Danse Macabre Quickstart

Constantinople, 1390. Every time you die, you come back—less yourself, but more powerful... In this tabletop roleplaying game using the Grit System, players take on the role of Pilgrims doomed to walk a medieval earth filled with ravening hordes of mutated undead. Fans of Shadowdark, Knave, or Memento Mori will find familiar high-lethality vibes alongside a unique Souls-like death loop: Pilgrims gain more powers each time they die. The Danse Macabre Quickstart includes: Simple, easy-to-learn rules 3 classes of Pilgrim—peasant, scholar, and burgher—each with 8 power options 20 example maleficia (mutations) A full introductory quest (adventure) A quick guide to the high-stakes Ottoman-Byzantine setting, defined by an uneasy peace Explore more of the Abandoned World Watch actual play of Danse Macabre > Watch interviews with the creators > The Danse Macabre Quickstart This Quickstart uses selected material from the Danse Macabre Rulebook. Full credits: Writing and art by Christopher Pickett Design and layout by Anthony Grasso Additional art by Ethan Gould and Anthony Grasso Additional writing and developmental editing by Wythe Marschall Copy editing by Jedd Cole Historical and linguistic consulting by Erica Bridges, Ph.D. Marketing and operations led by Sunaree Paiwong Arabic language consulting by Senua Lewis Proofreading by Alex McGuigan © 2026 Stillfleet Studio