Dragonbane Beta PDF

First Age

D&D h@ck3r and Hopepunk
I am really pleased to see that Free League, in amongst all their other commitments, have managed to get the Beta PDF of their Dragonbane RPG out to Backers slightly ahead of time. I have pre-burbled about this game which, for all its simplicity, may well capture a large chunk of my gaming from now on. The game is already scheduled in for our family Christmas slot, and it will feature at conventions and an online campaign in 2023. With Coriolis also slated next year, and Trudvang Chronicles, it is looking to be a Swedish bonanza.

The Beta is close to the finished game, which will be rounded out with a range of great single session adventures and supplementary accoutrements in the final relaease in Augusr 2023. At 112 neatly laid out pages, this game is a light and breezy romp of a high fantasy, blending the simplicity of Basic Roleplay with the engaging flourishes of Free League mechanics, we have a rocking core of a game in which to play out many an adventure.

There are expansions and slight ammendments to the Quickstart, that now fully bring the game to life, whilst remaining the cute game we were intially introduced to. So, we have a d20 roll equal to or less than your skill to succeed, with 'Boons' and Banes (advantage and disadvantage) serving as the only nmodifiers. A very short skill list and familiar Attributes give you an easy to manage range of areas to engage with the world. Both Kin and Professions provide defining, signature, Abilities that lift the character into interesting niches. Further Heroic Abilities, gained after increasing number of sessions of play, further empower the characters. I like that you get your first one as a reward after your first session.

We have a traditional based fantasy RPG, with low HPs, armour absorbs, random rolled weapon and spell

damage. Characters can be constructed or rolled randomly and quickly. They are fragile and will drop on two(is) undefended hits. Weeble like, they also get back up again quite quickly, with either a few CON based death saves or a helpful heal, or even getting motivatingly shouted at. Scars are collected as trophies and on to the next adventure.

A move and just the one action economy, with some Heroic Abilities opening up further actions. A card based initiative that, once dealt, can then be swapped to provide tactical options in the round. Adverseries are either PC alike in terms of abilities or are full blown 'Monsters' with a 'Ferocity' rating of number of actions, bristeling hit points and a random rolled attack, each of which say something about the monster itself.

Hit Points are familiar, and Willpower Points are used to power magic and the special abilities. Short and Long Rests (Stretch, 15 minutes, and Shift, 6 hours) recover a good random chunk or all of them, respectively. Recharge, crack on.

Three magic schools are presented that cover the basics with a basic but nicely curated selection of spells. Spells are rated in a number of ascending ranks, with some prerequisites as the ranks rise. Each spell also has three levels of power, with increased effects as more Willpower points are blown. As with each area of the game, you can see where the modular supplements will fit. More magic schools and more spells to follow I think. More Heroic Abilities, more Kin, more...

Monsters! Well, we get the stalwarts, who doubtless petitioned strongly to be squeezed into the roster so that they could be an early part of the game. Dragons, of course, along with orcish footsoldiers, wiley goblins, skeles, spiders and some more. Yes, there will be a metric ton of more, doubtless also sprinkled in the adventures that have already been promised.

The game is certainly beginner friendly and good bouncy fun. Everything is setup for quick play, with mechanical effects lightly applied through player choices. For those who want to say that that is where the game's utility starts and ends, I say 'phooey'. Yes the framework is light and highly extensible, but there is plenty here for a rich and lengthy campaign, playing at full action tilt. You aren't going to get the depth of options that are found in the modern D&Ds, if anything this game is a callback to the more Basic editions and, of course, the originating Magic World of olde. I find myself wanting this fresh, deceptively simple approach. I can also see Swedish hardcore wanting to keep their current Drakar och Demoner game if that's where you are coming from.

I'm excited by the reminiscent joyful brevity of the game, enriched by the Free League focus that has honed it into a mechanically modern feeling experience. The process of finding the campaign world in which to set it has already begun. All the high fantasy ones out there would accommodate this lovely game just fine.

Let's play!

Continue reading...
 
