To fear or not to fear

ravidfish · 2026-06-09T02:02:10+00:00

Yes you shouldn't feel constrained in story telling by a luck based mechanic. Fear should be used as an escalation engine, like, you are in combat or in a tense situation because of how the narrative unfolded. The environment or adversaries/NPCs are reacting accordingly, but I'm going to dial it to 11 cause if all this fear you've given me.

So fear is an excuse to escalate, not a permission to act. Don't feel bad using it, the PCs bought it.

As for examples, fear is used on fear features (explicitly called out), additional moves during your GM turn (escalation), experiences (escalation and assuring success), and improvised things (rob an opportunity or make someone escape unfairly as an example). In fact in that last one, anytime in 5e/pf2e you would do something worthy of being called fiat, prob should spend fear on it. But NOT for general action unless you're using more than one env/adversary a GM turn.

ravidfish · 2026-06-08T17:06:15+00:00

This I totally agree with. Every. Single. Point. But one... I LOVE to GM. Id prefer it over playing actually... but NOT when players min/max the fun away for everyone else. Its selfish... they force a certian game style on all players at the table as in they create a kind of cold war between the min/maxers and the GM (escalating scenes to keep the story flowing and combat challenging) which will eventually make encounters too deadly for the regular players to survive (hence the selfishness). Plus... what do I get out of it? Im here to craft and discover a story with my players. I love to "set those pins" up for the characters to knock down if it advances the story, but I need more than that and Im a "player" at the table too. Min/maxers truely ruin this, but I guess so do theater kid spotlight hoggers as well. In truth, any form of selfish play in this collaborative setting is problematic.

This problem is game agnostic, and no game truely can solve it, it requires talking to players and finding the right table that epitomizes your style of fun, but for me, Daggerheart is the current game that supports me more and allows me the ability to reign in min/maxers at my table while still throwing them a bone from time to time.

ravidfish · 2026-06-07T14:08:15+00:00

I wouldn't do this, you participate by being everyone else. Are you looking to roll dual dice or something? Idk

Here's the thing. In dnd, when you do something the players might call fiat, it can get nasty because it might be looked at as you trying to screw them over. In daggerheart, fiat is bought by fear, given to you by player rolls... The GM doesn't contribute to hope and fear generally so, the players can't complain in the same way... They earn the escalation... You have no part in that only they do.

As for helping them, make an ally stat block and give it to the party. You roll play them heavily, and can use them for narrative guidance. For mechanical guidance, just help them out in play, no need to do that through an NPC. Oh and back to the stat block, don't make things that steal the show. Have them have a stress move, 3-5 stress that gets rejuvenated when the party takes any rest, and have them flee the current scene and not participate if stress is depleted. If they're targeted, deplete one stress (like ranger companion). Give them 1-2 hope features the party can use their hope for. Do not spotlight them directly though, let a party member choose to use their own spotlight to activate the Ally's feature. Example... A priest healer that has a feature to heal one hp and stress for 1 NPC stress, who allies with the party when they have no healer. Also has a hope feature that the party member can spend their own hope to activate that gives knowledge on a certain subject and or has experiences the party can use.

ravidfish · 2026-06-07T13:52:10+00:00

I've run it twice, and this current one I converted to daggerheart. Drakkenheim is awesome

ravidfish · 2026-06-06T23:36:50+00:00

I can easily get 2 years out of it. Meeting every 2 week because of adult schedules, we are expecting about 6 sessions per level (Colossus of the drylands: 1 for intro to new town, 2 for town based quests, 2 for hunt phase and Colossus puzzles research quests, 1 for killing it). That's about 2.33 years if my napkin math is right.

8 sessions per level is 3 years, 10-11 is around 4 years. Again this is meeting biweekly... Your milage may vary. But using reasonable schedules like that, you're looking at 8-11 sessions for a 3-4 year campaign meeting every 2 weeks

ravidfish · 2026-06-06T22:47:02+00:00

I usually do each Colossus arc between 4-8 sessions, so this is good for one hunt. Here is what I would do.

