Who SHRINES is for

SHRINES is for players who enjoy dark fantasy, tactical choices, strange worlds and stories shaped by consequence.

It is for groups who want dangerous journeys, meaningful decisions and battles where positioning, timing and risk matter. SHRINES does not force characters into fixed classes or classic party roles. Instead, your role emerges from your Domain, your choices, your abilities, your equipment and the way your group survives together.

It is also for solo players who want to explore a broken world on their own, uncover Lore Fragments, face harsh encounters and follow a pilgrimage where death is not the end — but never without a price.

SHRINES is not about clear answers, clean victories or simple good-and-evil decisions. The world is wounded. Truth is fragmented. Factions have their own beliefs, monsters are shaped by the wounds of a region, and every choice can leave a mark.

Why play SHRINES?

Play SHRINES if you want a dark pilgrimage where combat, story and exploration are deeply connected.

Every region has its own wound. Every shrine matters. Every Lore Fragment can change how the world is understood. Your decisions do not simply decide what happens next — they can decide which truth becomes the one that remains.

Combat in SHRINES is tactical, fast and dangerous. Every Main Action pushes the Escalation forward, giving enemies more pressure and the Shrinewarden more tools. You are not just counting turns. You are deciding when to risk more, when to hold back, when to burn Essence, and when survival matters more than victory.

Death is part of the pilgrimage, but it is not the end. The Marked return through the shrines they are bound to. Yet every return can cost Essence, leave trauma, reshape the world and change what waits for them on the path ahead.

SHRINES is for those who want fair cruelty, hard choices and stories that remember what the characters have done.

Start your pilgrimage if you want a game where the path is dangerous, the truth is uncertain, and there are always darker paths ahead.

If you are new to SHRINES, start with INITIATION

INITIATION is a free, episodic introduction to the world and rules of SHRINES. It is designed for absolute newcomers, whether you play solo or with a group. You do not need to know the setting, the full rules or any future books. Just begin with Episode 1, follow the pilgrimage step by step, and discover what it means to be Marked.

You can download it here: