Darrington Press are Critical Role’s publishing arm, and their hot new TTRPG is Daggerheart.
Daggerheart is currently the best-selling fantasy game on Amazon.com. D&D 5e (2014) is currently in its 4th edition. It’s not an Amazon phenomenon either, as the Daggerheart Corebook is the bestseller right now on DrivethruRPG, and Daggerheart NEXUS Corebook is the second bestseller. Darrington Press recently announced that Daggerheart would be translated into more languages. It’s doing well.
I was walking home when the news broke, which was frustrating, but it’s given me time to think. What news?
Chris Perkins, ex-Game Design Architect and Creative Director for D&D at Wizards of the Coast (he was there for 28 years) and Jeremy Crawford, ex-Game Director and former Co-Lead Designer for D&D 5e, have joined Darrington Press. Both left Wizards of the Coast around April.
The lead game designer for Daggerheart is Spenser Starke, and the official page lists Rowan Hall, Matthew Mercer, Alex Teplitz, and Michael Underwood as additional game designers. Others have writing and production credits; Rowan is often cited as a senior credit during interviews, though.
So, what happens now?
Will Chris and Jeremy work on Daggerheart, on a game that’s already been designed, or will they work on something new? If these two superstars are working on something new, then what does that mean for the (current) flagship TTRPG Daggerheart?
Darrington Press answer this, somewhat, in the very first paragraph of their press release and says,
[The designers will…] help further its mission to create shared experiences through rich and imaginative storytelling. Perkins and Crawford will be focused on developing new game concepts, innovative mechanics, and future iterations, including upcoming expansions involving the entire slate of Darrington Press products.
“New game concepts” means that they get to pitch games to Critical Role’s leadership, and “including upcoming expansions” probably means more Daggerheart books. It’s a clever answer, which is no surprise from savvy media folks at Critical Role.
Travis Willingham, CEO and Co-founder of Critical Role, added for press;
Jeremy and Chris are visionaries. They’ve guided much of this golden age of TTRPG design and philosophy, helping shape the way we play, connect, and imagine together. Their creativity, passion, and heart will only elevate everything we do at Darrington Press, and we couldn’t be more excited for what this means for the Critters and the stories we continue to tell.”
It’s also a PR win for Darrington Press. I’ve already seen the hot take videos from people predicting the company will be a competitor for Wizards of the Coast. Currently, that’s a David and Goliath battle.
Travis knows a thing or two about Goliaths, and we know who won the biblical battle.
Chris Perkins is becoming the Creative Director at Darrington Press, a title he previously held at Wizards of the Coast. His bit in the press release reads;
Storytelling has always been at the heart of everything I do, and joining Darrington Press feels a bit like coming home. I’ve loved being a part of the extended Critical Role family as a regular guest over the years and I’m beyond excited to help create new worlds full of adventure.”
Jeremy Crawford is also keeping his job title and will be Game Director at Darrington Press;
I’ve always believed that great games invite everyone to the table, and that’s exactly what excites me about joining Darrington Press. This team is passionate, wildly creative, and committed to building welcoming, connected, amazing story-driven experiences—I can’t wait to expand on what Critical Role has already created to develop some really fun and unique games.”
Spenser Starke’s LinkedIn says he’s a Senior Game Designer, full-time at Critical Role. It also says he’s writing a feature for Paramount Studios. Wow.
Daggerheart isn’t Darrington Press’ only TTRPG as they also have the horror Candela Obscura and perhaps the duo of Perkins and Crawford will look at that next? Who wrote Candela Obscura? Rowan Hall and Spenser Starke.
Ultimately, it may not matter what Chris and Jeremey or Rowan and Spenser work on. What might matter is that fans now see Critical Role’s publishing arm as a serious and long-term investment for their time and money. Whether tabletop gaming remains popular, people buy new Darrington Press products, actual play streams pick their games and IP deals keep knocking on the door probably matters more.
