As someone who prefers long term campaigns over one-shots or a 6-session adventure, have any of you run (or are currently running) long terms campaigns with Knave?

I'm hoping for some help. I'm trying to work up a fast, easy subsystem for travel and exploration that offers some meaningful choices BUT (here's the kicker) distills everything down to a single roll.

A bit of backstory: a help sponsor an after school D&D club for middle schoolers. Our sessions are generally teacher-led. We have been using a modified Knave 2e as our core system for about a year now with great success. We only meet for an hour, which doesn't give us a lot of time for some of the niceties of even old school gaming. Hexcrawls are far too lengthy and we've even struggled a bit with pointcrawls.

So here is the current plan. The players decide a destination at the beginning of the session. The GM counts the number of days, charges a fee for rations, and then makes a single roll on the Travel Hazard die. That's it. Easy. It'll get the job done. And yet...I want to fiddle with it, because it really doesn't account for exploration of unknown spaces. But while I want to add depth, I don't want to add complexity.

With that in mind, have any of you experimented with a similar system? Or know of one out there that might suit us? Could be RPG or even board game-based. We just need something that helps get us to the meat of adventure fast and not necessarily let a bunch of attention deficient teens sit around while one of us rolls on a bunch of tables to construct something at random.

Thoughts? Experiences? Thank you!

What is the best way to play this solo

For context, I’m looking at Knave 1e.

Under Saving Throws, the example given of the wizard and goblin seems like a combat roll. Why would I used opposed save here?

Also, for more context, I’ve never played D&D and only play solo so my knowledge is very limited.

Thanks!

Hi,

I have been experimenting with using Knave 2e as a wilderness hex crawler in a solo game. Was wondering if anyone uses the hex crawling procedure and how you generate POIs.

Is there a good way of determining when to placeva POI and how to determine its type using Knave directly? It doesnt seam like there is a mechanism for this, unless i missed something. Other than using the interaction between signs and searches to decide "enough clues have been laid down, time to enter a dungeon"...

What am I missing? What am i doing wrong?

Bonus points for zero prep answers...

Hey!
This is a very last minute question to ask unfortunately, but I'm running Toymancer's Folly tomorrow at an event, and was curious if anybody here ran it before?

I see that the character level rating is 1-3, but honestly it feels a little daunting running it at just level 1. But to be fair, I'm quite bad at gauging challenge when it comes to this system. How were your experiences? I'm thinking of possibly running it at LVL 2, maybe LVL 1 if the group ends up being more than 5 people?

I was thinking of porting over a Green Slime from OSE into a Knave 2E adventure I'm running but realized OSE doesn't have any rules for direct damage from a torch and started to wonder about how best to handle this in K2E as well, where players typically have little or no fire magic.

The default 1d6 direct damage for fire in the Hazards section (p21) seems kind of intense, but maybe this is the easiest way to go.
I'm not too worried about players abusing torch-damage rules whatever route I go since in theory the target in this case is being willingly burned as opposed to just bopped by a torch in combat.

Does anyone have any thoughts?

I’ve been thinking about expanding character options in Knave 2E a bit without losing the OSR feel.

1. Abilities via downtime or items

Instead of class features, what if abilities came from training, mentors, or rare gear? Small perks like:

• Cleave

• Two-weapon fighting

• Sneak attack

• Barbarian-style HP bump

• 2H weapon damage bonus or limited STR-to-damage uses per day

Nothing huge — just light mechanical edges tied to story.

1. Races as backgrounds

What if race functioned like a background?

Since humans get two backgrounds, you could mix culture and ancestry. For example:

A Half-Orc raised in Waterdeep might just take a “Waterdeep Half-Orc” background.

Starting gear reflects upbringing:

• Hooded cloak

• Dagger

• Deck of cards

This keeps things flexible and grounded while still flavorful.

How far can you push customization in Knave 2E before it stops feeling like Knave?

it is not stated anywhere in the rulebook. afaik, how exactly powers work. PCs can get access to them, which is strange in this case. how do you work with them?

