Arc Dream, the publishers of Delta Green, have just put out playtesting rules for an upcoming Black Company RPG.
Glen Cook’s The Black Company is an epic Dark Fantasy series of a mercenary company fighting a war between “Evil and Far Worse.” It’s dark, it’s a strangely gritty look at a world full of powerful magic mixed with the grim realities of battle. It’s a tale of soldiers and stories and living through massive battles to have one more drink and add one more page to the Annals.
As you might imagine, it’s a perfect choice for an RPG, which is why it’s exciting that Arc Dream’s upcoming new Black Company RPG is out for playtesting as of today. Little by little, the Company marches on.
Arc Dream’s Black Company RPG – Playtesting Today
Arc Dream first announced its Black Company RPG back in 2024. Since then, things have been steadily progressing behind the scenes, it seems, with the launch of the playtest page. But make no mistake, it’s the full on Black Company experience.
Play as your own soldier in the Company, or if you prefer, play as one of the legendary members you’ve read about in the Annals. Croaker, Goblin, One-Eye – the gang’s all here. And from the look of it, ready to play fast and loose.
It’s built for “fast, suspenseful play”. Which means you’ll probably die at some point, but what you survive is going to be the stuff of legends. Whenever you try to do anything, you roll a skill or use a background; in the write-up you see a number of mechanical tags like “find a healer” or “bitch and moan” to deal with injuries. There’s a Stress and Damage system. Seems very rules-light, but grit-forward.
“The Black Company always gets the job done, no matter the cost. Its mercenaries are the steel gauntlet around the subtle hand of sorcerous power—a tool to root out, locate and destroy enemies of the Empire and its ruthless ruler.
In the service of the Lady, you face violence, magic and terrors beyond the edges of the world. The Company is home and family. You must uphold its grim reputation. Your victories, defeats, disasters, and narrow escapes shape its history.”
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In actual mechanics terms, this is a d100 system. But with a much more streamlined player-facing interface. For instance, you don’t have hit points, you are damaged or you aren’t. Same goes for Stress and sanity. I’m curious to see it in action – and as this is the playtest, this is your chance to help shape what the future of it looks like!
You can sign up for the playtest or for more news at the link below.
The Black Company gets the job done. Will you?
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