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Dragonbane
Drakar och Demoner is Scandinavia's first and biggest tabletop RPG, originally launched in 1982. Now, we celebrate its 40th anniversary with a brand new and reimagined edition, with one foot firmly planted in the heritage of decades of Swedish gaming and the other in the modern and innovative game design for which Free League Publishing is known worldwide.
There has been talk about the "Swedish wave" in the RPG world in the last few years, with award-winning titles like Tales From the Loop, Symbaroum, Forbidden Lands, and MÖRK BORG. Drakar och Demoner is the game that started it all.
The very first 1982 edition of the game was a translation of Magic World by Chaosium, but Drakar och Demoner soon took a life of its own, evolving through a dozen various editions in Sweden over the decades. Now, Drakar och Demoner will be made available to an international audience, under the English title Dragonbane.
Drakar och Demoner / Dragonbane has art by acclaimed illustrator Johan Egerkrans (Vaesen – Nordic Horror Roleplaying) and game design by the award-winning team behind Mutant: Year Zero, Forbidden Lands, and the upcoming Blade Runner RPG.
There has been talk about the "Swedish wave" in the RPG world in the last few years, with award-winning titles like Tales From the Loop, Symbaroum, Forbidden Lands, and MÖRK BORG. Drakar och Demoner is the game that started it all.
The very first 1982 edition of the game was a translation of Magic World by Chaosium, but Drakar och Demoner soon took a life of its own, evolving through a dozen various editions in Sweden over the decades. Now, Drakar och Demoner will be made available to an international audience, under the English title Dragonbane.
Drakar och Demoner / Dragonbane has art by acclaimed illustrator Johan Egerkrans (Vaesen – Nordic Horror Roleplaying) and game design by the award-winning team behind Mutant: Year Zero, Forbidden Lands, and the upcoming Blade Runner RPG.
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 9, 2025
Qualità manuale:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ambientazione:⭐⭐
Sistema regole:⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dragonbane si rivela un regolamento semplice ed immediato per un' ambientazione fantasy. Perfetto per nuovi giocatori e lontano dalle mille regole e opzioni delle ultime edizioni del più famoso Dungeons and Dragons. Non presenta però descrizioni sull'ambientazione, rimanendo un fantasy molto generico.
Il sistema D20 under, basato sulle abilità, ormai lo preferisco di gran lunga al D20 classico. Continua a portarsi dietro i punteggi di caratteristica e i bonus derivati (in questo molto meglio la gestione di Lex Occultum o Trudvang Chronicles che le eliminano del tutto).
Ottima la gestione del sistema di combattimento con parate e schivate e quello magico che si basa sulle scuole e sui punti volontà come mana. Tutto facilmente espandibile da un master con un minimo di iniziativa.
Il reparto delle creature da affrontare si è rivelato una bella sorpresa specie per la presenza minima di statistiche da gestire e le molte scelte di azione.
Il fatto che i nemici colpiscano sempre è una scelta interessante.
In conclusione un regolamento che strizza l' occhio alla semplicità del passato ma propone soluzioni di design moderne ed eleganti.
------------------------
Manual quality:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Setting:⭐⭐
Rules system:⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dragonbane is a simple and immediate rulebook for a fantasy setting. Perfect for new players and far from the thousand rules and options of the latest editions of the most famous Dungeons and Dragons. It does not have detailed descriptions of the setting and the game world, remaining a very generic fantasy.
The D20 under system, based on skills, I now much prefer to the classic D20. It continues to bring with it the characteristic scores and the derived bonuses (in this, the management of Lex Occultum or Trudvang Chronicles that eliminate them completely is much better).
Excellent management of the combat system with parries and dodges and the magic system that is based on schools and will points as mana. All easily expandable by a master with a minimum of initiative.
The section of creatures to face turned out to be a nice surprise especially for the minimal presence of statistics to manage and the many action choices.
The fact that the enemies always hit is an interesting choice.
In conclusion, a regulation that winks at the simplicity of the past but proposes modern and elegant design solutions.
