"Supernatural politics in a city that always collects."
Urban Shadows is a Powered by the Apocalypse game of political urban fantasy from Magpie Games. Vampires, wizards, fae, hunters, and mortals scheme for dominance across a modern city where every relationship is leverage. Players roll 2d6 plus a stat, belong to one of four Factions — Mortality, Night, Power, and Wild — and trade Debts to bind allies and enemies alike. Corruption constantly tempts each character toward more power at the cost of their soul.
A gritty, noir-tinged metropolis where the supernatural hides in plain sight. Ancient vampires run nightclubs, wizards broker forbidden pacts, and faeries cut cruel bargains, while mortal authorities and hunters press back. The city itself is a character, its neighborhoods contested turf between four Factions locked in an endless cold war of favors, threats, and betrayal.
2d6 + Stat
Every move rolls two dice plus one of four stats — Blood, Heart, Mind, or Spirit. A 10+ succeeds cleanly, 7-9 succeeds with a cost, and a 6 or lower hands the MC the reins.
Four Factions
Every character belongs to Mortality, Night, Power, or Wild. Faction moves and Status track your standing, and gaining favor with one circle usually means losing it with another.
The Debt Economy
Characters and factions owe each other Debts — blood, magic, favors, secrets. Calling in a Debt lets you compel action, turning the city's web of obligations into hard currency.
Corruption
Reaching for supernatural power tempts Corruption. Marking it fuels dark advancement but pushes your character toward a monstrous endgame, rewarding and punishing ambition in the same breath.
Open in Session Zero to let every player vote and see the results.