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Forbidden Lands hero art
Free League / Year Zero Engine

Forbidden Lands

"The lands sealed by the Blood Mist are finally open."

DiceПул d6–d12
Players3–5
Prep~20 min
Foundry VTTOfficial контент
Complexity
What is this system

Open-world hexploration (exploring the map hex by hex, like fog of war) in dark fantasy. For 300 years the Blood Mist made travel deadly — people lived in isolated settlements. Now the mist has cleared, and you are the first to dare explore the forgotten lands. Build a stronghold, uncover the map, survive.

Setting

A grim world evoking The Witcher and Dark Souls. Ruined castles, forgotten demons, clan conflicts. Every hex holds a secret: an abandoned village, a demon's lair, or ruins of a civilization that perished during the Blood Mist.

What it looks like at the table
Camping in the ruins. Random event roll — 'Strangers at the camp.' Food is running out, one day of water left. The swordsman pushes an Endurance roll — success, but his sword's gear bonus drops by 1. The strangers offer a trade: provisions for your map. Without the map you'll get lost. Without food — you won't reach the stronghold.
Playstyle
Exploration Survival Sandbox Combat Fantasy
Key mechanics

Stronghold building

Find ruins — build your refuge. Every structure grants bonuses and shifts the region's geopolitics.

Hexploration

An open map full of secrets. Each hex is a random or planned location. The world reveals itself with every step.

Camp and resources

Food, water, sleep — all tracked. Making camp in dangerous lands is a survival mini-game.

Critical wounds

Wounds maim permanently. A lost eye won't grow back. Combat is the last resort, not the first.

What people say
Forbidden Lands is the only game where my players voluntarily avoided a fight because they remembered what happened last time someone got a critical wound. That's good design.— u/raven_gm, r/FreeLeague
The stronghold building gives the campaign a home base that the players genuinely care about. When bandits attacked our keep, it felt personal in a way no other RPG has achieved.— u/hex_mapper, r/rpg
Art & materials
Free resources

Written and curated by Kejid — TTRPG player & GM

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