A downloadable game

Buy Now$7.50 USD or more

Grim Dungeons & Ancient Lore is a solo fantasy dungeon crawling game that takes you on an adventure through dark and dangerous dungeons. Create your hero, choose your class (Fighter, Archer, or Wizard), and explore a world of magic and monsters - all by yourself!

What's inside:

  • Easy-to-learn rules that get you playing quickly.
  • A simple dice-rolling system using only two six-sided dice.
  • Randomly generated dungeons for endless replayability.
  • Exciting challenges, including traps, events, and of course ... monsters.
  • A unique character development system with talents, items, and artifacts.
  • Old-school layout and design for a classic pen-and-paper RPG feel.

If you're looking for a fun and challenging solo RPG experience, Grim Dungeons & Ancient Lore is the perfect game for you!

To play you will need:

  • 2 six-sided dice.
  • A few sheets of graph paper.
  • Pencil and eraser.
  • The 56-page core rulebook with all game information.

> Watch the review by RPG Frequencies!


A game by Sasha Jarkaz - jarkaz.itch.io
Inspired by oldschool roleplaying games of the eighties and nineties.
Layout by Sasha Jarkaz

StatusReleased
CategoryPhysical game
Rating
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
(3 total ratings)
AuthorSasha Jarkaz
GenreRole Playing
TagsDice, Dungeon Crawler, Fantasy, Roguelike, rules-lite, Singleplayer, solitaire, solo, Solo RPG
Average sessionAbout a half-hour
LanguagesGerman, English
AI DisclosureAI Assisted, Graphics, Text

Purchase

Buy Now$7.50 USD or more

In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $7.50 USD. You will get access to the following files:

GDAAL_Core_Rulebook_English_v06.pdf 7.1 MB
GDAAL_Core_Rulebook_English_Spreads_v06.pdf 7.1 MB
GDAAL_Grundregelwerk_Deutsch_Spreads_v06.pdf 9.7 MB
GDAAL_Grundregelwerk_Deutsch_v06.pdf 9.7 MB

Exclusive content

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Download demo

Download
GDAAL_Quickstart_Rules_English_v02.pdf 8.2 MB
Download
GDAAL_Charakterbogen_A4_v02.pdf 666 kB
Download
GDAAL_Character_Sheet_A4_v02.pdf 663 kB
Download
Monster_Cards_Lvl1-6_EN.pdf 2.2 MB

Development log

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Comments

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(+2)

And here is a review I just recorded!

(1 edit)

Sorry.... Few more typos and one question:
Pg. 8 - Under Point Distribution, first line.  "ou have 10 points" should be "You have"....

Pg. 34 - Weapons, Equipment and Items, first para - This indicates you can find, buy or craft items.  I didn't see a crafting section.  Did I miss that or just a typo?

Pg. 35 - For Uncommon weapons, "Morgenstern" I think should be "Morningstar" and "Zweihander" should be "Greatsword".

Thanks!

My final board for dungeon #1!  Really enjoyed using the 2d6 dugneon physical board I purchased on etsy.  

(3 edits) (+1)

One other FYI.  the english version of the game (in the downloads) are both the exact same layout.  It would be great if the english downloads were similar to the german which has both the individual pages in portrait format and the spread pages.  I had a difficult time printing this.  Still loving it!

(+1)

Thanks for the feedback! I will fix the layout for the next version. The v07-version will be dedicated to you. :)

(1 edit) (+1)

Hahaha!  Thanks sooo much for the replies!  I really think you have made an awesome game.  I've played a lot of solo rpg's and truly enjoyed this one so far.  Thanks for indulging all my questions/comments!

(+1)

Had a blast. Defeated a demon cultist as the boss in my first dungeon.  It was a really close fight.  Loved it.   I used a board for 2d6 dungeon that I purchased from the Tabletop Engineer and it worked really well.

Some additional typos in the rule book/questions clarifications:

Pg 6: in the reward table on the left 1-2 should be 1d6 gold + key

Pg 10:  Event table result 9-10 is a locked chest.  It says you can unlock with a successful dex check.  However, on pg 52 it states you can’t open a chest unless you have a key.  I assumed for the specific event only I could do the dex test.