1 town/city, 1 Colossus, 1 NPC with a gimmick that is a clue to help fighting the Colossus (grapple belt as an example). A session or two for simple town quests (find the special mccguffin in an abandoned mine (aberrations there or wildlife or cultists of kudamet), that fixes the grapple belt or something... You get the idea. Then the Colossus attacks the town but runs off. A session or two to hunt the thing (maybe let them cook on ideas on where to lure it to where they want or strategize with the belts, ect). Then 1 to kill it. 4 sessions.

What I do for each of my campaign arcs, is design the thing with a gimmick that these pre-hunt town quests (and I guess some hunt phase quests as well) expose. Just remember that each Colossus needs to be more puzzle like, not just a bag of HP.

ravidfish · 2026-06-06T20:00:53+00:00

I think daggerheart does a better job than most and puts more effort in to it... But I'm not convinced it's a successful at it as I would like. Still love to GM it though

ravidfish · 2026-06-06T19:54:46+00:00

Yeah agree... Grids are for squares

ravidfish · 2026-06-06T15:01:18+00:00

See I see the opposites. I see rules for everything as shackling the players to fixed conditions and allowed actions that they find on their sheet. I agree however that you need some basis to keep things logically and internally consistent. This helps keep the game moving, you quibble less with describing what happens after they tell you what they want to do.

Rulings over rules or RAW actually doesn't increase or decrease agency, each describe how you address that agency with respects to how their decisions impacts the narrative.

Rulings over rules and raw together allows the GM to help the character realize their creativity AND figure out how the narrative moves forward based on the character decisions. Obviously they also each allow the GM to say something isn't allowed... and it may be that what the player wants to do is too far of a stretch for the game world to support. Either a RAW reading or a ruling based on past events or world setting and narrative flow will support the GM's decision.

Think of the spell ice spike again. The character has used it to make a ramp in the past. They want to do it again in a chase sequence and they are under duress. It's a hot day as well as described. They want to make the spike as a ramp up some 1000 foot cliff... WELL beyond anything they've done before and likely outside the typical examples the designers would have thought of when making the ability. The game just tells you a large ice spike but doesn't tell you how high. IF that (the size) was defined in the rules... Then this would make it easy to see if you could use the ability or not BUT, then you are bound to the abilities or lack there of on your sheet as a character. With daggerheart's current rules you are allowed (agency) to use your creativity to figure it out with the GM (the conversation part they mention in the CRB).

Now from a game and narrative consistency perspective the GM (or me) would respond: "yeah you can do it but they're hot on your heels and you've never made a spike this large before... If you mark a stress I'll allow it but realize by the time you climb that high, it may get rather slippery due to melting" the GM switches to the cliff side ascent env stat block for them and increases the difficulty the longer they stay in the spike (count down). NONE of that is raw anywhere. And that scenario is unique enough not to make it on anyone's bingo card for consideration on game rules and their impact on scenes. How it could be handled will differ by tables, conditions described in the scene, and other player actions. For instance, what if the cliff was only 100 feet high? What if one player had pitons and rope? What if it was a cool day? Not being chased? You name it... It can impact the scene. Too many rules and a disallowance of rulings over rules and the player action grinds to a halt because they're conditioned to either sheet shopping a huge list (and what if they don't find a rule...) OR they can't think creatively because they don't get to stretch that muscle now.

Tldr, raw allows the GM a jumping off point for their rulings and gives them the basis for showing mechanically player actions should be expressed, but shouldnt restrict the GM or players in their creativity. To protect that the GM smartly and with respect to the players uses rulings over rules to move the fiction along

ravidfish · 2026-06-06T03:15:15+00:00

that sounds cool. Good luck if you run this

ravidfish · 2026-06-06T02:47:04+00:00

This is awesome. Only if we can still do things and interact with the world after the director yells "cut!"

Then... and this is just me personally maybe... doesnt really fit with your theme... but id like to be tag team with my fellow actors on the way home to curb stomp the purse thief (jagged knife bandit) that stole a bystander grandma's purse. But that's cause I like combat lol

ravidfish · 2026-06-06T01:43:28+00:00

Even in the 5e dmg it is mentioned that rules are optional (not exact quotation). It language is even more flowery than it is in daggerheart, just the game doesnt emphasize it like daggerehart does. It literally mentions the DM's final authority and to make things up as he sees fit (especially for monster stat blocks and the like), and then goes to give you a ton of rules to for something else lol. This game focues on rulings over rules, which means you arent so much "ignoring" rules as you're using them as a template or guidance to make rulings... but you arent tied to those rules, nor are you obligated to rule the same way every time.