I see Dragonbane made 2nd spot on ENWorld's poll for the most anticipated RPG for 2023. I have to say I wavered back and forth on this a bit - at first I didn't see my need for it as it didn't seem to bring anything specifically new or different to the table, then @First Age changed my mind at Furnace, now I'm a bit disappointed by the direction of the beta which seems mostly driven by nostalgia from the Swedish fanbase. Not that I begrudge them that, it's just that I preferred the first beta to the second beta, almost all the changes seem a bit led-by-committee and take away from what I call the purity of the original concept.

I still voted for it, though.
 
I see Dragonbane made 2nd spot on ENWorld's poll for the most anticipated RPG for 2023. I have to say I wavered back and forth on this a bit - at first I didn't see my need for it as it didn't seem to bring anything specifically new or different to the table, then @First Age changed my mind at Furnace, now I'm a bit disappointed by the direction of the beta which seems mostly driven by nostalgia from the Swedish fanbase. Not that I begrudge them that, it's just that I preferred the first beta to the second beta, almost all the changes seem a bit led-by-committee and take away from what I call the purity of the original concept.

I still voted for it, though.
Nostalgia is a big selling point these days.
Though the anthropomorphic ducks were the excuse I needed to back out of the Kickstarter. Do not mind me. I just needed an excuse for Marie Kondo.
 
I've heard there are marsh-dwelling people who worship some sort of aquatic bird god, and maybe they even dress up like it for their primitive rituals, but only children and simpletons believe in stories about duck people. What's next, pigeon-folk? Gerbil-men?!
 
I'm happy to report that Dragonbane uses the weapon durability rule we developed in 1984 to replace the unrealistic RuneQuest (2nd and 3rd edition) weapon hit point attrition system. Those guys clearly know where it's at.
 
I'll do a YouTube on the changes, but I've tracked 34 changes. Some of the highlights include:
  • You start with six Profession skills at Trained with an addiitonal +2/+4/+6 skills as free picks, depending on age
  • Motivation replaced by Weakness - with a nice payoff at advancement
  • All characters can now learn magic by taking the Magic School Heroic Ability
  • Boon removed from Shield Parries
  • Permenance and Ressurection Spells now have a permenant 1 WP cost to the caster
  • NPCs have a default Skill of 5
  • Multiple Boons/Banes (once cancelled) are all rolled and either highest/lowest is kept
  • A Round rest of 10 seconds to recover 1D6 WP (once per Shift). Stretch Rest reduce WP recovery to 1D6
There are a host of clarifications and tidies across the game including falling damage, some spell effects, a few price differences etc.

The core game is, of course, unchanged. The Skill List is the same, and I think it needs some slight rationalising. (I would make the perm WP cost temporary, but that reflects my setting preferences and is just a house rule).

Excitement mounts.
 
I'm happy to report that Dragonbane uses the weapon durability rule we developed in 1984 to replace the unrealistic RuneQuest (2nd and 3rd edition) weapon hit point attrition system. Those guys clearly know where it's at.

I'd be happy to play RAW on this to see how it goes. Would it create the 'golf bag effect' of weapons, where players have to continually use spares, as their others have been bent out of shape?
 
I'd be happy to play RAW on this to see how it goes. Would it create the 'golf bag effect' of weapons, where players have to continually use spares, as their others have been bent out of shape?
That was the problem with the old RQ rules where weapons were continually whittled away. By changing this from weapon "HP" to weapon "STR" as in Dragonbane there is a threshold where weapons can break, but it should be high enough to make it uncommon. An example is breaking your knife on a knight in full armour or when parrying a sword with a stick. That models breaking strain better than hit point attrition.
 
Well now, it looks like it's all over save the typos:

The Dragonbane core game has been sent to print, but we have just a few more days to catch typos. Updated PDFs have been sent out via Drivethru RPG. Please use this thread to report any typos you find in the Rulebook or the solo rules booklet. Please note that this is not a discussion thread.


It's not quite exactly what I hoped for, but still close enough for jazz. Looking forward to the physical items.
 
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