Quick-Start Saturday: Tom Clancy’s The Division – Quickstart Manual

Quick-starts are a means of trying out a roleplaying game before you buy. Each should provide a Game Master with sufficient background to introduce and explain the setting to her players, the rules to run the scenario included, and a set of ready-to-play, pre-generated characters that the players can pick up and understand almost as soon as they have sat down to play. The scenario itself should provide an introduction to the setting for the players as well as to the type of adventures that their characters will have and just an idea of some of the things their characters will be doing on said adventures. All of which should be packaged up in an easy-to-understand booklet whose contents, with a minimum of preparation upon the part of the Game Master, can be brought to the table and run for her gaming group in a single evening’s session—or perhaps two. And at the end of it, Game Master and players alike should ideally know whether they want to play the game again, perhaps purchasing another adventure or even the full rules for the roleplaying game.

Alternatively, if the Game Master already has the full rules for the roleplaying game the quick-start is for, then what it provides is a sample scenario that she still run as an introduction or even as part of her campaign for the roleplaying game. The ideal quick-start should entice and intrigue a playing group, but above all effectively introduce and teach the roleplaying game, as well as showcase both rules and setting.

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What is it?
Tom Clancy’s The Division – Quickstart Manual is the quick-start for Tom Clancy’s The Division: The Official Tabletop Roleplaying Game, the roleplaying game based on the video game developed by Massive Entertainment and published by Ubisoft, and its subsequent novels and comic book series.

It is a eighty-four page, 51.14 MB full colour PDF.

It is decently written and the artwork really is very good.

How long will it take to play?
Tom Clancy’s The Division – Quickstart Manual is designed to be played through in one or two sessions.

What else do you need to play?
Tom Clancy’s The Division – Quickstart Manual needs five ten-sided dice per player.

Who do you play?
Tom Clancy’s The Division – Quickstart Manual includes five pre-generated Player Characters or Agents. They consist of a sharpshooter and scout, a non-specialist soldier, an ex-member of the riot squad, a medic, and a leader. None of the pre-generated Agents have backgrounds.

How is a Player Character defined?

An Agent in Tom Clancy’s The Division: The Official Tabletop Roleplaying Game has three Attributes—Awareness, Dexterity, and Technique; skills and specialities in their associated Skill Domains, and three Traits—Resilience, Vigour, and Quickness, which are used to test an Agent’s speed, strength, or calmness. These all range in value between one and five. Each Agent also has his or her own specific Manoeuvre.

How do the mechanics work?

Tom Clancy’s The Division – Quickstart Manual—and thus Tom Clancy’s The Division: The Official Tabletop Roleplaying Game—uses what it calls the GRIS system. This is short for ‘Gather, Roll, Indicate, and Succeed’. Rolls will either be Trait or Skill rolls. The Traits are Resilience, Vigour, and Quickness, which are used to test an Agent’s speed, strength, or calmness. The number of dice rolled when a player wants his character to act are determined by the points in Skill Domain, Skill, and Specialities for skill rolls and the Trait values for Trait rolls. In either case, this will be between one and five dice. The Difficulty value for any task will be between five and ten with seven being average. Modifiers apply to the Difficulty value only, and do not adjust the number of dice rolled. Once rolled, the player choses which die will be his Resolution die, which will determine the outcome. In most situations, this will be the highest die, but in certain circumstances, such as determining how much trauma an Agent suffers when taking damage it might be lower.

The result on the Resolution die will determine the outcome. A result of one is a fiasco, a roll less than the Difficulty value is a failure, a roll equal to the Difficulty value is a success, greater than the Difficulty value is a Tour de Force, and a result of ten which is higher than the Difficulty value is a Feat. The skills list possible Fiascos, Tour de Forces, and Feats. Outside of combat, this might be to generate a Strategy Point, an Inspiring Example which grants an ally a one-time bonus die, and even lowering the Difficulty value for that skill for the rest of the mission. In combat, it can do extra damage, but also generate a Strategy Point or an Inspiring Example.

How does combat work?

Combat is intended to be fought out on the hex grid. Initiative is a Quickness roll. In a round, an Agent or NPC can move and either sprint, use a Manoeuvre, or an automatic action. The use of a Manoeuvre requires the expenditure of Strategy Points. Strategy Points represent powerful actions, are a shared resource and in limited supply. Generic Manoeuvres include ‘Barrage’, ‘Precision Fire’, and ‘Suppressive Fire’. In general, a player will be rolling to see if his Agent hits and that will inflict damage. Damage is a straight value—four for a pistol, five for a submachine gun, six for a rifle or assault rifle, and so on. Armour worn reduces damage, whilst all Agents have ten boxes of Health. They have a Wound Threshold which when reached, means they are exhausted and/or in pain and suffer a die penalty to all rolls. An Agent is down when his Health is reduced to zero. This does not mean they are dead. In a Skirmish, they will be out of the fight, but not dead, whereas in a Confrontation, it can mean they are. There are tables for both Minor and Major Trauma suffered when this occurs.

In general, the combat rules in Tom Clancy’s The Division – Quickstart Manual do feel underwritten and perhaps an example of combat would have helped. One thing that is clear is that Manoeuvres are special actions and should be selected with care. In another roleplaying game, a Player Character might be able to do them all the time and so gain the bonus. Not so here, where their use is likely to be narrative-based. In other words, the players should be asking themselves if now is the right time to use a Manoeuvre instead of later in the scenario.

What do you play?

