Dragonbane

Overview

Dragonbane is a classic fantasy tabletop roleplaying game published by Free League Publishing in 2023. It is a modern English translation and reimagining of
Drakar och Demoner https://groupfinder.gg/library/drakar-och-demoner
, Scandinavia's first and longest-running TTRPG, originally released in 1982. The game carries over four decades of Swedish gaming heritage into a sleek, accessible package designed around the philosophy of "mirth and mayhem": fast-paced adventures with minimal prep, where danger is real, luck matters, and even a humble merchant can become a legend. Unlike many modern fantasy RPGs, Dragonbane deliberately avoids the power-escalation treadmill of level-based systems. Characters are capable but mortal from session one, and the game works equally well for a single one-shot evening or a sprawling long-term campaign. It was a strong contender for TTRPG of the year on release, praised widely as one of the most accessible entry points into tabletop fantasy roleplaying.

Description

In Dragonbane, players take on the role of adventurers in the Misty Vale, a hidden mountain valley, ancient and full of ruins from fallen kingdoms, only recently cleared of orc and goblin occupation. The world is shaped by the eternal cosmic struggle between two great powers: the Dragons and the Demons, rival godlike forces whose conflict bleeds into mortal life. Players choose from six playable Kins: Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Halflings, the duck-like Mallards, and the feral Wolfkin and one of ten Professions (Fighter, Mage, Hunter, Thief, Artisan, Merchant, Mariner, Scholar, and others), each providing a distinct set of skills and heroic abilities. One player takes the role of the Game Master (GM), who builds the world, voices NPCs, and runs the dangers the adventurers face. The tone balances genuine peril and dark fantasy with moments of levity and absurdity.

Key features

Roll-Under D20 Skill System

Dragonbane uses a clean roll-under mechanic. Every skill has a rating from 1 to 18, and to succeed, the player must roll equal to or below that number on a D20. There is no adding up bonuses or consulting modifiers, a skill of 14 means you need a 14 or lower. This keeps the math fast and intuitive while still creating meaningful differences between a trained and an untrained character.

Rolling a Dragon & Rolling a Demon

Natural 1s and 20s are not just successes and failures, they're narrative events. Rolling a 1 is "Rolling a Dragon": a critical success that triggers powerful, flavourful special effects. Rolling a 20 is "Rolling a Demon": a critical failure with immediate consequences. This naming convention ties the dice directly into the world's mythology and gives every roll dramatic weight.

Push Your Luck

If a skill roll fails, the player can choose to Push it, picking up the dice and rolling again. But every die that fails a second time inflicts a Condition. Characters can become Exhausted, Sickly, Dazed, Angry, Scared, or Disheartened, each imposing a specific mechanical penalty. Pushing is rarely free, and the decision of whether to push adds meaningful tension to every uncertain roll..

Willpower Points & Heroic Abilities

Each character has a pool of Willpower Points (WP), a resource spent to activate their Profession's Heroic Abilities. A Fighter might spend WP to make a devastating counterattack; a Mage burns it to cast spells. Willpower represents the spark of exceptionalism that separates adventurers from ordinary folk, and managing it carefully is central to play.

Card-Based Initiative

Combat initiative is determined by drawing from a shuffled deck of initiative tokens. One per character and one per monster group. This creates a genuinely unpredictable turn order every round, keeping both players and GM on their toes and preventing the predictability of fixed initiative lists.

Kin & Profession, Not Class & Level

Character creation is fast: pick a Kin, pick a Profession, assign starting skills. After play begins, advancement is open: characters grow by spending experience on skills of their choice, unconstrained by class restrictions. This avoids the feeling of "wrong builds" and keeps development tied to what the characters actually do in play.

Active games and players

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Savage Worlds
Savage Worlds
CoC
Call of Cthulhu
...
Online
Marlon
Hello, fellow gamers. My name is Marlon, but everyone calls me Jay-long story there that I won’t get into. Anyways, I’m the forever DM in my family, and I run weekly podcast games for my wife. We’ve designed a tabletop RPG called Prosperon: A Bio‑Cyberpunk RPG, and we’re actively looking for more playtesters. If that interests you, shoot me a message and we’ll make it happen. With that being said, I’m also an active player in several games. I’m currently in a Blades in the Dark campaign every Thursday, which is absolutely amazing, and I have a few open biweekly days where I can commit to another game-as long as it’s the right game, the right crew, and the right day and time. That’s all for now. Take care, and don’t forget-have fun at your table.
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CoC
Call of Cthulhu
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Roanoke
Online
Andrew Beard
I like playing casual games, especially one-shots.
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en English
DB
Dragonbane
SWRPG
Star Wars RPG (d6 WEG)
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Omaha
Dale Meier
Greetings from the Midwest! I'm a veteran gamer with 40 years in the hobby, 34 of those behind the GM's screen off and on. I'm looking for players for anything besides D&D 5e. In the past I've run games in a variety of genres and systems including: D6 Star Wars, Call of Cthulhu (various editions), King Arthur Pendragon (4th edition), Star Trek (Last Unicorn Games and Modiphius editions), Traveller (Mongoose 2e), Beyond the Wall, Dragonbane, The One Ring, and others. My gaming style is story over rules with roleplaying and combat fairly balanced (50/50), depending on the group's responses and tendencies. I am willing to game with teens (13-18), but only with a gaming family member at the table for accountability all around. I will discuss lines, veils, and triggers with players before gameplay, preserving player privacy when and where necessary. I am very picky with storytelling and the type of game I run, and I do care about everybody - my players and myself - having a good time. So if you're looking to take a step into a wider universe, or even just beyond the dungeon, shoot me a message. You can read more about my gaming style and expectations here.
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DH
Daggerheart
PATH1E
Pathfinder 1
...
Online
JamesCORP
Hi, I'm James from the UK. I've been playing and GMing tabletop RPGs for a long time, and I enjoy trying different systems rather than sticking with one game. As you can probably tell from my system list, my tastes are pretty broad! I've played or run everything from Savage Worlds and Dragonbane to Alien, The One Ring, Star Wars, PbtA games, Blades in the Dark and plenty of others. I'm especially interested in Outgunned right now. I enjoy games where the players actually roleplay with each other rather than everything going through the GM. I like character interaction, collaborative storytelling and giving everyone their chance in the spotlight. Combat is great too, especially when it's exciting and has some narrative weight behind it. As a GM, I'm not interested in trying to beat the players. I want to give them situations to interact with, see what they come up with and make their characters look cool while still giving them meaningful challenges. As a player, I bring the same attitude: work with the group, support other people's moments, and help move things forward. I'm UK-based and mainly play online using Foundry VTT and Discord. My availability varies depending on the game, but I'm generally looking for UK/European evening times. I'm also happy playing with people who are completely new to a system. I don't expect everyone to know every rule before we start, especially considering half the fun for me is discovering games I haven't played before.
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ICRPG
Index Card RPG
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Broomfield
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Mark
I'm Mark, a 50-something tabletop enthusiast who's been playing and GMing for many years. As I've gotten older, I have moved to lighter, faster systems. My current favorite is ICRPG (think of super-streamlined D&D). I'm looking for players interested in games with a balance between action and roleplay. I prefer in-person (Denver/Broomfield area) but am open to virtual sessions. I am in the US in the Mountain Time Zone. My day job can be demanding, so best times are Friday evenings and Saturdays. Please drop me a message if you would be interested in attending a session!
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AD&D1E
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1E)
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Marysville
Online
Chris
I prefer a relaxed roleplaying style that focuses on enjoyment of the game experience over power gaming the system.
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