DAN WOODWARD

I started the colour illustrations on such a high note. Buoyed by my progress with the pencil drawings, I was excited to bring this world in my head to life. The first thing I did was to add in placeholder images to the spaces left in the document, so that I could get a sense of the overall finished article. As much as I dislike the ethics behind a lot of it, this was a useful job to use generative AI for. The quality of what was produced was never going to fit with what I wa

Writing and Layout The first thing that needed to be created was the text itself. Using the existing campaign frames as guides, I went to work on creating my setting, iterating and getting feedback from friends. Some parts come easier than others, so rather than getting too bogged down, for areas that needed more thought, I added placeholder ' lorem ipsum ' text that roughly equated the word count of the same sections in other frames. I first worked in a Google Doc, but once

An example to follow In the rulebook, each of the campaign frames came with its own map. I studied these frames to look for common elements that made them all fit the overall style of the book. An example map from the Witherwild Campaign Frame. © Darrington Press [2] I noticed that each of the maps had a graphic quality. Some used an oblique isometric-esque angle to present geographic landmarks more illustratively. Only essential landmark names were placed on the map itself,

Introduction I had a vague idea for my Campaign Frame. Many fantasy roleplaying games set themselves in a world that is analogous to medieval Europe. I wanted to do something different and wanted a world that had early signs of technology, perhaps something I could tie in with magic as part of the worldbuilding. I thought it would be an intriguing idea to create a setting that invoked an area of fantasy literature that had not been mined in any great depth. Europe in the 18th

Introduction Each of the Campaign Frames in the Daggerheart rulebook follows a specific structure [1]. This would give me guidance on how to structure my own frame and a consistent approach to break down and understand the visual language. Example of a Campaign Frame front page. © Darrington Press Researching the House Style I had the rulebook in both printed and electronic formats, so I was able to take a good look at the structure of the campaign frame chapter. The font pag

Project Overview Tabletop games have become a great source of enjoyment and inspiration for me over the past few years. Whether boardgames or roleplaying games, they seem to hit a sweet spot between rules, imagination, improvisation and creativity. In May, a new roleplaying game named "Daggerheart" hit the shelves, and has quickly captured the attention and imagination of many in the roleplaying community. I have enjoyed it as well, and found one of its most innovative and he