The setting for Tom Clancy’s The Division – Quickstart Manual and also for Tom Clancy’s The Division: The Official Tabletop Roleplaying Game, requires some explanation. It is a near future post-apocalyptic setting in which a deadly bioweapon, known as the ‘Green Poison’ because it was primarily spread via infected bank notes, led to high casualty rates, civil unrest, the collapse of civil government, and near societal collapse, especially in the US cities of New York and Washington, D.C. Both cities are quarantined, populated by criminal gangs, separatists and secessionists, and worse, as well as refugees and communities surviving despite the chaos and disorder. In response, the President of the United States activates sleeper agents in the population who work for the Strategic Homeland Division (SHD; or simply ‘the Division’), who are ordered to enter the quarantined zones, render aid and assistance, and combat any threats within the bounds of the city which threaten the continuity of the USA. Tom Clancy’s The Division – Quickstart Manual provides an extensive background to and overview of the current situation in the roleplaying game including the factions on both sides in New York and Washington D.C.

The scenario in Tom Clancy’s The Division – Quickstart Manual is ‘Ashes of Murray Hill’. It is an introductory scenario and so does not use the full mission rules from Tom Clancy’s The Division: The Official Tabletop Roleplaying Game, though the Director could adapt it if he has access to them. There is advice on adjusting the story in places as well. In ‘Ashes of Murray Hill’, the Agents are stationed in a fire station at Kips Bay on the edge of the New York City quarantine zone. The Joint Task Force, made up of police, fire-fighters, and emergency workers, has been sending medical and food convoys into eastern Manhattan to help civilians. Amidst a rainstorm, the Agents learn that one of the convoys has been hijacked, probably by the Rikers, a violent gang made up of former inmates at the infamous prison. The Agents have access to an ECHO or ‘Evidence Correlation Holographic Overlay’, from which they can determine what happened at the ambush site and track the culprits to the Murray Hill district. Whether they use stealth or a more direct approach, the Agents will be able to find the Rikers base of operations and with luck, rescue the survivors from the convoy. In the final scenes, the Agents have to escape the Rikers base of operations as it is attacked by a rival faction and get back to safe territory, only to discover what the Rikers’ true plan was all along…

Is there anything missing?
No. Not as written, but examples of play or combat would not have gone amiss.

Is it easy to prepare?
Yes. Tom Clancy’s The Division – Quickstart Manual is easy to prepare.

Is it worth it?
Yes. Tom Clancy’s The Division – Quickstart Manual does give a good idea of what the roleplaying game will be like. Some players may be disappointed by the lack of tactical elements in the combat system and the combat mechanics may be too light for others, especially given the combat-focused game play of the video game it is based on. On the other hand the rules are not too complex, the background to the setting is surprisingly detailed in its explanation, and the scenario is decent.

Tom Clancy’s The Division – Quickstart Manual is published by Arkhane Asylum Publishing and is available to download here.

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Tom Clancy’s The Division: The Official Tabletop Roleplaying Game is currently being funded on Kickstarter.

[Free RPG Day 2025] Nobi Nobi Quickstart Booster

Now in its eighteenth year, Free RPG Day for 2025 took place on Saturday, June 21st. As per usual, Free RPG Day consisted of an array of new and interesting little releases, which are traditionally tasters for forthcoming games to be released at GenCon the following August, but others are support for existing RPGs or pieces of gaming ephemera or a quick-start. This included dice, miniatures, vouchers, and more. Thanks to the generosity of Waylands Forge in Birmingham, Reviews from R’lyeh was able to get hold of many of the titles released for Free RPG Day.

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If there was an award for the smallest roleplaying game—not the smallest item—released for Free RPG Day 2025, it would go to the Nobi Nobi Quickstart Booster. It consists of twenty-four cards which all together provides a roleplaying experience that can be played through in an hour and even be played through more than once. Nobi Nobi is a Japanese roleplaying game, published by Arclight Games, and intended to be played at board game cafes as well as with beginners as introduction to roleplaying. The four core games, each covering a different genre, are designed to be played by between one and five players, including the Game Master, and played through in thirty to sixty minutes. These four have since been translated into English by French publisher, Don’t Panic Games, following a successful Kickstarter campaign. The Nobi Nobi Quickstart Booster is easy to transport, fitting into any pocket, and requires just six six-sided dice. Which means that it can be played just about anywhere that has a flat surface.

The cards in the Nobi Nobi Quickstart Booster consist of two Epilogue cards, one of which contains the roleplaying game’s rules on the reverse; two Introduction cards, one for the Game Master and one the first Main Character; eight Scene cards; four Darkness and four Light cards; and four Character cards. The Character cards are double-sided, each side depicting a different character archetype. Altogether, the eight archetypes are Enchanter, Wizard, Priestess, Cleric, Warrior, Shieldmaiden, Huntress, and Samurai. Each has two stats, Power and Technique, rated from one to six (together they total seven), and an Ability. These are quite simple, requiring specific rolls, add bonuses, and even require dice to land on the Character card itself when rolled! For example, the Warrior has a Power of six and a Technique of one, plus the ‘Destiny’s Strike’ Ability, which grants the player a roll with straight +7 bonus rather than adding either Power or Technique, but only if the player can persuade the Game Master that “a sword could come in handy” for the Scene.

