D&D vs Daggerheart — Which Should You Play?

What they have in common

Both D&D and Daggerheart are fantasy TTRPGs. Both involve rolling dice, making choices, and playing a character through a story that a Game Master is running. Both are popular in Singapore's TTRPG scene, with plenty of sessions available through independent GMs.

That is roughly where the similarities end.

D&D: the one everyone's heard of

D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) is the biggest TTRPG in the world. That means two things: there is an enormous amount of content, community, and support for it, and there is a good chance someone in your life has already played it.

The current editions are D&D 5e — the version that dominated the 2010s — and D&D 2024, an updated revision with cleaner rules. Both are mechanically similar enough that advice for one largely applies to the other.

What D&D does well: structure. The class system gives you a clear identity from the start. The rules are detailed enough that you know what you can and cannot do. Combat is tactical and genuinely rewarding once you understand it. There is a reason it has been the entry point for generations of TTRPG players.

Where D&D has limits: it was designed for dungeon crawls and tactical encounters first. Roleplay-heavy games and deeply story-driven arcs are possible, but they work against the grain of the system rather than with it. A lot of GMs compensate for this brilliantly, so that most players don't even realise. But the bones of the game are still pointing toward the dungeon.

Daggerheart: the new challenger

Daggerheart is Critical Role's answer to a question a lot of D&D players were quietly asking: what if the system actually supported the story you were trying to tell?

It uses two d12s with different modifiers, creating a built-in tension between hope and fear with every roll. Results are not simply pass or fail. They create narrative momentum. Roll well, something good happens. Roll badly, something bad happens and the GM decides what. The game actively involves both the GM and the players in shaping what comes next.

Characters are built around archetypes and domains rather than rigid classes. There is more flexibility in who your character is and how they move through the story.

What Daggerheart does well: story. If you want a session that feels like an episode of a great fantasy show, with genuine emotional stakes and collaborative storytelling, Daggerheart was designed for exactly that.

Where Daggerheart has limits: it is newer, which means less community content, fewer reference guides, and GMs who are still finding their feet with it. If you like coming prepared with a stack of YouTube explainers, you will find less material than you would for D&D.

Which is better for beginners?

D&D has a larger support ecosystem, which helps if you want to read guides or come to the table prepared. It also has more rules to absorb upfront.

Daggerheart is arguably simpler to pick up during play. There are fewer moving parts as a player, and the narrative focus means you can engage meaningfully without knowing every rule cold. But you will find less hand-holding material outside the game itself.

Both are accessible for first-time players if the GM is good. In Singapore's independent GM scene, most GMs running these systems have run them before and know how to bring newcomers in without overwhelming them.

So, which should you choose?

If you like tactical games, clear rules, and want the option to go deep on character optimisation: D&D.

If you want a session that feels cinematic and story-forward, with less number-crunching: Daggerheart.

If you genuinely cannot decide: browse both on TTRPGoblin and pick whichever session description sounds more interesting. The GM and the story pitch will usually tell you more about what a session will actually feel like than the system does.

Both are worth your time. One will probably feel more like home.