Author - Jerry Paxton

The wait is nearly over! Darrington Press, the publishing arm of Critical Role, announced today that pre-orders for the highly anticipated tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) Daggerheart are officially open. Fans of immersive storytelling and tabletop gaming can now reserve their copy of Daggerheart, the newest addition to Darrington Press’ collection of dynamic titles, slated to release Spring 2025.

“It was an incredible experience to run an open beta with the entire community during Daggerheart’s development process, and we are really looking forward to everyone seeing how their invaluable feedback helped shape the game’s core rules!” said Spenser Starke, Senior Game Designer at Darrington Press, and Rowan Hall, Game Designer at Darrington Press. “There is so much in store with the upcoming release and we truly hope it brings your table as much excitement, adventure, and enjoyment as it’s brought ours.”

With its innovative mechanics, rich worldbuilding tools, and collaborative gameplay, Daggerheart is set to become a defining entry in the realms of tabletop roleplaying games. Pre-orders for Daggerheart are now live through Daggerheart.com, offering both Standard and Limited Edition versions of the game.

• Hardcover Rulebook: A 300-page, lavishly illustrated guide that covers character creation, worldbuilding, and GM tools, alongside examples of play and tutorials.
• Illustrated Cards: Featuring Ancestry, Community, Subclass, and Domain cards. The Core Set includes everything players need to customize their characters with unique abilities and rich narrative options​.

The Daggerheart Core Set – Limited Edition ($149.99 USD, available for a limited time) also includes exclusive extras:

• A gorgeous, upgraded box with a wraparound cover that holds the rulebook as well as a magnet-closing box that slides out to reveal all your cards and additional accessories.
• Alternate cover artwork unique to this edition.
• A GM screen, with stunning art facing the players and quick reference information on the game master side regarding mechanics, difficulty, making moves, rewarding hope and using fear, and more.
• A rip pad of character sheets so you can easily dive into a new character.
• A set of 9 dice: a full set of standard polyhedrals (d4, d6, d8, a set of two percentile d10s, d12, and d20) as well as two d12s of differing colors for Hope and Fear dice, all held within a satin drawstring bag.
• Crystal tokens: a set of 102 acrylic tokens for tracking Fear, modifiers to rolls, counters on cards, or anything else you might need.

Currently the pre-order is only available to purchase at Daggerheart.com or through friendly local game stores. At the game’s full release in Spring 2025 the Daggerheart Core Set will launch at Darrington Press Guild stores, other friendly local game stores, and Critical Role shops, while the Daggerheart Core Set – Limited Edition will be exclusively available through Darrington Press Guild stores and Critical Role shops.

Daggerheart represents the next evolution in tabletop roleplaying, offering a fresh take on narrative-driven gameplay with streamlined mechanics designed for both seasoned players and newcomers alike.

• Hope and Fear mechanics: At the heart of Daggerheart is the Duality Dice system, which uses two twelve-sided dice (d12s)—one representing Hope and the other Fear. Players roll these dice to determine the outcome of actions, with Hope and Fear representing the ebb and flow of the story.
• Tools to build worlds steeped in magic, history, and intrigue: Embark on journeys in campaigns filled with mythic landscapes, dangerous foes, and untold wonders. Daggerheart enables players to collaborate with the GM to shape and explore a world brimming with magic, ancient secrets, and ever-present dangers​.
• Asymmetrical gameplay: The game offers a unique experience for both players and GMs. Players use the Duality Dice for action rolls, while the GM employs d20 rolls for adversary actions. This asymmetry keeps gameplay fresh and unpredictable!
• Cards bring player abilities to your fingertips: Rather than flipping through a book to look up what that spell does again, each player has their character abilities and details right in front of them on beautiful art-filled cards!

Can’t wait for Spring 2025? Join Critical Role Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder Matthew Mercer and Darrington Press Senior Game Designer Spenser Starke TODAY at 2pm PT on Critical Role’s Twitch and YouTube channels, as well as membership service Beacon.tv, as they talk about how the final form of Daggerheart is progressing and what’s changed since the open beta closed, while taking live questions from the audience.

You can also experience the game firsthand Saturday, December 7th during Critical Role Presents: A Daggerheart Critmas Story LIVE, a standalone festive-themed one-shot featuring the entire cast of Critical Role at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, NJ, just across the river from Philadelphia. Additionally, Darrington Press will have a booth and run games at PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia from December 6th to 8th. Attendees will have the opportunity to play Daggerheart in person, alongside other titles from Darrington Press’ collection. More information on both events can be found at critrole.com/events.

Head over to Daggerheart.com to secure your copy today and become one of the first to embark on this new adventure when the game is released in Spring 2025.