Forbidden Lands

What players say

At the table

Groups describe Forbidden Lands as a light, low-prep hexcrawl. Players pick the direction and the random tables and keyed content fill in the rest. Most reports are positive, but one long campaign found the travel rules repetitive, and another group found the system a poor fit.

What works

• A GM who finds prep painful ran a small campaign with almost no weekly prep, because travel and survival procedures and keyed hex content decide when things happen. (thread)
• Random adventure generation makes prep quick, about 30 minutes in one report. (thread)
• The Year Zero Engine is called intuitive and easy to learn, and one GM says the survival mechanics beat those of other systems they've run. (thread)
• The dice pool runs smoothly once players learn what the dice colors do, and Foundry VTT automates much of the handling. (thread)
• Letting players roam and make their own trouble gives the GM surprises and gives players ownership. Random tables work as a springboard, and some humour survives the grim tone. (thread)

What tables struggle with

• Learning the dice colors and building the pool is slow at first. (thread)
• One group found it not quite right for their game, and one player actively hated it. (thread)
• Travel rules were repetitive enough that one year-long group skipped the rolling by the end. (thread)
• Skill rolls can be punishing, so some groups roll less and are generous with successes. Random encounters were infrequent and not compelling for at least one group. (thread)
• One commenter dislikes how characters gain the power to use magic. (thread)

Who it suits

• GMs who want a sandbox with little weekly prep and procedures that drive play.
• Groups that enjoy tracking supplies and are happy to let players steer.
• Tables that want a fiction-first game may find it plays more like a neo-traditional or OSR-style game.

In players' words

• "I ran a small Forbidden Lands campaign and it was the most fun I've ever had GMing." (thread)
• "It takes a while to learn what all the different dice colors do and when they count." (thread)
• "Yes, the hexcrawl was pretty boring. The travel rules are highly, highly, repetitive. We started skipping all the rolling towards the end of the campaign." (thread)