Daggerheart
review by Chad
After a while, even your most beloved game systems can become a bit monotonous. For me, this game system was Dungeons & Dragons 5E. Over the course of a few years my party and I have gone on a slew of adventures, asked for odd jobs at countless taverns, and have even survived some near fatal boss fights, all while utilizing the same 5E ruleset we all know and love…to an extent. Over time, however, this system has shown its flaws when it comes to things like long, rigid combats and tough to balance action economy.
In noticing these things for my own long running campaign, and noticing my deteriorating attention span waning, I decided it was time to refresh my love for the Tabletop RPG genre and try out a new system. For my purposes, I strived to compare the new system with the one I am most familiar with, D&D. And after some contemplation, my friends and I decided to try out the new Daggerheart system by Darrington Press. I will be going into detail about some of the parts of the game that stood out to me the most, but something like this is really worth trying out yourself. Going from D&D 5E to Daggerheart felt like moving from a rigid wargame into a living, breathing storyboard. While Daggerheart shares the same Heroic Fantasy DNA of D&D, Darrington Press has crafted something that prioritizes the “RP” in RPG, without sacrificing the G.
Character Creation
In D&D 5E, I often feel like I am building some type of well oiled machine when creating a character. Thinking of build paths months ahead of time to optimize stats and pick just the right spells so I don’t “mess anything up” or “ruin my character.” Daggerheart replaces this spreadsheet approach with a tactile Card System. You choose two “Domains” (like Blade or Arcana) and literally hold the abilities in your hand (all beautifully illustrated cards come included with the rulebook).
Along with this satisfying system comes my favorite part, Experiences. Instead of a static list of skills like “Athletics” or “Perception” you write down a phrase. My friend created a Rogue with the experience “Street Urchin of the Bay Area.” During a chase, rather than asking “Can I use Sleight of Hand?”, she just tapped that experience to explain why she knew how to pick the lock to the big bad’s hideout on the edge of town. It felt personal and grounded.
Combat
The biggest shock for a 5E player when trying out Daggerheart combat is the lack of Initiative. In Daggerheart, players act when it makes sense narratively. You pass the “spotlight” back and forth like a conversation.
We had a moment where our Guardian (a class introduced in Daggerheart) held the line against a horde of henchmen and our Wizard jumped in immediately with a fireball. There was no waiting for ten other turns in between; it just happened right away. This fluid style is governed by the Duality Dice (2d12). Each time you attempt an action, you roll a “Hope” die and a “Fear” die. If you succeed with your Hope roll, you do the action you mentioned and gain a resource. If you succeed on your Fear roll, you still do the thing you mentioned in most cases, but the GM gains a “Fear” token to mess with you later. It creates a “fail-forward” momentum that makes 5E’s “miss, pass the turn” feel stagnant in comparison.
Art
The art is, frankly, stunning. While 5E art is iconic, Daggerheart’s aesthetic feels more modern and whimsical. The illustrations by artists like Leesha Hannigan and Shaun Ellise make the world feel vibrant and fresh. I really enjoy all of the different variants of character races (like the different types of mushroom-like Fungril race) that are represented in the artwork of the Daggerheart core book, as well as all of the eye popping art on the cards you'll be collecting for your character as you level up.
Final Thoughts
If you're tired of the “I hit, I miss, I wait for 30 minutes” loop of 5E, Daggerheart is a breath of fresh air. It’s a game that trusts your creativity as much as your dice, and I can’t wait to start my next session. If you’re looking for a new TTRPG ruleset to dive into this new year, look no further than Daggerheart.
5/5 for Tabletop RPG enjoyers
4/5 for Casual Gamers
Daggerheart is available now from our webstore.
