Before the Shadow
…your people were semi-nomadic, living in clans with an ever-shifting network of alliances and enmities. Although one people, the clans were diverse in tradition, outlook, and custom. Those along the old border were traders, prosperous and widely traveled. Those living in the central plains were gatherers and trappers. And those living furthest from the outside world were mountain herders, solitary and secretive.
And then the Shadow came.
The chaos that resulted almost shattered the clans beyond repair. News of the Shadow created new feuds and fanned the flame of old hatreds. But ultimately, it was the Shadow itself that caused clan divisions to be set aside in the name of survival as the Shadow's army pushed further and further into clan lands. It became clear that if the clans were to remain free from the Shadow's taint, they would have to stand together.
The Watch is a tabletop roleplaying game set in a "light fantasy" setting known as The Clanlands. It takes place during a dark and horrific war between the now-united ten clans who live there and an invading force, known only as The Shadow.
The Shadow is a powerful and insidious enemy that is able to enter the minds of its opponents and slowly turn them to its side; twisting them into unnatural foes. For reasons unknown, The Shadow is able to more easily influence the minds of men, and has turned a great deal of the clan's soldiers against itself.
With most of its fighting force crippled or worse, the clans have joined together and begun enlisting new warriors to defend their homes. Women and non-binary femme people who seem better able to resist The Shadow's hold have been recruited, trained, promoted, and formed into a new order: The Watch.
In The Watch, you'll play a group of elite soldiers who are called upon time and time again to defend villages, attack The Shadow's forces at key locations, scout the enemy's lines, and much more. Each mission comes with its fair share of costs and compromises and you'll need to navigate them in order to be ready to heed the next call to action.
It's in these in-between moments where the rules for The Watch focus themselves: What do you do to unwind from the pressure that threatens to pull you down? Who do you spend what little free time you have with, and why? How will you hold off The Shadow's influence so that you can see the end of this war? That's what you'll have to find out for yourself...
