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How Daggerheart hopes to avoid D&D-style analysis paralysis, from Chris Perkins - who has worked at a senior level on both

Just like his work on D&D, Chris Perkins is focused on helping players find their place in the Daggerheart community.

Features by Trent Cannon, Senior Contributing writer

Published on Fri Jun 05 2026

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Is it cheesy to suggest that the real adventure is the friends we made along the way? Not in most tabletop games. The key component of games like D&D has always been the group of players who come together regularly to fight monsters and save the world. Even if you aren’t best friends with the people you game with, Chris Perkins hopes Daggerheart players walk away with a sense of friendship and community.

We sat down with Chris Perkins, Creative Director of Darrington Press, at PAX East 2026 to discuss Daggerheart as the system was approaching its first anniversary. We asked him to describe how he hopes the game and its community will evolve over the next few years. “In the next five years, I see Daggerheart being a strong, robust game that, when a new person comes into it, they feel invited. It’s friendly,” he told us. “There’s enough options that they can create the character they want to play, but there’s not so many options that there’s analysis paralysis or difficulty in trying to figure out what’s right or what’s the best option for them.”

However, Critical Role’s Darrington Press isn’t just focused on making a welcoming game; they want to make a welcoming community as well. “And that we’ve just created a game that has a strong community of fans around it,” Perkins continues. “Who are just experiencing it at conventions or at home play and like the best other roleplaying games, it’s just a way for people to make new friends and have a great time together. Similar to my thinking on D&D, we’re in the business at Daggerheart of creating friendships and fun experiences and memories that will last a lifetime.”

The gaming industry has come a long way since Pong blew all our minds in the 70s. We've got everything you need to know about the next big thing in games. Of course, Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be the big game of 2026, but there are plenty of other games coming out between now and then. Here is our starter guide for every gamer:

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