Dark Ingress

England, 1889 A.D.

The end of the world began 30 years ago. Once or twice a year since, an unidentifiable celestial body blocks out the sun, somehow extinguishing the stars as it lingers in the sky.

When it does, a horror from a plane beyond our existence or understanding falls and lays waste wherever it arrives. The only survivors are mad, dangerous or different.

The Crown, desperate to keep her lands safe, puts lucrative bounties on these horrors to cleanse towns and give the people the opportunity to rebuild. Most people are in denial that we live in the end times.

There are astrologers and theologians who seek answers, but you are not one of them. You are a hunter; the fire of humanity’s resolve burns within you to push back against a cruel and arbitrary existence. Your job is simple. A town has fallen, and a bounty has been put up. Go there, figure out how to kill the horror, and stand against the coming apocalypse.

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Step into the void

Dark Ingress is a tabletop roleplaying game about playing Victorian monster hunters who are bold or desperate enough to stand in the face of a coming apocalypse. Investigate a fallen town shrouded in unnatural darkness and crawling with the nightmare’s loathsome spawn to understand your bounty’s weaknesses. Will you be able to stay human?

Character-driven combat

Your hit points are not an arbitrary number. Each one is a strength, something you rely on to fight, such as a strong sword arm or a belief in what's right. And when you are hurt, you lose them. Your arm weakens. Your conviction wanes. Worse still, through accumulating stress or occult influence, your hit points can be corrupted to erode your sanity and humanity alike.

Your quarry has hit points as well, as unnatural and hideous as they are. Through investigating the destruction left in its wake, you may come to understand the hit points of the horror who lares in this town. When you specifically target a hit point, you are more effective. So prepare well for this final encounter. It may well be your last.

In Development

I'm expecting to finish Dark Ingress this year in time for PAX Australia. Upon release, there will be a free version of the rules, and a deluxe version which includes tailored handouts and potentially any additional content I couldn't fit in the main game.

As of June 12th, I'm working on the (hopefully) final draft of the rules in preparation for editing. If there's interest, I'll upload it here for anyone who wishes to follow along with the project.

The rules are a work in progress. Any and all feedback is very welcome!