and instead released this game. It's a horror game set in a fantasy world with a technology level loosely equivalent to early 20th century. There's magick in the world, and it is bad, and it must be investigated by a society called Candela Obscura. Main location for the setting is the city of Newfaire, a mix between New York, Amsterdam, Paris, maybe Edinburgh. It's been built on the ruins of Oldfaire, a previous empire that used magick heavily and perished in a cataclysmic event near 2,000 years ago.
The rules system itself is called 'Illuminated Worlds' and was created by Stras Acimovic, known for Scum and Villainy, and Band …
Candela Obscura is the first TTRPG system by Darrington Press, more commonly known as the folks from Critical Role. As such, I found it an interesting choice that they did not go for stealing a share from the DnD crowd and instead released this game. It's a horror game set in a fantasy world with a technology level loosely equivalent to early 20th century. There's magick in the world, and it is bad, and it must be investigated by a society called Candela Obscura. Main location for the setting is the city of Newfaire, a mix between New York, Amsterdam, Paris, maybe Edinburgh. It's been built on the ruins of Oldfaire, a previous empire that used magick heavily and perished in a cataclysmic event near 2,000 years ago.
The rules system itself is called 'Illuminated Worlds' and was created by Stras Acimovic, known for Scum and Villainy, and Band of Blades. To me, Illuminated Worlds really did not seem very far away from Forged in the Dark, but what do I know? It genuinely feels like a love letter to Blades in the Dark, only less punishing, not as heavy on the rules that make BitD such an intimidating system to run. Each character has three main stats, called drives: Nerve, Cunning and Intuition, with 3 moves each per drive. You can spend points in your drive pool to get extra d6, which reminded me of using Effort in the Cypher System. Each character has gilded moves, which allow you to roll a second set of dice that can be used to replenish your drive pool. When you roll, the highest die result counts, with 6 being a full success and 4-5 being partial. And that's pretty much it. As GM, you only have to set the stakes for a roll, there are 9 possible actions, it's pretty straightforward.
The book itself is gorgeous. From the beautiful cover, to gorgeous maps, to evocative artwork, it's really a gem. The setting is quite interesting, I always love a bit of technology in my fantasy game. As far as worldbuilding goes, I was a bit disappointed. Much like Blades in the Dark, Newfaire's city districts get one page each, with a few plot hooks, and that's it. I prefer my settings a bit richer than this, but this might be a me-problem. Also, why play this over Vaesen? Vaesen has the same premise. Secret society hunting magic, in the late 19th century. I love Vaesen and its super-evocative art, and it's folklore-rich stories.
My biggest disappointment is probably that I do not see longevity for a really long campaign here. The book presents many factions, and you can probably craft yourself a campaign arc here, but all in all it's probably best as a short story arc game, Monster of the Week style. I will definitely run it at my table, but much like the Critical Role streams, it might not have more longevity to have more than 3-5 assignments for a circle of investigators.
If you're looking for a fresh horror game, thought BitD is too complex and haven't tried Vaesen, I highly recommend picking this up. Despite my misgivings, I am excited to run this game in February.