Welcome to part 2 of my review of TTRPG’s that I played at Fan Expo Toronto 2025.
You can find part 1 here (where I had the opportunity to play Call of Cthulhu).
In this part (if the title isn’t obvious enough) I signed up to play the new hotness in TTRPG’s, Daggerheart!
Daggerheart is the new TTRPG from the popular live-play group Critical Role.
Through the grapevine, I heard that all the one-shot adventure sessions over the weekend for Daggerheart were fully booked! This TTRPG is so popular that it has sold out of print copies three times!
Sold!! - source: giphy.com
Daggerheart: The Sablewood Messengers - Game 2 #
For this adventure:
- 1 x Game Master
- 5 x Adventurers
bow to the core rulebook - source: knightsociety.net
At the beginning, our GM fast-tracked us through a session zero. What stood out to me immediately about Daggerheart was the focus on collaborative storytelling.
All the players were provided with their choice of character. Upon choosing those characters, we were instructed to read their backstories and profiles. I chose to be Varian Soto, who has a Wildborne Katari heritage and is a Wayfinder.
We were then instructed to discuss amongst ourselves how our characters would have “bonds/connections” with each other, and these would be represented by suites of playing cards the GM provided.
Bonds & Connections #
Types of Bonds/Connections:
- Diamond - What values can each of the characters connect with?
- Heart - What emotional bonds can each of the characters have?
- Spade - What experiential connection can each of the characters have with each other?
- Club - What obligations could characters have with each other?
heart hands - source: giphy.com
Once we formed these bonds, we discussed them openly and handed the bonds/connections card to the character with whom we had created a bond. I made a bond with Khari Nix that we were war buddies, and in my backstory, I always take a token from locations I have previously visited. Khari gave me a sundial made out of stone from their mountains to help me always find my way back to that location.
Defining these bonds helped to create a richer backstory for the adventure and allowed us to use our creativity to contribute to the story. It also quickly allowed a group of strangers who had never played together to get to know each other and understand who we are as players.
The Duality of Daggerheart #
With our bonds cemented and our introduction to our characters, the next major mechanic we were introduced to was the duality dice system.
Daggerheart has the concept of duality dice called Hope and Fear: two d12s, one that represents Hope and one that represents Fear. For any action, you roll both dice. If you succeed on the action, you indicate which die roll was higher—Hope or Fear.
the duality of man er...kitari? - source: giphy.com
For example:
Varian makes an agility role:
- I roll both my hope d12 and my fear d12
- If my hope was 6 and my fear was 3 I would say, “I rolled a success/failure 9 with hope”
- If my hope was 3 and my fear was 6 I would say, “I rolled a success/failure 9 with fear”
If I rolled “...with Hope,” it means I successfully completed the action, and I would receive a Hope token. Hope tokens can be redeemed to support and enhance any player’s rolls, etc. If I rolled “...with Fear,” it means there is a consequence, and the GM receives a Fear token. GMs can use Fear tokens to interrupt the scene, make an extra move, etc. Giving the GM Fear tokens makes for a much more interesting adventure—especially when your GM starts maniacally laughing when you roll with Fear…
If your duality roll ends up with the same number, it’s a critical success!
critical success! - source: giphy.com
Additionally, if a skill has a modifier, these modifiers should be represented by a +1 or +2 token and should be part of the duality roll. This allows for transparency at the table so everyone knows what modifiers are involved in the roll.
Finally damage. During combat if you take damage there is a damage range for each character.
For Varian:
- Less than 7 Damage = 1 HP lost
- Greater than or equal 7 and less than 14 Damage = 2 HP lost
- Greater than or equal 14 Damage = 3 HP lost
Because damage does not equal HP lost, players can have longer lasting battles.
Daggerheart also has a stress concept, but I cannot recall if we utilised it much within the adventure. I do remember we used a d12, d8, and d4 to represent our HP, stress, and armour values so all adventurers were aware of what they were. There are obviously a lot of mechanics to cover, and for a 3–4 hour adventure we tried to cover the majority of them.
The heart of Daggerheart #
What is key about Daggerheart beyond the mechanics is how the game and the GM immersed the group in the one-shot adventure. Many D&D games are known to use a lot of additional physical items (miniatures, terrain, etc.) to enhance the game. Our GM had different coloured dice, fancy tokens for Hope, Fear, and modifiers, painted maps, etc., to visually bring this adventure to life, and it was appreciated by all the players
For every action we took, whether it was a success or failure, we were always encouraged to describe it in a creative way. I was ambushed in the forest and failed an action, and the GM asked me to describe my reaction and how my character responded.
It was a bit jarring to be put on the spot, but once you started doing it a few times, you got the hang of it. There was another situation where we were entering an unexplored area, and the GM asked each player to describe an unusual creature never seen before. My original and creative mind decided to go with a “unibear,” a hybrid of a unicorn and a bear lol.
dice, tokens, cards, oh my! - source: knightsociety.net
In the end, our party of adventurers had a few amazing encounters, and we saved the day.
I have to say my journey in Daggerheart is just starting. I enjoyed playing this immensely due to the focus on storytelling. I have never GM’d games myself (and I am looking to start GM’ing soon), and Daggerheart gave me an opportunity to dip my toes into it without fully driving an adventure. Collaborative storytelling really changes the adventure and allows everyone participating in the game to shape the story, and it is a welcomed approach to TTRPGs. Time will tell the impact Daggerheart will have on the industry and how well it will influence newer games in the future.
I for one will be picking up the core ruleset as soon as I can.
Once again I want to say thank you to all the Fan Expo volunteers and Unite the Factions for all their work organizing, setting up the games, and donating all proceeds to an amazing charity (Sick Kids Hospital - Toronto).
Thank you to our GM who put a lot of effort into teaching us the game and running the adventure. Daggerheart: Sablewood Messengers is a free quickstart adventure that can be found here.
Check back here later for my last introductory adventure into Star Trek Adventures 2E at Fan Expo 2025 Toronto!
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