Dragonbane Core Set
Boxed Set - 2023 - Free League Publishing
Overall: 8/10
Dragonbane is an English rendition of Drakar och Demoner, Scandinavia's inaugural and largest tabletop RPG, which initially debuted in 1982. It’s system was based on the rules mechanics introduced by Chaosium, and even though that company would later become one of the most influential tabletop roleplaying game companies with flagship titles like Call of Cthulhu and Runequest, Drakar och Demoner (which, unsurprisingly translates to Dragons and Demons) would stay relegated to the Swedish market, going through about a dozen editions, a multitude of settings, and even several owners.
Free League, which also publishes TTRPGs like Aliens, Mutant Year Zero, Tales from the Loop, The One Ring, and Blade Runner, Kickstarted Dragonbane as the very first English-language variant of this Scandinavian tabletop standard bearer in 2022, after acquiring the rights to do so, but has the Swedish company done the game justice? Let’s take a closer look!
Setting
The Misty Vale, a region roughly 150 kilometers in both length and width, is flanked by two mountain ranges: the Kummer Mountains in the north and the Dragonfang Peaks in the south. It derives its name from the thick fog that frequently blankets the land. The valley endured centuries under the oppressive rule of the vile demon Sathmog and his herald, the prophet Azrahel Koth. Ultimately, the great hero Eledain defeated both, rallying ancient dragons to free the region, although he could only capture and entomb the immortal Azrahel Koth.
Over time, Eledain's distrust of dragons and the elder folk led to the withdrawal of the once-thriving inhabitants as humanity asserted itself. Eledain, striving for total independence for the empire, forged a magical sword. However, after his demise, the empire succumbed to power struggles among his kin and eventually collapsed, falling prey to orcs. The tales of the past faded into legend.
Two centuries ago, Sathmog found a way to influence the material world from his slumber. He reawakened his still-sleeping prophet, and together, they summoned a thick fog that enveloped the land, allowing various monstrous creatures to enter the valley. The orcs, growing fearful of the mist and the concealed beings within it, began to depart. Unaware of the fog's true origin, humans returned to the Misty Vale upon hearing of this partial exodus.
Now, as the region becomes attractive once more, its inhabitants remain mostly oblivious to the fact that somewhere in his crypt, Azrahel Koth is attempting to break free to exact his vengeance and unleash havoc upon the world.
Characters
In the core Dragonbane game, players can choose between 10 Professions: Artisan, Bard, Fighter, Hunter, Knight, Mage, Mariner, Merchant, Scholar, and Thief. Each provides a Heroic Ability – making very clear that thus is a fantasy game about heroes and champions against evil – and a list of starting skills. There are only 20 skills, plus skills for each type of weapon and school or magic. Mages get the ability to cast Spells instead of a Heroic Ability, which makes sense balance-wise.
Players don't necessarily need to incarnate humans, as there are 6 Kin available: dwarves, elves, halflings, humans, mallard, and Wolfkin. This is also where Chaosium’s Runequest legacy shines through the most, as the mallard are anthropomorphic ducks, similar to the ones famously found in Runequest.
Contrary to most other tabletop roleplaying games, Kin doesn’t influence a Character’s statistics. Instead, you gain Abilities, often based on culture, but also on physiology. On the one hand, this makes it easier to balance the game for those who believe that element is extremely important, on the other it does take away a little bit from the uniqueness of the different Kin and only makes sense if you can force yourself to believe that such widely different species can have more or less the same core characteristics.
There are 6 characteristics, most of which will sound familiar: Strength, Constitution, Agility, Intelligence, Willpower, and Charisma. Each of these is determined by rolling 4D6 and adding up the 3 highest results. Derived characteristics include hit points, damage bonus, will points (used to power both magic and innate abilities), and movement.
In the Dragonbane TTRPG, every character attribute comes with a corresponding condition. If you choose to take that condition, you must make attribute checks with a bane. Failing a roll allows you to invoke one of these conditions to get a reroll.