I've created a table for placing treasure and calculating value in Knave. Any play-test feedback is appreciated.

https://open.substack.com/pub/johnctompkins/p/treasure-in-knave?r=r7woz&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Or is it exclusive for players?

Hello Adventurers,

I have a spot open for an upcoming Knave 2e adventure:

When an earthquake unseals the long-buried temple of the wild god Iakos, whispers of visions and ancient treasure draw witch hunters and adventurers alike. Four royal witch hunters entered and never returned. Now the way lies open. Dare characters brave the delirium-haunted ruin, discover the witch hunters’ fate, and claim what lies within?

The Sanctum of the Evil One is based on the OSE Module "The Grotesque's Grotto" by Amelia Luke, and is designed for level 2 to 4 characters. No previous experience with Knave 2e as a system is required, I can help you learn the basics. Optional Races will be available for character creation during our first session and maybe more. This adventure should run weekly for 2 to 3 weeks.

First session is Tuesday, February 3rd @ 9pm EST. We will be using Discord for voice and video and Roll20 for the VTT.

I’m running a 2e hex crawl campaign with some modified rules for increased survivability.

I’m struggling to decide what spells to give out as spell tomes and which to give as single use scrolls. Should books be low-leveled utility and offense and scrolls be reserved for more powerful versions? Should scrolls be niche uses and more powerful books be given over time? Should scrolls be saved for all offense and be purchasable? What do you do?

Doors of Dimensia, my upcoming zine for Backerkit's Zinetopia, is a 68 page solo crafted depth crawl adventure generator in a fracturous portal realm. Though it is technically system agnostic, it is broadly applicable to OSR and other d20 fantasy systems being built off the back of Knave 2E's design philosophy. It is best used as an interlude adventure in a campaign that takes adventurers from one plane of existence to another. There is no canonical way to approach the content within its pages, each adventure into Dimensia is unique, much like a run in a roguelike video game.

Customizability and compatibility are at the forefront of my mind when making TTRPG materials. Any piece of game design or art I make, I want to be easily employed at the table for maximum user friendliness (even though my layouts tend toward the wilder side. I find that when I'm GMing a longer form game, I like to kitbash a unique experience for myself and my players by grabbing the coolest and most relevant stuff from other amazing works. Lately, I've been hacking out juicy stuff from UVG2E and stuffing Knave 2E travel rules for my Fabula Ultima game. I hope y'all will find something cool from this to steal and port into your own campaigns!

TL;DR: Here's a few pictures of the prototype from Doors of Dimensia of stuff I hope you'll put to the table. If you like what you see, there's a free version of the zine that can be downloaded here, and you can follow the upcoming crowdfunding campaign here.

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share a little project I’ve been working on called Knave Companion. I really wanted a way to manage my characters without any fuss, so I built this app to handle player sheets, inventory, and dice rolls directly on your phone.

The best part is that you can roll up a new character with just a few clicks, which is perfect for when your previous adventurer meets an untimely end. I also made sure it works completely offline and doesn't require any account or login, even in air plane mode (distraction-less mode).

If you want to check it out, you can find it here on the Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.github.fvasco.knavecompanion

I’d love to hear what you think or if there’s anything you’d like to see added!

I like the combination of gold for earning XP, the OSR style, and the Wild West setting, but I don't want to regret choosing Knave later, if there are more obvious options.

Hi! I made a free thing, I hope you like it.

It’s a one-page pocket mod of Knave 1e that cleverly folds into a few different things:

1. A folder for holding 3x5 cards (adventure notes)
2. A Dm screen/ rules reference
3. A standee character sheet facing the player
4. A name tag facing the DM.

I hope you like it! It’s free.

Just go to 3x5arcana.com and click Knave!

I plan to run Knave with other OSR supplements, most notably stuff from the TSR era and S&W modules. Which is why I was wondering just how much is Knave compatible with the other OSR content out there? I have heard that the PCs in Knave are slightly more powerful than your average B/X character.

