I’m a big fan of Dragonbane, the BRP derived fantasy RPG from Free League that has set the gaming world on fire. I’ve been running the game for just over a year, setting the light and flexible game rules in the Trudvang setting, former home to the games very different preceding iteration when owned by Riot Minds. The game also serves as our Xmas family RPG, which has become a much enjoyed part of our festivities.
It isn’t often that I get a chance to play the game as a player. Recently, I managed to play and thought I’d jot down a few reflections.
The game was streamed online, presenting an introduction to the Shadows over Gloomshire adventure. Our starting PCs were given two sets of five increase rolls and, at my suggestion, an additional Heroic Ability. So, these were slightly uplifted characters, and I feel about right for a starting game. Each character was also given a plot-filled Act 1 ‘push’ and an Act 2 ‘reveal’, so that PCs could seamlessly provide background details organically in play. This was really well done.
 |
| Playing Dragonbane |
How was the gameplay? It was everything I’d hoped for. Dragonbane has simple supportive game rules that resonate with the core games that were so central to my formative play in the 80s and 90s. So that would be, skill based and roll under, low to static hit points, and more often than not, BRP based or derived.
The GM and players were all great and zoned into the well presented game. You might say that I was going to have a good time, whatever the game system we used. True, though it was quickly clear that the game itself was bringing a quick glow to proceedings and everyone was digging how it delivered a strong sense of ability and conflict with the simplest of rules.
Participating as a player in the tactical elements of the card based initiative system was great fun. Although the VTT implementation of this was cumbersome, it was very engaging to consider our order, and to move things around as we needed, to optimise our tactical position.
The Roll20 sheet was definitely ‘good enough’ for a game, though not a patch on Foundry’s implementation, which I have been used to for more than a year.
Of course, I knew what I was getting, as I know the system so well from the GM’s side of the screen. I knew not to look for anything with a deeper crunch and more nuanced factors. The system was quickly and correctly applied and fully supported our play, which is pretty much the real deal. The game was so successful that the GM is thinking of running it again in a new sequence on his channel.
I look forward to playing Dragonbane again.