Key Takeaways
- Critical Role and Darrington Press have revealed the cover art for Daggerheart’s rulebook.
- The artwork has given us our first proper look at the TTRPG’s world and some of the characters living in it.
- The Critical Role cast will be performing a live playthrough of the game at PAX Unplugged later today.
Critical Role announced a brand new tabletop RPG earlier this year called Daggerheart. While parts of its gameplay will be similar to that of Dungeons & Dragons – kind of hard to avoid pulling from the OG – Daggerheart will set itself apart from D&D in various other ways allowing for a very different TTRPG experience. We now know a little more about what to expect from it too following the reveal of its cover art.
Early images of Daggerheart’s core set and limited edition boxes featured little more than the game’s logo. However, now the art that will grace the game’s packaging has received a full reveal, we can begin to gauge what the world we will be telling stories in when Daggerheart launches in early 2025 might look and feel like.
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8 Differences Between D&D And Daggerheart
Critical Role has just released news about Daggerheart but what’s the difference between their system and Dungeons & Dragons?
The character given the most real estate on the Daggerheart rulebook’s cover is an elf. Down to their left is what appears to be a smaller frog-person. How exactly players will be expected to refer to that species in the game will ultimately depend on how much Daggerheart plans to pull from D&D. If we’re going to encounter the same beings and creatures in Daggerheart that we can embody and interact with in Dungeons & Dragons, then it’s safe to assume that anthropormophic frog is a grung.
If Daggerheart’s world is going to be filled with the same species as D&D, then there’s a chance the dragon-like creature featured on the rulebook cover is an Ankheg.
Daggerheart’s Rulebook Cover Art Has Given Us A Better Look At Its World
Plus A First Look At The Characters And Creatures Who Call It Home
The smaller characters featured appear to include a Barabrian, a Lich, and the horned hero with their back to us might well be a Tiefling. What exactly will be included in the game will become clearer at PAX Unplugged later today as the entire cast of Critical Role will be performing a live playthrough using the finalized ruleset for the game.
One of the biggest gameplay elements that will set Daggerheart apart from D&D is the way it utilizes its dice. Players will roll a Hope die and a Fear die whenever a roll is required, but the total will only partially dictate the outcome. If your Hope number is larger, you gain a Hope resourse to spend on something useful, even if the roll is unsusccessful. If Fear’s number is the bigger of the two, then the GM earns a Fear resource they can use later to further complicate your journey.
Daggerheart will be more reliant on story than action unlike most other TTRPGs, and if you like the sound of that, you can place your pre-order now. The game doesn’t have an exact release date yet, but it’s still slated to be here by Spring 2025. Since it’s a Critical Role creation, the cast will almost certainly be playing it more and more in the coming months, starting with their aforementioned playthrough later today if you want to see more of Daggerheart and how exactly it’s going to work.
Daggerheart
Daggerheart is a fantasy tabletop RPG from the minds behind Critical Role. Built with long-term campaigns in mind, it uses a D12-based system and digital tools to help manage sessions.
- Original Release Date
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2025
- Player Count
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3-6 (2-5 plus GM)
- Length per Game
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Campaign dependent
- Publishing Co
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Darrington Press