Category: D&D at Work

Posted on

The Downside of Darkvision: It Takes the Fear Out of D&D

Darkness has always been a powerful storytelling tool, evoking mystery, fear, and uncertainty. It limits perception, raises tension, and forces players to make choices based on limited information. However, in Dungeons & Dragons, Darkvision—a trait possessed by many races—often removes that tension entirely, making darkness little more than a minor inconvenience. I believe that the prevalence of characters with Darkvision greatly diminishes the immersive horror and suspense that darkness is meant to bring to the game.

The Problem with Darkvision

Here are a few of the issues I have with Darkvision.

  1. Eliminates the Fear of the Unknown – In a game where exploration and mystery are key elements, darkness should be a real obstacle. When most of the party can see in the dark, the natural fear of the unknown is drastically reduced. Instead of inducing tension at the table, entering what should be a forbidding cavemouth becomes rather meaningless.
  2. Renders Torches and Light Spells Unnecessary – Traditionally, adventurers needed torches, lanterns, or spells like Light to navigate the depths of dungeons. But when the majority of the party has Darkvision, these become redundant, reducing strategic planning and logistical concerns. The decision to risk going deeper with a limited number of light resources is now completely gone.
  3. Breaks Immersion in Horror and Survival Themes – Darkness should be oppressive and unsettling, especially in horror or survival-focused campaigns. When creatures lurking in the dark can be seen as easily as those in daylight, that eerie sense of tension disappears. Think of the film Alien. You hardly ever see the monster, instead only suggestions of it. This keeps the sense of fear really high. Fully revealing the monster evaporates the fear.
  4. Unfair to Humans and Other Non-Darkvision Races – In most campaigns, humans and other races without Darkvision are at a clear disadvantage. This often leads to everyone choosing a Darkvision-capable race to avoid being the only one struggling in the dark.
Alien uses the dark to great effect. Use films like this for inspiration for your own games.

How to Restore the Fear of the Dark

If you want to bring back the eerie uncertainty of darkness in your D&D game, consider the following house rules and strategies.

  1. Make Darkness More Than Just Visibility – Even with Darkvision, creatures might have trouble distinguishing details, reading text, or perceiving color. Enforce these limitations more strictly to make darkness feel more oppressive.
  2. Introduce Supernatural Darkness – Spells like Darkness create magical darkness that Darkvision cannot penetrate. Incorporating such effects more often makes light sources necessary.
  3. Limit the Effectiveness of Darkvision – In my home games we house-rule that Darkvision only allows creatures to see in grayscale, with reduced clarity and range. This forces players to rely on additional light sources for full visibility.
  4. Use Monsters That Thrive in Darkness – Creatures like Shadow Demons or Underdark predators (e.g. shadows, darkmantles and ropers) may have advantages when attacking creatures relying on Darkvision alone. Using ambush tactics and stealthy enemies can make darkness truly threatening again.
  5. Encourage Light Sources for Roleplay and Strategy – Give players reasons to carry torches or lanterns. Maybe certain symbols or texts are only visible under torchlight, or enemies are repelled by bright flames. Reward creativity in using light as a tool, rather than letting Darkvision replace it entirely.

Final Thoughts on Darkvision

Darkness should be more than just a mild inconvenience—it should be a challenge that adds depth and immersion to your D&D game. Darkvision ruins this. By reintroducing the unknown, enforcing visibility limitations, and making darkness more than just a lack of light, you can bring back the tension and excitement of exploring the shadows. After all, what’s an adventure without a little fear of the dark?

Posted on

Launching the Promethium Wars: Designing a Narrative Kill Team Campaign

Those who have been reading this blog for a while will know that I love the idea of stories emerging from game play. While this is obvious in games like D&D, I’m also interested in trying to create similar emergent experiences with other game systems. I’m a member of a local wargaming club where we play games of Kill Team and 40K on a weekly basis. I think there’s something special about a wargaming campaign that tells a story. Not one written in advance, but one that emerges—slowly, chaotically, gloriously—from the dice rolls, the table banter, and the narrative fragments players build together. With that in mind I volunteered to run a narrative campaign for the group. As a result, Promethium Wars, a narrative Kill Team campaign, was born.

I wanted something simple enough to run with minimal admin, but rich enough to spark real engagement amongst the participants. Something where a quick game on a weeknight could feel like part of a bigger war. Games would no longer be transactional affairs, but rather threads forming a larger narrative. And with twelve players already signed up—divided evenly across the Imperial, Chaos, and Xenos factions—it’s clear the idea has struck a chord.

Design Principles

Narrative and Emergent Storytelling were at the core of the campaign design. I didn’t want to script the campaign’s twists and turns. Instead, each week’s outcomes will steer the story. Players can dive in as much (or as little) as they want—whether that means writing full-blown battle reports, communicating in character or just rolling dice and watching the story evolve.

To keep things light and playable for everyone, I leaned into the principle of Limited Admin. No complicated map-tracking or bookkeeping for the campaign manager (me) or the players. Just clear weekly themes, short prompts, and a shared space for storytelling. Every game counts, but you don’t need to log three hours on a spreadsheet for it to matter. The minimum admin for each participant is to log game results and send them to me. Of course, if the players get really into the game the Discord server should begin to grow with narrative reports and banter, but it is not a requirement.

Each faction has its own win condition, giving players a reason to show up and push their agenda forward. The Chaos and Imperial factions want control of Pyrothis V and must win the most number of games. The Xenos faction, who can fight for either side, wants to grind both enemies down to an ineffective stalemate, wins if the Chaos and Imperial sides are effectively tied (two points difference). Regardless of the game mission being played, there’s always a motive. The stakes are casual but meaningful—exactly the balance I was aiming for.

My Imperial Navy Breacher Team, ready to help rescue Pyrothis V.

Structure and Themes

The last principle was Short Campaign Length. I don’t want the campaign to fizzle out. Keeping it short ensures that the high energy at the start can be maintained. Short, sharp, explosive. I hope that this will keep the players coming back for more campaigns in the future.

Therefore, the campaign unfolds over four weeks, with a new theme each week to guide missions and inspire storytelling. These themes won’t constrain players—they’re meant to be narrative fuel. Players are encouraged to run games when and how they like, as long as it fits the week’s vibe. The four themes are:

  • Week 1: Infiltration and Sabotage
  • Week 2: Open Conflict
  • Week 3: Firestorms and Disaster
  • Week 4: Final Gambit

Once reports begin trickling in from the front lines, I’ll be putting together a short newsletter each week to highlight key developments, turning points, and of course, the faction scores.

For more detail on the background, win conditions and campaign set up, you can download the players pack below:

Kill Team Narrative Campaign_Promethium Wars_Player PackDownload

A Living, Breathing War

Perhaps the most exciting part of any narrative kill team campaign is the player energy. Already, folks are crafting characters, naming squads, and giving them relevant back stories. And while there’s no pressure to write stories, every player is invited to contribute. These tales—written, spoken, or just shared at the table—are what will give the campaign its true shape.

Ultimately, Promethium Wars is a story we’re writing together. And the pen happens to be shaped like a bolter.

Final Thoughts on Narrative Kill Team Campaign Design

The campaign is started mid April and will run to mid May. I’m aiming to learn from this experience to hone the opportunity for emergent narrative play and see what comes out. Depending on the actions of the players I’m considering running a multiplayer finale to cement the end of the campaign. But the fact that this is an emergent experience I guess I’ll have to wait and see how the whole thing pans out.

Once the campaign has finished, I’ll post the results along with any lessons learned from the experience.