Critical Role's homegrown RPG, Candela Obscura, is a spooky secret society simulator that wears its influences on its sleeve—and that's a good thing

A parchment with a picture of a shadowy creature looming over unfortunate livestock.

Candela Obscura, a new system by Darrington Press (Critical Role's publishing arm), is a game about being a group of paranormal investigators who pry into their city's arcane and occult underbelly. "Candela Obscura stands on the shoulders of giants," reads the core rulebook's fifth page. Borrowing ideas in the TTRPG space isn't new—if anything, it's tradition. These systems all exist in a kind of symbiosis with each other.

Candela Obscura is built on the Illuminated Worlds system, developed by Stras Acimovic and Layla Adelman. It borrows a lot from Blades in the Dark—which isn't too shocking, since Acimovic is known for systems like Scum and Villainy, which use Blades' "Forged in the Dark" licence. Candela Obscura itself is written and designed by Rowan Hall and Spenser Starke.