Written by Alex Fairweather
As the colossus of D&D 2024 threatens to blot out the sun, roleplayers are desperately seeking refuge in the haven that is indie TTRPGs. One such bastion of safety is currently being found in Draw Steel!, the system in development by MCDM Productions, publishers of titles such as Strongholds and Followers, Flee, Mortals! and Arcadia magazine. But what has players so hyped about this new system? And does it have what it takes to stand up to the ever-present plague of D&D 2024?
So who are MCDM and why should you care? MCDM Productions was founded in March 2018 following an incredible Kickstarter for their book Strongholds and Followers for 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons. Since then, they’ve released four full books for 5th Edition, a series of magazines called Arcadia reminiscent of the old Dragon magazines, and have turned their hand to a new project: their very own TTRPG system. Headed by Matt Colville, MCDM is a force to be reckoned with amongst the many tabletop publishers with his immense knowledge of the environment and the juicy insides of game development.
Why try Draw Steel!? Anyone who has watched a Matt Colville video or has encountered him in the wild will know that he is an exceptionally opinionated being, with an extraordinary amount of knowledge to back these opinions up. So, when he found the 4th and 5th editions lacking in certain areas, the only clear option was to create his own system. The backbone of this system is founded on dynamic battles with action-oriented monsters and being heroes from the very start.
A key feature of the game that has many players excited is the lack of a “roll-to-hit”. In many TTRPG systems, before you can damage a monster, you have to roll a die to see if your weapon collides with its flank. Draw Steel! removes this need to check – you simply roll to damage a creature you’re in reach of. By removing the chance to fail an attack, every turn becomes more tactical. Moving into range of your enemy means you will be able to deal damage, but so too can he attack you. You must decide.
Another focus of Matt and the team for Draw Steel! was movement, particularly “forced movement”. This is where in-game actors can be moved by others, such as a Dwarf grabbing a goblin by the tuft and hauling it closer to his blade, or a troll grabbing your Elementalist by the leg and throwing him into a wall. There are also several actions, reactions and manoeuvres that are dedicated to giving you more ways to dart and dance through the battlefield. This attention to movement creates a more dynamic form of play, even where you should move to make an impactful tactical decision.
Speaking of tactics, one of the most divisive choices from the team is Draw Steel!‘s initiative system. Rather than leaving the decision of who goes when up to the chance of a roll, in Draw Steel! you simply choose. Your whole team goes first, choosing in what order each hero takes their actions, and then the enemy team goes, resolving all of theirs. This, like the movement focus, enhances the tactical engagement of the game. Now your table will be full of discussions on how best each character can use their abilities to maximise damage and capability.
So far, not much has been released about the rest of the mechanics, though MCDM Productions have detailed how they don’t wish to create an exploration game or society simulator. However, rules surrounding negotiation have been detailed. NPCs in Draw Steel! have two statistics: interest and patience. Interest gauges how much the NPC will wish to help, and patience is how long they’ll listen to what you have to say. If interest reaches five, they’ll do as you ask. If patience hits zero, negotiation ends, and combat could soon follow.
Matt’s love for 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons strongly echoes throughout Draw Steel!‘s design philosophy. With each class getting special actions to use in combat and having resources that replenish as they fight, it’s clear that the attention is on encounters rather than anything else, and Matt and the team are transparent about this. Colville is creating the system he wants to play and, unsurprisingly, there are a lot of people keen to share in this vision. Enough to raise $4,600,520 (£3,534,441) on Backerkit!
If you’re looking for a dynamic, interesting, action-oriented TTRPG that excels in its combat, Draw Steel! is the ideal game for you. Available for pre-order now, you can pre-purchase the Heroes book and Monsters book together for only $70 for the PDFs or $135 for the hardcovers. Go ahead and buy now!
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Written by Alex Fairweather, edited by Noah Blackham, Photography by Nika Benedictova, Published by Paige Tamasi.