It's funny, but CR sticking with D&D actually made me somewhat more interested in Daggerheart: emphasized the positive-sum approach CR abd Darrington are taking to the hobby. Daggerheart is a different game thst can co-exist with D&D in the hobby and even with Critical Role.
Minor short run shows.
You know, if a game needs most popular actual play to not become fantasy heartbreaker (after selling out initial printing, btw) overnight...that game doesn't sound so good to begin with. I think this line of defeatist "Daggerheart is one hit KOed, D&D won, the game is dead" is doing more damage than campaign 4 being run in D&D.
As long as D&D is most popular game EVERY GAME is by default published in response and dialogue with D&D, from Daggerheart and Draw Steel up to the smallest, most niche "gay catgirls smoking cigarettes" game. By your logic every game that doesn't outsels D&D out of the game is a failiure. Basic Roleplaying begun in Runequest, which was basically "what if D&D used better mechanics" early on. From these foundations came Call fo Cthulhu, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying and Dragonbane, then there is Pathfinder. Maybe do not think of game in term of "it must beat d&d or it's a hearbreaker" but "it must carve its own niche to succeed"? And I think Daggerheart AND Draw Steel both can do that easily, maybe they already have.
Well, the actual play of the company that designed the game to be specifically "the kind of game we want to play" while you know - not playing it. It doesn't encourage faith in the product.
Meanwhile the guy who designed D&D 5e picked Daggerheart as the kind of game he wants to run on his own actual play, Acquisitions incorporated. So even lead designer of D&D prefers Daggerheart.
