Dispatch

Vol 21: Homebrew & Heartache

Medieval dungeons, tourneys, and one-shots. Then, how to direct the spotlight, craft NPCs, and build-a-boss. A space saga reveal, Predator vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vs Kill Bill, and a chorus of demons and undead. Then, it’s Brigands vs Knight and a final girl’s dreams.

Vol 21: Homebrew & Heartache

SPOTLIGHT

“But it helped me really understand the core of Daggerheart: Coming to the table with people you love to create something beautiful to really lose yourself in. Even the mechanics spoke to me while talking about it. Failure, even failure with fear, doesn't mean nothing happens. It doesn't mean everything stops or that the world ends. It is a part of every narrative, and at the end of it all, there's still hope to spend.” Thank you, Little Sherbet. Rest up.

NEWS & RELEASES

Deliver Us Unto Daggerheart

Daggerheart was the engine for the Kingdom Come: Deliverance II one-shot that streamed earlier this week on CR’s YouTube channel. It’s worth a watch for the fun (Ashely Johnson and Deborah Ann Woll are among the players), but also to study GM George Primavera, who skillfully ran the system while threading the short story. 

A Pass at Multiclass

I know Leeloo Dallas Multipass has nothing to do with Liam O’Brien Multiclass, but it was fun to say both of them over and over as I watched yet another famous D&D player helpfully explain to the world how to play his game instead of Hasbro’s. (Sadly, the toy company’s CEO doesn’t resemble 90s Gary Oldman, but I digress.)

Who's on First?

The Brits have Oxventure, Kiwis have Azerim, and now the land of Mad Max has Hammanaroth, the grim-dark setting for Who’s on First Watch?, an actual play podcast now on EP7 of its first season. Tired of Americans pretending to be British? Enjoy some Aussie slang in the wasteland.

A Known from the Unknown

The New Unknown team is on a tear teasing their sci-fi expansion book, this time with the cover reveal. Illustrated by David Demaret, it’s a perfect mix of sci-fi and fantasy, with a lovely Mass Effects vibe.

Tools of the Dark Trade

Having just released adventure module Blind Faith, Adversary designer Chris Davidson is back with The Gothic Horror Toolkit, a book with dozens of Adversaries, Environments, encounters, and equipment inspired by Ravenloft, Castlevania, and Vampire Hunter. Adventurer—may the night break before you do.

VTT Vid

Foundryborne, the VTT choice of every Linux-lovin’, why-yes-I-mod-my-PC-and-run-my-own-server GM, released a very handy overview video this week, in addition to a roster of small updates.

Roll for Combat

The Netherleaf VTT came out of beta with a remarkably capable Roll20-like experience, offering character sheet and campaign management in addition to real-time encounters. Another platform joins the melee! Pass the popcorn.

Fantasy Fulfilment

Do we just make a permanent slot for Heart of Daggers announcements? The platform is back with news that they now provide Kickstarter backer fulfilment, a move that makes me think less about Daggerheart and more what looks like a run at DriveThru/Roll20. I suspect that’s the end game, and there’s a lane if they keep up this pace and quality.

DISCUSSIONS

Sleepy Head

Prestigious Emu came to the rescue of a GM struggling with handling in-game, multi-day travel: "separate rest from sleep." 

Sleep is sleep. We just assume characters get their 6-8 hours a night unless something (aka a Fear spend) interrupts it. We don't spend table time on it (unless it's interrupted of course). Rest is a deliberate choice the players make in order to replenish resources. It gets "screen time" as the players tend to wounds, prepare for what's ahead, repair armor etc.

The example I use is the Lord of the Rings movie. The journey to Rivendell is 400 miles and takes over a month. We don't spend time with the characters camping every single night. Just when it's important.

Non-Player Coordinator

Over on the Discord, @OWHL similarly came to the aid of a player who, because they are the sole PC in a party of four, asked about running NPCs in Daggerheart: 

"There are 3 ways to handle NPCs:

  • One: Create adversary blocks
  • Two: Create NPC blocks (Covered in pg 166-7 in the CRB)
  • Three: Create full PC builds

1 is the middle ground, 2 is the easiest and 3 is very involved. I use #2 when first introducing them. If they turn enemies or evil I switch to #1. When I run 1:1 or solo games I pick #3."

Motivational Poster

On the topic of party relationships, Robert at Kobold Coat notes how, in encouraging players to ask questions about each other during character creation, Daggerheart supplies the GM with dozens of story hooks they can use to build the world. A great example of show vs tell game design and how subtle nudges actively encourage storytelling.

Multiverse of Radness

“We could enter a world where Daggerheart core doesn't become the game for everyone but at least one "preset" does.” That’s James Quigley over on Bluesky thinking about how DH’s design is broad enough to afford, essentially, filter bubbles. This resonated given just how different How’s My Driving? plays and feels next to Age of Umbra. [Ed: Travis, have you signed them yet?]

MORE:

VIBE CHECK

kiikiibee's Daggerheart character Antonia, a Tank Wizard.
The printed version of Bob's Seraph's medallion.

