I run a table. One of the people at the table insisted that I checked out Daggerheart. So I did. And I was very pleasantly surprised.
Why? Well, I admit I had some prejudices against it. First, I sort of made up my mind when I saw the whole licensing issue, Daggerheart basically doing what Wizards of the Coast did with Dungeons and Dragons. But not only that, I also saw red flags in Daggerheart itself: minis.
I saw a video for Daggerheart where the thumbnail showed minis. I was out. I find minis so frustrating. They are in my list of things that I cannot care about. I care about dramatic stories, not combat simulation. I care about intrigue and character growth, not arithmetic. I saw that and assumed that Daggerheart was a combat simulator just like Dungeons and Dragons is. I didn’t even pay attention.
But then my friend insisted that I read about Daggerheart. And so I did.
I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that minis are optional. Even more importantly, I was shocked to find a game that effectively is Powered by the Apocalypse. I was especially relieved to not find rules for movement that require trigonometry or strange approximations (unlike Dungeons and Dragons, where there are grids and numbers everywhere).
I found a game that prioritized drama. Yes, it still simulates combat, but it does so in such a simple way that makes me happy to run it.
I’m excited! This would be the first game that I ever play when the game is just released. This would be the first game in which I don’t even have to pitch to the table; the table already wants to play it.
Of course, these are my first impressions. Maybe they’ll change. For now, I’m happy.
Would be interested to know how it diverges from PbtA? Sounds cool though!
Look also to one heir of PbtA: Blades in the Dark.I’m biaised, I like mist of this game (including Deep Cut).
I’ve heard good stuff about blades in the dark, I’ve got time for that. Hell, more than half the time I’m a player I just play someone crazy about dying anyway
It’s even in the rules.
So rare to feel truly understood these days.
EDIT: Oh… I just realized you asked how it DIVERGES from PbtA, not how it is similar to PbtA. lol my bad. I’ll come back with a more informed response later!
So far I can confidently tell you that the Player Principles in Daggerheart are very much like the Principles of Apocalypse World:
In other words, it gives clear guidance on what it means to be an MC/GM. It’s explicit about not railroading. It’s explicit about not pulling the rug underneath your players (“Oops! You didn’t check for traps! That’s 999999 bludgeoning damage coming your way!”). I like when games are this explicit; it’s easier to have a conversation about what good and bad GMing looks like.
I also know that it doesn’t just have success and failure (and critical successes and failures). Instead, it has successes and failures that aren’t as extreme, so small complications pop up more often.
The character progression checklist also looks straight up from an Apocalypse World character sheet (in a good way!). [Edit 2: I learned that the checklist might be similar to Apocalypse World, but there’s this whole card system where each level involves choosing new feats or abilities or things like that, all related to your class]
Standing by! Haha
What is PbtA? Well, the Baker’s definition:
Is Daggerheart inspired by Apocalypse World? I think so: Meguey Baker co-authored Apocalypse World and the post-apocalyptic “Motherboard” campaign frame in Daggerheart. I would be surprised if Mercer would not have credited PbtA somewhere. If Darrington Press would like to, Meg and Vincent would probably approve with the “PbtA” stamp.
It doesn’t use the “2d6+stat” role mechanic but that is not essential just like all the other game mechanics.
I’m sorry. This is probably not very helpful. Maybe a more precise answer could be given if you ask how it diverges from “Dungeon World” or some other PbtA game you know.
That’s cool, I didn’t realise PbtA was such a broad term in its own right. I’ve played a little Dungeon World and others, but not enough to know the background of all that.
Compared to Dungeon World, the Hope/Fear counters are a difference.
I’m not sure where they got it from. To me it seems somewhat like Fate points.
Dang. That’s a cool dice mechanic. I must be spoiled with ORE, but it feels like a lot of work to get one dice roll out of the way. It doesn’t bog things down, do you find?
Youtube interview of Mercer about the Hope-Fear mechanic.
I had no chance to try it myself.
I get it now. I like the idea of having a visual build-up of threat stemming from dice rolls.