Starting Daggerheart campaign. Any pitfalls?

[Willie the Duck]

So my group is finally starting a Daggerheart campaign. We're keen to explore the system and all it has to offer. However, there are some less-experienced players and players who are only somewhat interested in gaming (who might leave if they have a truly frustrating experience). I'm wondering if there are any 'pitfalls' -- and by that I mean character selections that don't really work, don't work as expected, or end up being bunny trails of convoluted play. Something like 90's Shadowrun/Cyberpunk deckrunners, D&D 3e's monk, 5e (2014)'s berserker barbarian, or the like? Just something you really wouldn't want someone to stumble into on their first try with the game and end up having a bad time. I haven't heard about anything like that, but I just want to be sure.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Retreater]

From what I know about the system (but I haven't played it a lot), I would say that any class that has extra things to track might not be the best for a new player. I'm thinking of the druid with shape change, the ranger with its animal companion, etc.
My biggest advice is that you should be free with class swaps - if a player is finding out that they are having a bad time, let them re-spec the character. After all, you're all learning the system, and no one wants to have a bad time.

 

[Agamon]

Yes, agreed, either allow respecs, or maybe just run a short intro adventure to start so everyone can get an idea what they're working with.

 

[Willie the Duck]

To clarify, I am not the GM.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

So my group is finally starting a Daggerheart campaign. We're keen to explore the system and all it has to offer. However, there are some less-experienced players and players who are only somewhat interested in gaming (who might leave if they have a truly frustrating experience). I'm wondering if there are any 'pitfalls' -- and by that I mean character selections that don't really work, don't work as expected, or end up being bunny trails of convoluted play. Something like 90's Shadowrun/Cyberpunk deckrunners, D&D 3e's monk, 5e (2014)'s berserker barbarian, or the like? Just something you really wouldn't want someone to stumble into on their first try with the game and end up having a bad time. I haven't heard about anything like that, but I just want to be sure.

Thanks in advance.

There are no classes/ancestries/origins which are outliers in that way in DH. Wizard and Bard are slightly more complex because they have the Codex Domain which has a lot of "three for one" Domain cards. Druids as mentioned are slightly more complex. I don't think either is so complex they're likely to be frustrating, and Druids are slightly OP which I think new players are likely to enjoy lol.

The most likely causes of frustration I think would be:

1) If a PC's personality and goals don't fit well with the rest of the group. I mean this is a classic issue, but I think in a more narrative RPG it can be an even bigger issue than in a more trad RPG (DH is in-between both). Like, one thing I reminded the players of in session zero was "no loners who don't want to play with others". People new to TTRPGs but not the concept of creating characters (i.e. have played videogames RPGs etc.) may well fall into this trap, especially as a lot of "kewl" characters in fiction are this kind of wanker.

2) If a PC doesn't get spotlighted much. This is really on the GM and the rest of the group to resolve - to ensure everyone gets spotlight time. Because spotlighting isn't automatic in the way turns are, this does actually require people to pay at least a tiny bit of attention. Is the GM experienced? Are any of the other players, especially experienced ones, showboaters, or will they hand over the spotlight easily?

3) Not understanding that HP and Stress are pretty precious resources could be an issue, but I think that's self-resolving.

 

[DarkCrisis]

If you have any Pitfalls just seek out Harry.

 

[Agamon]

To clarify, I am not the GM.

Ahhh, I see so you don't want to make any accidental choices yourself...hmmm, I can't say I'm well versed enough in the system to give any advise there. Maybe someone here has played enough to do so, but this kind of stuff tends to come out after a lot of groups have played the game for many months.

Nothing jumps out at me from reading the rules though.

 

[Vael]

I've seen arguments that the Druid is overpowered, but no complaints about other Core classes being weak. All my players followed the class guidelines for stats and it's been fine. The School of Knowledge Wizard has really impressed me. Spending Stress to activate Experiences has proven to be very potent. I might have allowed the player a too broad an Experience, but that's fine.

 

[Willie the Duck]

Ahhh, I see so you don't want to make any accidental choices yourself...

No, I'm not among the people I'm worried might lose interest if their first experience with the game is extra frustrating. However, yes, I certainly would rather have an enjoyable experience than a non-enjoyable one. I will be sharing advice from this thread with the rest of my group.

My point was simply that I am not in charge, so that advice about allowing re-specs isn't especially pertinent. I of course can advocate for this option, and I think the GM (a longtime co-GM whom I've gamed with for decades) would be amenable to it. However, even there, some momentum could be lost if the initial character idea was a bust.

hmmm, I can't say I'm well versed enough in the system to give any advise there. Maybe someone here has played enough to do so, but this kind of stuff tends to come out after a lot of groups have played the game for many months.

Nothing jumps out at me from reading the rules though.

I'm not seeing anything that looks obvious from reading the rules, either, but as you say sometimes it needs play before they really stand out.

 

[Seramus]

There really are not a lot of pitfalls on the Player Side. Daggerheart is pretty forgiving on that front, and most "pitfalls" are on the GM Side of the fence. I would just offer general tips:

• Classes have a lot of flexibility, but they can't do everything. Don't expect to turn a Seraph into an Evasion Tank.
• Talk to your GM about refluffing a weapon. If you like presence, but don't want to use a scepter, reflavor it!
• Don't be afraid to spend actions on trying to inflict conditions (knocking the enemy over, etc).
• Spending Hope to help your friends is often better than spending it on your own Experiences.
• The GM is encouraged to let your Experiences shine in play - they are not just for bonuses!
• Stress is valuable, don't burn it all at once. Or do! I'm not your mother!