Magic
Level-based systems often have automatic spell acquisition, which has never made much sense and has always strained suspension of disbelief. Luckily, in Dragonbane, Characters don’t have levels and have to find a teacher or a grimoire to learn new magic, but they can still only prepare a limited amount of Spells based on their Intelligence Attribute.
Magic Tricks or Dragonbane's equivalent of cantrips. They don’t need to be prepared, but still require some Willpower expenditure. Other than that, the magic system does feel a little bit like D&D’s supposedly Vancian magic (a misnomer), including the fact that they may require material components, focuses, gestures, and/or words, and that they are neatly divided into Ranks that get unlocked as one becomes more adapt in wielding spells. Mercifully, this happens to increasing your skill, not through advancing a level. There are different skills for different schools of magic, so you may need access to a particular one in order to know a certain spell.
Rules
In Dragonbane, a straightforward D20 system is employed for skills. Skill ratings range from 1 to 18, and success is determined by rolling equal to or below the skill level. Rolling a natural 1 is referred to as rolling a dragon, unleashing potent special effects, while a 20 is a demon, indicating a dire result. Boons and banes balance each other out, with circumstances influencing the roll. Boons and banes lead to rolling two dice and selecting the superior or inferior result.
Combat
Damage resolution involves rolling a polyhedral die based on the attack, with an additional die based on the character’s attribute rating. For instance, a character with a Strength of 15 using a Strength-based weapon rolls the weapon's damage die, plus 1d4 for the 15 in Strength. Armor subtracts from the damage taken – as it should.
Gear introduces unique effects rather than just functionality. For instance, a tent outlines conditions for granting a boon during travel. Weapons possess durability ratings; exceeding this durability in parrying necessitates repairs. Some excellent optional rules cover damage types and armor, influencing effectiveness against different weapon types. If a weapon deals multiple damage types, the approach must be declared before the attack.
While the core rules handle improvised weapons generically, the Dragonbane TTRPG includes an Improvised Weapon Deck. Categorized by locations, these cards offer diverse combat tricks instead of merely dealing damage and breaking, adding depth to improvised weapon usage.
Other
Within this set, two booklets of adventures are included. The first caters to solo play, also adaptable for small groups without a Game Master (GM). The second offers interconnected adventures playable in any order, except for the concluding adventure in the storyline.
The solo play booklet introduces additional rules for character survivability, featuring two extra Heroic Abilities offering initiative boosts or the ability to push rolls without suffering conditions at a Willpower cost. Solo adventurers can attempt more frequent self-healing, consult oracle tables for answers, and face special Dragon and Demon effects on rolling a 1 or a 20. Random tables cover NPC attacks, akin to monster attacks.
The booklet includes tables for generating random missions and outlines a mini-campaign with five linked adventures. Impending events are tracked using a d6, requiring attention when reaching 6.
The adventure booklet encompasses ten diverse adventure locations, part of an ongoing story, with an 11th location to conclude the overarching narrative. Descriptions of the starting settlement and random encounters for different locations are also provided.
A handy Adventure Deck serves as handouts for players when hearing rumors in the starting location, aiding in decision-making about which location to explore first.
Overall
To many players, Dragonbane will undoubtedly be there first introduction to a TTRPG that isn’t Dungeons & Dragons and let’s be clear: it is far superior to that game or its OSR-clones, although its cartoony art style may detract some potential buyers who like more gritty or realistic illustrations. It’s system is a good mix or old-school sensibilities and a more modern take on tabletop roleplaying, and it should appeal to a wide variety of gamers. However, there is also one caveat: the lack of a more detailed setting is felt throughout and even the adventures suffer from the vagueness with which the (very generic) Misty Vale is described. Luckily, Free League has promised that Dragonbane will be well-supported and a more elaborate setting will make this game a lot more appealing to everyone.
Dirk Vandereyken
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