There are screes of information about the game at: http://schwalbentertainment.com/news/, for those looking for it. I didn't find that on my first look at the site.

Mechanics chapter is up: http://schwalbentertainment.com/2015/03/17/kickstarter-dice-and-the-demon-lord/

Rob Schwalb writes damn fine mechanics as seen in WFRP2e, D&D5e and SIFRP. It is simplified without being simple. Everything feels like it has even weight with no overlap. There is no mechanics left hanging or feeling undercooked. There are no silly names or bizarre ideas.

The way classes and paths work looks cool too. Taking the fun of WFRP's careers yet making them less finicky and more like D&D classes. I am looking forward to what looks like an amalgam of D&D + WFRP + Diablo.

Insanity and Corruption chapter is now up:  http://schwalbentertainment.com/2015/03/18/kickstarter-insanity-and-corruption/

Looks like a fun and simple version of both from WFRP, with a chance at some real detriment but not so much to make the PC unplayable.

Quote from: JeremyR;819923Has an RPG ever advertised itself as "Hard to play" or "Requires a lot of prep"?

I'd buy one if it did.

Just to support honesty.

Quote from: YourSwordisMine;819902Diablo called...

Meh, I like Diablo.

Quote from: JeremyR;819923Has an RPG ever advertised itself as "Hard to play" or "Requires a lot of prep"?

That will be the selling points for my fantasy heartbreaker .

Combat rules are up: http://schwalbentertainment.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/03_Combat1.pdf

Its like D&D5e lite, with some notable modifications:

1. No dice based initiative. Instead PCs go first. There are Fast Turns and then Slow Turns. Fast Turns allow ranged attacks to go off before melee attacks against opponents not in melee, as well as other desperate actions.

2. No Critical Hits. Each of the 4 novice paths has a different effect on a d20. Warriors do more damage, Rogues get extra actions, Priests grants boons for others to hit the target, and Magicians get an effect based on attack spell used.

Quote from: YourSwordisMine;819976Hey now... Don't you ever compare Darkest Dungeon to that schlock... Darkest Dungeon is 1000 times the game and is NOT a Diablo clone...

I thought the art for DD looked interesting... dark and gritty... but after watching some gameplay videos it seems like it isn't much but one turn-based fight after another, combined with min-maxed widget fiddling.
Is this new RPG the same? IE really more of a skirmish wargame with some character progression bits?
Not that I don't enjoy skirmish games, especially when they have a touch of RPG flavor to them (as with more recent Two Hour Wargames offerings)

Quote from: Planet Algol;820158Ugh, I hate the whole dethklok geek culture/metal culture crossover.

I freaking love it!

This sounds like the game to run Gloryhammer!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlhQZFTvAn4

Skywalker, thank you very much for linking to the previews.

What I don't understand is WHAT'S THE SPECIAL BITS?

Maybe its because I'm not the audience. I've got fast/easy RPGs and I have WFRP 1e, but maybe Shadow of the Demon Lord is for people who want a Warhammer/OD&D hybrid.

Things that attracted my attention:

 - The quality of the mechanics is high. They are clean and engaging.
 - It focuses on one off and short term play, which is unusual in traditional RPGs. It looks great for one shots or telling an entire campaign in 11 sessions.
 - It looks fast and easy to run and play, yet still having depth. I love the random PC creation system to play unlevelled PCs, but also jump right in with powerful PCs too.
 - It's designed specifically for horror fantasy. Insanity and Corruption look darkly fun without being debilitating.
 - I like the path system. It takes the best of D&D's class system and WFRP's career system.

Its not necessarily that there is something new or innovative here. But it looks like a solid offering that improves on and combines a bunch of things I already really like from WFRP, D&D and elsewhere.

I like the look of this game quite a bit. The kickstarter page doesn't make it clear, but the designer's site does that the game is not just a D&D heartbreaker. It has six things I really like.

1.) Gunpowder, clockwork, and unique races are part of the game and being a gunslinger is a thing. Races are not Tolkein but goblin, joetun (half-giant), and clockwork.

2.) The GM sets the dial for the demon lord and what his shadow is. Want Midnight with evil demons that already won? That works. Want to start just as the ending of the world begins? Go for it. Want Walking Dead zombie ending the world? Do that.

3.) The players can learn as they go. One new major mechanic comes in at character creation and each level. So a player literally doesn't have to study to make a character that starts at level 0.

4.) About fourteen adventures are included so far. Each is four to five pages long and supposed to cover 4 to 5 hours of play. That is a lot of adventures from a variety of well known RPG writers. So far that's over 50 hours of gaming adventures in PDF form.

5.) 16 page setting expansions are being added as the kickstarter grows. A twisted Faerie world, Hell, and other locations expand the setting while still allowing GM freedom to tinker. So a lot of ideas there.

6.) I like the marketing of it's metal and fun. But the mechanics are solid, it is written, and it is playtested.

There is also a lot of fiction, but I don't care about that so much.

Also, an RPG in which you play a slightly deranged and morally bankrupt clockwork gunslinger magician who used to be a slave on a galley and now kills zombies as the world's last days plays out while The Mob Rules plays in the background is good for the hobby.

Quote from: Kravell;821070Also, an RPG in which you play a slightly deranged and morally bankrupt clockwork gunslinger magician who used to be a slave on a galley and now kills zombies as the world's last days plays out while The Mob Rules plays in the background is good for the hobby.

How is that any different from Rifts?

There's an extensive interview here: http://therpgacademy.com/table-topics-episode-73-shadow-of-the-demon-lord-interview-with-robert-j-schwalb/