Son of Oak Game Studio’s rustic fantasy TTRPG, Legend in the Mist, has launched digitally, quickly climbing the charts on DriveThruRPG to challenge other significant releases.
The new game, from the creators of the award-winning City of Mist, is a narrative-focused system that uses descriptive tags instead of traditional stats.
The digital core book, which was released on August 13th, has made a significant impact in a short time. Within its first week, it secured the #2 bestseller spot on DriveThruRPG, placing it ahead of the highly anticipated Cosmere RPG and just behind the current chart-topper, Daggerheart. To build momentum, Son of Oak released a free-to-download comic book tutorial for the game, which has already been downloaded over 10,000 times.
Legend in the Mist operates on a similar engine to City of Mist, which should be welcome news to fans of that system. It eschews traditional stats like Strength or Dexterity in favour of descriptive ‘tags’. This means any detail about a character, from their motivations to a catchphrase, can potentially be invoked during a roll to provide a bonus. The design goal is to allow players to create any character they can imagine simply by describing them.
A core feature of the game is its non-linear character progression, which is deeply tied to the narrative. Characters have multiple, sometimes conflicting, core motivations called “themes.” As players make choices and pursue certain goals, one theme may overshadow another. This can lead to dramatic story moments where characters transform, swapping out entire sets of abilities (tags) to reflect their personal journey. A character might effectively change their “class” or resolve a major backstory plot, emerging with a new set of capabilities.
The game also supports parties with mixed power levels from the outset. The system is designed to balance characters by giving them equal narrative weight, citing the example of Frodo and Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. This allows a group to begin with a mix of seasoned heroes, powerful wizards, and ordinary villagers who have yet to find their greatness.
While the core rulebook provides a setting-agnostic ruleset, it is launching alongside an original world, Hearts of Ravensdale. This setting is described as “rustic fantasy,” aiming for the feel of an old fireside tale. It draws inspiration from stories like Princess Mononoke or the early journeys of the hobbits, focusing on unlikely heroes from remote villages venturing into a mysterious and dangerous world. Magic, while present, is rare and enigmatic, and those who practise it, known as Thaumaturges, are figures of legend. The magic system is based on inner cultivation and self-knowledge rather than memorising spells from a library.
The digital PDF of the Legend in the Mist Core Book is available now for $29.95. It will be followed by the Hearts of Ravensdale setting book PDF in November 2025, with print editions and accessories scheduled for January 2026. The project, led by creative director Amit Moshe with lead art by Alejandra Pinal, was successfully funded on Kickstarter in early 2024.
For those curious to try the system, the 50-page learn-to-play solo comic book adventure is available for free from the Son of Oak website.
