Dispatch

Vol 22: Sinners & Saints

Sinful Adversaries, waggish Dodos, and colossal capers. Then, using pre-game maps and timelines, pointcrawl dungeons, and node-based design. There's a Wolverine and golden retriever, and executive appointments and industry accolades. Finally, lore casts and blocks.

Vol 22: Sinners & Saints

SPOTLIGHT

Colossi are on my mind as I wrap up an interview with Drylands writer Carlos Cisco and finish Game Room’s excellent oral history of Shadow of the Colossus. More than any other Daggerheart Adversary, the Drylands colossi push the community to create some of the most artful, bizarre, and adorable props for their table. A testament to GMs, yes—but also the admirable irreverence of the deft and daffy designers who included the Frame in their signature publication.

NEWS & RELEASES

Om Nom Nom

The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design has named Daggerheart as an Origins Award Finalist. Kudos to everyone at Darrington for the nom, including the many freelance designers, writers, artists, and support members who’ve added to the game’s heft and swagger. Winners will be announced in June.

Detect Magic

Critical Role nabbed ex-WSJ and Hallmark exec Alyssa Zeisler to head up Beacon, which roughly translates to “make our streaming service as successful as Dropout.” Remember last year when CR’s biz dev team mentioned looking out for the next great players to join the fold? This is how it connects. Zeisler needs programming, and programming needs Zeisler.

Murmurations

Closing out a successful second season, the waggish Dodoborne cast took to the sub for an AMA about their characters, quirks, and campaigns. When asked if they have an arc in mind, Rowan mentioned Issac-the-GM has nine seasons planned, one for each of the DH Domains. Apple fritter fans rejoice!

More Forgery

Heartforge, the “GM and player companion” app, pushed a v1.5 that includes music and sound effects; German, Italian, and French localization; and several UI fixes and enhancements. It’s a solo effort across iOS, MacOS, and Android, and Lauri has crafted a beautiful little ecosystem worth exploring. 

Mad-simple Maps

The simple premise of WikidMaps: upload a map, drop details on it (lore, locations, NPCs, etc) and share a no-sign-in link with your players. Web-based, free of charge. Now they’re back with smart upscaling so your low res maps won’t look like crap, and a better import function with Azgaar Fantasy Map Generator.

MORE:

  • The go-to Discord bot for Daggerheart dice rolls now rolls in your browser.
  • Daggerheart.org redesigned the Domains, Class, and Weapons pages, plus overhauled My Daggerheart.
  • Every single adversary has its own token art on Heart of Daggers, including the QuickStart adventure. 
  • To promote Pistolheart Volume 2, Carlos Cisco and HoD are running a Colossus campaign: upload your colossi photo for a chance to win PH2 and the Hope & Fear expansion book.

DISCUSSIONS

Inconsequential or Intentional?

How do you dole out consequences during improvisational combat? That question led to several “don’t overthink it” replies, but I was drawn to Prestigious Emu, who mentioned intent:

“I find that if the players tell me both what they are doing and their intent it makes it much easier to adjudicate the outcome/consequences. Get players used to informing you of their intent - there's a difference between pushing an enemy into a wall and pushing them towards the blade of your ally. Intent matters.”

No Bore Lore

How can you get your players immediately invested in your world? Map it together using The Quiet Year or Microscope, RPG games that act as a session -1 mini-game. That’s the thrust of this convo that explored how mapping or timeline games supercharge a group’s creativity and engagement prior to the main campaign. Look for Darrington’s Elise Rezendes among the commentariat.

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