Ambientazione:⭐⭐
Sistema regole:⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dragonbane si rivela un regolamento semplice ed immediato per un' ambientazione fantasy. Perfetto per nuovi giocatori e lontano dalle mille regole e opzioni delle ultime edizioni del più famoso Dungeons and Dragons. Non presenta però descrizioni sull'ambientazione, rimanendo un fantasy molto generico.
Il sistema D20 under, basato sulle abilità, ormai lo preferisco di gran lunga al D20 classico. Continua a portarsi dietro i punteggi di caratteristica e i bonus derivati (in questo molto meglio la gestione di Lex Occultum o Trudvang Chronicles che le eliminano del tutto).
Ottima la gestione del sistema di combattimento con parate e schivate e quello magico che si basa sulle scuole e sui punti volontà come mana. Tutto facilmente espandibile da un master con un minimo di iniziativa.
Il reparto delle creature da affrontare si è rivelato una bella sorpresa specie per la presenza minima di statistiche da gestire e le molte scelte di azione.
Il fatto che i nemici colpiscano sempre è una scelta interessante.
In conclusione un regolamento che strizza l' occhio alla semplicità del passato ma propone soluzioni di design moderne ed eleganti.
------------------------
Manual quality:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Setting:⭐⭐
Rules system:⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dragonbane is a simple and immediate rulebook for a fantasy setting. Perfect for new players and far from the thousand rules and options of the latest editions of the most famous Dungeons and Dragons. It does not have detailed descriptions of the setting and the game world, remaining a very generic fantasy.
The D20 under system, based on skills, I now much prefer to the classic D20. It continues to bring with it the characteristic scores and the derived bonuses (in this, the management of Lex Occultum or Trudvang Chronicles that eliminate them completely is much better).
Excellent management of the combat system with parries and dodges and the magic system that is based on schools and will points as mana. All easily expandable by a master with a minimum of initiative.
The section of creatures to face turned out to be a nice surprise especially for the minimal presence of statistics to manage and the many action choices.
The fact that the enemies always hit is an interesting choice.
In conclusion, a regulation that winks at the simplicity of the past but proposes modern and elegant design solutions.
Read
December 20, 2024How? It was on super sale from Free League, so I picked it up.
What? There's some history here -- this is an updated version of Drakar och Demoner (Dragons and Demons), Sweden's first homegrown RPG, from 1982. There's deeper layers of history here, where one of the Swedes who ran the company that imported English-language games ended up renting a room (maybe) from Steve Perrin, a big name in RPG development and especially in Chaosium.)
But basically: In Sweden, Dragons and Demons was the first fantasy that a lot of people played, and there were a lot of editions over the years.
And now, Free League (Fria Ligan), excellent developers of everything from Simon Stalenhag-themed games (Tales from the Loop, etc.) to IP (Alien, Blade Runner, erc.), have brought out a new edition. This is the starter box, which has enough rules to get you started (the mechanics are very similar to Chaosium's Basic RP, with some D&D flavoring); it also has a truly mammoth campaign -- not just a starter adventure, but a whole series of adventures in the Misty Vale. Also there's a battle mat and cardboard standees, and a bunch of other stuff. You get a lot in this hefty box.
Yeah, so? But will you use it?
Dragonbane bills itself as the "Mirth and Mayhem" game, and that vibe comes through. For instance, the Free RPG day adventure they had this year was treasure-seeking in this booby-trapped tower that only rises for an hour every year -- so there's a lot of opportunity for hijinks and violence in that one-shot. And in the campaign too: there's a lot of times when you could ally yourself with different people or monsters as you root out this demonic cult. It would be all too easy to imagine a D&D game in 1982 just setting up a giant spider as a thing to kill, and to be fair, you can do that too, but you can also partner with the spider.
Also, another sign of mirth (or of Chaosium's influence over the years): there are duck people as a playable PC type.
I'm rambling because I'm tired, so let me focus a bit: the art here has a style and whimsy that's really sui generis, while still maintaining a lot of danger; the system seems light enough to pick up but flexible enough for some thrilling action; and a lot of the campaign... kinda bored me. Sure, I can play a duck person, but am I ultimately just trying to put together a puzzle to get a magical weapon to defeat some evil? Is that going to be the ur-campaign for a fantasy game from the 80s?
