Daggerheart Discussion
- Thread starter Reynard
- Start date
Continuing to have a really great time with my modern urban fantasy game. The players stitched together their clues for a curse hitting the vampire population and turning them into rabid beasts that can't keep their fangs put away into a theory that it was in fact something being done to them and not like a "natural" virus. Roll came out a crit, so not only is that true but they'll get some details about the greater threat pushing in to the city during this investigation...
The Carved from Brindlewood mystery mechanics work so well with a DH collaborative storytelling ethos, one of the players highlighted again how much she's loving being able to take the clues they uncover and genuinely go through the process of assigning meaning to them and putting a theory together as characters + players in one, and seeing if it lands.
The Carved from Brindlewood mystery mechanics work so well with a DH collaborative storytelling ethos, one of the players highlighted again how much she's loving being able to take the clues they uncover and genuinely go through the process of assigning meaning to them and putting a theory together as characters + players in one, and seeing if it lands.
Just over a month ago, I wrapped up my Witherwild campaign at Level 8. I am still running a biweekly Motherboard campaign that just reached Level 5 - even if it's been put on pause while one of my players is preparing for the community theatre summer musical the next few weeks.
Next weekend I am running two one-shot Daggerheart games to introduce new players to the system. For the first time I'm trying an actual premade adventure from Darrington Press to see how it goes. (Mostly, I run low prep - heavily influenced by the vibes and interest of the players at the table.)
What can I tell folks about Daggerheart who might be wondering about it?
First, it's the system that best gets the feel I want in a table. (Powerful characters, epic events, low-medium crunch, modern mechanics.)
Second, the tactile nature of the cards, brilliantly designed character sheets, helpful guides, optional (but I recommend) use of tokens, makes it great for in-person play and welcoming to beginners.
Third, it's an awesome bridge between traditional (D&D) and narrative style games. I've had power-gamers who typically focus on big damage builds in D&D/Pathfinder think about their characters and relationships to the world for the first time in Daggerheart. It has given storytelling and roleplaying back to the hobby for me.
Fourth, it's free. Like, you can print out cards, get everything you need from the SRD on their website. There's great encounter builders and character creation tools for free. Really, you can just try this.
Fifth, the Core Set is an amazing value. Because it includes cards, you have everything the entire table needs to play this game (besides dice). You don't need to share rulebooks. All the cards, the nice hardcover rulebook with player and GM rules and all the monsters, it's a fraction of the cost a Player's Handbook, DMs Guide, Monster Manual, Spellcards, etc.
Sixth, a GM is given tools and mechanics for failure beyond death. D&D and Pathfinder don't do it. Which is why those binary systems are "dead or boring." You either have easy encounters or you push the characters to the limit to make an exciting fight until they eventually die (I have had more TPKs over the past 25 years than should be allowed.)
Anyways, I hope my enthusiasm isn't off-putting. I just want to express how much I love this system and how much joy it's given me after a decades-long struggle trying to force D&D to work for me.
Next weekend I am running two one-shot Daggerheart games to introduce new players to the system. For the first time I'm trying an actual premade adventure from Darrington Press to see how it goes. (Mostly, I run low prep - heavily influenced by the vibes and interest of the players at the table.)
What can I tell folks about Daggerheart who might be wondering about it?
First, it's the system that best gets the feel I want in a table. (Powerful characters, epic events, low-medium crunch, modern mechanics.)
Second, the tactile nature of the cards, brilliantly designed character sheets, helpful guides, optional (but I recommend) use of tokens, makes it great for in-person play and welcoming to beginners.
Third, it's an awesome bridge between traditional (D&D) and narrative style games. I've had power-gamers who typically focus on big damage builds in D&D/Pathfinder think about their characters and relationships to the world for the first time in Daggerheart. It has given storytelling and roleplaying back to the hobby for me.
Fourth, it's free. Like, you can print out cards, get everything you need from the SRD on their website. There's great encounter builders and character creation tools for free. Really, you can just try this.
Fifth, the Core Set is an amazing value. Because it includes cards, you have everything the entire table needs to play this game (besides dice). You don't need to share rulebooks. All the cards, the nice hardcover rulebook with player and GM rules and all the monsters, it's a fraction of the cost a Player's Handbook, DMs Guide, Monster Manual, Spellcards, etc.
Sixth, a GM is given tools and mechanics for failure beyond death. D&D and Pathfinder don't do it. Which is why those binary systems are "dead or boring." You either have easy encounters or you push the characters to the limit to make an exciting fight until they eventually die (I have had more TPKs over the past 25 years than should be allowed.)
Anyways, I hope my enthusiasm isn't off-putting. I just want to express how much I love this system and how much joy it's given me after a decades-long struggle trying to force D&D to work for me.
Reynard
aka Ian Eller
The Void Giveth!
www.daggerheart.com
The Void - Daggerheart
An exclusive playtesting hub where fans of Daggerheart can explore in-development content before its official release! Designed for creators and players alike, The Void offers early access to experimental classes, subclasses, ancestries, communities, adversaries, loot, weapons and more .
www.daggerheart.com
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