TTRPG news · Source announcement: 2026-10-06
Darrington Press is putting Castle High, one of the campaign frames in Daggerheart: Hope & Fear, in the spotlight with a new Q&A about Dice Times’ actual play. Published October 6, 2026, the interview offers a practical look at the frame’s mix of campus life, magical exploration and missing-student mystery—and advice from the one-shot’s game master on shaping its world with players. The actual play is available to watch, while Castle High is included in Hope & Fear.
What Darrington Press announced
Darrington Press published “A Q&A With Dice Times!” on October 6, 2026, following the actual-play group’s Castle High one-shot. The post says the publisher sponsored Dice Times for the adventure and points readers to the video. The news is a spotlight on an existing campaign frame, not an announcement of a new Daggerheart game or a newly released frame.
Castle High is described as one of four campaign frames in Daggerheart: Hope & Fear. The premise centers on students at a prestigious magical floating school investigating the disappearance of classmates.
A school mystery with room for everyday drama
Dice Times’ description gives the mystery a more specific shape: seven students from a group called Bow Tower set out to find their missing friend Riley, while the school is already unsettled by the disappearance of eight other students the previous year. The group skips class to try to stop the cycle.
The interview also emphasizes a contrast that can help GMs understand the frame’s appeal. Alongside urgency and investigation, players can portray students joking around, spending time together and taking part in school activities. One of the interviewees describes Castle High’s tone as lighthearted, even as the missing-student plot gives the group a reason to act.
Advice for GMs considering the frame
The most immediately useful guidance comes from Brooke Eyler, the one-shot’s GM: build a vibrant world with the players rather than for them, and find a balance between modern life and magic that suits the table. That is interview advice, not a rule or required approach.
Dane Liberatore suggests giving players reasons to explore the campus and nearby Skyshards, as well as hidden dungeons, tunnels or ancient rooms beneath them. Taken together, the suggestions point toward an adaptable starting point: use exploration to reveal the school, but let the group help decide what everyday student life and magic look like in their version.
What existing owners and new readers should know
The Q&A presents Castle High as content within Daggerheart: Hope & Fear, rather than as a separate standalone release. Darrington Press says Hope & Fear is available everywhere now. That statement is the publisher’s availability information in the October 6 announcement; it does not establish the availability of any particular format or retailer’s stock.
The interview also discusses the Gnome ancestry and transformations as features the participants enjoyed, but it does not provide rules text or explain how those options work. For groups already playing Daggerheart, the practical takeaway is that Castle High supplies a setting and premise to explore; the interview itself is not a rules supplement. New readers can watch the actual play before deciding whether the frame’s tone suits their table.
Sources and image credits
Original reporting based on the publisher’s announcement; this is not a hands-on review. Product plans and crowdfunding estimates may change.
Original AI-assisted editorial illustration created for GMCraft Tavern. This conceptual scene is not official publisher artwork, a product cover, or a software screenshot. GMCraft Tavern is independent of the publishers covered.