Vol 3: Frames & Foreshadowing
Gen Con previews, masterful mosaics, and GM tips that double as life advice. INSIDE: narrative scaffolding, countdown mechanics, acting prompts, and enough fuel to re-roll your next session.
SPOTLIGHT
A hand-made mosaic for a tiny treasure chest places Inzeen’s girlfriend among the pantheon of Daggerheart Deities. Campaign MVP before a session even starts.
UPDATES
Gen Con Conclave
Darrington Press rolls into Gen Con this week with Daggerheart live demos, first-look previews, and signings with designers Spenser Starke and Rowan Hall. Nearby, HimboHeart is running a Daggerheart actual play. And in related news, Bonus Action becomes one of the first actual plays officially sponsored by the system.
Campaign Collabs
Starke and Hall also announced Campaign Frames, a YouTube collab featuring 19 creators across four different Daggerheart settings. Streams in August.
More Roll20 Integration
As promised, Demiplane dropped new Roll20 integrations, including full compendium support in both Characters and the VTT, plus drag-and-drop Adversaries. Custom maps for the Quickstart Adventure are on deck next.
ETC
In Daggerheart/Darrington adjacent news, first looks rolled out for the upcoming Mighty Nein animated series, CR announced their first video game, and the Alchemy VTT released a stunning adaptation of Candela Obscura.
DISCUSSIONS
Adapting Daggerheart for younger players
Some lovely encouragement and tips in response to a question about running Daggerheart with 10–11-year-olds (one with a learning disability): the math is gentler than 5e, the Hope/Fear mechanics are intuitive, and the tactile tools—cards, tokens, dry-erase sheets—go a long way. One GM summed it up: “Don’t overthink it. Let the fiction guide the rules and you’re gonna have a great time.” Bonus: Kid-friendly character sheets
Speaking of Fiction…
A tempest in a teacup after an OP complained the Daggerheart sub was complicit in turning “follow the fiction” into not just a platitude, but the worst form of "gotcha!" in response to any rules questions. Inflammatory rhetoric aside, I was drawn to always thoughtful moderator OneBoxyLlama who reminded folks that Follow the Fiction isn’t a mic drop, it’s a mindset. It’s not there to shut down rules conversations. It’s a nudge toward trusting the table and the tone.
