From Game Introduction:
The Darkest Outcome is a fantasy squad-tactics
TTRPG game for 2-4 players. One player is the
DM, who describes the game's world, controls its
denizens, and adjudicates the outcomes of actions
and events. The others each control a band, a
group of characters working for the clandestine
Fifth Order: a cloak-and-dagger organization
dedicated to stopping Weird from warping the
world into a fantastical horror realm, and fighting
all of the dreadful monsters, rival secret societies,
and terrifying Wizards it has created.
These rules focus on combat, as it is the most likely
and conclusive conflict the game offers. But as a
player, you should always look for ways to use
stealth, diplomacy, ambushes, bribery, fire, panic,
disguises, poison, intimidation, Weird artifacts,
and any other skullduggery you can muster to give
your band a fighting chance.
The world of TDO is unfair and brutal. Characters
will die easily. Cunning plans may save them
Publishers blurb:
? Fantasy Tactics ? Skullduggery ? Weird Horror ?
The Darkest Outcome is a Lightweight Horror Tactics Fantasy TTRPG with wargame influences, in which each player controls a band of pawns: frail but capable agents, directed by the shadowy hand of the Fifth Order. Your enemy is Weird, an inexplicable and alien force that is warping the realm, changing it from a grimly dark world of imperial rule into a fantastical domain of wild magic and terrible creatures.
Take to the shadows and fight the cults, guilds and secret societies that seek to profit from the bizarre changes and power that Weird brings; face terrible monsters that roam the world as if they have always been here, and prepare to lose life and sanity trying to stop fearsome Wizards, reality-bending demigods in human flesh whose uninhibited ambitions eat away at the world. Keep Weird away from the people, for knowing it only makes it spread faster and become "normal" sooner.
The game features a lethal and fast-moving combat system, and encourages player ingenuity and resourcefulness to avoid the harsh outcomes of said combat. Beyond physical wounds, players must also deal with the effects of Stress on their pawns; burdening them with crippling afflictions and causing them to become fearful and unreliable in the face of mounting peril. Make clever plans, use everything you have at your disposal, and take every advantage you can get — lest you find yourself helplessly watching your band, and the world, succumb to The Darkest Outcome.
The game comes in two compact booklets. A 5-page Player Booklet gives players all the rules they need to play the game, as well as a healthy selection of pawn roles and equipment to make their own unique band. The DM booklet has 13 pages of advice, example monsters, a simple scenario to kick things off, and rules for campaign play.
The only other things you need are a handful of six-sided dice, some scrap paper and pencils, 1-3 people you like and trust, and an interest in minimal systems that rely on the GM to set up a fun scenario, and the fiction to carry it through. Miniatures, battle maps, virtual tabletops and other paraphernalia are optional, but absolutely not necessary.