Daggerheart is a bold attempt to shake up the tabletop RPG landscape with fresh mechanics, unique character options, and a distinctive take on resource management through hope and fear. It presents exciting ideas for both experienced gamers and newcomers alike, but its execution feels inconsistent. While the game introduces fun concepts like class blending, flexible character creation, and simplified ability management, it struggles to deliver a cohesive experience that satisfies both casual and strategic players.
The Good
- Unique Character Creation & Accessibility
- The game features a diverse selections character species options (e.g., robots, talking animals) that lend themselves to creative, outlandish, and comical storytelling.
- The backstory-building session is a particularly enjoyable feature, fostering camaraderie among the party from the start. Players noted how this approach strengthened bonds and made the characters feel interconnected.
- Creative Mechanics with Hope and Fear
- The duality of hope and fear adds an interesting twist to standard RPG mechanics. Players can accumulate hope through positive actions, but fear adds tension by introducing uncertainty, making every roll feel high-stakes.
- The system fosters unpredictability, which some players found exciting, though it can be a double-edged sword (more on that later).
- Accessibility for New Players
- Daggerheart simplifies character creation with class packages and a card-based system for abilities, reducing decision fatigue. This makes the game an excellent entry point for new players or those who find traditional RPGs too overwhelming.
The Bad
- Shallow Character Specialization
- While character creation offers exciting options, the core traits system is too shallow to make characters feel distinct. Players mentioned that most characters feel equally skilled in various areas, making individual talents less meaningful.
- Classes also lack the depth and variety of other RPGs, with abilities across different classes feeling too similar or being literally the same. This diminishes the satisfaction of playing a specialized role, like a rogue or a paladin.
- Underwhelming Level Progression
- Leveling up feels uninspired, with domain abilities that don’t align with character growth as expected. Many players expressed disappointment that their characters did not feel more powerful or unique as they progressed.
- Experiences: A Missed Opportunity
- The Experiences system, intended to provide narrative flexibility, fell flat for many. Instead of adding meaningful mechanical depth, it boils down to bland bonuses (+1/+2/+3) that didn’t feel rewarding enough. Players also found it frustrating that using hope to activate these bonuses felt like a waste.
- Inconsistent Use of the Fear Mechanic
- Although the hope/fear system is innovative, its implementation feels clunky at times. Our GM found it difficult to decide when to apply fear and even when to gain it, leading to confusion about when to impose narrative penalties. The mechanic also made some players feel sidelined during sessions when they rolled fear too often and found it difficult to act.
The Ugly
- Turn Order Issues and Lack of Initiative
- The game’s initiative system was polarizing. Players found the lack of a clear initiative order disruptive, as it introduced too much uncertainty about who would act next. This negatively impacted strategy, particularly in combat-heavy scenarios.
- Poor Support for Non-Combat Play
- Players looking for non-combat options felt limited by the sheer openness of possibility. They found it challenging to engage with the world outside of combat in unique and interesting ways due to the narrow range of abilities and lack of rules for improvised actions. The game needs better guidance on grappling, weaknesses, and using improvised weapons to enhance the roleplay experience.
- GM Overload
- Daggerheart relies heavily on the GM’s improvisation without offering enough tools to support them. Our GM reported struggling with pacing and resource management with so little framework to lean on, but simultaneously being beholden to tracking the ebb and flow of duality tokens.
Suggestions for Improvement
- Skill Specialization & Class Depth
- Adding more skill paths or specialization mechanics within classes would help make characters feel more unique and rewarding to play.
- Refining the Hope/Fear Mechanic
- Implementing a threshold system for fear (e.g., fear activates after accumulating three points) or at least not hinging initiative turnover on fear rolls could help reduce frustration and provide better pacing. Rolling with fear should not turn over the turn, but rather a failed roll or spending of fear to take the turn should. Allowing players to pool hope points would also encourage teamwork and restore some agency when things go wrong.
- More GM Tools and Guidance
- GMs need more structured support through stat blocks, mechanical aids, and pre-designed mechanics. This would make it easier to maintain pacing and ensure that sessions don’t feel too chaotic.
Conclusion
Daggerheart shows a lot of promise, with creative mechanics and an approachable design that makes it easy for new players to jump in. However, the game is held back by shallow class mechanics, underwhelming character progression, and clunky implementation of its innovative systems. The hope and fear mechanic is a standout idea but needs refinement to reach its full potential.
Ultimately, Daggerheart is a game with great ideas but uneven execution. It’s a fun experience in the right group, especially with a GM who can fill in the gaps with improvisation. However, it still feels like a work in progress rather than a polished product. With some fine-tuning, it could become a standout RPG, but in its current state, it may leave both experienced players and GMs feeling frustrated.
Daggerheart offers some fun and innovative concepts, but it needs further development to truly shine. It’s worth trying if you enjoy experimentation and improvisation in your tabletop games, but it may not satisfy those looking for tight mechanics or deep character customization.
~Dead Suns Company Team