Tomorrow night I’m running my very first game of Daggerheart. I’ve played a couple of sessions before, but this will be my first time as the GM — and it’s also my players’ first time with the system. We’ll all be learning together, which feels like a fun way to dive in.
To keep things simple, I’m using the pre-generated characters from the official Daggerheart site. That way we can maximise playing time. I’ve got tokens, printed sheets, and the Core Set with its beautiful cards and artwork — so everything is set up to look great and run smoothly.
I was originally going to run Sablewood Messenger, but then I stumbled across a blog post on Burn After Running RPG with a scenario called Into the Witherwild. It looked like exactly the kind of one-shot my group would enjoy — more action, a bit more danger, and plenty of space to test out the system. So that’s what we’re playing.
Burn After Running RPG
What I’m Excited About
- Rules-light, story-first: I love that the mechanics support the fiction instead of slowing it down.
- Hope and Fear: The dice system adds tension and flavour to every roll. I can’t wait to lean into narrating those outcomes.
- Something new: I play a lot of D&D, so I’m excited to try something different with fresh mechanics.
What I’m Nervous About
- Quiet players: I don’t know this group well, and I’m not sure how quickly they’ll click with Daggerheart’s collaborative style. I’m starting with the connection questions, hoping that sparks some fun ideas without anyone needing a heavy backstory.
- No initiative order: Without strict turn-taking, I’ll need to make sure the spotlight keeps moving. My plan is to prompt people when needed and spread the focus around.
- Rules pauses: The usual caveat when trying something new! I’m letting the group know upfront: if we don’t know a rule, we’ll make a call, keep the story moving, and look it up later.
Final Thoughts
I think embracing the Daggerheart philosophy — story first, mechanics second — will be key. The Hope and Fear tokens are going right in the middle of the table, and I’ll try to weave in little details from each player to make the adventure feel unique.
If you’ve run Daggerheart before, I’d love to hear your tips in the comments — especially about handling spotlight without initiative.
Next Post: I’ll write up how the one-shot went
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