This month Darrington Press released their new TTRPG system Daggerheart and it is a sight to behold.
After last year’s open beta playtest, Darrington Press, the publishing arm of Critical Role, released Daggerheart, a new TTRPG system with a streamlined rules system meant to appeal to both newcomers and veterans of tabletop gaming alike.
The system was released in two editions:
- The Basic Core Set consists of the core rulebook and a full set of 270 game cards contained within a slipcase.
- The Limited Edition set features the core rulebook with a unique cover design, the same set of cards but gilt edged, along with a full set of dice, game tokens, a gamemaster screen and a full set of blank character sheets. All of this is presented in a colorful display case with a pull out drawer for the cards, dice, and tokens included in the box.
Even the basic core set is beautifully put together, with the cards having their own enclosed drawer to keep them separate from the rulebook. Technically one only needs the rulebook and cards to get started with Daggerheart, as the dice can be purchased at any game store and anything can serve as a game token.
That being said, if one would prefer to have all the gameplay accessories provided for them in one neat package, then they should absolutely track down the limited edition set while it can still be found. This set is not available through Darrington Press’s shop any longer, but local game shops did receive some copies ahead of release, so it should still be possible to find one by calling around and asking if they have one in stock. Darrington Press has not stated so far if the limited edition set will be reprinted down the road.
What Makes Daggerheart Different?
I know the market is flooded with hundreds of tabletop roleplaying games, each claiming to be “the best” or a “must have” so I can hear some asking why exactly they need to check out Daggerheart? The answer, quite simply, is because Daggerheart makes the gameplay accessible to newcomers in a way older games just don’t.
Traditionally, to build a character in just about any TTRPG, you have to flip through a thick rulebook, examining lines of text to get the specific information you need, and even if you’re careful you might get something wrong and throw everything off. Daggerheart bypasses that by using the domain card system. In these 270 cards the player has all of the important information right at their fingertips: ancestry (character race), background, class, chosen skills/spells.
By combining a handful of cards, a basic character can be realized in a matter of minutes with all the relevant details printed on the cards. The same process is used for adding new skills/spells when the character levels up. There’s even a system for multi-classing described on the character sheet.
One note about the game cards: they are the same size as standard trading cards so they will fit in traditional binder sleeves. I’ve tried this out and I highly recommend sorting the cards into a binder if you can. It makes it incredibly easy to look over all the card options and they can be carried around without worrying about any of the cards getting lost.
Another detail that sets Daggerheart apart is its use of “Hope” and “Fear” in gameplay. This is a mechanic activated by rolling two dice, one for “Hope” and the other for “Fear.” Whichever dice has the higher number indicates if you rolled with Hope or Fear. Hope is a resource the player can use, while Fear is a resource the gamemaster can use, each allows them to make things happen during gameplay. As Hope and Fear are continually being gained and spent, this allows for a continually changing story that can change at a moment’s notice, requiring everyone to stay on their toes.
It’s All in the Book
Specific gameplay mechanics aside, everything you need to know about the world of Daggerheart is laid out in the core rulebook. The game designers went so far as to color coordinate the different sections of the text to make it that much easier to find the section you need.
For those who want to jump into a story right away, there are five “campaign frames” included at the back of the book. These are similar to the campaigns you might find in a Dungeons and Dragons adventure book, in that the basic plot and key monster information is laid out at the beginning, along with maps and basic location information. The big difference is, once the scene is set, the provided information ends, as the frame is meant to encourage gamemasters and players to take the given information and resolve the story in whatever way they see fit. Unlike Dungeons and Dragons, which can and will walk the party through every step of the story, Daggerheart allows for much more improvisation and narrative freedom. As one who often feels overwhelmed by the complexity of Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, I found this freedom to improvise very refreshing as there is literally no right or wrong way to run the story.
In conclusion, Daggerheart is absolutely worth the time and money to pick it up and add to your game library. The game designers are already teasing new player classes, so this is the perfect time to jump in on the ground floor and be there as this new world grows.
Daggerheart is currently available for purchase.
