Zweihander Grim & Perilous is a tabletop RPG once published by Grim & Perilous Studios before being acquired by Andrews McMeel Publishing, along with creator Daniel D. Fox.
I mention this to highlight all the times grim and perilous is mentioned. Zweihander is a dangerous game, a brutal game and one that lends itself to adult and provocative games.
A recent hit, Flames of Freedom, is a good example. It’s a game of supernatural and occult horror set against the manmade tension of the war of independence in America, but it’s not a game that allows discrimination in it. As I note in my review of it; it can be a horror, not horrible.
Entreat The Darkness – TTRPG Safety Tool For Zweihander RPG is a free tool designed to help you get that balance right.
You can have mature games, you can explore topics that all your players want to explore, and you can make sure that everyone at the table actually does. It’s a good way to protect friendships and not be a jerk, even an accidental jerk.
Written by Kate Bullock, one of the co-authors of Flames of Freedom, Entreat The Darkness is both a free PDF and an audiobook.
I went with the audiobook. It’s expertly read by Lysa Penrose, of the Behold Her podcast and who staffs the DMsGuild and the voice actor Rudy Basso.
Audiobooks, I think, are great this time of year. You might be multi-tasking, driving to and from relatives, or cooking, or wrapping, or cleaning, or you might be alone over the holiday and for whom hearing some human voices will be helpful.
However, I concede what Entreat The Darkness does is layout a toolkit and system for safely integrating “darkness” into tabletop experiences. You might want that written down for reference.
Both are free, you can have both, and you can even get the softcover printed at cost (less than $5) if you want to ease off your printer after the gift-giving season.
Either way, what you’ll find is a workable system that’s clearly been battle-tested, and it feels silly to pass on it.
The audiobook is an .MP3 and runs for a little over half an hour.
Oh, and I don’t see why any of this needs to be limited to Zweihander.
Quick Links
- Entreat the Darkness audiobook.
- Entreat the Darkness PDF download.
What are your thoughts? Strike up a discussion and leave a comment below.
