02/20/2026
ShadowCity: Blood & Neon is a tabletop role-playing game set in a grim, neon-soaked urban landscape inspired by the early 1980s. Players take on the roles of newly risen vampires struggling to survive in a dangerous city where mortals, rival undead, and other supernatural forces constantly threaten their existence. The game is explicitly built on the mechanical and philosophical foundations of ShadowDark RPG, favoring fast resolution, lethal consequences, and emergent storytelling over scripted narratives.
At its core, ShadowCity is about hunger, power, and exposure. Vampires must manage Blood Points (BP) to fuel healing and supernatural disciplines while avoiding frenzy and public “violations” that risk exposing the undead to the mortal world. The city itself functions as a pressure cooker: territory must be controlled, rivals confronted, and mortals manipulated or culled, all while the advancing march of technology brings humanity closer to uncovering the truth.
Character creation emphasizes randomness and hard choices. PCs are defined by stats, bloodlines, classes (such as Butcher, Shadow, Luminary, or Medium), assets, touchstones, compulsions, and feeding habits. Humanity steadily erodes as characters gain power, creating a built-in moral and mechanical downward spiral. Campaign play centers on night-by-night survival, city exploration, faction politics, and the looming threat of apocalypse if the masquerade collapses.
Strengths
1. Strong Theme and Tone
The game is uncompromisingly bleak. Its writing consistently reinforces the idea that vampirism is a curse, not a power fantasy. The 1981 setting—on the cusp of digital surveillance—adds urgency and a fresh twist to urban vampire fiction .
2. Elegant, High-Pressure Mechanics
Blood Points, frenzy checks, humanity loss, and violations all interlock smoothly to keep tension high. Power always comes with risk, and even experienced characters remain fragile. This creates a compelling loop of short-term survival versus long-term damnation.
3. Emergent Gameplay Philosophy
The book strongly rejects prewritten story arcs in favor of player-driven outcomes. Success, failure, and death arise naturally from decisions and dice, aligning well with old-school and OSR sensibilities.
4. Excellent GM Support
Random tables, city generation tools, factions, encounters, and a clear GM ethos make ShadowCity easy to run despite its complexity. The city feels alive and reactive rather than static.
Weaknesses
1. Harsh Learning Curve for Narrative-Focused Groups
Groups accustomed to character-centric, story-protective systems may find the game punishing. Death is frequent, and emotional safety nets are intentionally absent.
2. Limited Emotional Range
The game excels at horror, desperation, and brutality, but offers little support for lighter tones or long-term character redemption arcs. Humanity loss is mostly a one-way descent.
3. Heavy Content and Themes
Violence, exploitation, and moral nihilism are baked into the design. This requires a mature group and clear expectations before play.
Overall Verdict
ShadowCity: Blood & Neon is a sharp, ruthless urban vampire RPG that prioritizes tension, consequence, and player agency over comfort or narrative control. It is best suited for groups who enjoy OSR-style danger, moral decay, and sandbox play in a modern (but not contemporary) setting. While it won’t appeal to everyone, it succeeds brilliantly at what it sets out to do: make immortality feel desperate, violent, and fleeting.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
A brutal, stylish game with a clear vision and the courage to follow it through.
Keep on gaming!
2026 Goals Progress
- Minis Painted: 113 / 150
- Large Models / Terrain: 5 / 6
- YouTube Videos: 3/ 24
- Game Reviews: 3 / 4
- Games Played (TTRPG + Board Games): 0 / 4
- Thursday Drop-Ins Created: 1 / 12
- New TTRPG Systems Tried: 0 / 3
- Shadowdark Mini-Campaign Sessions: 0 / 3
- Shadowdark Release on DriveThruRPG: 0 / 1
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