by RockyMountainNavy, 13 February 2025
Dragonbane is a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game (RPG) from Free League Publishing. The core rule book was first released in 2023 along with a free Quickstart module amongst other titles. In early 2025, Free League released a new Quickstart, The Sinking Tower, which contains a condensed version of the rules as well as pre-generated characters for a new adventure. The difference in The Sinking Tower as compared to the earlier Quickstart is that this adventure is specifically designed for tournament play. That tournament approach makes The Sinking Tower an excellent introduction to what Free League calls “Mirth & Mayhem Roleplaying.”
For those RPG players out there that are not familiar with Dragonbane here is the publisher’s blurb:
In the oldest times, the world was ruled by dragons and demons. They were the primordial forces through which the world and its primeval matter was formed. They were opposing principles that made the world complete. Law and order versus chaos and madness. Dragons versus demons. Dragonbane is a classic fantasy tabletop roleplaying game full of magic, mystery, and adventure. It is designed from the ground up to facilitate fast and furious play, with very little prep time and adventures that are a breeze to run. Dragonbane is a game with room for laughs at the table, while still offering brutal challenges for the adventurers… . Dragonbane is a translation of Drakar och Demoner, Scandinavia’s first and biggest tabletop RPG, originally launched in 1982. (Publisher’s blurb)
As befits a Quickstart, The Sinking Tower includes a condensed (~20 pages) version of the core rules for Dragonbane. Here one can find the quickstart rules for the core game mechanism (d20-based), combat and damage, monsters and magic.
[WARNING – VERY MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD]
What sets The Sinking Tower apart from the usual Quickstart is the adventure. The Sinking Tower is specifically designed for tournament play. Most importantly, the adventure is played with a strict two-hour (2-hour) time limit. The adventure is, by design, quick-paced, player-centric, rewards creativity, and above all else is designed to showcase the “Mirth & Mayhem” tagline that is the hallmark of Dragonbane.
The Sinking Tower is an excellent introduction to the world of Dragonbane roleplaying. The tournament approach to adventure makes this an excellent “first-shot” module for introducing a new group to the Dragonbane system and setting potential. Not only does The Sinking Tower help showcase the rules for Dragonbane, but where else can one play a duck as cool as this?
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