The Scene cards come in two types, a ‘Check’ or a ‘Role-play’ Scene. Each comes with a prompt and a description that the Game Master reads out and the means of resolution. For a ‘Role-play’ Scene, this might require a player to roleplay in the traditional sense, add a storytelling element, and even act out a mime! A ‘Check’ result requires a dice roll, a player rolling two dice and adding either Power or Technique as indicated by the Scene card. If the player succeeds, determined by the dice roll for a ‘Check’ Scene or the Game Master for a ‘Role-play’ Scene, he earns a Light card. If the player fails, he earns a Darkness card. A Light card grants a bonus that can be used later in the game, for example, ‘Disciple’ reads, “You can designate any player with the arrow on this card or spin it to pick one at random. From now on, the designated PC will be your disciple. To guide them in their learning, you will need to steer them gently at times, and at others, be more severe.” and grants ‘Technique +1’. Whereas, a Darkness card grants an effect that breaks the rules, such as ‘Dark Force’, which reads “A dark force capable of twisting the laws of nature, rearranging causality… Even though it darkens your soul, right now you have no choice but use it.” and gives the ‘Dirty cheat’ ability to alter a Check by +2 or -2.

Nobi Nobi is played with a revolving Game Master and Main Character. At the start of the game, the designated Game Master sets the game up by reading out an Introduction card out and drawing the first Scene card and reading that out. The player to her left is the designated Main Character for the scene and his character will resolve the scene described. This can involve one or more of the other characters and their players, but it is the Main Character and his player who resolves the Scene. Once done, the role of the Game Master and of the Main Character passes to the left. Play like this continues until all of the Scene cards have been drawn and played. Then an Epilogue card is drawn and resolved, with every Player Character participating, and the session brought to a close.

Nobi Nobi is quick and easy to play though and the Nobi Nobi Quickstart Booster even quicker. With just eight Scene cards, it plays better with either two players or four players so that every player is accorded a fair share of the Scenes. An experienced group of players will likely run through this in thirty minutes or so, whereas a less experienced group will take slightly longer. That said, the reaction to the demands of each ‘Role-play’ Scene will vary according to the experience of the players. The more experienced roleplayers will be au fait with the dice rolling, whereas the less experienced players will be more comfortable with the scenes which require something like miming to resolve.

Physically, the Nobi Nobi Quickstart Booster is a simple pack of twenty-four cards. All are colour-coded according to type and so easy to spot, whilst the Character cards are illustrated in classic Manga style. The Scene cards do each have line art on them which depicts what is going on, but due to the size of the card, the artwork is slightly small.

Nobi Nobi looks to be an interesting format and means of introducing roleplaying to a wider audience, as well as having a low presence at the game table. The Nobi Nobi Quickstart Booster is an intriguing introduction, offering both a surprising amount of play in a very small package and easy replay value with different groups.

Solitaire: Aces Over the Adriatic

There is something utterly romantic and beguiling as you soar through the skies above the azure waters of the Adriatic, the sun glinting off your wingtips, the wind rushing past your head, and the roar of the engine in your ears. Higher, faster, the dreams of your nation embodied in the sleek frame of the machine in your hands, for a moment you are free. Free of the demands of national pride and prestige, free of expectations, and maybe even free of the memories that you can never truly escape, no matter how fast or how high you fly… And then you turn over and dive. Dive back down to the exaltation of the crowds, to the popping glare of the press, to be amongst the men and women placed on a pedestal who are your peers and like you, know the freedom of flight, and to return to the horrors of your past and the creeping horror of Fascism along the shores of the Adriatic.

In Aces Over the Adriatic: A Solo RPG, you are that pilot. Perhaps a veteran of the Great War, mourning the loss of comrades, your skill and experience has put you at the controls of a seaplane, an entry into the ongoing Coupe d’Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, a biennial race for seaplanes and flying boats. You race for your country, but you also race for the memory of your friends lost in combat and you race for the love and glory of flying. Yet the speed and manoeuvrability of your machine may also see you undertaking missions facing pirates that are a threat the skies over the Adriatic, delivering urgent mail to Milan, or carrying contraband in sealed cases. Published by Critical Kit, Ltd, a publisher best known for Be Like a Crow: A Solo RPG, this is actually a French roleplaying game written in conjunction with the Musée de l’Hydraviation in Biscarrosse, France. It is semi-historical in that in addition to being inspired by the technical innovation and the romance brought about by the Schneider Trophy in the interwar years, it is also inspired by the Studio Ghibli film, Porco Rosso.

A Pilot in Aces Over the Adriatic: A Solo RPG is defined by his Nationality, Age, some Personality features, a personal distinctive feature, a distinctive feature for his aircraft, and a Perk. Nationality will also determine the Pilot’s name and possibly the type of aircraft he is flying, whilst age will determine whether or not he served in the Great War. The Perk can apply to the aircraft, such as ‘Military-grade weapons’ or ‘Speed’, or it can apply to the Pilot like ‘Calm’ or ‘Daredevil’. He also has values for Gauge, Glory, and Nostalgia. Gauge represents the amount of damage that both Pilot and aircraft can withstand; Glory is the Pilot’s fame and ambition, as it rises, the Pilot will gain Perks, a nickname, and honorary titles; and Nostalgia is the Pilot’s link to his past and if it grows too high, the Pilot may suffer from melancholy and if it reaches ten, will forces them to hang up his flying helmet and goggles.