So: a solid fantasy game -- but does it really stand out among all the other fantasy games?
***
ETA: I've now gotten (again, some super sale or maybe secondary market) the core rulebook and the Bestiary for Dragonbane.
I'm sure if I read the core book closer to the Starter set, I would be able to tell you all the things that the core book has that the starter set doesn't -- but I didn't read them close together, so I can't tell you what's different. I'm sure there's new stuff, but it mostly seems like the starter set had all the rules. That's an exceptional thing for a starter set -- not a great thing for a core book.
But the bestiary is maybe where I start to see what a game of this could be, which is: folkloric or fairytale-like or classic. That is, there are centaurs, dragons, giants, ant-people, trolls, demons. There's nothing extra gnarly or jokey or, frankly, all that innovative. This is European Monsters: Greatest Hits.
Put another way, one of the most iconic monsters of D&D is the mimic, a monster that takes the form of a treasure chest. The message there is clear: this is a world where anything might attack you (and so the iconic equipment of D&D is the ten-foot pole). Dragonbane, on the other hand, feels like a game where you might trick a troll into the sunlight as easily as fight it -- a world where you kind of already know that demons are bad news.
What? There's some history here -- this is an updated version of Drakar och Demoner (Dragons and Demons), Sweden's first homegrown RPG, from 1982. There's deeper layers of history here, where one of the Swedes who ran the company that imported English-language games ended up renting a room (maybe) from Steve Perrin, a big name in RPG development and especially in Chaosium.)
But basically: In Sweden, Dragons and Demons was the first fantasy that a lot of people played, and there were a lot of editions over the years.
And now, Free League (Fria Ligan), excellent developers of everything from Simon Stalenhag-themed games (Tales from the Loop, etc.) to IP (Alien, Blade Runner, erc.), have brought out a new edition. This is the starter box, which has enough rules to get you started (the mechanics are very similar to Chaosium's Basic RP, with some D&D flavoring); it also has a truly mammoth campaign -- not just a starter adventure, but a whole series of adventures in the Misty Vale. Also there's a battle mat and cardboard standees, and a bunch of other stuff. You get a lot in this hefty box.
Yeah, so? But will you use it?
Dragonbane bills itself as the "Mirth and Mayhem" game, and that vibe comes through. For instance, the Free RPG day adventure they had this year was treasure-seeking in this booby-trapped tower that only rises for an hour every year -- so there's a lot of opportunity for hijinks and violence in that one-shot. And in the campaign too: there's a lot of times when you could ally yourself with different people or monsters as you root out this demonic cult. It would be all too easy to imagine a D&D game in 1982 just setting up a giant spider as a thing to kill, and to be fair, you can do that too, but you can also partner with the spider.
Also, another sign of mirth (or of Chaosium's influence over the years): there are duck people as a playable PC type.
I'm rambling because I'm tired, so let me focus a bit: the art here has a style and whimsy that's really sui generis, while still maintaining a lot of danger; the system seems light enough to pick up but flexible enough for some thrilling action; and a lot of the campaign... kinda bored me. Sure, I can play a duck person, but am I ultimately just trying to put together a puzzle to get a magical weapon to defeat some evil? Is that going to be the ur-campaign for a fantasy game from the 80s?
So: a solid fantasy game -- but does it really stand out among all the other fantasy games?
***
ETA: I've now gotten (again, some super sale or maybe secondary market) the core rulebook and the Bestiary for Dragonbane.
I'm sure if I read the core book closer to the Starter set, I would be able to tell you all the things that the core book has that the starter set doesn't -- but I didn't read them close together, so I can't tell you what's different. I'm sure there's new stuff, but it mostly seems like the starter set had all the rules. That's an exceptional thing for a starter set -- not a great thing for a core book.
But the bestiary is maybe where I start to see what a game of this could be, which is: folkloric or fairytale-like or classic. That is, there are centaurs, dragons, giants, ant-people, trolls, demons. There's nothing extra gnarly or jokey or, frankly, all that innovative. This is European Monsters: Greatest Hits.
