Bloodshadows

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Bloodshadows is a pulp adventure gamebook from West End Games, first published in 1994. It started the MasterBook setting line and used rules that WEG had developed for TORG and Shatterzone. In 2011, Precis Intermedia reprinted it and began updating the core rules. A third-edition rewrite came out in 2016.

The game takes place on the world of Marl, a mix of dark fantasy, urban fantasy, and early 20th‑century pulp vibes, with magic woven into technology. Marl is ruled by three factions: Order, Chaos, and the Oathbreakers. Order stands for stability and obedience, while Chaos favors freedom and randomness. Neither side should dominate, or reality could fall into stasis or chaos. Their eternal clash across many worlds is called the GodWar. Marl last fought the GodWar 900 years ago, during its Iron Age, and billions died, leaving the planet scarred.

The Oathbreakers are former followers who have broken away from their masters. Some follow new gods, while others reject gods altogether but still use their gifts. Their true goals are unclear, and their actions keep pulling Marl toward the next GodWar.

Characters come in two groups: Humans and Unnaturals. Humans need no extra drawbacks unless players want them. Unnaturals are non‑humans (spirits, undead, demons, shape‑shifters) who have powers but must take compensations (disadvantages). People on Marl fear and distrust Unnaturals, who are often treated as second‑class citizens. Some Unnaturals can pass as human or influence humans.

Most adventures happen in city-states separated by wild deserts. The default setting centers on Selastos, a desert-border town that booms and mines artifacts from the GodWar era. It connects to other city-states in Galitia through portals, helping trade. Selastos supplies food and water in exchange for artifacts, while Galitia stays mostly uninterested in local politics.

Game materials used two ten‑sided dice and a MasterBook deck of 108 cards (100 regular, 4 Picture, 2 blank, and 2 blank Picture cards). The Bloodshadows box originally included the MasterBook rules, the Bloodshadows core book, the card deck, and two dice. There was also a later conversion to a D6 system, but it was short‑lived as the company’s fortunes changed.

A later rewrite adapted Bloodshadows to Precis Intermedia’s genreDiversion system and then to Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE). This version, licensed by Battlefield Press from Precis Intermedia, was released in August 2022. It adds core rules for character creation and setting play, and introduces the City of Guf, a mysterious place that appeared out of nowhere and is said to be filled with remembered dead—people from visitors’ pasts who seem unaware of their own history.

Reception: James Estes reviewed Bloodshadows in White Wolf magazine (October 1994), rating it 4 out of 5. He praised its blend of pulp, noir, and fantasy and suggested fans of pulp would find it especially enjoyable.