Name: Otillie Gottschalk
Nationality: German
Age: 31
Nickname: None
Honorary Title: None
Personality: Clever, Chatty, Clumsy
Distinctive Features: Pet Dachshund, ‘Rudy’
Aircraft’s Distinctive Features: Dark Blue
Perks: Intuition
Gauge: 4
Glory: 0
Nostalgia: 0

Actions and Questions are handled in a straightforward manner. An answer to a question can be determined by a simple roll of a six-sided die, but there is a table of more nuanced answer options included. For actions, A Pilot in Aces Over the Adriatic: A Solo RPG employs the ‘Push System’. When the player wants his Pilot to undertake an action, he rolls a six-sided die. This is the ‘Initial Die’. It is impossible to fail on the roll of the ‘Initial Die’. A result of four or less is a ‘Weak Success’, or a success with consequences, whilst a result of five or six is a ‘Strong Success’. It is as simple as that, but what if the player rolls a ‘Weak Success’, but wants a ‘Strong Success’? he can then roll a which can lead to a failure. The results of the ‘Push Die’ are added to the results of the ‘Initial Die’. If the total is still less than four, it is still a ‘Weak Success’ and the player can roll another ‘Push Die’; if it is five or six, it is a ‘Strong Success’; and if it is seven or more, it is a failure. Effectively, the Pilot is constantly pushing the envelope and there is a chance that it can be pushed too far.

The play of the games flows back and forth between Missions and Memories. A mission might be to ferry a wealthy passenger to Venice or help cover the story of another famous pilot for the Pilot’s national press. A Memory can come from any activity, such as visiting a city or whilst a Pilot repairs his aircraft, and might be about the war, friends, past loves, and so on. Both require a roll to succeed. Each Mission has four Challenge Points and the player rolls to reduce these, a ‘Strong Success’ reducing two, ‘Weak Success’, and a failure, none. The faster a player can reduce the Challenge Points, the more Glory his Pilot will be rewarded. Glory can be spent to gain more Perks and as the total Glory accrued rises, the Pilot will gain a Nickname and an Honorary Title. However, results of a Failure and a ‘Weak Success’ both reduce ‘Gauge’ the joint measure of damage that a Pilot and his aircraft can suffer. Pilot and aeroplane can keep flying as long as their Gauge is one or more, but if it is reduced to zero, they will crash.

A Memory takes place between Missions. If successful, it can restore Gauge and refresh Perks used. However, in the process of reliving a Memory, a Pilot gains Nostalgia and if that ever rises to ten, the Pilot will retire. In addition, it is possible to have a Flashback during a Mission, which works similar to a Memory and also increases Nostalgia. So there is a balance here between keeping flying and succeeding and getting lost in reminiscence. And of course, throughout, the player is writing a journal—or is that keeping a logbook?—of the story of his Pilot and his aeroplane over the skies of Europe. It is here Aces Over the Adriatic: A Solo RPG that comes into its own in supporting the Player.

Aces Over the Adriatic: A Solo RPG is rich in background detail. There are descriptions of Europe in the interwar period, Fascist Italy, seaplanes and flying boats, the Schneider Trophy, and more. These descriptions are more overview than detail, but they are enough for the player to start with. Besides the table of Missions, there is ‘The Control Tower’ which provides tables for weather conditions, iconic places, NPCs including historical pilots and sponsors, generating pirate group names, and more. All of which the player can use to generate details and elements of his Pilot’s life in and out of the cockpit and as it is logged. There is advice too on how to play Aces Over the Adriatic: A Solo RPG, the author suggesting, for example, that the player control and tell the stories of multiple Pilots at once as if writing a drama, and on how to make the play harder or easier.

Unlike many journalling games, Aces Over the Adriatic: A Solo RPG has the scope to be more than just a solo game. The rules are simple and straightforward and the content in terms of setting and support is potentially more than enough for a Game Master—Air Marshal?—to run Aces Over the Adriatic: A Solo RPG as a storytelling game for a small group of players, whose Pilots could simply be rivals, members of a squadron, or even an aerial circus.

Physically, Aces Over the Adriatic: A Solo RPG is a beautiful little book. There are plenty of period photographs and the book is well written. The character sheet is a little busy, but it has everything on there that a player needs to know, including the basics of the rules.

Aces Over the Adriatic: A Solo RPG does over romanticise its setting a little, content to let the spectre of Fascism hang in the background rather than engage with it and so leaving the darker elements of play to the Memories of the Pilot and thus in the past rather than in the now. Thus, despite being based on the history of the Interwar Period, it leans more towards the fantasy of its other inspiration, the Studio Ghibli film, Porco Rosso, in its play. To be fair though, bringing that into play would have been challenging and since the player is telling the story of his Pilot, he is free to bring those elements into play if he wants to. Nevertheless, Aces Over the Adriatic: A Solo RPG is an utterly charming roleplaying game and an utter delight for fans of history, especially aviation history.

Quick-Start Saturday: Conan: The Hyborian Age

Quick-starts are a means of trying out a roleplaying game before you buy. Each should provide a Game Master with sufficient background to introduce and explain the setting to her players, the rules to run the scenario included, and a set of ready-to-play, pre-generated characters that the players can pick up and understand almost as soon as they have sat down to play. The scenario itself should provide an introduction to the setting for the players as well as to the type of adventures that their characters will have and just an idea of some of the things their characters will be doing on said adventures. All of which should be packaged up in an easy-to-understand booklet whose contents, with a minimum of preparation upon the part of the Game Master, can be brought to the table and run for her gaming group in a single evening’s session—or perhaps two. And at the end of it, Game Master and players alike should ideally know whether they want to play the game again, perhaps purchasing another adventure or even the full rules for the roleplaying game.

