Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford are accountable for lots of what Dungeons & Dragons appears to be like like right this moment. As two of the lead designers for the fifth version of the sport, they, together with Mike Mearls and plenty of others, formed a lot of D&D’s fashionable look, work that later carried on into the sport’s 5.5 version.
The 2 labored not solely on the core rulebooks for each 5e and 5.5e, but additionally authored a few of the most iconic and profitable adventures revealed previously decade, together with Curse of Strahd, the best-selling D&D journey of all time.
I can solely think about, then, how difficult it should have been for Perkins and Crawford to step into uncharted territory when, in 2025, they each joined Critical Role’s publishing arm, Darrington Press, to work on Daggerheart, a sport whose guidelines they did not design.
Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford talk about leaving D&D for Daggerheart
“For me, it was tremendous simple,” Perkins says in a video interview with Polygon. “Even engaged on D&D, we have been constructing on the work of earlier editions and the labors of the individuals who made these additions. It is not like we have been making a sport out of nothing.”
“For me, it is truly been a delight,” Crawford provides. “Daggerheart is such a enjoyable system to not solely play in, however to work on. It has sufficient versatile elements to take and use to construct new issues, however additionally it is a brand new sufficient system that there is truly plenty of design house that we’re exploring for future merchandise.”
Similar to how each version of D&D builds on earlier iterations of the sport, Daggerheart has been influenced by many different TTRPGs, D&D included. For instance, a lot of Daggerheart’s guidelines resemble D&D home guidelines that developed organically over time — for instance, the Syndicate Rogue characteristic referred to as “Effectively-Related” is actually the “I know a guy” home rule.
“There’s continuity, however it’s far bigger than simply these two video games,” Crawford says. “So many alternative RPGs impressed the Daggerheart design crew. The broader RPG group is consistently exploring — it doesn’t matter what they’re enjoying — alternative ways to play and to construct worlds. One of many superb issues that the Daggerheart design crew did is that they managed to seize the lightning in a bottle of the issues that many alternative design groups and teams have been exploring, they usually synthesized it into this sport.”
Collaborative storytelling is in Daggerheart’s DNA
“Collaborative storytelling” is how many individuals describe and play TTRPGs, together with D&D. It refers to how the Recreation or Dungeon Grasp and the gamers work collectively to construct a narrative because it develops on the desk. The GM could have a path in thoughts for the journey or marketing campaign, however they let gamers’ decisions form the way it all unfolds. In D&D’s case, this specific strategy just isn’t inherently baked into the principles. Nevertheless it’s broadly considered probably the most enriching expertise for everybody on the desk. Merely put, it’s how good DMs run their games. Daggerheart takes this additional by making it a part of the sport’s DNA, and each Perkins and Crawford are absolutely on board with this design strategy.
“That goes again to the philosophy of Daggerheart,” Crawford says, “to take a lot of this stuff that teams have been doing for years, embracing them, and making them an official a part of the sport.” This philosophy goes past the sport’s guidelines and extends to how merchandise equivalent to adventures and marketing campaign frames are designed.
“Within the Daggerheart marketing campaign frames, there are factors the place the participant is addressed straight, or the GM is advised to principally go to the gamers and have them add one thing to the setting,” Perkins provides. “As we create extra adventures for Daggerheart, we’re discovering methods to bake that into the journey design, so there are factors in each journey the place the gamers are literally steering the ship. It is a enjoyable shift for me as somebody who has spent a literal lifetime engaged on journey content material. It is a elementary shift.”
I couldn’t agree extra. D&D adventures are instruments for the Dungeon Grasp, who guides gamers via them. In fact, DMs will add their very own spins and make modifications, and a very good DM at all times includes their gamers within the storytelling course of, however offering instruments to actively form the journey because it develops is a monumental design change. Possible, some adventures from impartial publishers have already experimented with this concept, however Daggerheart can do it at such a excessive stage that it may change the business endlessly.
Daggerheart is ready to revolutionize the TTRPG business
Perkins, who’s engaged on an enormous anthology of over 100 Daggerheart adventures, should really feel a bit like Gary Gygax and his colleagues did within the late Nineteen Seventies once they have been crafting the classic adventures that went on to outline D&D for many years.
“It’s thrilling to consider simply what a Daggerheart journey is,” Perkins says. “We actually solely have one or two adventures on the market within the universe. It is a pleasant thought train, and one I’ve by no means been a part of, as a result of D&D adventures are form of established and codified. Right here, we’re beginning proper on the outset with carte blanche, and we’re going to take some possibilities, experiment a bit, and see what lands.”
Crawford, however, is already engaged on a “spooky” marketing campaign setting, however particulars are nonetheless stored underneath wraps. “All I can say proper now could be that it’s scary but additionally a realm of darkish fantasy the place even individuals who may not usually be into horror are going to search out one thing that can entice them,” Crawford says. “We already teased that the Blood Hunter and Summoner courses are a part of the setting. I can add that there have been additionally items of the setting teased in the course of the Age of Umbra: Sallowlands sequence that Matt Mercer ran not too long ago.”
The primary 12 months of Daggerheart may need been a quiet one, however issues are going to vary quickly. With the deliberate two tentpole releases per 12 months, Daggerheart is in place to grow to be D&D’s first actual competitor in a very long time. However that is greater than a contest between two video games or fandoms.
“Within the huge group of RPG gamers, we’re all on this collectively, experimenting with how we are able to transfer this artwork type ahead,” Crawford says. “Certain, there are particular person programs, however the older I get, the extra I get involved about simply the artwork type as a complete. The artwork type of role-playing video games is so treasured and such a singular manner for individuals to attach with one another and entertain one another that I’m excited once I see the artwork type transferring ahead in any manner in any sport.”