Draconis, a feel good RPG!

The Draconis role-playing game arrives on Kickstarter on October 22. In it, we adapt the universe created by renowned French artist Chane. We are excited to bring her artbooks to life through an introductory game, offering everything you need to experience your first campaign!

Draconis is a "feel-good" role-playing game, full of sweetness and poetry. In this article, we're going to delve into the unique atmosphere, which is quite rare for a role-playing game, and explain how it translates into the game.

From Chane's world to the role-playing game

Over the last few years, imagining a role-playing game in the universe created by Chane has been an exciting adventure, as well as a challenge. Draconis is a rich universe that is not limited to its setting. The world of Dréankë offers a bright, and optimistic, vision of fantasy. It wasn't enough to allow the characters to set foot on this new world. Their first steps had to be an invitation to travel, and marvel in a fundamentally positive environment. The peaceful intent was self-evident from the very beginning.

To give this work the depth it deserved, we drew inspiration from the narrative poetry of Studio Ghibli's creations. From singular role-playing games such as Ryuutama, which centered its development on the journey, and from game mechanics inspired by video games. These sources of inspiration, coupled with our work in game design, and the creation of previous universes, have enabled us to offer a tailor-made gaming experience.

Whether you're a novice or an experienced player, Draconis offers you an introduction to another style of game, one that's gentle and poetic.

Draconis, a peaceful role-playing game

The introductory quest in which adventurers take part is a pleasant journey, in which combat is not the climax. Violence is neither the universal solution to all situations, nor even a solution in its own right, where empathy, negotiation, and understanding will be the keys to unraveling intrigues.

The combined skills of all the heroes will be needed to overcome obstacles. To rescue a sick dragon, for example, they'll need to be able to approach it with stealth, mobilize their knowledge to understand what's ailing the creature, and use both magical, and non-magical, healing skills. Everyone can use their talents to help the dragon.

Adventurers are encouraged to understand, and accept, the emotions of others, and to help them overcome negative ones. In particular, they will learn that a dragon is usually aggressive because it is tormented by fear, sadness, or hunger. Soothing it is a more effective solution than confronting it.

For the game leader, the dramatic key system invites you to examine the antagonists' motivations, deducing the actions likely to make them react and thus determining the logical levers of the plot.

A game system for atmosphere and roleplay

Draconis uses a revised version of the rules of one of the most famous role-playing games. Every effort has been made to simplify the process, even for those who have never played a role-playing game before. Above all, we've adapted the 5e system so that it serves the poetic purpose of Draconis, and allows for a style of play centered on the pleasure of discovery, understanding others, and pacifism. These rules allow for a wide range of situations and game tones, and are sufficiently adaptable to meet the singular challenges posed by Draconis' benevolence.

Characters belong to classes designed to be in harmony with the universe. For example, you can play a dracamicis, who possesses a unique bond with dragons, enabling him to master exceptional powers thanks to the draconic companion that accompanies him.

For example, Iko, one of the protagonists of the role-playing game, is a dracamicis. At the start of the scenario, she is already linked to a small, bluish dragon with butterfly-like wings. Through the magic of their bond, Iko can summon a magical avatar of her dragon to her aid. If injured, it simply disappears. With experience, Iko will gain talents and her dragon will grow with her.

The traditional character classes are adapted here (the ranger is replaced by the guide, a specialist in the wild world of Dréankë) and given additional archetypes better able to highlight their non-martial skills.

All the rules you need to know to run the campaign are learned during the course of the game. The basic rules are presented through an adventure in which you are the hero, in a didactic approach. Players also have the opportunity to learn how to play as they progress through the scenes, and their characters, to facilitate immersion and mastery of the game's mechanics.

Get started as a game leader!

The book also contains tips for leaders, including how to ensure emotional safety around the table. The game allows time for everyone to speak, and identifies themes that may be delicate for some, so that each group can choose collectively whether or not to use them.

Draconis offers a guided progression to enable novice leaders to master the game with confidence.

That's all for this quick overview of Draconis' feel-good universe. See you on October 15 for the launch of the Kickstarter campaign! Sign up on the page so you don't miss the launch :)

If you have any questions, you can visit us on our Discord to ask your questions or read other articles about Draconis.

See you soon!

To read the introductory articles on Draconis the RPG:

To learn more about Draconis the RPG:

🌐 The official studio website
📻 The Studio Discord, to chat with the team
🦋 The official Draconis page, to follow the game's updates
🦉 The Kickstarter page for Draconis: Call to Adventure, so you don't miss the campaign launch on October, 22th!