Alternatively, if the Game Master already has the full rules for the roleplaying game the quick-start is for, then what it provides is a sample scenario that she can still run as an introduction or even as part of her campaign for the roleplaying game. The ideal quick-start should entice and intrigue a playing group, but above all effectively introduce and teach the roleplaying game, as well as showcase both rules and setting.

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What is it?
Conan: The Hyborian Age – Quick Start is the quick-start for Conan: The Hyborian Age, the roleplaying game based on the Swords & Sorcery short stories by Robert E. Howard and published by Monolith Board Games SARL.

It is designed to be played by five players, plus the Game Master.

It is a fifty-two page, 16.52 MB full colour PDF.

The quick-start is lightly illustrated, but the artwork is excellent and exciting. The rules are a slightly stripped down version from the core rulebook, but do include examples of the rules which speed the learning of the game.

The themes and nature of Conan: The Hyborian Age and thus the Conan: The Hyborian Age – Quick Start, specifically the lurid and sometimes uncomfortable nature of the source material may require the X-Card depending on the gaming group. However, there is nothing controversial or potentially offensive about the content of the Conan: The Hyborian Age – Quick Start.

How long will it take to play?
The Conan: The Hyborian Age – Quick Start and its adventure or ‘Tale’, ‘The Seal of Acheron’, is designed to be played through in one session, two at most.

What else do you need to play?
The Conan: The Hyborian Age – Quick Start requires a set of polyhedral dice per player. Each player also requires a single extra ten-sided die which should be a different colour.

Who do you play?
The five Player Characters in the Conan: The Hyborian Age – Quick Start consist of a born on the streets assassin, a warrior from the hills, a female wanderer, a sorcerer who can call wolves to his side, and a warrior from the icy north.

How is a Player Character defined?
A Player Character has four stats—Might, Edge, Grit, and Wits. Stats are rated between zero and eight, though most are capped at six. Each stat also has an associated Stat Die. This is either a six-, eight-, or ten-sided die. Skills are not traditional skills per se, but rather special abilities that grant a bonus to a particular action or access to a specific ability. ‘Of the Shadows’ is an example of the former, granting a bonus to all Edge checks involving or detecting acts of stealth, whilst ‘Assassin’ is an example of the latter, enabling the Player Character to apply Edge rather than Might when using one-handed light or medium melee weapons.

Besides Physical Defence and Sorcery Defence and Life Points, a Player Character also has Stamina Points and a Flex Die. Stamina Points are expended to access a range of bonuses or to activate certain Skills. The Flex Die is a special die rolled in addition to any dice rolled by a player for any reason. It can either be a six-, eight-, or ten-sided die.

How do the mechanics work?
Mechanically, Conan: The Hyborian Age – Quick Start has a player roll either a Check or an Attack. To make a Check, a player rolls the appropriate Stat Die for the action and adds to it the value of the Stat and any modifiers. ‘The Rule of Threes’ means that the modifiers do not go above ‘+3’ or below ‘-3’. The Difficulty ranges between four and six for Easy, seven and nine for Moderate, ten and twelve for Difficult, and thirteen or more for Legendary. A roll of one on the Stat Die means that the Check or Attack fails.

When any Check or Attack roll is made, the Flex Die is rolled as part of it. When the maximum on the Flex Die is rolled, it triggers a Flex and grants access to various boons. This always includes giving the Player Character a bonus point of Stamina, but the options given in the Conan: The Hyborian Age – Quick Start consist of guaranteeing that an attack or action succeeds or inflicting Massive Damage on a damage roll. Consequently, the smaller the die size, the more chance of Flex being triggered.

There is no effect if one is rolled on the Flex Die.

How does combat work?
Combat in the Conan: The Hyborian Age – Quick Start is designed to be desperate and dangerous. A Player Character can conduct two actions per turn, though certain Skills or expenditure of Stamina Points can add more. A Move is one action, an Attack is one action, a Focused Attack is one action with a bonus, Defend is one Action to gain a bonus to Physical Defence, and Cast a Spell is one or two Actions depending upon the spell. If a Player Character has enough actions, he can take two actions that are the same. Thus two Move actions or two Attack actions. Range is determined by zones around a Player Character. Melee Attacks use the Might Stat; Ranged and Thrown Attacks use the Edge Stat; and Sorcery Attacks use the Wits Stat. If the result of the Attack roll is equal to or greater than the opponent’s Physical Defence, a Melee, Ranged, or Thrown Attack succeeds, whilst a Sorcery Attack succeeds if the Sorcery is equal to or greater than the opponent’s Sorcery Defence.

Melee and Thrown Damage is determined by adding the Might Stat to the result of the weapon’s Damage roll; Ranged Damage is determined by a Ranged weapon’s Damage die only; and Sorcery Damage is determined by the spell being cast. Skills can also add to this damage.

The Armour Rating of any armour worn reduces damage. Armour worn has other effects, including penalising Sorcery Attacks.

Damage suffered is deducted from the Life Points. If a Player Character has his Life Points reduced to zero, he is heavily wounded and unconscious. If a subsequent Grit Check is failed, he dies. If alive, two Recovery checks can be made per tale or session to restore Life Points.

If a Player Character does die, a Game Master can opt for a ‘Fateful Intervention’. Four narrative suggestions are given, such as the Player Characters’ foes leaving them for dead and allowing them to crawl from the battlefield. All four are appropriate to the genre.

