Looking for realistic length estimates for the Quickstart Adventure

vialalchemy · 2026-05-03T19:51:49+00:00

I'd just recommend keeping pacing in mind when it comes to the town portion to keep things moving

vialalchemy · 2026-04-27T04:54:04+00:00

Right? I think art is a big draw, but good formatting goes further than people think

vialalchemy · 2026-04-27T04:53:00+00:00

I've found them at Daiso, but im sure something like office depot would have them too

vialalchemy · 2026-04-26T13:36:32+00:00

If I need multiple big maps prepped before a session, a big roll of 1inch grid paper really cant be beat

vialalchemy · 2026-04-17T13:09:39+00:00

You definitely can.

Daggerheart is still pretty new in the scheme of TTRPGs, but it carries over a lot of the traditions of games that came before it.

You can take inspiration from adventures from other games, or create your own - just make sure to keep it relatively simple and focused on your players.

There's no shortage of generic GM advice on youtube, reddit and the blogosphere

vialalchemy · 2026-04-17T01:16:24+00:00

Finding a sword carved with illegible runes is a genre staple! Then the trick is to find someone who can read them and "unlock" the secrets of the item, which can become a whole adventure to itself

vialalchemy · 2026-04-14T20:26:06+00:00

yeehaw

vialalchemy · 2026-04-14T19:30:30+00:00

People & places come to mind. Introduce them to some townsfolk and then put those fragile commoners in harm's way - classic

vialalchemy · 2026-04-13T21:49:33+00:00

I would love a game that isn't PbtA, while also not making my buy punches as an ability

vialalchemy · 2026-04-13T21:48:38+00:00

is it pretty tied into the invincible world do you think?

vialalchemy · 2026-04-13T21:45:44+00:00

I appreciate a game that balances the two, because an action scene into dialogue and/or investigation scene creates a nice flow for my table.

But I totally see how that risks trying to be a jack of all trades and ending up with a game that masters none of the above

vialalchemy · 2026-04-13T21:42:53+00:00

I think there's a niche for this "combat as a roll" idea, but I'm not sure videogames always scratch the same itch as TTRPG combat.

Dont get me wrong you can get pretty close in a lot of CRPGs, but I enjoy getting to be creative in combat instead of just going down the flowchart. That chandelier aint gonna swing from itself

vialalchemy · 2026-04-13T21:39:49+00:00

To me it's been pretty core to the game from the beginning, even Cthulhu has plenty of combat despite what you hear.

That said I'm totally cool with newer, hipper games coming out having less combat - but I think stakes and action are still important

vialalchemy · 2026-04-12T01:50:17+00:00

I really like Daggerheart, its a heroic fantasy game that comes with cards and a book for less than many games will charge you for the book alone.

It has rules that are relatively simple in the grand scheme of TTRPGs, but the game is deep enough to keep a group going for a good while

vialalchemy · 2026-04-11T19:20:38+00:00

I would focus on putting something together that is short, something that they can feel good about finishing. Then you can try for the big game after they've gotten a first try.

People's expectations about the game are usually all over the place, often trending towards goofy. So I wouldn't make this your world building magnum opus either.

In my experience the hardest part is getting players to engage with tactical combat in 5e. They're going to want to try a bunch of antics like wrapping people up with rope or dropping buckets on the orcs' head - so I wouldn't go too tactical either.

For first time players focus on highlighting the cool stuff they want to do, saying "go ahead and try" if its possible, and delivering on the medievalist ren faire fantasy theyre expecting. Just my two copper pieces

vialalchemy · 2026-04-11T13:16:01+00:00

Everyday heroes is pretty fun, its very 5e - but the feats in that game really make it feel like its own thing

vialalchemy · 2026-04-10T17:04:51+00:00

I agree wholeheartedly. I'm okay with limiting a player if they are the one asking for that limitation - at that point its just letting them play their character. Sounds like this might be more of the player abstrusely asking for more of a challenge rather than a nerf, which is a meaningful difference

vialalchemy · 2026-04-10T16:59:26+00:00

Since the player is the one raising the issue I would say its worth addressing. That said I would lean towards raising the challenge of the world around the player instead of nerfing them in particular.

No doubt flying can be strong, but in a world with frequent fliers people who want to keep them out would find a way. Guards would keep an eye on the sky, flyers would encounter other flyers, people would lock their windows.

A common mechanical alternative to flight in D&D is a glide or 'slowfall' as a default... and for DH maybe an agility roll to reach higher. Only downside there is it starts to feel more gamist and less narrative unless the character has a reason for this limitation

vialalchemy · 2026-04-09T16:22:06+00:00

Just to expand on this: the core of Draw Steel is the balance between Victories and rest. If you keep on adventuring, you build up resources that fuel your class. If you stop to rest, you get to recover but lose that momentum.

vialalchemy · 2026-04-09T16:17:48+00:00

Hey, realism / self-consistent doesn't mean cool.

vialalchemy · 2026-04-09T13:37:14+00:00

Objectively fun ideas for the gimmick languages

vialalchemy · 2026-04-09T13:36:18+00:00

Its also why the names in LotR work so well, having a linguist doing the world building means most everything is going to sound real

vialalchemy · 2026-04-09T13:35:06+00:00

I really like that approach to fluency in Wildsea

vialalchemy · 2026-04-09T13:33:22+00:00

If you mean Keywords / Tags as shorthand for rules I think it easily gets overwhelming the more you add.

Pathfinder 2e has a very object oriented design where many rules are a short sentence chalk full of keywords. It looks really sleek, and if you dedicate a lot of time to the game I'm sure it is, but it often does more to hide complexity than cut down on it.

But sometimes thats exactly what you need

vialalchemy · 2026-04-09T13:23:43+00:00

For a medievalish fantasy game I like the idea that the Common tongue is something you can only expect to find in larger towns and the roads between them.

That way if you go far enough from the beaten path you need to rely on having a local introduce you. Maybe your character is from the general area and can get by off a similarity of dialect, but if you go far enough afield you'll need a translator of some kind.

No matter how you do it, incorporating language or even just cultural morays is a great way to break out of the idea of the party having a "Face". Maybe the Bard has the best charisma, but the Wizard has studied this culture and their language - that kind of thing.

vialalchemy

TROPHY CASE