Dark Souls tabletop RPG players say the rulebook is a hot mess

Dark Souls The RPG — (Image credit: Steamforged)

The 500-page rulebook for Dark Souls: The Roleplaying Game is full of problems big and small, according to a bunch of people who have had the chance to check it out ahead of release.

As Dicebreaker first reported (thanks, Polygon), Dark Souls: The Roleplaying Game players are sharing a broad range of issues with the tabletop RPG's rulebook over on Reddit. User Santuric explained that they're in touch with publisher Steamforged Games, which apparently asked for a comprehensive list of problems so that they can fix them in the digital version of the rulebook. Naturally, Reddit obliged.

You can read the whole thread here for the current working list of complaints, but issues range from little stuff like typos - proficiencies is apparently spelled "profeciencies," radiant is "radient," and so on - to potentially more obstructive problems. For example, the Knight class apparently isn't able to start the game with enough strength points to equip its starting armor. Similarly, the Caster starting stats reportedly don't meet the requirements for a weapon recommended for that class.

Steamforged, for its part, says it's taking the feedback seriously but asserts that the problems being reported shouldn't affect playability.

"At Steamforged, our primary goal is always to create compelling tabletop experiences that capture the hearts and imaginations of our fans, immersing them in vivid worlds they can get lost in time and time again," Steamforged Games said in a statement. "While we feel we’ve achieved that with Dark Souls: The Roleplaying Game in light of the overwhelming positive reviews, we acknowledge the concerns some have raised and take all feedback seriously.

Although these concerns shouldn’t affect the playability of the game, we’re always striving to strengthen our processes to ensure our loyal fans continue to enjoy the games we release."

The rulebook players are discussing was included with collector's edition pre-orders, which went out to UK and European early adopters last month. It'll launch in the States May 16, but it's unclear as of now whether future copies will be free of the problems being reported right now.

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After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.