Enemy Antagonists have Life Points just as the Player Characters do. Minions have a Threshold value. If this Threshhold is exceeded with a Damage Roll in a single blow, the Minion is killed.

Stamina Points can be spent during combat to react to a situation in unexpected and daring ways that ordinary men and women do not. This includes to make an additional Move Action, to increase the damage inflicted by a single, successful attack, to increase the Range of a Thrown weapon, and with a Player Character’s final Stamina Point to inflict Massive Damage as per the Flex Massive Damage result.

How does Sorcery work?
Sorcery in Conan: The Hyborian Age is divided into five Disciplines. Each Discipline grants access to a number of inherent spells. Casting spells costs Life Points or Stamina Points to cast. Only one Discipline, the White Magic Dscipline, appears in the Conan: The Hyborian Age – Quick Start, and only one Player Character can cast spells.

What do you play?
The Tale in the Conan: The Hyborian Age – Quick Start is ‘The Seal of Acheron’. In part inspired by Robert E. Howard’s ‘The Slithering Shadow’ and ‘A Witch Shall be Born’, it opens with the Player Characters with their fellow Dog Brothers in a tavern following several days of battle on the border. A fellow mercenary offers them information about a recently exposed ruin in the nearby desert. Wounded in the recent clashes, he cannot explore it himself, so suggests that he share the information in exchange for a share of whatever they manage to loot from the ruin. The Player Characters may be harassed by bandits (oddly armed with just knives) or wild dogs or hyenas on the way there, but the bulk of the adventure focuses on the underground ruins. The emphasis is on exploration, action, and combat combined with elements of horror. ‘The Seal of Acheron’ is straightforward and atmospheric.

Is there anything missing?
The Conan: The Hyborian Age – Quick Start is complete. It includes a good overview of the genre and core themes of Conan: The Hyborian Age. These are adventure, big risk versus big reward, sword and sorcery, and forward momentum. There is also decent advice for the Game Master on running ‘The Seal of Acheron’.

Is it easy to prepare?
The core rules presented in the Conan: The Hyborian Age – Quick Start are relatively easy to prepare.

Is it worth it?
Yes. The Conan: The Hyborian Age – Quick Start provides a solid introduction to Conan: The Hyborian Age and gives a good idea as to what it feels like to play.

Where can you get it?
The Conan: The Hyborian Age – Quick Start is available to download here.

Friday Fantasy: Melwan

It has been over a decade since the first release for Les Ombres d’Esteren or Shadows of Esteren, in English. That was Shadows of Esteren 0-Prologue, which provided us with an introduction to this low dark, humancentric fantasy setting with Lovecraftian undertones, as well as a set of player characters/NPCs and three ready-to-play scenarios. The English-speaking hobby was fascinated by this French roleplaying game with its themes of tradition versus modernity, science and industrialisation versus faith, and monotheism versus spiritualism, as well as captivated by its artwork which looked like nothing then being published. Shadows of Esteren 0-Prologue itself was subsequently made available for free to download. However, since the publication of Shadows of Esteren 0-Prologue in 2011 and its release in English in 2012, releases from the publisher, Studio AGATE, have been slow to appear. Shadows of Esteren 1-Universe introduced its setting of Tri-Kazel peninsula in more detail, introducing properly the three nations of the region—Tol-Kaer with its old tribal ways and Demorthèn spiritual cults; Gwidre which has been converted to the Temple of the One God by missionaries from the Great Theocracy from the rest of the continent to the north and adopted feudalism; and Reizh, which has taken up the science of Magience, developing and creating devices, machines, and ‘toys’ powered by ‘Flux’, an energy derived from matter itself, though not without its cost to the environment and land itself. It also provided rules for character generation and is also available as a ‘Pay What You Want’ title. The third release, Shadows of Esteren 2-Travels expanded the setting from an in-character point-of-view, as well as several ‘canvases’ or short scenarios, a longer scenario, and more NPCs as well as a bestiary. Together, these three releases form the core of Shadows of Esteren and they underpin the sixth release, Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg, a great campaign that is divided into two parts that is culmination of what has been released to date.

Shadows of Esteren: Melwan is a supplement published between Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1 and Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 2. This is a companion to the earlier Shadows of Esteren 1-Universe, expanding as it does the setting of Tri-Kazel and taking player and Game Leader alike into the Vale of Melwan, which lies next to the Vale of Dearg. It ties deeply into both the background and the story of the major characters explored over the course of the Shadows of Esteren roleplaying game. For example, Wailen, the grandmother of Yldiane the Varigal and Adeliane the Ionnthén, is a Demorthèn. Much of it is written as a guide by Neala the Bard which describes the small region, its inhabitants, and notable locations. It begins with a description of the Vale of Melwan, small and bucolic, quiet and isolated, but not unwelcoming of passing strangers. It visits several places in and around the village, beginning with the Old Oak Inn, the heart of the community, a plain and plainly run establishment, except for the food, which is renowned for its quality and the number of recipes adopted from outside of the vale. Touchingly, it incudes actual recipes which a gaming group could actually cook, such as duck with mushrooms and turnip mash or apple and raisin fritters. There is a rough homeliness to the inn, complete with descriptions of its owners and regulars. Melwan’s apothecary is described in less detail, focusing on what might be sale—and if it is not, then on the reasons why in a pleasingly useful table.