Put another way, one of the most iconic monsters of D&D is the mimic, a monster that takes the form of a treasure chest. The message there is clear: this is a world where anything might attack you (and so the iconic equipment of D&D is the ten-foot pole). Dragonbane, on the other hand, feels like a game where you might trick a troll into the sunlight as easily as fight it -- a world where you kind of already know that demons are bad news.
July 17, 2024
Ξαναλέω ότι προσπαθώ να βαθμολογίσω το βιβλίο και όχι το ίδιο το παιχνίδι. Επίσης το πόσο βοηθάει το εν λόγω βιβλίο να παίξεις το παιχνίδι.
Το Dragonbane είναι ένα παλαιό Σουηδικό ttRPG και αυτή είναι η Αγγλική έκδοση. Το πρώτο που καταλαβαίνεις είναι ότι μιλάμε για old school RPG με ότι αυτό συνεπάγεται.
Έχει το σύστημα του D20 under (ρίχνεις ένα d20 και πρέπει να φέρεις πιο κάτω από το skill σου).
Το σύστημα είναι απλό. Κατανοητό και χωρίς να σου αφήνει απορίες για κανόνες. Έχει επίσης τέρατα και στατστικά αυτών καθώς και μία ιστορία για να ξεκινήσεις. Γενικά το σύστημα είναι τόσο εύκολο που ούτε τρελό διάβασμα θέλει και μπορείς να δημιουργείς πράγματα on the fly εύκολα και άνετα.
ΔΕΝ είναι ισορροπημένο όμως και δεν εννοώ να είναι όλες classes το ίδιο σε δυνάμεις.
Το πρώτο περίεργο είναι ότι είναι φτιαγμένο για party 3-5 ατόμων (αυτό το λέει και το ίδιο το βιβλίο) και το σύστημα αν θέλεις να κερδίσεις έτσι πάει. Είναι φτιαγμένα και τα πόσα actions έχουν οι εχθροί με βάση αυτό, το πόσο damage κάνουν τα όπλα και οι δυνάμεις και πόσες φορές παίζεις στο γύρο σου. Γενικά είναι μία πιο επιτραπεζιακή προσέγγιση το όλο σύστημα. Αυτό δεν είναι απαραίτητα κακό ΑΛΛΑ έχεις θέμα όταν αλλάζουν οι αριθμοί των παικτών και πρέπει να πειράξεις όλα τα τέρατα επίσης αλλιώς απλά δεν βγαίνουν τα μαθηματικά.
Το μεγαλύτερο πρόβλημα είναι πως έχει σχεδόν μηδενικό setting. Δεν υπάρχει ιστορία καθόλου (πέρα από μία πολύ βασική που πιάνει 1 σελίδα). Ειλικρινά δεν μπορώ να καταλάβω τον λόγο πέρα από ότι τότε έτσι τα φτιάχναν. Το ίδιο ισχύει για τα classes και τους εχθρούς. Απλά μία παράγραφο σε κάθε έναν έτσι για το fluff.
Ακόμα και στα περιοχή σε βάζει/δίνει μία πολύ συγκεκριμένη περιορισμένη χωρίς πολλά πολλά.
Εντάξει η προσέγγιση τους είναι τύπου "σου δίνω τα άκρως βασικά" και κάνε εσύ τα υπόλοιπα. Δεν θα με πείραζε αλλά εδώ φτάνει σε βαθμό που κάνει και το ίδιο το διάβασμα του βιβλίου βαρετό αλλά και δεν σε τραβάει. και όχι δεν έχει έξτρα supplements για να το καλύψει. Έτσι πάει.
Ένα ωραίο παιχνίδι που με την απλότητά του σε κερδίζει και δεν έχεις θέμα να τρέξεις περιπέτεια αλλά χάνει σε πολλά σημεία από την άλλην.
Καταπληκτικό το artwork πάντως.
Το Dragonbane είναι ένα παλαιό Σουηδικό ttRPG και αυτή είναι η Αγγλική έκδοση. Το πρώτο που καταλαβαίνεις είναι ότι μιλάμε για old school RPG με ότι αυτό συνεπάγεται.