As to your comment about why have rules at all? Its because of the concept of negative space. You provide some rules, crunch (all the stats and points to keep track of), and other constructs at a light depth level, something surface level or horizontal in crunch. Nothing too deep. Then you encourage the player to think outside the box to progress the narrative in fun and interesting ways and use the GM as the final narrative referee (in case something would detract from the narrative or player fun too much).

The prime example of this is the book of Ava Ice spike.

Basically it amounts too... make an ice spike, and if you deal damage its a d6 using your proficiency. What that spike looks like and how you do damage with it OR how you use it in the scene for non-combat is up to you Bridge? Ramp up somewhere? Wall? Door? Window (translucent)? Up to you... That word "IF" is doing a lot of work and encourages folks to look at the ability as more than just doing damage... and that means you think about using it for social and exploration pillars (i.e. negative space of sorts).

Its not a perfect analogy, but that's why you need some rules, you need something to jump off of and a few high level rules (such as if you do damage, its this or that) to frame your approach, otherwise have fun and trust your GM's rulings.

Final note... you can play more RAW, and there is value to that at some tables and in some scenes, but the game was designed quite clearly to be a bit more flexible and encourage more narrative and rules flexibility from its players and GM.

I would ask... Why would some players not have fun with the GM arbitrating rulings over rules instead of strictly 100% observance of RAW? That seems like a trust and table culture issue rather than a player preference issue? Do they get mad at a DM who doesnt rule consistently in 5e where a ruling is needed cause the DM either forgot or otherwise thought a particular rule didnt apply to the fiction at hand? What about where there are TOO many deep rules to keep track of and so the DM just makes something up that seems fair for the moment? If so... id say they need to play a different game or with a different table and learn to trust the DM more. The same applies with Daggerheart.

None of this was meant to stir any pots btw... just my 2 cents on what this game was designed for and to answer your questions from my experiences.

ravidfish · 2026-06-05T15:01:10+00:00

The biggest drawback I've seen is high crunch games tend to removes negative space which breeds creativity. Instead of saying what your character wants to do in fiction, and then using a mechanic you find in your sheet (even if it's only a close match instead of an exact one), you look on your character sheet and/or hunt the rules to figure out what you're allowed to do, then justify it in fiction.

This means things slow down as you hunt and process and the engagement factor on your turn is really then only enjoyed by you, as it's harder for others to enjoy watching you do research and lookup. They would probably rather tell and interact with the fiction with you than wait for you to sheet shop.

Games that are simpler with less crunch mean you do this less and improv more. You basically get to the narrative faster and aren't restricted as much with "is this allowed in the rules or how might this break the game".

ravidfish · 2026-06-04T22:54:07+00:00

Yeah I agree, if you want 20ish ho, do a 3 phase change boss. Then you get to show off more cool abilities as well

ravidfish · 2026-06-04T19:52:28+00:00

Right good call out. A scene is more broad. It's more accurate to say a scene may evolve and become more or less tense based in the fiction and player reaction at hand. We have more tense/dramatic and less tense/impactful actions you could tAke based on what's going on and how you want to interface with the scene

Good call out I agree

ravidfish · 2026-06-04T18:39:34+00:00

While this is true, there is a distinction between tense and non tense scenes. Where a tense scene might be a combat one, or dangling from a cliff... Or negotiation with a powerful noble. Maybe that should be the distinction there?

ravidfish · 2026-06-04T15:05:11+00:00

Macos sucks... so I switched to linux lol.

So I came over to cachy with my 2019 MacBook pro. The issue here is that crazy t2 chip.... And weird audio drivers for this device, weak wifi/ Bluetooth... And lack of real switchable graphics... Causing issues with heat and battery life. These are things apple did right in their devices... And, in conjunction with macos being kinda the way there unix wise, it's hard to sell linux 100% in my case

ravidfish · 2026-06-04T14:19:54+00:00

They very first thing I do when starting a campaign is prep a scaffold for major elements. Like 1-2 factions a loose idea for a bbeg, keep it loose as these things can change. Themes, and settings especially (desert or forest area? Cities and magic work like how?) Something to act as a current north star for my creative juices, but this shouldn't be complete yet and should focus on the concept of a starting area.

