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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jacob Lewis" data-source="post: 9687574" data-attributes="member: 6667921">Edit: This came off a little harsher than intended. I make no apologies for what I wrote, but for the way I worded it. I'll remove or change the snarkiest bits.Neither Daggerheart, nor any other game system before or since, needs to "dethrone" D&D to be successful, or relevant, or matter. This is not how most small companies measure their success, let alone their own viability. We’ve all seen how online discussion around RPGs tends to fixate on dramatic binaries—what’s going to ‘dethrone’ D&D, or what game will ‘kill’ another. That kind of framing is less about real insight, and more about engagement algorithms and surface-level hype.Personally, I am fine with (current) D&D continuing to be a household brand name. I used to think D&D’s dominance was earned purely on the strength of its design. Over time, it became clear that its staying power has more to do with familiarity, accessibility, and social gravity than systemic excellence. That's not to say it isn't a good game, but the design itself is not its true strength. It's just simple enough, complex enough, appealing enough, accessible enough, and popular enough to gain (and keep) the largest audience. What does it say about a market when the most widespread systems succeed not by being the most refined, but by being the most available and comfortable? Is that a flaw in the systems—or just in how we engage with games in general?For many people, it's still good enough. It is simply convenient because it's easier to find people who feel it is enough, or even more than enough. More importantly, it is harder to find people who are interested in anything else because what they have is enough. And who can blame them? If every other game traces its roots and origins to the original concept of D&D and offers nothing different, why bother if only to compare it with the game you already know how to play and can find dozens more people to play with?Now Daggerheart has gotten my interest, which is saying a lot. I thought I was pretty much done with new RPGs. I have gotten over D&D since 5e, as well as other game systems that require extra space on my shelves than I am willing to afford them. But I am still looking over these materials, reading the discussions, and watching some videos to gain some better insight. I don't see a system trying to emulate existing game mechanics or designs that reinvent the wheel, but a system designed to enhance what really matters most: the play experience itself. It is most definitely a game enjoyed better in a live group that can interact on a personable level that a VTT or online chat cannot fully immerse.Can Daggerheart usurp D&D? Nope, and it doesn't need to because it's not occupying the exact same space. What it offers is something else that D&D and similar games only hint at, but don't always hit the mark. Daggerheart doesn’t just permit narrative expression; it anchors mechanics to it. Maybe this system can peel away some of the market that is looking for that kind of game, and it may be just enough to give the majority a new option: another way to play with enough players eager to do something different for a change.</blockquote>

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