Έχει το σύστημα του D20 under (ρίχνεις ένα d20 και πρέπει να φέρεις πιο κάτω από το skill σου).
Το σύστημα είναι απλό. Κατανοητό και χωρίς να σου αφήνει απορίες για κανόνες. Έχει επίσης τέρατα και στατστικά αυτών καθώς και μία ιστορία για να ξεκινήσεις. Γενικά το σύστημα είναι τόσο εύκολο που ούτε τρελό διάβασμα θέλει και μπορείς να δημιουργείς πράγματα on the fly εύκολα και άνετα.
ΔΕΝ είναι ισορροπημένο όμως και δεν εννοώ να είναι όλες classes το ίδιο σε δυνάμεις.
Το πρώτο περίεργο είναι ότι είναι φτιαγμένο για party 3-5 ατόμων (αυτό το λέει και το ίδιο το βιβλίο) και το σύστημα αν θέλεις να κερδίσεις έτσι πάει. Είναι φτιαγμένα και τα πόσα actions έχουν οι εχθροί με βάση αυτό, το πόσο damage κάνουν τα όπλα και οι δυνάμεις και πόσες φορές παίζεις στο γύρο σου. Γενικά είναι μία πιο επιτραπεζιακή προσέγγιση το όλο σύστημα. Αυτό δεν είναι απαραίτητα κακό ΑΛΛΑ έχεις θέμα όταν αλλάζουν οι αριθμοί των παικτών και πρέπει να πειράξεις όλα τα τέρατα επίσης αλλιώς απλά δεν βγαίνουν τα μαθηματικά.
Το μεγαλύτερο πρόβλημα είναι πως έχει σχεδόν μηδενικό setting. Δεν υπάρχει ιστορία καθόλου (πέρα από μία πολύ βασική που πιάνει 1 σελίδα). Ειλικρινά δεν μπορώ να καταλάβω τον λόγο πέρα από ότι τότε έτσι τα φτιάχναν. Το ίδιο ισχύει για τα classes και τους εχθρούς. Απλά μία παράγραφο σε κάθε έναν έτσι για το fluff.
Ακόμα και στα περιοχή σε βάζει/δίνει μία πολύ συγκεκριμένη περιορισμένη χωρίς πολλά πολλά.
Εντάξει η προσέγγιση τους είναι τύπου "σου δίνω τα άκρως βασικά" και κάνε εσύ τα υπόλοιπα. Δεν θα με πείραζε αλλά εδώ φτάνει σε βαθμό που κάνει και το ίδιο το διάβασμα του βιβλίου βαρετό αλλά και δεν σε τραβάει. και όχι δεν έχει έξτρα supplements για να το καλύψει. Έτσι πάει.
Ένα ωραίο παιχνίδι που με την απλότητά του σε κερδίζει και δεν έχεις θέμα να τρέξεις περιπέτεια αλλά χάνει σε πολλά σημεία από την άλλην.
Καταπληκτικό το artwork πάντως.
June 14, 2024
I got surprised when opening the box, as I was under the belief this was a starter set. Sneaking in a full game in a box set for that price was one of the biggest surprises I've had buying rpgs, very interesting way to do things.
The box has loads of useful stuff besides the books. Grid map, paper stands, reference cards, "world" map, the works. Top grades for that stuff.
The actual books are divided into rules and adventure. Setting stuff has a small entry in the rulebook, and indirectly touched on in the adventure book, so a bit lacking. I'm very tired of the gigantic fluff sections of the big HC books of modern rpg publishing, but this was lacking even for me.
The rules I found clear and well laid out; it's one of those swedish hybrids of D&D and Runequest with D20 roll under with some merger of RQ skills and D&D spells and feats. Very generic, but have the impression it is fairly easy to get into. Maybe not for people that likes massive amounts of spell and abilities to have lonely fun making characters with however.
