As fate would have it, Daggerheart proved to be the solution to many of my issues.
I ran a one-shot for a podcast. One of the other guys from the podcast asked if I would run a biweekly campaign of it. He and his wife joined my wife and we have been playing it for a few months now.
The game with the other player's daughter fell apart when she had to return to college. My wife suggested that group also try Daggerheart. They are also loving it.
So, I'm running two Daggerheart campaigns. Here's what I think has made it click for me in ways that D&D hasn't for decades...
1) The death mechanics put that in the control of the players. There can't be an unexpected TPK. I don't have to find a magic formula to create "survivable challenge."
2) It hits a sweet spot of rules-lite while still having enough interesting options.
3) The Fear/Hope mechanic gives me the ability to keep the narration flowing.
4) No Initiative means that all players are paying attention even when it's not their turn.
5) The Fresh Cut Grass website makes it easy to build and track encounters on the fly.
6) I'm putting some of the world building responsibility on the players to create NPCs and set goals.
7) We're using a hybrid theatre of the mind and white board without a grid - so combat isn't slow and "square counting."
8) We are running a fast pace, levelling up every 1-2 sessions. (I'm accepting that most of my campaigns won't last 20 sessions, and I'm planning accordingly.)
9) Built in teamwork mechanics make the party want to work together more than they did in D&D.
10) Running fast and loose means that I do minimal prep outside the game and just follow what the players want to do and improvise.
I don't want to turn this into a thread about Daggerheart, but I've been very much "at peace" with gaming for the past 4-5 months. That also means that I'm not out searching for the next best system or adventure - so my purchases have dropped to almost nil. I'm not keeping up-to-date about whatever is going on with WotC - so I don't have much to comment on here about.
I ran a one-shot for a podcast. One of the other guys from the podcast asked if I would run a biweekly campaign of it. He and his wife joined my wife and we have been playing it for a few months now.
The game with the other player's daughter fell apart when she had to return to college. My wife suggested that group also try Daggerheart. They are also loving it.
So, I'm running two Daggerheart campaigns. Here's what I think has made it click for me in ways that D&D hasn't for decades...
1) The death mechanics put that in the control of the players. There can't be an unexpected TPK. I don't have to find a magic formula to create "survivable challenge."
2) It hits a sweet spot of rules-lite while still having enough interesting options.
3) The Fear/Hope mechanic gives me the ability to keep the narration flowing.
4) No Initiative means that all players are paying attention even when it's not their turn.
5) The Fresh Cut Grass website makes it easy to build and track encounters on the fly.
6) I'm putting some of the world building responsibility on the players to create NPCs and set goals.
7) We're using a hybrid theatre of the mind and white board without a grid - so combat isn't slow and "square counting."
8) We are running a fast pace, levelling up every 1-2 sessions. (I'm accepting that most of my campaigns won't last 20 sessions, and I'm planning accordingly.)
9) Built in teamwork mechanics make the party want to work together more than they did in D&D.
10) Running fast and loose means that I do minimal prep outside the game and just follow what the players want to do and improvise.
I don't want to turn this into a thread about Daggerheart, but I've been very much "at peace" with gaming for the past 4-5 months. That also means that I'm not out searching for the next best system or adventure - so my purchases have dropped to almost nil. I'm not keeping up-to-date about whatever is going on with WotC - so I don't have much to comment on here about.
