Daggerheart GM Principles GMJ 337

Today I discuss Daggerheart’s GM Principles, which are begin and end with the fiction (story); collaborate at all times, especially during conflict; fill the world with life, wonder, and danger; ask questions and incorporate the answers; make every roll important; play to find out what happens; and hold on gently. I talk quite a bit about why you don’t want to call for too many rolls, and how to know when to call for a roll versus when not to. I specifically discuss the two main areas where some GMs call for way too many rolls: actions involving perception and knowledge. I also go into preparing for an adventure or game session by creating an inciting event to kick things off, and not planning too much beyond that point. I also share how I prepare to improvise. Finally, I talk a bit about advancing and modifying my setting of Primordia. I originally designed the setting for D&D, so I wanted to make some changes to better fit Daggerheart and allow the players more design space to collaborate with the world building. Play Daggerheart with Me on Start Playing Games. Sign up for my newsletter .

You can listen to Daggerheart GM Principles GMJ 337 online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Daggerheart GM Principles GMJ 337 is an episode from Game Master's Journey by Lex Starwalker.

This episode is 1:23:56 long.

This episode was published on Mar 10, 2026.

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