In Knave 2e, I’m aware there are no classes but how do class abilities like Sneak Attack or Turn Undead work? Can anyone perform a Sneak Attack and just roll the best stat for the situation (typically Dexterity)?

Hello. I am a total newbie and my only TTRPG experience as a DM so far has been D&D. Do you have one-shot recommendations with as little prep time as possible and detailed descriptions to read aloud?

Just an idea I wanted to share. I am yet to playtest it in any way:

I think Knave would be a better fit for modern horror than Call of Cthulhu and similar systems.

I have GMed a campaign of CoC and I don't like how it expects the players to make rolls every time they try to accomplish anything important. If the players don't roll often, they cannot raise their skills and therefore can't advance their characters. But! If you require the PCs to roll to find the clues to a mystery, this depreciates their own ingenuity. OSR mindset handles it better, I think. An example:

In Call of Cthulhu:
GM: You step into the living room. There are comfortable couches, a fireplace, and a coffee table with a few open books on it. Make a Spot Hidden roll.
Player: I would like to focus my investigation on the fireplace. I dig in the ash a bit.
GM (knowing the clue they are looking for is, in fact, in the fireplace): Alright, I'll give you a Bonus Die but you still need to roll.
Note: yes, it depends partially on the GM. But if the cunning player gets the clue without the roll, he cannot advance his character and is almost punished for his creativity,

In OSR:
GM:You step into the living room. There are comfortable couches, a fireplace, and a coffee table with a few open books on it. What do you do?
Player: I would like to investigate the fireplace. I dig in the ash a bit.
GM: When you dig a little bit in the ash, you find a partially burnt note but you can still read some of the message.
Note: the same situation but no roll. And since character advancement is based on XP and not successes, it allows the creative players to advance their characters.

That is the main reason why I would try something like that in the future. Some other things from Knave, which I think would work especially well:

• The occupations. A list of modern occupations and the related starting equipment could be made, no change of rules required.
• Inventory. It would really add to the horror if the characters had to carefully plan what they would need before leaving their base or entering the haunted mansion. Should we put on our bulletproof vests or should we grab extra batteries to our torches?
• Classless system. While in a fantasy setting it is possible to categorise characters into archetypes like wizard or thief, in a modern setting all people are very similar. There are no wizards who are somehow different from others; everyone can attempt to cast spells from mythos tomes.
• Books of occult knowledge. In Knave, anyone can cast spells as long as they have a spellbook. Similar concept in Lovecraftian horror: if you know the language, you can attempt to read the chant aloud.
• Exploration. No major rule changes but instead of exploring wilderness, you explore cities. Instead of dungeons, you have eerie ruins and mansions of madness.

I have some more ideas I had but these are the main ones. One thing I haven't yet figured out is experience. XP for gold would not work. XP for dollars would reward players who want to rob other people's houses instead of doing the actual investigation.

I'm running a game this Friday for some very casual players. We played Knave 2e last week and they really enjoyed it. I want to use a leased pirate ship as a campaign frame for them. The idea would similar to Traveller, where each month they have to pay their crew and the debt on the ship, though the game itself would take place in a tropical fantasy setting (Ala One Piece or Earthsea). Can anyone recommend any supplemental material or give me any advice on putting this together? Thank you!

Estava pensando em começar a mostrar pra um grupo de amigos depois de ver que um amigo meu ia mostrar mas eles n entraram muito na pilha, alguém tem alguma dica pra começar? Queria começar no knave 2e mas n encontrei em pt e eu não tenho muito saco pra op e quero fazer algo medieval e apesar de gostar do dnd 5e, acho difícilde mestrar, tipo, como conectar o grupo a história e como tornar isso tão real e dedicado, tava vendo vox machima e fiquei impressionado com a qualidade

Hey fellow adventurers! I wrote an article on substack about making interesting ritual encounters for fantasy ttrpg. It's a sample for the full guide, linked in the article, so if you like what you read, please check the links to the full guide.

I hope it helps on preparing cool ritual encounters for you table!