# Torches and Darkness in TTRPGs: Pick a Game by How Your Light Runs Out Published: 2026-11-04 Updated: 2026-11-04 Choose your TTRPG by how fading light pressures play: fixed clocks, risky supplies, or an inevitable candle countdown. ## Article I’d choose your game by what losing light asks you to do: plan around a fixed clock, risk uncertain supplies, or face an ending you can’t stop. - OSE: A torch lasts 60 minutes, or six dungeon turns. Pick it if you want to budget time, carry spares, and plan the return trip. - [Forbidden Lands](https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/forbidden-lands/): Torch supplies use a shrinking Resource Die. At d6, each check has a 33% chance of exhausting it. Pick it if you want supply pressure without counting every torch. - [Ten Candles](https://cavalrygames.com/ten-candles): 10 candles count down toward every character’s death. Pick it for single-session tragic horror, not a dungeon trip you can survive with enough gear. My rule of thumb: choose the kind of pressure your group wants, then agree on tracking, replacement supplies, or candle safety before play. Quick Comparison Game How light runs out What players control Best fit OSE Fixed burn time Time and supplies Expedition planning [Forbidden Lands](/item/forbiddenlands) Resource Die rolls How much risk to take Uncertain scarcity [Ten Candles](/item/tencandles) Candles go out and cannot be relit What characters do before death Tragic horror TTRPG Light Rules: OSE vs Forbidden Lands vs Ten Candles ## 1. Old-School Essentials ### Tracking light and supply A lantern makes one flask of oil a fixed expedition clock. Track when each light source starts and expires, along with supplies left, and tie those records to rests and wandering-monster checks. Players know what each extra turn costs rather than gambling on how long the light will last. ### What players can predict Players can budget time for the delve and return trip, but searches, obstacles, and rests all use that time. A shared turn tracker and visible warnings show when supplies are running low. Agree on when planning advances the clock rather than silently counting long discussions as dungeon time. ### What happens when light fails When a torch expires, it goes dark; it does no damage. If the party has spares, replacing it means a pause. Without them, the group must retreat, improvise, or spend magic. Infravision helps some characters, but it cannot reveal fine detail, and nearby light can interfere with it. It is no substitute for party light. Managing light means managing risk, not just visibility. ### How darkness shapes play Light also reveals the party’s presence: illuminated explorers usually lose surprise against creatures in the surrounding darkness. Thorough searches consume supplies and bring more wandering-monster checks. OSE suits groups that want tight expedition planning with clear consequences. Its light rules build tension through planning, rather than uncertain depletion or inevitable horror. ## 2. Forbidden Lands ### Tracking light and supply Forbidden Lands tracks torches with a Resource Die. Roll at regular in-game intervals, often every 15 minutes. On a 1–2, the die steps down from d12 to d10 to d8 to d6, then empties. While [Old-School Essentials](/item/oldschoolessentials) makes torch loss predictable, Forbidden Lands leaves it uncertain. ### What players can predict Keep the die visible and update it as soon as it steps down. A d6 means trouble is close - not that the torch is gone. Players have to weigh another search against the risk of losing their remaining light. ### What happens when light fails When the die empties, the torch goes out, but play continues. The group can switch light sources, retreat, or press on in darkness. If another character has a torch, track that torch’s die rather than quietly refilling the old one. Without visibility, navigation gets riskier, and the group may need to take another route. ### How darkness shapes play Uncertainty makes every search, detour, and camp break a resource decision. Light puts pressure on the expedition alongside food and water. Travel activities such as scouting, foraging, hunting, and making camp put those shortages into context. Pick this for uncertain logistics with little bookkeeping, rather than OSE’s fixed-clock planning. Resource losses have consequences without a fixed horror end state. For scarcity built into a tragedy clock, Ten Candles takes it further. The 5 Types of [Resource Management](/category/resource-management) You Need To Know About ## 3. Ten Candles Other games treat light as a supply to manage. Ten Candles makes it a countdown to an ending no one can escape. ### Tracking light and supply Candles go out one at a time and can never be relit. Instead of tracking torch-hours, they push play toward its ending. The candles are the clock. ### What players can predict Everyone can see how many candles remain, but no one knows exactly when the next will go out. Failed conflicts, player choices, and even an accidentally extinguished flame can advance the countdown. ### What happens when light fails Players roll as many dice as there are candles still burning; any 6 succeeds. A failed roll extinguishes a candle, ends the scene, and starts the transition and truth phase. When the last candle