Fate Forlorn RPG – Quickstart Edition is a substantial offering from Hillside Games, and when I say substantial, I mean it. It is rare to see a “Quickstart” clock that runs to a staggering 136 pages, completely free of charge. This isn’t just a teaser; it is a fully playable, rules-light dark fantasy system complete with a bestiary, a pre-written adventure, and enough tables to keep a Game Master (or “Watcher”) happy for months.
The production value here is immediately striking. The PDF is gorgeous, filled with evocative, dark art that perfectly sets the tone of a world where the kingdoms of men are crumbling, and the Old Gods have gone silent.
The System
Fate Forlorn wears its inspirations on its sleeve, citing an impressive lineage that includes Cairn 2e, Into the Odd, Shadowdark, and Apocalypse World. The result is a streamlined, dangerous system that feels modern yet classically brutal.
The core mechanic is a 2d6 roll, adding an Attribute modifier (Strength, Agility, Intelligence, Willpower, or Presence). A result of 10 or higher is a success. However, the game adds a delightful twist with doubles: rolling doubles that sum to less than 10 grants a “Lucky Success” (success with a catch), while doubles summing to 10 or more grant a “Total Success”. Conversely, rolling double 1s is known as “demon eyes” and results in total failure.
Instead of the familiar Advantage/Disadvantage, the game uses Blessed and Cursed checks. A Blessed character rerolls their lowest die, while a Cursed character must reroll their highest. It is a simple, mathematical shift that keeps the tension high without bogging down the table.
Survival is tracked through two distinct resources: Fatigue Points (FP) for physical fortitude and Grit Points (GP) for mental resilience. Running out of either leads to dire consequences, from fatal injuries to mental breaks where a character might flee or succumb to mind control.
The Setting
The setting is presented as an “Abstract” – broad strokes designed to let individual tables fill in the blanks. The tone, however, is specific and grim. The “Old Gods are Gone”, replaced by silence or the terrifying awakening of “Feymothers” in the deep woods.
This is not high fantasy where elves are friendly allies; here, the Fey are malevolent, their beauty described as “horrifying as it is enticing”. Magic is dangerous, ancient, and often corrupting. The world feels lived-in and decaying, a place where dungeon delving is less about glory and more about finding enough scratch to afford food or medicine.
Character Generation
Fate Forlorn abandons classes in favour of a more freeform approach. Players can choose between creating a “Quick Character” to jump straight in or a “Full Character” for more depth.
Creation relies heavily on random tables, particularly for Backgrounds. You might roll up a Soldier, a Baker, or a graverobbing Cultist. These backgrounds inform your starting skills and gear, providing a narrative framework rather than a mechanical straitjacket. Characters are defined by five attributes ranging typically from -1 to +5 , and their equipment is managed via a slot-based inventory system where Strength determines carrying capacity.
Look and Feel
For a free product, Fate Forlorn is exceptionally well put together. The layout is clean and readable, making excellent use of white space and clear headers, a blessing for any Watcher trying to check a rule mid-game.
The art style deserves special mention. It is consistently dark, sketchy, and atmospheric, reminiscent of the ink-heavy illustrations found in OSR darlings. It sells the “forlorn” nature of the title effectively, grounding the fantastical elements in a gritty reality.
Included in this massive page count is the adventure “Dark Road Through Black Wood”, which serves as an excellent introduction to the game’s mechanics and its unforgiving world.
Fate Forlorn is a generous, polished, and evocative release. Hillside Games has provided everything you need to run a grimdark campaign tonight, and they have done it with style.
