# Black Sword Hack

A dark fantasy OSR RPG built on The Black Hack, inspired by Moorcock, Howard, and Leiber. Features classless character creation with origins and backgrounds, the Doom die for Law/Chaos influence, and robust worldbuilding tools for sword-and-sorcery campaigns.

## At a Glance

Dark Fantasy • Needs GM • 2/5 complexity • Low prep

## Why It Fits

A strong fit for groups that want fantasy with more danger, grime, or moral pressure, with rules Lite helping define the experience.

## Fit Facts

- Players: 2-5 players + GM
- Session length: 120-240 minutes
- Prep: Low

## Facets

- Genres: Dark Fantasy, Sword-and-Sorcery
- Mechanics: Rules Lite

## Scores

- Complexity: 2/5
- New GM Fit: 4/5
- Roleplay Focus: 3/5
- Combat Focus: 3/5
- Tactical Depth: 1/5
- Campaign Depth: 3/5

## Best For

- Groups that want fantasy with more danger, grime, or moral pressure
- Tables that want quick onboarding and low mechanical drag

## Avoid If

- You want denser mechanical crunch or build complexity
- You want a lighter or more openly heroic tone
- You want the system to stay almost invisible at the table

## Directory Notes

Black Sword Hack is a dark fantasy roleplaying game by Alexandre "Kobayashi" Jeanette, published by The Merry Mushmen, that channels the pulp sword-and-sorcery tradition into a sleek, modern OSR framework. Built on David Black's The Black Hack, it draws inspiration from Michael Moorcock, Robert E.

## Theme and Setting

Howard, Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar, and Jack Vance's Dying Earth—delivering a game where characters are competent but fragile, combat is short and brutal, and sorcery is effective and nasty. Theme and Setting Black Sword Hack embraces the eternal struggle between Law and Chaos that defines classic swords-and-sorcery fiction.

## How Play Feels

The game assumes no default setting; instead, it provides robust tools for referees to create their own worlds dominated by this cosmic conflict. The implied setting includes archetypal locales that reappear throughout the multiverse—the Forbidden City, Amber Enclave, Merchant League, Northern Raiders—eternal tropes that help guide world creation.

## What Makes It Distinct

The game explicitly excludes Tolkienesque elements. There are no elves or hobbits here, only humans ready to be corrupted by forces beyond their understanding.

## Where It May Not Fit

You want denser mechanical crunch or build complexity You want a lighter or more openly heroic tone.

## Links

- Directory page: https://www.ttrpg-games.com/item/black-sword-hack
- Agent JSON: https://www.ttrpg-games.com/api/games/black-sword-hack.json
- Publisher or official site: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/386379/the-black-sword-hack?affiliate_id=1659151
- Reviews or retailer page: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/386379/the-black-sword-hack?affiliate_id=1659151