Hii! Currently done with making my forge witch! I had a question, I mostly note all of my things in Notion. I know some games have notion templates, so I was curious if anyone already had made one maybe? I am so bad with those things, so I always look them up :D I love the game how it looks and cannot wait to play!! :D
This game is so good! It's got a lot of juice, with plenty of well described pre-written locations and NPCs so you're not asked to do a bunch of extra work making everything yourself from scratch at every step like so many other games of this kind. The system is complex enough to be engaging without being an exhausting nuisance to operate. Oh! And the provided tracking sheets are amazing play aids that streamline a lot.
I really want to make some supplemental material for this. The format for writing settlements looks so fun! But first I want to experience all the ones provided by the original author.
The Pinehold storyline plot ended really epically for my first character, who wound up in a position to create a great "option C" between the two factions.
I simply loved the game. It had me on the cover and hooked me at the synopsis. If you like dark fantasy, then obsession, eldritch corruption, and haunted characters are an easy sell, right?
Befallen has an emphasis on story, but the crunch is on point. Rolls are flexible and encourage narrative and creativity. Combat is fast and fun, and corruption provides a doom clock for characters who gamble with forbidden powers.
The complication mechanic is a lot of fun to drive the story in unexpected directions. The haunt is a fantastic source of conflict for the complication rolls, besides inspiring storytelling.
Rolling on skills instead of an oracle to get answers helps with flow and action. The game reads, “instead of asking ‘does the guard see me?’, make a roll with Sneak to see if you are spotted.”
Simple and clever.
Absolutely recommended to anyone who wants an excellent balance of crunch and narrative.
This looks really cool. Can you tell me what the general game play loop is like? On the scale of journaling to crunchy, where would you place this TTRPG? Is there a skill tree system or different types of loot/equipment?
For sure. The main goal is to find clues that help to resolve your Obsession (the main goal you set for your character during character creation). So the game loop is:
Travel to a settlement
Complete short quests to gain resources (this is money or goods you can trade to buy equipment, pay for living expenses and gain supplies to cast Hedge Magic)
Resolve the Plot (this is a main problem that's happening in the city or town - something like doors to endless hallways appearing around the town). When you resolve the Plot, you'll get some clues to completing your obsession.
Then travel to another settlement, where you'll do it again with new quests and plots, and investigate the rumors from the previous settlement to see if they are true.
You'll encounter the Corrupting Powers throughout this process. Once you've encountered one, they mark you, increasing your chances of being corrupted by them, but also giving you the opportunity to corrupt yourself further in return for turning a failed roll into a success. Higher corruption levels unlock special abilities from those powers, but put you in danger of losing yourself to them.
You'll start with skills and a starter ability from your class, but as you finish quests and plots, you'll gain skill points to spend on more skills and abilities. There is some basic equipment classes you can choose from (light armor vs heavy armor, etc.), but the magic items are tied to these Corrupting Powers.
As for Journalling vs. Crunchy, you can play this game entirely without journaling if you want, though I tend to play it with some light journaling. The pregenerated settlements tell you what the problem is and what limitations you have, then you choose what to do about things and how you want to tackle the problem.
Hopefully this helps! Happy to answer any more questions you have.
A game centered around corruption and obsession... that actully sounds pretty interesting! If you are currently handing out review copies, I would love to feature it in my Youtube channel, is there an email where I can contact you?
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Hii! Currently done with making my forge witch! I had a question, I mostly note all of my things in Notion. I know some games have notion templates, so I was curious if anyone already had made one maybe? I am so bad with those things, so I always look them up :D I love the game how it looks and cannot wait to play!! :D
Hi there! Sorry, I don't have a notion template for Befallen.
I hope you have so much fun with your forge witch!
This game is so good! It's got a lot of juice, with plenty of well described pre-written locations and NPCs so you're not asked to do a bunch of extra work making everything yourself from scratch at every step like so many other games of this kind. The system is complex enough to be engaging without being an exhausting nuisance to operate. Oh! And the provided tracking sheets are amazing play aids that streamline a lot.
I really want to make some supplemental material for this. The format for writing settlements looks so fun! But first I want to experience all the ones provided by the original author.
The Pinehold storyline plot ended really epically for my first character, who wound up in a position to create a great "option C" between the two factions.
Thank you so much for your very kind words.
If you do decide to publish content of your own for the game, please let me know. I'd love to play through it!
Hi David! Part 1 of my solo playthrough is up on Youtube! Spoiler...I'm LOVING this game! 🥰
Whatever you make in the future, I'm so down for.
To anyone interested, I've started a playthrough here: https://jakezemeckis.substack.com/p/befallen-the-ballad-of-luigi-solare
I simply loved the game. It had me on the cover and hooked me at the synopsis. If you like dark fantasy, then obsession, eldritch corruption, and haunted characters are an easy sell, right?
Befallen has an emphasis on story, but the crunch is on point. Rolls are flexible and encourage narrative and creativity. Combat is fast and fun, and corruption provides a doom clock for characters who gamble with forbidden powers.
The complication mechanic is a lot of fun to drive the story in unexpected directions. The haunt is a fantastic source of conflict for the complication rolls, besides inspiring storytelling.
Rolling on skills instead of an oracle to get answers helps with flow and action. The game reads, “instead of asking ‘does the guard see me?’, make a roll with Sneak to see if you are spotted.”
Simple and clever.
Absolutely recommended to anyone who wants an excellent balance of crunch and narrative.
I also wrote an overview of the game's mechanics and details here: https://jakezemeckis.substack.com/p/overview-befallen-by-utopia-rpgs
Hi. Could you add more community copy for this game? I love to try it but my wallet is tight right now. It's ok if you don't. Have a nice day.
Hi there! I added a couple more community keys. If you like the game, please drop it a rating. :)
This looks really cool. Can you tell me what the general game play loop is like? On the scale of journaling to crunchy, where would you place this TTRPG? Is there a skill tree system or different types of loot/equipment?
For sure. The main goal is to find clues that help to resolve your Obsession (the main goal you set for your character during character creation). So the game loop is:
You'll encounter the Corrupting Powers throughout this process. Once you've encountered one, they mark you, increasing your chances of being corrupted by them, but also giving you the opportunity to corrupt yourself further in return for turning a failed roll into a success. Higher corruption levels unlock special abilities from those powers, but put you in danger of losing yourself to them.
You'll start with skills and a starter ability from your class, but as you finish quests and plots, you'll gain skill points to spend on more skills and abilities. There is some basic equipment classes you can choose from (light armor vs heavy armor, etc.), but the magic items are tied to these Corrupting Powers.
As for Journalling vs. Crunchy, you can play this game entirely without journaling if you want, though I tend to play it with some light journaling. The pregenerated settlements tell you what the problem is and what limitations you have, then you choose what to do about things and how you want to tackle the problem.
Hopefully this helps! Happy to answer any more questions you have.
A game centered around corruption and obsession... that actully sounds pretty interesting! If you are currently handing out review copies, I would love to feature it in my Youtube channel, is there an email where I can contact you?
Hi there!
Drop me an email at dmarkiwsky@gmail.com and I'll send you a link to the press kit. Thank you!
Thanks! Email sent.
The illustrations are wonderful! The concept is good too.
Thank you so much!