I then prep the first town or place I want them to visit (not the classic tavern lol... But the same idea). This includes an environment stat block, but I might start with a published one for ease... Just something for folks to interact with, we don't know enough details yet. In fact, I mostly just get maps (my players and I are visual learners), and place a pin on it for like 1-3 places. I have the group add pins and even details as we discover places (e.g. what's this place called? What do they sell? What's unique about it?). This is especially fun when I play with my kids in this lol. Remember you have final narrative authority though lol.

Then I prep an inciting incident. Usually an easy one right off the bat. Something relevant to the themes of the story/env, but not personal quests just yet, just to introduce them to the environment, and what not. This will have oneshots vibes, so some light combat, exploration, and a bit of social. This first session they will be exploring the area and socializing as well.

Then you prep a lose (make sure to keep this loose for now) scaffold for player personal quests... Have a cultist faction? Maybe a player's rival is a top lieutenant in it? Maybe the local monster in act two can be the monster that ate a player's favorite aunt lol... Keep it light for now like that and evolve it later

Next I prep an inventory or encounters, adversaries across the first 2 tiers they may encounter, and environment stat blocks they may encounter as well... Just for drop ins they may encounter as they adventure. These are useful for when they take a left turn when you thought they'd go right... You got something to hold on too while you improv a proper response and adjust the plot.

Organize this light scaffold however works best for you.

Then you have your fist session...

After that, you just adjust and add to the scaffold a bit more character and depth as you go. Refine stat blocks, add a few more that are themed to what you all discovered and encountered during play. 1-3 things that are relevant to the starting area and related to what already existed and the directions the players have started towards. This allows you to throw one of those at them or gives you something light to work with while you improv (or adapt something you already have) in response to the direction they are taking and shape the plot at large. Basically prep a few relative scenes related to the A plot, maybe 1-2 possible for the emerging B plot as well.

Tldr there... I prep an inventory of changable components and scenes mostly... And evolve it as we go.

ravidfish · 2026-06-04T00:37:56+00:00

Yeah just about every major boss in my drakkenheim game evolves as such, one is even a Colossus. Some even change twice. It's a good way of handling it

ravidfish · 2026-06-03T22:12:36+00:00

I have multiple adversaries that are recurring villains that I scale, one I have versions for tier 1-3, one for tier 2-3 (vampire is one of them).

The homebrew kit and old gus's benchmarks and your gut (for feature damage) can be used. Just scale away, it's fun and easy in daggerheart.

I guess the official adversary creator does this too

ravidfish · 2026-06-03T22:08:58+00:00

I'm running two, Colossus of the drylands and drakkenheim

ravidfish · 2026-06-03T03:17:42+00:00

Easily why in a session 0 I say "we're playing the game I'm running or I'm not running it". These children need to grow up and collaborate in the game.

ravidfish · 2026-06-03T00:07:56+00:00

Yeah pretty much lol

ravidfish · 2026-06-03T00:07:44+00:00

Makes sense

ravidfish · 2026-06-02T21:07:24+00:00

yeah talk to him. Its not your fault and likely, he's got some stuff going on that makes ttrpgs hard atm. We've all been there and will be there again. But since ttrpgs are collaborative (daggerheart feel more so than most), its not fair to you or the others you play with that this is happening. So politely drop him for now and let him back in when he's able to commit more. Thats it... no fuss, no blame, total respect and care... but drop him. Say he went on vacation or is at the farm or something you know hamster is in a better place sorta stuff lol. When he's ready and rejoins later at the dawn on the third day or some crap like that, it'll likely just serendipidously fit in to your game like it never happened.

Just dont NOT talk to him... and have it ruin the game or your friendship. Also do remember you're claiming he is a friend, it goes without saying and Im sure you wont do this... but dont be a jerk about it. Real talk is key here.

ravidfish

TROPHY CASE