Continuing non-British RPGs, with solo playthroughs following on from Ironsworn with the Swedish RPG Dragonbane, rewritten in 2023 as a modern RPG. With solo rules included
Rolling solo - all | dragonbane | ironsworn |
Dragonbane solo - intro | start | partway | finish | all dragonbane
Disclosure - I'm a DriveThru RPG affiliate
Rolling Solo with International RPGs - Dragonbane
Dragonbane is an RPG released in 2023 by Swedish RPG publisher Free League, and based on Swedish RPG Drakar och Demoner from 1982. Translated and rebuilt.
It includes some solo rules written by Shawn Tomkin, the author of Ironsworn.
The game is based on the framework of Runequest, being essentially levelless and classless and using a percentage based skill system. And an non-xp based advancement system.
The skill system is actually d20, roll under. So a 60% Spot Hidden from a percentage system would be a rating of 12 in Dragonbane, rolling equal to or less than meeting with success.
Boons and Banes add or subtract dice (similar to advantage and disadvantage in D&D 5E), giving a superficial similarity to D&D 5E.
Combat is tactical, fast and brutal, with the monsters having flavourful and terrifying attacks.
I've run the game in a couple of one-shots and just started an online campaign. It's also a game I want to build some random tools for.
I've got a physical copy (which gets you a pdf copy too) and the bestiary.
Solo Tools
There are solo rules included for dragonbane. Fairly simple ones but written by Shawn Tompkin.
There is an adventure, oracles, prompts, guidelines for combat and challenges and NPCs. Plus tables for dungeons and lots of advice.
Dragonbane also has a few things such as Mememtoes and flaws which are easy to build a story around, hooks for solo play.
Introducing Halwyld Barrelborn
Dragonbane has a random way of making characters, so that's what I did!
I used the expanded list of kin from the Dragonbane Bestiary. Sadly I rolled and got a Dwarf 😦. But then "class" was Scholar so more interesting.
Classes in Dragonbane are just a package of skills, a heroic ability and some names. Beyond character creation they have no effect.
Dragonbane also has age brackets (Young, Adult, Old), which is something I loved from Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition. It affects the number of skills you get and some physical statistic modifiers.
Halwyld's stats are distinctly average (or below average on 4d6 drop lowest!), but his skills are respectable in comparison to having low stats in some games.
For assigning skills I asked the oracle whether skilled in particular skills.
Halwyld Barrelborn
Old Dwarf Scholar, Flaw - Child of the Wild
STR 11, CON 8, AGL 9, INT 13, WIL 12 CHA 9
Heroic Abilities: Intuition, Sole Survivor, Unforgiving,
Trained Skills: Beast Lore, Evade, Healing, Languages, Myth & Legends, Spot Hidden, Hammers, Crossbows, Awareness, Sneaking, Knives, Swimming
Skills: Acrobatics 5, Awareness 12, Bartering 5, Beast Lore 12, Bluffing 5, Bushcraft 6, Crafting 5, Evade 10, Healing 6, Hunting & Fishing 5, Languages 12, Myths & Legends 12, Performance 5, Persuasion 5, Riding 5, Seamanship 6, Sleight of Hand 5, Sneaking 10, Spot Hidden 12, Swimming 10
Weapon Skills: Axes 5, Bows 5, Brawling 5, Crossbows 10, Hammers 10, Knives 10, Slings 5, Spears 5, Staves 5, Swords 5
Equipment: Knife, book (one subject), sleeping pelt, oil lamp, flint & tinder, 1 food ration, 10 silver, Memento - Pair of simple bone dice.
Halwyld has a mission of Stop a Decaying Power...Came home to find family dead, swore not to sleep inside until the power of decay was stopped.
Finishing Up
Quite excited for this one, and first up for Halwyld will be coming across the dead of his clan in the Starting Scenes...
Have you played Dragonbane?
