I ought to have suspected one thing was cooking when Acquisitions Integrated’s Dungeons & Dragons stay play at PAX West 2025 in September ended with Evelyn Marthain (Anna Prosser) plunging a DAGGER into the HEART of a assemble to “reset actuality.” Matt Mercer’s presence as one of many gamers at Acq Inc’s November sport at PAX Unplugged 2025 was the ultimate trace wanted, however I used to be nonetheless shocked to search out out that one of many oldest and most profitable D&D precise play franchises was switching to Vital Position’s Daggerheart TTRPG framework.
That is removed from a reboot, nevertheless. Acq Inc’s very best quality has at all times been its potential to transcend a sport system to construct a genuinely humorous and entertaining expertise for its followers. The present began as a D&D podcast on the daybreak of the fourth version in 2008. That they had their first stay present at PAX West 2010, and its success opened the floodgates for TTRPG stay play. In 2012, they transitioned to 5e, with the workforce touchdown within the Forgotten Realms, the place they remained for greater than a decade (excluding a number of adventures on different planes). In 2023, the social gathering moved to D&D’s “unique” setting of Greyhawk for what many believed to be a full reboot tied to the 2024 version of the principles.
All through all these modifications, with solely Penny Arcade duo Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik remaining from the unique solid, the model by no means misplaced its identification or its connection to its fanbase. Slightly than utilizing the swap to Daggerheart to begin from scratch, they went to nice lengths to make sure that this match into the continuity of the present. As a longtime Acq Inc fan, I feel this can be a nice transfer and the proper subsequent step for the model.
Again in April, the world of fantasy tabletop RPGs was shocked to study that two of D&D’s chief designers, Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford, have been leaving Wizards of the Coast to hitch Darrington Press, the publishing arm of Vital Position, which had just lately launched its personal RPG, Daggerheart. Perkins and Crawford are longtime Acq Inc staples, with the previous being the unique DM for the present, passing the scepter to Crawford in 2018. The 2, and Perkins particularly, are so ingrained within the identification of the model that it was only a matter of time earlier than Acq Inc and Daggerheart crossed paths.
Whereas I didn’t count on the change of methods, it makes good sense. Vital Position silenced all rumors of a struggle brewing with Wizards of the Coast when they determined to play D&D for his or her much-anticipated Marketing campaign 4. There are various good causes for it, however it nonetheless left many followers and novel Daggerheart fanatics upset. They forfeited the most important platform within the business to showcase their in-house sport, and so they will need to have been in search of alternative routes to do it.
Whereas Acq Inc doesn’t pull the identical numbers as Vital Position, it’s a longtime model with a pristine popularity. Additionally, Holkins and Krahulik’s standing as Penny Arcade founders allowed them to construct a powerful community of partnerships and sponsors, together with D&D Past, Hero Forge, Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, and extra. Perkins and Crawford, the previous inventive director and sport director for D&D, being the official DMs for the present is a testomony to Acq Inc’s company attain — which is ironic, contemplating the workforce is a parody of a grasping however inept company.
Now, Perkins and Crawford have the proper platform to showcase new merchandise and marketing campaign settings they’re designing for Daggerheart, whereas Vital Position stays within the good graces of Wizards. In the meantime, judging from the reactions to the present at PAX Unplugged, Acq Inc followers don’t appear to thoughts the change in methods an excessive amount of.
Acq Inc has by no means centered an excessive amount of on the principles of the sport anyway. It’s a comedy-heavy present that incarnates the foolish and chaotic side of D&D. Perkins defined it greatest in a current interview with Popverse, answering the query of why Acq Inc has caught round for thus lengthy: “It has at all times managed to take care of a sure stability between faithfulness to the expertise after which going off and simply type of being its personal factor and never being beholden to the principles or slavishly dedicated to portraying D&D, as many individuals have skilled it up to now. It actually type of amps up the silliness and type of reveals that you could take pleasure in D&D and never should be all that D&D educated.”
The identical formulation can work with Daggerheart. Followers will tune in to see Omin Dran (Holkins) get aroused by intricate paperwork, Jim Darkmagic (Krahulik) taking pictures doves from his magic wands, Evelyn preaching the glory of whoever the god of the solar is on this setting whereas she decapitates monsters, and interns being usually exploited after not studying the very high quality print in Omin’s contracts. It doesn’t matter in the event that they’re rolling with Benefit or with Worry and Hope.
Acq Inc can solely profit from the change. Seeing Matt Mercer on the desk at PAX Unplugged, enjoying Omin’s son, Bode, felt like an superior crossover second. Vital Position has huge pull, and this may put extra eyes on Acq Inc, which the present completely deserves — it was the primary desk to really make D&D one thing you may take pleasure in even for those who’re not enjoying. The PAX Unplugged present is now accessible on Vital Position’s streaming platform, Beacon, which is able to draw extra curiosity to Acq Inc for certain. As a longtime fan, I feel it could even be nice to see Acq Inc on the forefront of Daggerheart’s plans sooner or later.
Watching Chris Perkins in Acq Inc (and Cube, Digicam, Motion!) made me captivated with D&D and DMing once more, after taking an extended break in late 3.5e. I modeled my DM model after his, and I simply know that as quickly as I see him stepping behind the display screen to run a Daggerheart sport for Holkins, Krahulik, and the remainder of the solid, I’ll lastly get into the sport, or not less than give it a attempt.
