Dragonbane by Free League Publishing

A game master and a group of explorers will band together to build a world where you can dungeon crawl, take on quests, and create hilarious mayhem along the way.

Rolling a 1 is a Dragon and a 20 is a Demon. Dragon good. Demon bad.

Was this game sent for review or self-purchased?: Self purchased

In two sentences, what do you do in the game: A slightly lighter challenger to D&D 5e, wherein you have a roll under system that has different skills, making challenge difficulties not up to the game master but up to the skills of the character. The game does not take itself too seriously and is a fun and lighter game that is not as intimidating or daunting as 5e.

Have we played any other titles by this publisher?: We have played the Alien RPG and have read the rules for, and intend on playing Tales from the Loop and Vaesen. This review is for the Quick Start, Starter Set, and Bestiary with monster standees.

What was surprising about this title: It is a light and refreshing take on the high fantasy games that are so popular with tabletop role playing games. The prep and improvisation is significantly less than 5e and it has the great Kin (Dragonbane’s equivalent to races) the Wolfkin and Mallard. Wolfkin are giant wolf-humanoids that are just as intelligent as other playable races as well as the Mallards, sentient ducks that originate from an unknown source and have the bonus ability to easily stay in water.

An assortment of the standees for some goblins and other monsters.

How likely is this to return to the game table?: We have an ongoing campaign and have played this game for several hours with a regular group of friends. The game is fun, exciting and there is always the looming threat of death in the air as your characters are quite squishy if not careful.

Game length: Incredibly long to a few hours. Depending on how you choose to play, the game can last for months to years or just a few hours. One shots are easy and the quick start guide as well as the starter set come with adventure(s) that can be used as either one-shots or as part of a longer campaign.

Language Barrier Playability: Arduous but not impossible. The game is based in conversation so as long as the rules are explained and translation is possible, the game is entirely playable with multiple languages.

Artwork: Gorgeous. The artwork in the rulebook as well as the pregenerated character sheets and Bestiary book are all dark, gritty with a hint of whimsy. The artwork captures the curiosity of fairy tales while maintaining a menacing look to creatures that would send chills down your spine if you were to encounter them. The standees are also relatively in proportion, having Titans, Giants and Dragons tower over Humans, Halflings and even the taller Elves and Wolfkin.

Quality: Amazing. The books have semi-gloss pages that feel smooth and high quality. Some tabletop RPGs feel more like a magazine than a book, but Free League seems to always go an extra step and make even their smaller rulebooks feel high quality.

The beautiful artwork on the cover of the Bestiary.

Strategy: This is a tough one for an RPG but in terms of what resources are given the Game Master, the rulebook, the adventure book and the bestiary all have random tables that allow for easy encounters, adventure hooks and hilarious outcomes for critical failures.

A playable profession included in the starter set. With a Mallard as the playable Kin.

Instruction Manual: The rule book, adventure book and bestiary are all wonderfully written and are all easy to digest. The rules never seem cumbersome or daunting, and there are even optional rules for more (or less) realism. Things like slashing damage and armor resistances are all optional and the game is enjoyable with or without these rulings.

A Mallard Knight a cave troll and a giant spider.

Organization: The starter set is very well organized and the books and standees all fit very well inside the box. The bestiary monster standees that are a separate purchase do not come with a container but can fit easily within the box as well.

Cat people are included in the Bestiary and add an additional playable Kin to the game!

Final thoughts: Dragonbane is a quick and easy to play TTRPG that can be easily taught to new players as well as those who are new to TTRPGs in general. Explaining how the character sheets work is the hardest part of the game, but once taught, players can quickly know what the likelihood of an outcome is based on the easy roll under system. If you’re looking for an alternative to 5e that is lighter on rules or a game that is deadlier, then check out Dragonbane by Free League Publishing.