The adventure book does what I want, and has room and area descriptions with a focus on use in play over easy to read/massive blocks of test to work as a book for GMs but impossible to find relevant info in play. Huge plus. Most of the adventures are short and fairly generic fantasy stuff, but it feels more like npcs are people instead of a combat encounter, a social hurdle or some other obstacle course type dungeon crawl.
I really like the books, from how they are written to how they look, and I think it's the best rpg boxed set I have for the content they chose to put in. But next to no setting info and the rules being very generic will not lead to getting much use of it, unless I have to just bring one rpg with me to a deserter island. Sadly.
The box has loads of useful stuff besides the books. Grid map, paper stands, reference cards, "world" map, the works. Top grades for that stuff.
The actual books are divided into rules and adventure. Setting stuff has a small entry in the rulebook, and indirectly touched on in the adventure book, so a bit lacking. I'm very tired of the gigantic fluff sections of the big HC books of modern rpg publishing, but this was lacking even for me.
The rules I found clear and well laid out; it's one of those swedish hybrids of D&D and Runequest with D20 roll under with some merger of RQ skills and D&D spells and feats. Very generic, but have the impression it is fairly easy to get into. Maybe not for people that likes massive amounts of spell and abilities to have lonely fun making characters with however.
The adventure book does what I want, and has room and area descriptions with a focus on use in play over easy to read/massive blocks of test to work as a book for GMs but impossible to find relevant info in play. Huge plus. Most of the adventures are short and fairly generic fantasy stuff, but it feels more like npcs are people instead of a combat encounter, a social hurdle or some other obstacle course type dungeon crawl.
I really like the books, from how they are written to how they look, and I think it's the best rpg boxed set I have for the content they chose to put in. But next to no setting info and the rules being very generic will not lead to getting much use of it, unless I have to just bring one rpg with me to a deserter island. Sadly.
August 28, 2023
I've only read the rules here, not the adventure book included, as I'm not really in the mood for reading adventures at the moment and don't want to spoil myself should I end up playing this. The system is reasonably straightforward, being a descendant of Chaosium's house system, albeit with d20 instead of d100. Everything is resolved by rolling a skill or stat or lower on d20, with 1 being especially good and 20 being especially bad. There's the typical content you'd expect here, with a set of races and archetypes for character creation, some magic, and a bestiary of monsters. Standout ideas include having ducks and anthro wolves as race options, the addition of feat-esque special abilities to the stat and skill system, and monsters being run differently from other NPCs. I'm skeptical of that last part, since monsters are handled by having a random table of attacks that always hit and the attacks often don't feel interesting enough. This is the first RPG I've read where a monster attacks by pooping on the PCs, so that's something. Overall, it feels like there's a neat little system here, but it's hampered in my eyes by being too small in the starter box. There's what's probably just enough to run the adventures in the other book but not anything extra. I'm curious to see what sort of expansions are brought out, but by itself this doesn't excite me as much as a lot of the other fantasy games I own.
May 28, 2024
Dang. This is the good stuff. I'm a long-time Basic Roleplaying fan (it's how I got started in the hobby back in the 80s), and seeing this weird Swedish descendant of that game is magnificent. The system is pretty intuitive, as something derived from BRP would be. There are some modifications and things that sort of bring it into a more contemporary style. Plus, it's got a specifically fantastical bent that works very well. I like the Scandinavian twist on the classic pseudo-Western European Fantasy of post-Tolkienism.
I don't believe in the "D&D Killer" idea. The only D&D Killer is and always has been whatever company is currently in control of D&D. However, I think this certainly scratches the same itch, but does so better in pretty much every way.
Here's hoping I can get this to the table sooner than later.
As far as this boxed set goes, it's got the full rules, including character creation. It's got a booklet of I believe 10 adventures, most of which could be run on their own, but which can also form a semi-sandbox campaign. They're short, with most of them seemingly made for a single session.
Also inside is a pamphlet for solo-play rules and a very short solo scenario. Plus dice, a gorgeous map, a battle mat, and a bunch of cardboard pawns/standees for both player characters and monsters. A fantastic value.
The art is gorgeous, as well.
Top tier material. Even for Free League, this one stands out as top quality.