🎯 GM TIPS

Designing Dungeons

You want your players to experience the mossy stones, sputtering torches, and creeping sense they are unprepared for what lurks in the dark dungeon ahead. But are you prepared? More importantly, how are you prepared?

Monster Mike was back on stream to discuss dungeon design in Daggerheart, and how Environments give GMs a comfortable middle ground between the exhausting work of fully mapping a dungeon in advance vs the terror of improvising one during theatre of the mind. 

His example is a Tier 2 Exploration Environment that exemplifies Daggerheart’s tendency to support emergent gameplay, with Adversaries and P/A/Rs that, instead of a map itself, serve as a blueprint—to customize for yourself, but more importantly to constrain your impulse to over-prepare.

Revealing Dungeons

If you do decide to map your dungeon, there are two pieces of advice in this video from The Informal Game worth heeding: don’t show your players a map of the dungeon/keep/cave/etc in advance (not knowing what’s ahead builds tension), and have them map the space based on your descriptions (actively drawing builds buy-in). It's tougher advice if you’re playing remote, but shared tools like Excalidraw can make up the difference. 

Bonus: While we’re on maps, Red Quills is back with a learn-as-I-draw session dedicated to medieval tourneys in honour of HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. 

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🍺 HOMEBREW

Build-a-Boss

David Bowie famously used random text scraps to help create the lyrics on Diamond Dogs and Heroes. Azu the Bard’s Build-a-Boss tool is similar: cut out the eight “characteristics” blocks on page two of his PDF, and then—with your players—collaboratively stitch together the boss they’ll aim to beat.

Also on Tap:

🌎 CAMPAIGN FRAME

Why Dagger When Hammer?

Warhammer has always been a bit agro for my taste, so I don’t have any insights or witticisms to flower on SnooLobsters (although much applause for the UN), who appears to have the stamina of a Space Marine given the muscle it took to adapt Warhammer 40,000 for Daggerheart. From the sub:

“Over 100 pages of new and revised content to play in this setting. Despite the large number of pages, the vast majority of the content is a reorganization of original Daggerheart content.

There are new Classes, Ancestries, Communities, weapons, armors and mechanics reorganized and reworked for this frame that was specifically designed to better emulate the gritty 40K setting without creating major mechanical complications.

You will also find reworked and reorganized Domains for better identity within the setting, as well as adversaries and environments cards divided by their Xenos factions/races.”

(The only thing I can add is a personal footnote: the Warhammer episode in Tim Miller’s Secret Level is one of the finer bits of animated storytelling I’ve seen—triumphing over an equally amazing D&D episode.) 

🎨 CRAFTY

License to Thrill

That's "Reviving Touch" from Daggerheart illustrator Laura Galli. Did you know you can license it for your TTRPG module? Galli is one of a few dozen artists featured in this Bluesky starter pack who sell or license their artwork.

Affinity to Affinity?

Found your cover artist? Now download this Affinity template from CaelReader so your eccentric ideas can look slick and professional and you can finally escape PWYW and go for gold. (Don't use Affinity? Here you go.)

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🛠️ TOOLS & RESOURCES

Over on the sub, actualladyaurora mapped the lifespan of all CRB Ancestries.

The Roundup:

INSPO

What struck me about Ukrainian artist Anna Moshak’s work—beyond the skillful composition, colour, and light—is her ability to find the moment of dread in the story, some terrible foreboding of rot or rapture. Her vampire painting graces the cover of HarperCollins most recent issue of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a portrait of sin, shame, and sensuality that is only matched by devouring all the tiramisu you brought home from the restaurant, despite telling your husband you’d save some for him.

STORYTELLING

Draw Steel

Dequitem, the German non-choreographed medieval armour fighter we profiled a couple of issues ago, is back with a sequel to his popular film The Brigands, this one three times longer with as many multiples of foes vs the tin man.

First time around we shared his work as GM advice: look at the chaos and speed of a melee, and think about how you might stage or narrate this kind of fight.

This time it’s being shared for setting and tone. The winter forest. The icy water and cold hands. That gruesome bread someone nibbles. All shot in anamorphic widescreen, imprinted on your brain, ready to spill out onto your page or table for that snowy encounter you’ve been planning.

[Footnote: Dequitem ran a Kickstarter to pay for the film’s anamorphic lenses. It tanked, so he took direct donations instead. Gotta love the Internet for what it provides as much as what it takes.]

THEATRE KIDS

Dreamcatcher

I was fascinated hearing how TTRPG performer and How's My Driving? final girl Gina Susanna gets into character and recommend this clip from her interview with podcaster Tay Marie. For players, GMs, and, well, human beings in general. Dreamwork and music are some of our best friends and allies.

ETC

25 Tips from the Middle Ages

Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Performed on Original Instruments 

Could Ancient Paper Armour Really Protect Like Steel In Battle? 

Medieval Remedies for Desire and Potency

Notes on Re-reading LotR:

"Gondor had been without a king for 969 years, and Numenor had been gone for a full 3141 by the time Aragorn returns, and let me tell you that is literally, and not figuratively, the equivalent of some rando showing up in London, tomorrow, proclaiming that he's the king of England because he's a descendant of Edward the Confessor, and then trying to reclaim the glory of Mycenaean Greece."

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