goes out, the game ends and every character dies. Make that premise clear before anyone commits to playing. ### How darkness shapes play Every lost candle adds pressure at the table. With fewer candles, later conflicts become more dangerous. Each loss is both a setback in the rules and a step toward the story’s end. Choose this for single-session tragic horror, where play centers on what the characters accomplish before the last flame goes out. ## Strengths and Limits at the Table Less bookkeeping doesn’t mean less tension. These systems differ less in how much light they use than in what players must manage as that light fades. Game Advantages Limitations Old-School Essentials Clear torch timing gives players a concrete basis for expedition planning. Someone must track turns and limited supplies. Extra torches also compete with other gear for carrying capacity. Forbidden Lands Uncertain depletion keeps supplies scarce and tension high without counting every torch. Restocking still depends on access to supplies. Ten Candles Real candles build a strong horror atmosphere. Losing light also means losing control. Requires physical setup and works better for contained play than open-ended exploration. Your choice depends on what you want at the table: predictable expedition timing, uncertain scarcity, or a built-in ending. For Old-School Essentials, keep one turn tracker where everyone can see it. Mark when torches burn out alongside rests and wandering-monster checks. For Forbidden Lands, agree on one depletion trigger and one replenishment rule before play, then apply them consistently. For Ten Candles, use stable, nonflammable holders and follow the venue’s fire rules. Substitute lighting is safer, but it changes the experience. ## Choose Your Darkness Each game makes fading light a different kind of pressure. Choose whether your table wants to plan around dwindling supplies, risk going farther, or watch the last flame approach. What you want at the table Choose Question the game asks Exact clocks and supply planning Old-School Essentials Can we finish the expedition before supplies run out? Uncertain resource pressure Forbidden Lands Can we afford the risk of going farther? Countdown horror Ten Candles How long before the last flame goes out? ## FAQs ### How can I make light tracking feel tense, not tedious? Match tracking detail to the stakes. Track resources closely during dangerous shortcuts or when an expedition’s supplies run low. When travel is routine and tension is low, keep the details abstract. Use poker chips, tokens, or countdown timers so players can see their supplies running out. Track days of light instead of seconds to cut down on bookkeeping. Keep supplies scarce enough to make choices matter, but give players clear ways to restock. Tracking should support the story, not frustrate the players. ### How do I keep magical light from trivializing darkness? Keep magical light a limited resource, not a permanent fix. Give spells a time limit or require spell slots or actions to keep them active. That way, players must choose between lighting the way and using other abilities. Magical darkness or changing dungeon conditions that drain resources can also push players to balance magical light with torches or candles. ### Can I play Ten Candles without open flames? Ten Candles is meant to be played with ten physical tea light candles. Their flames act as both a countdown and a core game mechanic. As each candle goes out, tension builds and the story moves closer to its inevitable end. That fading light is part of the experience: as the room gets darker, the characters’ hope fades with it. {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How can I make light tracking feel tense, not tedious?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Match tracking detail to the stakes. Track resources closely during dangerous shortcuts or when an expedition’s supplies run low. When travel is routine and tension is low, keep the details abstract. Use poker chips, tokens, or countdown timers so players can see their supplies running out. Track days of light instead of seconds to cut down on bookkeeping. Keep supplies scarce enough to make choices matter, but give players clear ways to restock. Tracking should support the story, not frustrate the players."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How do I keep magical light from trivializing darkness?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Keep magical light a limited resource, not a permanent fix. Give spells a time limit or require spell slots or actions to keep them active. That way, players must choose between lighting the way and using other abilities. Magical darkness or changing dungeon conditions that drain resources can also push players to balance magical light with torches or candles."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Can I play Ten Candles without open flames?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Ten Candles is meant to be played with ten physical tea light candles. Their flames act as both a countdown and a core game mechanic. As each candle goes out, tension builds and the story moves closer to its inevitable end. That fading light is part of the experience: as the room gets darker, the characters’ hope fades with it."}}]}