# Brightborne tags: #game/rpg/brightborne ![[Brightborne (cover).jpg]] So, you're looking to delve into **Brightborne**, are you? Prepare yourself for a "richly detailed, lore-packed grimdark world" where the fun is apparently "GM-less" and "roguelike." That's right, no need for a benevolent (or malevolent) overlord to guide your fumbling; you and up to three other masochists can stumble through this "dungeon-crawling RPG" all on your lonesome. All you need is the rulebook, a trusty pencil (presumably for scribbling your last will and testament), and, in a shocking twist for the dice-obsessed, a "deck of classic blackjack cards." Now, about those "core die resolution mechanics" you're so keen on. Plot twist! **Brightborne** boldly casts aside the polyhedral overlords and is, in fact, _diceless_. Yes, you heard that right. Instead of the satisfying clatter of dice, your fate is determined by the flip of a card. The game utilizes a standard deck of playing cards to resolve actions and presumably whatever horrors this "grimdark" setting throws at you. While the intricate specifics of how a ‘2 of Clubs’ translates into narrowly avoiding disembowelment aren't fully laid bare in every public utterance, the core concept is clear: embrace the shuffle, for the dice are dead here. It’s a tactical, grid-based combat system, so at least your card-fueled misery will be organized. As for multiple editions and the glorious evolution of its rules, it seems **Brightborne** is a fresh new face in the grimdark neighborhood, having appeared on DriveThruRPG around April 2025. So, for now, you're spared the agony of choosing between "Classic **Brightborne**" and "**Brightborne**: Now With More Despair Edition." There's just one version to contend with, which is probably for the best. Gives you less to complain about, or perhaps, more to focus your impending doom on. ## References - [Brightborne - Product Page with Description - DriveThruRPG](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/520488/Brightborne)