The First Expansion to Critical Role’s D&D Rival Daggerheart Launches in Just Three Weeks
Critical Role, the popular actual-play D&D livestream, has successfully pivoted into game design and publishing. Their publishing arm, Darrington Press, launched the fantasy tabletop RPG Daggerheart in May 2025, marking a significant entry into the competitive TTRPG market traditionally dominated by Wizards of the Coast. To strengthen their position, the company recruited Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford, two of D&D’s lead designers, to guide the game’s development.
At Gen Con on July 30, Critical Role revealed their expansion roadmap, with the first major content drop, Daggerheart: Hope & Fear, arriving in just three weeks. The expansion significantly expands character customization with four new classes—witch, warlock, brawler, and assassin—each offering two subclass specializations. Additionally, the expansion introduces a transformation mechanic that provides players with new mechanical options for character progression and roleplay.
The rapid expansion schedule demonstrates Critical Role’s confidence in Daggerheart as a long-term project and signals their commitment to establishing themselves as a major publisher in the tabletop RPG space. By leveraging talent from D&D’s own design team and releasing content regularly, they’re positioning Daggerheart as a viable alternative to established competitors.