DRAGONBANE - CORE SET
Chris Lowry takes a look at Dragonbane, Free League Publishing's latest fantasy role-playing game, set in a world of mirth, mayhem and... mallards.
DRAGONBANE - CORE SET
Ages: 12+
Players: 1-6
Lead Writer: Tomas Härenstam
Art: Johan Egerkrans
Publisher: Free League Publishing
The latest title from Free League Publishing, Dragonbane, describes itself as a “mirth and mayhem” roleplaying system. Set in a magical fantasy world, you play humans, dwarves and other mythical beings, banding together to travel on adventurous escapades.
Now, this probably all sounds a little bit familiar, right? You see, Dragonbane has a surprising amount of historical baggage. It’s a new release for 2023, but is the direct descendent of the 1980s Swedish RPG Drakar och Demoner (literally Dragons & Demons), a game originally created as a response to the rising interest in Dungeons & Dragons, but which used RuneQuest as a base for its system.
So, where does this leave us with the newly released version of Dragonbane? As it happens rather than just an exercise in nostalgia it’s a very interesting release in its own right, managing to coherently pull together a wide range of influences whilst clearly having a strong style of its own.
Free League are probably most well known for their Year Zero system, which usually uses a D6 dice pool and a skills list. You can feel that DNA combining with the game’s RuneQuest ancestry here, as Dragonbane also uses a skill based system rather than levels and classes. Something that always feels a little more realistic to me, as I find it more natural to think in terms of “How good am I at x?”, rather than “What level Paladin am I?”
Dragonbane uses a D20 system, but unlike many others, you roll under values; if your skill at “fishing” is a 9, you need to roll 9 or lower. This also means that a critical success - a “Dragon” - is rolling a 1, and a failure is rolling a 20 - a “Demon”. Skill progression is neat and thematic - whenever you try anything, any Dragons or Demons rolled let you put a tick mark next to that skill. At the end of the session you can roll for each tick, aiming to roll over your current skill level. This means its much easier to progress a level 4 skill than, say, one at level 17.
They’ve also repurposed the idea of “pushing your roll” from Year Zero - if you fail an important check, you can re-roll the D20, but at the cost of picking up a temporary condition such as “Exhausted” or “Scared”. There are also “Heroic Skills”; powerful abilities that use up a limited pool of Willpower Points. WP is also used to power magic, providing some balance to the common problem of overpowered magic users, since Wizardy types don’t get a Heroic Skill at all.
Finally on the mechanics front, combat is fast and lethal. Initiative order is chosen through doling out from a deck of cards to each player - much like Savage Worlds. Fight-focused PCs can choose Heroic Skills that improve their chances with advantage, but otherwise each PC can attack or defend with their action, though attack early and you risk leaving yourself open for brutal reprisals… I’ve had a PC knocked unconscious in every single session we’ve played in the introductory adventures - probably appropriate, since picking a fight in a bar with a knife-wielding goblin should feel somewhat dangerous.
It’s probably clear already that I’m really impressed with Dragonbane. It’s got just enough crunch to keep most heavier-minded players happy, whilst also being easy enough to run with little-to-no prep. I ran a ton of sessions with a 10 year old playing in the group, and she was able to jump in without any issues at all. The designers have unquestionably achieved their goal of making a fast, fluid and fun system - and they've done it well.
I particularly enjoy the skills progression system in Dragonbane - it adds another burst of dopamine when someone rolls a 1 or 20 at the table, and it encourages players to attempt things their character is a bit rubbish at. At the end of each session, the GM is advised to ask players five questions, ranging from “Did you participate in the game session?” to “Did you overcome an obstacle without using force?”. A yes earns them an extra tick, rewarding well-rounded play with added skill progression.
The setting of Dragonbane is intentionally very light touch. Part of that is that this is just the quick start set, after all - I’m sure more lore will follow. There’s also the fact that many groups will quickly form their own version of a Tolkienesque folk-magical world, so leaving things unexplained allows narrative room.
That’s not to say that it’s a completely blank slate; the addition of some extra Kin is welcome: Dragonbane has the expected Halfling, Humans, Dwarves and Elves, but adds “Wolfkin” and “Mallards”. Yup, that’ll be RuneQuest rearing its head again with the inclusion of duck people. Someone play-acting a grumpy, quacking, anthropomorphised bird-person is exactly what every table needs. Well, some tables, anyway.
The adventure booklet provides 11 complete adventures that tie together into a full campaign called The Secret of the Dragon Emperor. I’d say that there’s enough material here to keep a weekly gaming group going for the best part of a year - especially if they take as many needless diversions as the herd of gorm that I’m usually responsible for herding. There are maps, NPCS, hooks, random encounters, journeys, and an overall narrative arc with multiple paths to tie into it. Each place has its own reason for existing; it would take minimal work to make each adventure completely standalone. My only criticism is each map needs a key to explain the numbered locations. The areas are listed, but over many following pages, rather than on the map itself for reference.
There are even solo rules included - and The Reforged Shard - a solo adventure! This adds some solo-only Heroic Abilities that appropriately reduce the slightly punishing difficulty level of Dragonbane. The oracle tables work well, and they’ve pulled off something very useable here - I’d just have loved to see some solo-adventure maps printed in the booklet; I feel like soloing benefits from visual support even more than group play.
Alongside treasure cards, initiative cards, a grid based play mat - although sadly no full-sized adventure location maps - a double set of custom dice and the booklets; this core set also includes a lovely set of cardboard standees. The majority of the characters and monsters faced in the adventures are present here, and its made me realise I’d actually rather play RPG with standees than more three-dimensional models. These chunky and colourful standees remind you that RPGs are theatre of the mind first and foremost; they are a joy to interact with.
As, in fact, is the entirety of Dragonbane; I can’t think of a better game right now for adventuring fun at the table.
Have not tried it yet, but I’d like to someday. Still new and finding my way around, but this sounds like a lot of fun.
Just bought this a couple of weeks ago. I’m eager to dive into it! Sounds really fun.