Pg. 30: Event table entry 12.  I think the effect should be 3 soul shards instead of soul splinters.

Pg 52: In the stat block of the final boss I think “Schaden” should be “Damage”.

Questions:

Is the minimum damage for the player only?  Based on pg 21 I assumed it was for the player’s attack only as I know for monsters a critical hit is not double damage.  When I met the final boss I had 4 clues and was first level.  So, he got 1d6+1 damage.  If he rolled a total of 4 or less I gave myself 0 damage.  Is that right or should it have been a minimum of 1?  

That’s it for now.  Really had a fun time.  When I have some time I’ll probably record a video for my RPG Frequencies yt channel.


(1 edit) (+1)

Great idea with the game board! I didn't even have that on my radar. It fits GDAAL really well.

Pg 6: in the reward table on the left 1-2 should be 1d6 gold + key

Thanks for pointing that out! I'll make sure to fix it in the next version.

Pg 10: Event table result 9-10 is a locked chest. It says you can unlock with a successful dex check. However, on pg 52 it states you can’t open a chest unless you have a key. I assumed for the specific event only I could do the dex test.

That is correct. This specific event acts as an exception to the general rule.

Pg. 30: Event table entry 12. I think the effect should be 3 soul shards instead of soul splinters. Pg 52: In the stat block of the final boss I think “Schaden” should be “Damage”.

Thanks for the feedback! You have a great eye for detail.

Is the minimum damage for the player only? Based on pg 21 I assumed it was for the player’s attack only as I know for monsters a critical hit is not double damage. When I met the final boss I had 4 clues and was first level. So, he got 1d6+1 damage. If he rolled a total of 4 or less I gave myself 0 damage. Is that right or should it have been a minimum of 1?

Yes, that is correct. I suppose the boss simply swung and missed that time! I will make sure to include this in the official rules.
(+1)

Hey!  Loving this so far.  Just found it.  Here is my current table. Couple  questions that came up for me and I might have missed in the rules:
1 - Do I get xp if a bandit flees?  I assume I do but no treasure

2 - Do I get xp for disarming a trap?  I didn’t find that.

3 - the bandit leader can use nimble escape if less than 1/2 hp.  However, it says that i roll a d6 and he escapes on a 6+.  Is there some modifier I’m supposed to use?

I’m sure I’look have more questions but enjoying so far. 

(+1)

Hey!

Thanks for playing GDAAL! I’m happy to clear up those questions for you:

  • Regarding 1: No, you only receive XP when you actually defeat an enemy.
  • Regarding 2: No, you don't receive XP for this either. However, after successfully disarming a trap, you gain the opportunity to search the room.
  • Regarding 3: The "6+" appears to be a copy-paste error. There are no modifiers for this roll; it should simply trigger on a roll of 6.

Bonjour.

Quelle a été la volonté à travers la création de ce systÚme. Notamment face à 4AD ou 2D6

(+1)

Hello!  I'm reading through the English rules and this sounds like a lot of fun!  Did you base these rules off of any other game to start with?

One thing I did notice with the English translation, there are some missing bits?  You have 1W6 instead of 1D6 in a some spots.  Also, under the dungeon creation rules, for Passage Contents you have "Umherstreifendes Monster (Stufe des Monsters = Charakterstufe -1)".  I haven't used google translate to look it up yet, but that would be something to look into if you do another draft.

Once again though, this looks like a lot of fun and I can't wait to give it a go!

Thanks for pointing out the translation errors. I'll be uploading an updated version in the coming days.

To answer your question: I've drawn inspiration from a wide variety of board game dungeon crawlers over the years. Specifically, the dungeon generation is based on the Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG) for Dungeons & Dragons as well as Paul Bimler's 5e Solo Gamebooks. I also played a lot of Four Against Darkness. As for the combat and character system, those are built upon drafts from a sci-fi role-playing game I developed many years ago.

Yeah, it's definitely a lot of fun! Hang in there during your first runs, sometimes they don't end so well. :)

(+2)

wanna try u.u