Vol 13: Deaths & Drakkenheim

🎯 GM TIPS

Making Scenes Matter

While everyone’s talking about the death of Thjazi Fang, I’d like to talk about the death of Logan Roy, the brutal Roy family patriarch in Succession. Or rather, I’d like to point you to director Mark Mylod’s scene breakdown of the event. Go watch it now and come back after.

What struck me about Mylod’s choices is how they sound like ones a GM might make when structuring a social encounter, environmental trigger, or story climax.

First, there is the use of irony to create surprise: the death of Logan Roy happens at a wedding. Then, the use of irony to be cruel but poignant: his death is a thousand miles away, on an airplane, far from his children, robbing them of any possible closure in their complicated relationships.

Next, there is the creative decision not to tell the actors about the death. They expect to be filming a wedding, only to be handed a cell phone and hear the terrible news.

From there, Mylod unpacks several technical choices that GMs should consider when “blocking” scenes—among them, how he places NPCs in key locations to cluster his actors and intensify the drama, then breaks them apart to show them alone and forlorn.

He has the cameras chase the actors, not the actors perform to camera. He cuts in and out of scenes just a little late or too soon, keeping us one step behind and at a breathless pace.

And while technical, all his choices reinforce the tone of the series (“an ecstasy of nihilism,” as the showrunner once quipped)—a note for us as we consider how we want people to feel at the end of a scene, session, or campaign.

Finally, he recognizes that his role is to take pleasure in agonizing and breaking his characters. It sounds counterintuitive—we’re all here to play, right? But only through struggle do we experience catharsis, which is the whole point of dramatic role play.

🎯 PLAYER TIPS

The Starter Campaign Ends

Rob Jon—aka your Daggerheart dad—added the fifth and final instalment of his Sablewood Messenger gameplay film. The sets, camerawork and editing, music, his soothing VO—they’re all there to help you and your players grok how Daggerheart works and watch how play unfolds in real time. The perfect welcome gift for new players.

🍺 HOMEBREW

Final Fantasist

Need a limit break? u/Gukusama went on a Final Fantasy binge and homebrewed several characters from the game, among them: 

• Primal: Viking & Geomancer
• Mechanic: Gunbreaker and Machinist
• Wanderer: Ronin and Reaper
• Academic: Astrologian and Scholar
• Silencer: Ninja and Viper
• Vanguard: Dark Knight and Dragoon
• Performer: Dancer and Rhapsode
• Mages: Blue Mages

I suspect none of this is playtested and it’s all a bit random, but I applaud the obsession. May it inspire yours.

🌎 CAMPAIGN FRAME

Hope Springs Eternal

Hope Springs Eternal is an upcoming supplement for Daggerheart, built around five original campaign frames that explore contemporary themes like social unrest, trauma, and decay while offering adventurous pathways toward hope, justice, and community.

The project comes from Eric Lazure, a longtime TTRPG editor whose credits include Stoneburner, Midnight Muscadines, and Lordsworn. With Hope Springs Eternal, he steps into the creator’s seat to deliver a unique collection that feels introspective, expansive, and modular—supported by a team of experienced writers and artists.

Among its worlds:

• The Eternal Song, a music-themed campaign frame that is resonant, hopeful, and contemplative.
• The Final Curtain, a frame inspired by caregivers, with themes of serenity, remorse, atonement, and trauma.
• The Ever Rime, a campaign frame exploring the survival of communities living on massive Wonderbeasts.
• The Gardens, a campaign frame where floriography and social unrest meet, where beauty and rot coexist.
• Gutterpunk Rhapsody, a dystopian campaign frame dealing with the loss of humanity and the price of progress.

The book will feature all-original writing and art (no conversions, no AI), with illustrations by Héctor Rodriguez, Kalin Kandiev, and others. Hope Springs Eternal launches on Kickstarter December 9.

Get notified when it goes live →

🎨 CRAFTY

Ergonomic Encounters

Corkboard & Curiosities has some insights into converting your home campaigns into published modules. Among other things—ergonomics. When you write for publication, you’re not just telling a story—you’re building a tool. Your text has to serve a GM juggling six players, four beers, and one crisis. Keep things clear, concise, and modular enough that any GM can drop things into their world. 

If you are going to publish, learn about type:

Typography 101: Getting Started

10 Budget-Friendly Typeface Resources for RPG Designers

🛠️ TOOLS & RESOURCES

Saddle Up

What’s adventure without a trusty steed? Take to the saddle (or bareback, no judgement) thanks to this adaptation of Daggerheart’s wheelchair mechanics.

Armour Assistance

Old Gus added new armour benchmarks to the guide. And for those looking for basic action handling, remember this handy flowchart.

Cardstick Craftsmanship

I somehow missed this excellent video on how to make cardstick miniatures. A decade on, it’s one of the best tutorials on how to make attractive, durable miniatures for your table.

Musical Malevolence

While there is excellent music circulating for Witherwild adventures, try this out if your mood is more dark fantasy/Age of Umbra.

Treasure Map

Thinking of going Pro? Here’s a detailed breakdown of one GMs finances and how they manage their career.