I don't believe in the "D&D Killer" idea. The only D&D Killer is and always has been whatever company is currently in control of D&D. However, I think this certainly scratches the same itch, but does so better in pretty much every way.
Here's hoping I can get this to the table sooner than later.
As far as this boxed set goes, it's got the full rules, including character creation. It's got a booklet of I believe 10 adventures, most of which could be run on their own, but which can also form a semi-sandbox campaign. They're short, with most of them seemingly made for a single session.
Also inside is a pamphlet for solo-play rules and a very short solo scenario. Plus dice, a gorgeous map, a battle mat, and a bunch of cardboard pawns/standees for both player characters and monsters. A fantastic value.
The art is gorgeous, as well.
Top tier material. Even for Free League, this one stands out as top quality.
March 15, 2025
I don't often feel the need to go out of my way to rate a rule book, but I can tell that this game is going to be fun, and I loved some of the innovate features that I haven't encountered in other games such as DnD 5e or Dungeon Crawl Classic (DCC).
I tend to like systems more akin to DCC which model themselves after DnD 3.5 and other wackier, more "mirthful" systems. Unfortunately, as thorough as the DCC rulebook is, so many of it's rules and nuances are not where you would expect to find them, or the audience is expected to have a prior level of experience.
Dragonbane is readable, interesting, and exciting. I read through the rulebook twice, both times in a single sitting. It differs in significant ways from DnD 5e, but it's still similar enough that a player could jump from one system to another without too much whiplash and still offer a new flavor of RPG. First-time RPG players or DMs could easily get a grasp of the rules, I especially enjoy the fact that the starter set contains a single-player experience to help DMs get a feel for the system from a player's perspective.
The art is fantastic and unique, really sets itself apart from other fantasy-themed systems and settings.
Finally: You can play as a duck. Awesome.
I tend to like systems more akin to DCC which model themselves after DnD 3.5 and other wackier, more "mirthful" systems. Unfortunately, as thorough as the DCC rulebook is, so many of it's rules and nuances are not where you would expect to find them, or the audience is expected to have a prior level of experience.
Dragonbane is readable, interesting, and exciting. I read through the rulebook twice, both times in a single sitting. It differs in significant ways from DnD 5e, but it's still similar enough that a player could jump from one system to another without too much whiplash and still offer a new flavor of RPG. First-time RPG players or DMs could easily get a grasp of the rules, I especially enjoy the fact that the starter set contains a single-player experience to help DMs get a feel for the system from a player's perspective.
The art is fantastic and unique, really sets itself apart from other fantasy-themed systems and settings.
Finally: You can play as a duck. Awesome.
March 2, 2025
Πολύ ενδιαφέρον σύστημα το οποίο ακροβατεί μεταξύ σύγχρονου και παλιου.
Εν τάχει θα αναφέρω εδώ τα σημεία που μου φάνηκαν πιο ενδιαφέροντα.
Attributes επηρεάζονται από την ηλικία του χαρακτήρα.
Τα HP μένουν σταθερά καθ όλη την ζωή του χαρακτήρα.
Το level up είναι skill based και δεν υπάρχει flat progression.
Το σύστημα μάχης λειτουργεί με λογική damage reduction (π.χ 2d6 damage - armor class).
Υπάρχουν ενδιαφέρουσες παραλλαγές στα criticals (π.χ στη μαγεία μπορείς να αυξησεις damage ή να κάνεις 2ο ξόρκι κλπ).
Τα τέρατα έχουν ένα σετ κινήσεων που κάνουν τυχαία αυξάνοντας την αγωνία.
Υπάρχουν κανόνες για weapon breaking αλλά και critical mishaps όπως π.χ να γερασεις υπερβολικά (στην περίπτωση που ξόρκι πάει κατά διαόλου).
Σίγουρα είναι απ τα συστήματα που θέλω να δοκιμάσω. Το core βιβλιο με πολύ ευληπτο τρόπο δίνει όλες τις απαραίτητες πληροφορίες που χρειάζεται κάποιος για να παίξει.
Μόνο μου μικρο παράπονο είναι ότι δεν έχει πολλά ξόρκια για τους χρήστες μαγείας. Αναμένω μελλοντική επέκταση σε αυτό το κομμάτι.
