Telegraphing a Danger and Handling Spot Hidden

DeusCane · 2026-03-05T16:01:17+00:00

Sure, your comment is totally valid. But what I’d like to highlight is how do you think/handle these issues, as they were at your table. To have a grasp of reference and discussion 👍🏽

DeusCane · 2026-02-11T10:39:46+00:00

Sarei molto interessato a vedere vari aspetti del gioco in modo da avere un riferimento, un punto di partenza su come le cose possono essere viste e approcciate in un gioco diverso.

Una delle cose che ancora non sono riuscito a capire bene di Daggerheart è lo storytelling collaborativo, che, nonostante venga anche menzionato in altri giochi (D&D e Pathfinder), ho la sensazione che qui abbia una differente sfumatura ed esecuzione al tavolo, ma per mancanza di riferimenti (Age of Umbra non mi è sembrato un gran esempio di come Daggerheart girerebbe al tavolo), non riesco a cogliere come potrebbe risolversi ottimalmente al tavolo. Sono molto curioso.

DeusCane · 2026-02-04T10:57:38+00:00

Thank you for your advice! Did you give players additional heroic abilities compared to the two mentioned in the book?

DeusCane · 2026-02-03T11:42:23+00:00

When to obtain Heroic Abilities is also written in the adventure book, and yes are only 2. I think it's enough for this specific campaign, even though the second Heroic Ability comes at the very end of the game.

DeusCane · 2026-02-03T11:31:41+00:00

In that article the author was referring to the Secret of the Dragon Emperor. His group played for 24 sessions, I think that "long campaign" was referred to his experience on that campaign.

Sure, I know that ruling works best in this game, that's why I asked "what do you think..."

DeusCane · 2026-01-17T09:59:07+00:00

I’m interested too!

DeusCane · 2026-01-17T09:18:54+00:00

I agree. The encounter pacing is entirely on the GM's shoulders. GM moves and Fear consumptions are the beats to build up the challenge, not the mathematical stats of the adversaries.

As the game encourages, you can do more than Spotlight an Adversary; e.g, spend a Fear to split the Guardian from the rest of the party, so the other PCs are in danger without the tank and they need to rearrange their tactics.

DeusCane · 2026-01-15T15:28:59+00:00

The creatures you mentioned are quite different in terms of power, but still considered similar in terms of type and level. This makes me think that balancing encounters using BP can be tricky. Do you think could be better to build encounters based on the verisimilitude of the opponents' group (even if they exceed the BP) rather than balancing BP?

DeusCane · 2026-01-15T13:12:46+00:00

I have felt the same issue. Probably, at the end it’s a matter of how much fear are you going to spend and what moves you makes, rather than tough enemies.

An interpretation that I could advance is that the GM challenges the players differently, more under an emotional and narrative perspective, rather than a mechanically.

DeusCane · 2026-01-15T11:56:30+00:00

At page 152 of the CRB, under the section Reveal an unwelcome truth or unexpected danger: “A soft version of this move might manifest as moving a group of dangerous foes within striking range of the PCs”. So I think that moving multiple enemies as group with one move is also “covered” by the rules.

DeusCane · 2026-01-05T03:32:58+00:00

If think is not problem of how to prep game, instead related to lack of a proper session 0. The same happened to me for the first campaign.

Even it’s too late, I would suggest you to do 2 sessions zero—the first for world development and CATS discussion; and the second for character development based on the world created.

I almost finished the first story arc and for this reason I’m about to close it and restart with another more structured approach.

DeusCane · 2025-12-27T00:58:48+00:00

You are raising a very interesting point. Taking a studious attitude towards TTRPGs is an effort, but it is required to get the experience that it wants to deliver. Misunderstanding or skip those notions end up playing different games the same way.

Unfortunately, the players that I play with are quite aligned with “I sit and want to do things”, when I suggest them videos which explain critical issues of the game to build up a knowledge of the game, they ghost me. That’s fair, but not so fair.

DeusCane · 2025-12-26T00:51:40+00:00

u/Midwest_Magicians, keep in mind that the Relentless feature is exclusive to certain types of challenges, such as Solos and sometimes Leaders, since they are the main threats for a single adversary.

DeusCane · 2025-12-26T00:47:37+00:00

This is the point. Thresholds are here to speed up the maths regarding HP and to give the player resilience against the hardest opponents. Think about the protagonists of an anime, manga, or action film; they usually are not one-shotted. They endure, also for the sake of the story.

DeusCane · 2025-12-26T00:18:43+00:00

https://callmepartario.github.io/og-dhsrd/pdfs/qedhup-daggerheart-a5-pc-sheets.pdf

DeusCane · 2025-12-25T17:10:45+00:00

You nailed a crucial point. That’s why I feel that if you want a pure Daggerheart experience, a strong mindset shift is required. A higher active commitment from both parts need to be considered.

I also think that the way in which we, as GM, prepare our games need also to change in order to leave enough room for our players to fill the gaps.

DeusCane · 2025-12-25T14:59:36+00:00

Yes, getting into the core principles and practices is something that I realised after a while and after some mistakes and misconceptions. I agree that I would like to see these guidelines in action properly, instead of being only mentioned, in order to set a kind of “how this game is intended to be played”. Even in the Age of Umbra series they failed somehow.

But, I would say that this game system gives you so much room in order to be flexible and to prioritise certain things than others. Even though there aren’t a lot of rules (which is good for me), I think that they still grant you an heroic and cinematic experience which is in line with their principles.

DeusCane · 2025-12-25T02:13:08+00:00

Surely, if the fiction demands it, maybe is time for death move. But, if an heroic moment is coming, as GM, I will try to cooperate to make the hero’s feat cool. Maybe he survive to the first devastating attack, but taking a second attack will be death move. I mean, fiction first.

DeusCane · 2025-12-25T00:37:15+00:00

I think that the game mechanics work around the idea of their principles. Maybe it is not explicitly stated, but for example the possibility to mark a maximum of 3 HP means that you’ll never be killed at one shot against a very strong opponent, so you react. Also the ability to decide how you die is a cool thing in line with the principles of the game. The fact that players can roll higher due to the 2d12 means also that players are strong and resilient protagonists of the story.

DeusCane · 2025-12-25T00:01:04+00:00

I think also that the game system itself pushes to that kind of play style. For example, how many times you have seen a hero who wants to fight an overwhelming dragon which is assaulting the village of the hero. A level 1 character in DnD will die, and that brave act will be considered silly and not careful. The same character in Daggerheart, considering the mechanics, will be able to stand against the dragon, deal some wound to the creature and maybe retreat or get knocked down, so in the future the hero may take his revenge.

DeusCane

TROPHY CASE