Back in the 1980s, one of the original tabletop role-playing games to hit the store shelves was Drakar och Demoner, which is Swedish for Dragons and Demons. Since its first release in 1982, it has had a few updates and iterations with the biggest pushes happening over the last few years. Now that the IP is in the hands of Free League Publishing, they have not only brought it back but are reintroducing the TTRPG in its English form under the name Dragonbane.
Along with this return, they created a Kickstarter campaign, which was funded in just 4 minutes, to have it published with a myriad of updates that make the game more suited and playable for both new and experienced players. One of the big changes being made to make it suitable for today’s tabletop player’s are the updated rules, which include:
The biggest change is the expansion of the skill list along with the removal av profession-specific abilities, as discussed in a previous update. This change will not reduce accessibility or slow down gameplay in any significant way, but it does open for more character variation and freedom in character generation. It's also a little more in line with the Drakar och Demoner tradition.
The profession abilities are still there - they are now just bundled in with heroic abilities of which each character except mages get one at the start of the game. Some heroic abilities have been tweaked, and a few new ones added.
All of the feedback and error reports posted by you on our forums have been updated and, in most cases, implemented. Thank you!
The graphic design has been tweaked to reduce the number of parchment boxes, as it felt a little too boxy.
You will find a printer-friendly character sheet at the end of the Rulebook PDF.
So far, those that contributed to the Kickstarter - including those that make a late pledge - have been given access to a Beta PDF for Dragonbane. Since the game is still a work in progress, set to the full release later in 2023, they have provided current players with some starting adventures that are fully set up for a fun weekend of Dragons and Demons.
Free League Publishing just seems to continue to grow their list of TTRPGs for players to check and enjoy without the hassle of overreaching parent companies and constant updates. Bringing back a classic series and updating it for today’s players is definitely something that seems to be something many have been looking forward to. What do you think about the return of the classic Swedish tabletop now known as Dragonbane?