Εν τάχει θα αναφέρω εδώ τα σημεία που μου φάνηκαν πιο ενδιαφέροντα.
Attributes επηρεάζονται από την ηλικία του χαρακτήρα.
Τα HP μένουν σταθερά καθ όλη την ζωή του χαρακτήρα.
Το level up είναι skill based και δεν υπάρχει flat progression.
Το σύστημα μάχης λειτουργεί με λογική damage reduction (π.χ 2d6 damage - armor class).
Υπάρχουν ενδιαφέρουσες παραλλαγές στα criticals (π.χ στη μαγεία μπορείς να αυξησεις damage ή να κάνεις 2ο ξόρκι κλπ).
Τα τέρατα έχουν ένα σετ κινήσεων που κάνουν τυχαία αυξάνοντας την αγωνία.
Υπάρχουν κανόνες για weapon breaking αλλά και critical mishaps όπως π.χ να γερασεις υπερβολικά (στην περίπτωση που ξόρκι πάει κατά διαόλου).
Σίγουρα είναι απ τα συστήματα που θέλω να δοκιμάσω. Το core βιβλιο με πολύ ευληπτο τρόπο δίνει όλες τις απαραίτητες πληροφορίες που χρειάζεται κάποιος για να παίξει.
Μόνο μου μικρο παράπονο είναι ότι δεν έχει πολλά ξόρκια για τους χρήστες μαγείας. Αναμένω μελλοντική επέκταση σε αυτό το κομμάτι.
July 30, 2023
It's fine for yet another fairly generic, combat focused fantasy RPG that are swamping the market these days. If I were to play a Free League fantasy game it would probably be Forbidden Lands, as that at least has a bit more focus than just "everyone is skilled at stabbing and/or disintegrating things".
Ultimately, though, I can only think of two fantasy games that I need to do anything that I might want with the genre. Old school D&D for the board gamey dungeon/hex crawl game or Mythras for literally anything else. I keep looking at new fantasy RPGs to see if they truly offer anything that those games don't provide me and I keep getting bored and/or disappointed. They all just boil down to a collection of various ways to stab things.
Ultimately, though, I can only think of two fantasy games that I need to do anything that I might want with the genre. Old school D&D for the board gamey dungeon/hex crawl game or Mythras for literally anything else. I keep looking at new fantasy RPGs to see if they truly offer anything that those games don't provide me and I keep getting bored and/or disappointed. They all just boil down to a collection of various ways to stab things.
October 30, 2024
Played this at Gamehole Con 2024 and I love playing it. I picked up the core book and read it. Love the art and overall style of the book. I preferred playing it to 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons. Plays different sonis not just a clone. It's roll under your skill so that may be disliked by some. I was fine with that I love the Dragon and Demon roll mechanics.
April 9, 2023
Refers to the Adventures book in the Kickstarter version of the 10th (or 40th anniversary) edition by Free League (reviewed the rulebook elsewhere). Individual adventures are generally very good, especially numbers 12-14, but last one a bit of an old fashioned trap filled dungeon, and the campaign doesn't hang together all that well and will need extra work by GMs.
August 28, 2024
Brisk, simple, fast-based implementation of Basic Roleplaying-powered fantasy gaming. Full review: https://refereeingandreflection.wordp...
May 24, 2024
Solid system, but certain rules are formulated badly or unclearly.
Absolutely unbalanced, so if you're not into that, avoid it.
But we've had a lot of fun with it.
Absolutely unbalanced, so if you're not into that, avoid it.
But we've had a lot of fun with it.
September 24, 2024
Current favorite TTRPG. The book was a joy to read.
December 4, 2024
A fun game system
March 16, 2025
Great book. Loved the mechanics here and would love to run a campaign of my own design with this.
October 24, 2025
Great game! Blends a d20-fied version of RuneQuest with stress and exploration mechanics from Mutant: Year Zero to come up with a charming product. I'm a big fan of this one.
July 24, 2025
Well written and structured presentation of the game's rules and world, in a wonderfully designed package.
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