What is Zweihänder?

ZWEIHÄNDER Fantasy Horror RPG is a cooperative storytelling game set in a medieval fantasy world. It’s a place of intrigue and mystery, gallows humor, supernatural horror, and ancient vendettas meted out with blackpowder, iron, and sorcery.

This is a game where the traditional axiom of good versus evil doesn’t exist. It’s instead cast in many shades of gray between rare extremes of black and white. Society stands on the edge of both existential and literal collapse. An ever-present shadow influences all, enticing its victims with promises of wealth, political gain, and damning power in exchange for their very souls. While a brighter tomorrow exists, it is only for a select few.

Adventurers thrust themselves into horrific situations that will test their resolve. Every trial gradually erodes the very foundation of who they are while desensitizing them to these same circumstances. To survive the darkness, adventurers must adapt or surrender to it.

Your character's journey in the ZWEIHÄNDER RPG Starter Kit will be one filled with mystery, horror, and catharsis. As they struggle in this gray morass, will your character retain their humanity, or will it erode their mind, turning them into one of the very creatures they fight against? You decide.

Everything you need to play your first role-playing game, set in the fantasy horror world of ZWEIHÄNDER RPG.

The Starter Kit is a virtual Pandora’s box, filled with occult mystery, perilous journeys, and pitch-black horror. So what is ZWEIHÄNDER, you ask?

It's grounded & sorrowful. It will feel comfortable with fans of Kentaro Miura’s series Berserk, the medieval mystery of the film Black Death, the action-horror of Brotherhood of the Wolf and Castlevania, the mysteries of the Dark Souls and Bloodborne series.

It's a fantasy horror RPG. It'll also appeal to people who like the psychological adventure of A Field in England, the soapy betrayals of Game of Thrones, the folk horror of The VVitch, the ethical dilemmas of The Witcher, and the historic Thirty Years’ War.

It requires players to deal with the messy aftermath of violence. Adventurers thrust themselves into horrific situations that will test their resolve. Every trial gradually erodes the very foundation of who they are while desensitizing them to these same circumstances.

Not all scars are physical; some are psychological. Too many brushes with gray decision-making & terrifying monsters affect an adventurer’s capacity for clear, rational thought. To survive the darkness, adventurers must adapt or surrender to it, giving way to afflictions and disorders.

You are not a hero, but a survivor. ZWEIHÄNDER isn’t a game of zero to hero, but of zero to one. This is not a game about heroes and happy endings, only people trying to survive.

It's a story about your player character. The choices you make for your character won’t have rippling, world-spanning implications. Instead, it’ll change the way your character evolves through their personality traits and the Corruption system.

It's a game about inner conflict. Self-realization is as much the story as it is revealing the harsh truths of the world. Adventurers will uncover profound mysteries, reveal double dealings, and expose wickedness at its very core.

It's a game that asks every adventurer one question. Will your character rise above the brutality or root around in its filth, becoming the very thing they hate? This conflict is at the heart of every ZWEIHÄNDER adventure.

Praise for ZWEIHÄNDER

"Indie horror role-playing game Zweihänder may not scream “joyful holiday season” to you, but this new kit makes it easier than ever to get a new player started in the medieval fantasy world. That sword-and-sorcery buff you know will be delighted to open this one. The RPG is darker and more ruthless than most high fantasy TTRPGs, but that doesn’t mean it’s difficult to play. Rulebooks, dice, a game master screen, pre-gen characters, and a detailed map are all included to get a new player going on their first supernatural adventure."—Nerdist, Holiday Gift Guide 2022

"ZWEIHÄNDER's greatest strength is its incredible breadth of character variation, with literally hundreds of classes and backgrounds to shape your ideal protagonist."—Game Informer