Player's Handbook · Chapter 1

Welcome to the Table

This is a tabletop roleplaying game built on Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition, in its 2024 revision, set in the documented world of 1865–1890. You play an ordinary human in a historically grounded frontier. The dangers are the real ones: weather, distance, hunger, thirst, illness, wild animals, and people. There are no spells, magic items, or supernatural creatures. The Game Master describes the world, you say what you do, and a twenty-sided die settles what neither of you can.

How a session runs

Play moves in a simple loop: the GM describes the environment, you describe what you want to do, and the GM narrates the result—dice come out only when the outcome is uncertain. Three modes share the table: exploration, social interaction, and combat. The rules weigh combat heavily, but a session need not include any; travel, conversation, and practical problems matter just as much.

What to expect

One roll to learn. Nearly everything is a D20 Test: an ability check, saving throw, or attack roll. One die, one modifier, one target number.
Your build is a promise. The eight Frontier classes and your background decide what you are trained to do and which limited resources you spend. The options are human and nonmagical; class features use skill, tools, time, and supplies.
Death is real but negotiable. Hit points fall fast at low levels. At zero you're dying, not dead—death saves, first aid, or plain luck can pull you back. Caution and a canteen kept full remain excellent protection.

Where things live

The Rules folder holds the core procedures, equipment guidance, conditions, hazards, and encounter tools. The Character Options folder holds the active Frontier classes, human backgrounds, and nonmagical feats. Equipment, people, and animals are records you can use on a character sheet or in a scene. Character creation is next, and the project guides you through it.

Manual updated Oct 27, 2026.

D&D 5e (2024), historical nonmagical variant

A globe-spanning historical survival adventure set in the frontier world of 1865–1890. Food, clean water, shelter, and sleep are essential: every journey tests your supplies, your judgment, and your will to survive.

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CreatedOct 24, 2026

UpdatedOct 29, 2026

A globe-spanning historical survival game

Eat. Drink. Rest. Survive.

From the American West to distant cities and frontiers, the world of 1865–1890 is harsh, vast, and alive with change. Food, clean water, shelter, and sleep are not afterthoughts—they are the difference between making it through the next day and becoming another story left on the trail. Plan your journey, manage scarce supplies, endure the elements, and navigate conflict among nations and peoples in a historically grounded world. Survival comes first; what you do beyond that is up to you.

Glimpses