Welcome to Daggerheart NOLA
This campaign is meant to be a fun, collaborative TTRPG experience where we can explore the relatively new Daggerheart system and enjoy telling stories together.
Location
1008 Center Street, Arabi LA
Schedule
One Sunday per month
System
Daggerheart, starting Rules As Written
Format
In-person first
We intend for this to be an in-person gaming experience hosted at Greg and Courtney's house at 1008 Center Street in Arabi, Louisiana. Our goal is to play one Sunday each month, with the recurring schedule still to be determined as our exciting lives in New Orleans allow.
If we encounter significant scheduling difficulties, we may explore digital play, but we strongly prefer to play in person whenever possible. Please assume all sessions are in-person by default.
Quick History of Daggerheart
Daggerheart is a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game published by Darrington Press, the publishing arm of Critical Role. First released in 2025, Daggerheart emphasizes collaborative storytelling and cinematic action.
The game uses a unique Duality Dice system that balances Hope and Fear, creating dramatic successes, meaningful consequencesn along the way.
Being just over a year old, there are still robust discussions happening around the game's strengths and weaknesses. We intend to begin with the rules as written, but are open to house rules as our experience with the system grows. Please share your thoughts on what works well and what could be improved.
Campaign Expectations
1. Respect Daggerheart
The vast majority of us are coming from a history of playing and GMing primarily D&D and Pathfinder 2e. It is only natural that we will occasionally compare Daggerheart to those systems. However, let us do our best to embrace Daggerheart's unique mechanics and design philosophy before attempting to modify the game to feel more familiar.
Daggerheart has been praised by many players for addressing some of the frustrations found in older TTRPG systems, and we should make a genuine effort to experience the game as intended. Some unique player focused features are:
Weighted Dice System Toward Success
The Duality Dice system uses two d12s, creating a bell curve of results. Extremely high and low rolls are less common, while average results occur more frequently than in a d20-based system.
No Critical Failures
Any doubles rolled on the Duality Dice result in a Critical Success. There are no critical failures, meaning the worst possible result is a 3 with Fear.
Consensual Character Death
Fear of character death during a difficult battle sucks, and losing a beloved character after months or years of play can be aweful. In Daggerheart, Death Moves provide multiple options when facing death, including Avoid Death. Character death is typically a player choice rather than the result of a single unlucky die roll.
Enhanced Storytelling
Daggerheart emphasizes storytelling and collaborative narrative over mechanical complexity. Players are encouraged to engage with the fiction, describe their actions creatively, voice act, and contribute to the shared story.
2. Respect the PCs: Yours and Others
We play as a group, which means balancing your character's personal journey with the stories of the other PCs and the needs of the party as a whole.
Please be mindful of sharing the spotlight and creating opportunities for other characters to participate, even when doing so may not be perfectly aligned with your character's personality. Everyone deserves the opportunity to contribute.
Conversely, if you feel your character lacks meaningful involvement in the story or sufficient motivation to participate in the party's adventures, please speak up. We will work together to better integrate them into the narrative.
3. Help Advance the Group Narrative
Avoid both Main Character Syndrome and excessive party avoidance (aka Hobbitism/Hobbiting).
Your character does not need to agree with everyone, be friends with the entire party, or always make selfless decisions. However, they should generally be willing to engage with the story, pursue adventure, and participate in group activities.
Likewise, avoid creating situations where your character consistently refuses hooks, separates themselves from the group, or requires excessive coercion from the GM and other players to remain involved in the campaign.
Content & Safety
Our campaign may reflect difficult aspects of real life and include themes such as violence, prejudice, discrimination, political conflict, war, and other mature subjects. These themes may be used to create dramatic tension and meaningful storytelling.
If you have any strong aversions to specific subject matter, please let the GM know before or during the campaign. We will make every reasonable accommodation to avoid content that would make the game uncomfortable or unenjoyable. This is a game created for fun, and it should never be traumatic.
If the GM privately asks you to move away from a particular topic or scene, please respect that request. It may be related to another player's preferences, and they may not wish to discuss those concerns publicly.
Likewise, please respect the GM's preference to avoid or minimize overtly graphic violence, torture, extended sexual roleplay, or other content that could make players uncomfortable at the table.
Character Creation & PvP
Character Creation
Characters should be created with the expectation that they can function as part of a group and participate in the campaign's adventures. While disagreements and interpersonal conflict can create interesting stories, characters should not be designed to intentionally disrupt the party or undermine the campaign.
One principle of improvisational theater is to never disagree on stage. While this is a somewhat extreme interpretation, the spirit of that rule should be kept in mind.
PvP
Conflict between characters can create memorable roleplaying opportunities, but the enjoyment of the players at the table should always take priority over the actions of the characters.
Actions directed against another player character (including theft, deception, combat, sabotage, or other hostile actions) should only occur with the consent of all players involved.
Respect the GM
Please respect the rulings of the GM and avoid becoming argumentative during play.
Rules discussions are welcome, but once a ruling has been made at the table, we will move forward with the game and revisit the issue after the session if necessary. Maintaining momentum is generally more important than achieving perfect rules accuracy in the moment.
There will inevitably be times when events become frustrating or unfold less favorably than expected. If you are unhappy with a ruling, encounter, or story development, please discuss it openly and respectfully with the GM outside of active play so that we can address concerns and improve the game for everyone.
Conduct
Scheduling
Finding a time for a group of active adults to gather consistently is one of the greatest challenges of any TTRPG campaign. Our intention is to play from 1:00 PM–7:00 PM one Sunday each month in Arabi. Please make every effort to arrive on time and avoid last-minute cancellations whenever possible.
With the potential for an engaging campaign to last multiple years, it is expected that the schedule will occasionally be disrupted by vacations, family obligations, Mardi Gras, and other major life events. During Carnival season in particular, parade attendance and krewe commitments will naturally take priority for many players.
During football season, we will do our best to schedule around major conflicts when practical, but the campaign will not be routinely canceled or paused due to Saints games. If a player chooses to attend a game, watch from home, or participate in another event instead of a scheduled session, that choice will be respected. We simply ask that everyone recognize that participation in the campaign may occasionally require missing another activity in order to keep the story moving forward for the group.
Phones
We all have lives outside the game, and it is perfectly reasonable to check messages, emails, or social media during the course of a six-hour session. However, please be mindful of excessive phone use and do your best to remain engaged with the game and the other players.
If you need to take a call, please step away from the table. Also, please ask permission before photographing the game, character sheets, miniatures, maps, or other players.
Food & Beverages
Snacks and beverages are always appreciated. The group will typically coordinate a larger meal during the session, and contributions toward pizza, Popeyes, or other shared food are always welcome. Venmo contributions can be sent to @gregjohnsondesign.
Cat
George is a member of the household and may occasionally wander through the game area seeking attention. He would love a gentle scratch if you like cats. Please be mindful of doors, food, and anything else that could be unsafe for him.