- Game Type: Dragonbane TTRPG and Alone in Deepfall Solo Mechanics
- Player Count: 1-4 DMless
- Play Time: 2-4 Hours, Pre-made Campaign or Random Gen Mechanics
- Complexity: Medium
- Publisher: Free League Publishing
- Designer(s): Anders Blixt
- Artist(s): Johan Egerkrans
- Release Date: August 2023
- My Overall Rating: 9/10
What is Dragonbane?
Dragonbane is a fantasy TTRPG that first released in August of 2023 through Free League Publishing in Sweden with the name Drakar och Demoner. It is a rule-lite, fast-paced game built using a d20 system, describe as “mirth and mayhem”. The core mechanics are centered around rolling a d20 and trying to roll under a skill level. Rolling a one is called a dragon (Equivalent to a Nat 1), similarly rolling a 20 being called a demon. Dragonbane maintains its dungeon crawling, exploration and monster slaying while balancing deadly consequences with heroism.
What’s Alone in Deepfall all About?
Alone in Deepfall is a set of solo-play mechanics (but can be used with multiple players in a DMless manner) included in the core rulebook for Dragonbane. It includes several mechanics for randomizing an adventure and ways to change a character for working better as a solo adventurer. It works pretty well with base game mechanics and shouldn’t let you feel helplessly weak, considering it gives you a second heroic ability.
Yes a pre-made adventurer is included.
Gameplay Experience
I ran a session with one of my players last week to test these mechanics out and it took about 4 hours. It was filled with several moment of tense feelings, especially when rolling dragons. Kickflipping a sentient door down a set of stairs covered in slime, could be one of the coolest things I’ve witnessed in one of my sessions. The mechanics are pretty straightforward. They only effect the layout of your quest by generating a room type, and some characteristics of the specific room. Allow me to explain:
I roll a d20 for the room type:
4 = Claustrophobic crawlspace
Then I roll a d4 and then another d4 as many times as the number on the initial d4:
I rolled a 2 initially and then a 4, and a 4 which means there are 2 dangers in this room.
Then I rolled d20s for those d4s
14 = Imperiled adventurer
8 = Fiery surroundings
Easy as that.So my player-character is in a tight crawlspace. Perhaps a vent of some sort with fire beneath it, or a cave with a blaze chasing me down. I also have an NPC to save or a threat to hold me down as I get swallowed by the danger.
Id some rolls for stats such as convincing the NPC to run. Maybe an acrobatics roll here and there as the vent beneath me gives way.
Its a similar experience with multiple people as well, you just might not add the second heroic ability mentioned above. I’d say there’s a sweet spot at around 2 to 3 players. The time tends to lead on the more players you have and room generation already takes a few minutes on it’s own.
What I Loved
“Have ye come to delve the Breach?” he asks. “There’s good to be done, justice to be dealt, and riches to be uncovered – if ye’ve the mettle for it.” – Ingolfr “Stone-gaze”
The mechanics and art of Dragonbane are a general favourite of mine. The room generation mechanics in Alone in deepfall are pretty easy to understand as a lot of it is left up to you as the player/DM. I did get a bit confused during the base games character creation process but once you’ve been through it, it should be easy as pie the next time.
Areas for Improvement
The only drawback that I have is more about Alchemy VTT where I own the book, the actual complaint is that it’s difficult to move between different articles and during the one combat section in my last session I had I struggled to find the stats for some monsters, that info was stored on a different page of the monster. All in all, the articles could be slightly reorganized however I thoroughly enjoy this game, the mechanics, the art and the lore particularly!
Conclusion: Final Thoughts & Verdict
Dragonbane is a no-nonsense, fast-paced, love-story to heroism, dragons and demons and I’m all for it. While the digital book does seem to have some organizational issues, this is something I can look past and I’m almost certainly checking out the rest of the modules and organizing my group for more session!
My Overall Rating: 9/10
Interested in other Dragonbane content? Check out our character creation tutorial here:
