Caprine, my half-faun rogue, ducks behind a barrel as she tries to hide in the shadows from the guards. I hold my breath, roll two dice for a success, then grin at the GM as the guards pass me by without noticing. A moment later, I sneak into the guard room to steal a letter, and then run to get back to the rest of the party before anyone notices I’m here. This is Daggerheart, and it might be the simplest tabletop roleplaying game I’ve ever had a chance to sit down and play. 

I’ve loved TTRPGs since I was a kid, thanks to parents who played Dungeons & Dragons, and an excellent local game store. However, I was never really into D&D itself, due to the crunchy numbers-heavy system that pulled me out of the narrative experience. Over the years, I’ve played in systems like Savage Lands, World of Darkness and Dungeons & Dragons itself, but I play these games for the story I’m telling, not because I’m a fan of the mechanics.

It seems like I’m not alone either. TTRPGs have boomed in popularity thanks to high-quality streaming shows with hundreds of episodes. The people behind Critical Role, the most famous of these shows, are behind Daggerheart and they aren’t just leaning on their popularity either. Daggerheart, which is available to order now from the CritRole shop (it says “shipping spring 2025”) or from Amazon starting June 3, delivers an accessible, less math-intensive option for new and veteran players alike. 

Everything you need in one place

Daggerheart is a narrative-driven fantasy game, with plenty of combat, but it isn’t the crunchy rules-heavy system of behemoths like Dungeons & Dragons. Instead of being spread across multiple books like D&D’s Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master Guide and Monster Manual, everything you need to play Daggerheart is contained in a single core rulebook and the accompanying cards. It’s built to be accessible for new and returning gamers, delivering everything you need to play in an easy-to-read format. 

The core rulebook is broken out into five chapters, and while game masters will have extra reading, players won’t need to read everything. While the book is hefty at 363 total pages, that’s because publisher Darrington Press has made everything easy to access. 

Each page walks you through everything you need to know, from class options to how combat works, to premade campaigns in a variety of different environments. No aspect of gameplay or character creation has been overlooked, making it easier to jump into Daggerheart than any other system I’ve played in. 

Along with the rulebook, Daggerheart uses cards to make it easier to keep track of everything. The accompanying cards fall into one of several categories: spell, ability, grimoire, ancestry, community or class. Every player will start with community, ancestry and class cards, but spells, abilities and grimoires will depend on the character you’ve built. 

The cards display information about the different options you’ll have as a character, including specific spells or abilities that vary wildly. While there is a lot going on, the information is easy to read and parse. Each card tells you the level of the ability or spell, along with its cost, and how it works. This means you never need to memorize everything — you can simply thumb through your cards before making a decision. As you level up over the course of the adventure, you’ll also get access to new spells, abilities and grimoires, allowing your character to access even more powerful actions. 

Built with accessibility in mind

One of the biggest standouts when I was reading through the book and building my first character was how accessibility was baked into the core design of Daggerheart. Along with examples, tips and drawings, there is an entire section dedicated to telling stories that include disability. This includes both a section at the back of the character creation section with examples of how to respectfully portray a disability, and two pages dedicated to the combat wheelchair. 

The accessibility isn’t limited to the player side either. Chapter 3 covers running an adventure and is stuffed full of tips for GMs, including things to avoid and how to better pace your game to keep everyone at the table engaged. 

The chapter includes information about running a Session 0 and incorporating safety tools into your play as well. Sitting down with everyone in the party for Session 0 lets you outline the concept and tone of the story, while also discussing what themes or storylines players want to avoid. By incorporating these early, you can ensure everyone at the table is on the same page, making it easier to tell a great story. These concepts aren’t new, and the rulebook credits the original sources, but it’s refreshing to see them laid out so clearly in a game’s core rulebook.

The GM tools extend well beyond getting started, making Daggerheart an excellent place for new GMs to start. It includes tips for running a one-shot, in case a longer campaign feels too intimidating. The rulebook also walks through sketching out the scope of your campaign with story beats, integrating player backstories into your game, how to construct story arcs that will engage your players and five different campaign frames you can experiment with. 

The campaign frames take up Chapter 5, and deliver everything you need to start your campaign. Each frame is several pages long, with details on everything from theme and tone to ancestry and an inciting incident. Inside of each there is even a page with tips for both players and game-runners to take into account when making characters, or engaging in play. 

These are a great tool for getting acquainted with the system. The five campaign frames vary greatly in theme and tone, letting you find a frame that fits the vibe you want when you start playing. Even better, the back of the book includes maps for each so you can spend less time prepping and more time rolling dice. 

In the very back of the book you’ll find character sheets, sidebars with extra information as you learn the system and guides to help you with character creation or running an adventure. 

Start your adventure

Along with the physical rulebook, Daggerheart also has easy downloads of a variety of materials. This makes it easy to print out character sheets and even a quick-start adventure. The quick start adventure includes premade characters, a new location and even a sheet for the GM to help teach the game to everyone. 

Daggerheart might be the newest TTRPG on the block, but it’s decidedly one of the easiest systems to get involved in that I’ve ever seen. With free resources for download, tons of tips for play and a single book that holds everything you need to know, it’s a great option for players new and old.