The influence of the Mac Lyrs, long the family rulers of the Vale of Melwan, is felt far beyond its borders, so it is nice to have the family and its history and its family seat explored within the pages of Shadows of Esteren: Melwan. Yet it takes a more personal and intimate tone when Neala the Bard explores the library of the Mac Lyrs, a refuge for him when he has no mentor and instead relies upon the books and scrolls in the library as his teachers. Perhaps the oddest place visited in Shadows of Esteren: Melwan is the laboratory of the magientist, Talacien, established in an old building with the permission of the Mac Lyrs, but much to the consternation of the inhabitants of the Vale of Melwan. When his request to interview the magientist and visit the laboratory, Neala admits to being awed by what he found and the possibilities that it represented in being able to look at the universe in a way previously unimagined, but is ultimately reviled by the insane rush of uncontrolled power and likely damage is would result in. When his request to interview the magientist and visit the laboratory, Neala admits to being awed by what he found and the possibilities that it represented in being able to look at the universe in a way previously unimagined, but is ultimately reviled by the insane rush of uncontrolled power and likely damage is would result in. Fortunately, he retreats from what he regards as insanity to recover his equanimity by losing himself in the contemplation of the vale—and that is also something that the supplement does as well.

More than a third of Shadows of Esteren: Melwan is dedicated to the flora and fauna of the vale in some fashion. In taking the reader into its dark forests and across its peaceful wetlands, Neala not only tells of the creatures and plants to be found, but also how they are put to use by the peoples of Melwan and how they feature in stories that he performs for the villagers. For adults, the ‘Tales of Fur and Feather’ are often satires on the mores of power and those that wield it, whilst for children they are heroic stories featuring their favourite animal heroes. Although no tales are included, several of the protagonists of these tales are detailed, providing a cast of characters that could be brought into play as allusions to current events and important figures in a scenario. Numerous crops are described, as are various ingredients that are gathered locally and brewed and mixed into remedies and other concoctions. The rules here for brewing potions compliment the earlier description of the village’s apothecary and detail numerous ingredients and mixtures. There is an in-world guide to how they are brewed as well as actual game mechanics, so that a knowledgeable Player Character, with a skill such as ‘Demorthèn (Traditional Medicine)’ or Science (Botany), can create various cures, including poison-based cures. All of this is very nicely done with well-balanced mix of in-game flavour and mechanics.

The ‘Bestiary of Melwan’ includes beasts such as the single-horned, goat-like Calyre, boars, the feared Mórbear, and the Caernide, a horned deer-like creature which is also domesticated as a beast of burden. In fact, the latter gets its own section, with Neala giving a guide to the creatures and their advantages as a domesticated animal compared to that of horse. This is understandable since he actually keeps a stable of them himself! There are a few skill checks listed here for both horse and Caernide, enabling a mechanical comparison of the two. There is, however, one monster included in the bestiary, a murderous Feond known as the Guilthas Man—though the inhabitants of the vale are not sure whether it truly exists and if it does, if it is an actual Feond. The misshapen humpback creature lurks in the woods, unsettling, even scaring those it encounters, but no one knows if its has killed anyone yet. So, might it not be a monster? Rounding out is a glossary, perhaps not as lengthy as it should have been.

Physically, Shadows of Esteren: Melwan is simply beautiful, in some ways more artbook than roleplaying supplement. There is some roleplaying content within the book, but it is more background and flavour rather than instantly useable content. That though suits both book and setting, very quiet and understated in describing a location on the Tri-Kazel peninsula, the setting for the Shadows of Esteren roleplaying game, often mentioned, but never fully detailed.

An Esteren Engagement

It has been over a decade since the first release for Les Ombres d’Esteren or Shadows of Esteren, in English. That was Shadows of Esteren 0-Prologue, which provided us with an introduction to this low dark, humancentric fantasy setting with Lovecraftian undertones, as well as a set of player characters/NPCs and three ready-to-play scenarios. The English-speaking hobby was fascinated by this French roleplaying game with its themes of tradition versus modernity, science and industrialisation versus faith, and monotheism versus spiritualism, as well as captivated by its artwork which looked like nothing then being published. Shadows of Esteren 0-Prologue itself was subsequently made available for free to download. However, since the publication of Shadows of Esteren 0-Prologue in 2011 and its release in English in 2012, releases from the publisher, Studio AGATE , have been slow to appear. Shadows of Esteren 1-Universe introduced its setting of Tri-Kazel peninsula in more detail, introducing properly the three nations of the region—Tol-Kaer with its old tribal ways and Demorthèn spiritual cults; Gwidre which has been converted to the Temple of the One God by missionaries from the Great Theocracy from the rest of the continent to the north and adopted feudalism; and Reizh, which has taken up the science of Magience, developing and creating devices, machines, and ‘toys’ powered by ‘Flux’, an energy derived from matter itself, though not without its cost to the environment and land itself. It also provided rules for character generation and is also available as a ‘Pay What You Want’ title. The third release, Shadows of Esteren 2-Travels expanded the setting from an in-character point-of-view, as well as several ‘canvases’ or short scenarios, a longer scenario, and more NPCs as well as a bestiary. Together, these three releases form the core of Shadows of Esteren and they underpin the sixth release, Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg.

Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1 is the first part of the campaign for Shadows of Esteren. It is a highly structured campaign, specifically built around the themes of Love, Ethics, Guilt, and Adoption, which will in turn will be explored by one of the players and their character, supported by a combination of NPCs played by the Game Leader and what would otherwise be NPCs played by the other players. This together with the detailed set-up requirements—in comparison to other campaigns—makes Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg a more demanding campaign than those other campaigns. Although it suggested that parts of the campaign can be played through in a single session or so, really every part of the campaign deserves more time and attention given its thematic and emotional depths. This includes expanding the campaign with extra content. The scenarios in Shadows of Esteren 0-Prologue can serve as prequel and The Monastery of Tuath can be added too as it further details an NPC important to the campaign. In terms of requirements, ideally, Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1 should be played through by at least four players as well as the Game Leader. This enables the Game Leader and her players to explore the campaign’s four themes, each of which corresponds to a particular archetype found in Shadows of Esteren 1-Universe. These are Eoghan, a Warrior whose theme is Love; Finn, a Magientist whose theme is Ethics; Adeliane, the Demorthèn whose theme is Guilt; and Joris, a Theologian whose theme is Adoption. This part of the campaign also has four secondary narrative arcs—Ambition, Origins, Regret, Vengeance—but does not specifically focus on them or their associated archetype to be found in Shadows of Esteren 1-Universe. Although the campaign works best with these pre-generated Player Characters, there is advice for the Game Leader should a player want to play a different character type or want to roleplay against the associated theme and its narrative. This has the side effect of increasing the preparation time for the Game Leader.

Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1’s themes are explored in a new type of scenario called a ‘Focus’. In Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1, these are used to delve deep into the motivations, history, and relationships of an individual Player Character, essentially portraying and examining key scenes in his life. A Focus can also be used to explore different aspects of an ongoing adventure. Whilst each of the four Focuses in Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1 concentrates on one particular Player Character, the other players will take the roles of NPC involved in that Focus and they will earn Experience Points for their own characters, though not as much. Mechanically, playing through a Focus will grant a Player Character both Experience Points and points in Determination. Points in Determination, together with his Passion, set the value of a new Player Character aspect introduced in Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1, Drive. Drive measures a Player Character’s engagement with both the theme of his Focus and what matters to him, the higher it is, the more likely the Player Character is to act impulsively when following the Drive. A Player Character will also earn further Experience Points and even extra Advantages depending upon the value of his Determination.

There is advice in Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1 for the Game Leader on running a Focus. This covers portraying NPCs, adapting existing Player Characters to the campaign, and both the opportunities and difficulties of running them. The advice is excellent, but ultimately, most of the difficulties can be avoided by players being prepared to buy into the demands of the campaign’s set-up and play style. That said, the preparation time required to set up the players with the NPCs needed for a Focus that is not for their character is more than a normal scenario requires. It should be noted that Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 2 will explore two further Focuses. The four Focuses in Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1 can be run in any order, although a very ambitious and organised Game Leader could actually work with her players to switch back and forth between the various scenes in the four rather than playing through them in linear fashion. Either way, since NPCs can appear in more than one Focus, this is effectively troupe play and the Game Leader best work through the huge cast of characters to work out which players should be roleplaying which NPC and which Focus in order to be consistent.

Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1 begins by presenting ‘The Vale of Dearg’, the setting for the bulk of the campaign. This details the various locations and factions plus NPCs, throughout the valley, in particular the village of Dearg and the Black Feathers, a gang of bandits plaguing the region that will grow to become a destabilising threat over the course of the campaign. There are rules too for hostile weather as much of the campaign takes place during winter, and also for ‘Advanced Character Generation’. This adds further steps to the process, including giving a Player Character ties to his native or adoptive homeland, Drive as detailed above, a Narrative Arc, and Relationships. Of these, Narrative Arcs are actually tied to both player and his character so that if the character dies, the new one with continue the narrative Arc. This is designed to get the new Player Character involved without any complications. There is a guide for the Game Leader on creating Narrative Arcs in Shadow of Esteren, but in Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1, they are primarily explored in its four Focuses.

Another aspect of Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1 which the Game leader, and her players in particular, will need to buy into, is the horror within its story and the way in which it can affect their characters’ emotions and lead to a loss of control. There are points within the campaign—and the Focuses especially—where the Game Leader is expected to suggest, even indicate how a Player Character is feeling. In play, this can be handled through roleplaying means or mechanical means as best fits the player’s style, but again, this requires the agreement of the player to allow this and marks Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1 as being very different in comparison to other campaigns. Again though, there is good advice on handling all of this.

The four Focuses form the second and middle part of Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1. The first ‘Gaol: Of Love and Fury’, explores the theme of Love as an unrequited love triangle is formed between the Player Character, Eoghan, his rival-then friend, Mael Mac Govrian, and a local girl, Céliane. She falls in love with Mael Mac Govrian and Eoghan goes away for military training in a neighbouring Dukedom. Eoghan will also encounter the activities of the Black Feathers. The theme in ‘Modhannan: A Better World’ is Ethics, as Finn runs away from the Vale of Dearg to study in Reizh to become a Magientist, but field assignments in disputed territory will lead to him facing the first of several dilemmas. Joris, a Theologian, is the protagonist of ‘Mac Thogail: The Legacy of the Rose’, who comes to question both his faith and his origins, the latter being the Focus’ theme of Adoption, as he works towards becoming a member of the clergy. There are hints too of heresy linking in the background in this Focus. Lastly, in ‘Coir: The River Child’, the Demorthèn, Adeliane, must come to terms with the Guilt she has faced throughout her life since a friend disappeared when they were children. Options are given to suggest how and why the friend disappeared, as well as the possibility that she is actually still alive. There is the suggestion that if she is dead, that her ghost might be capable of helping Adeliane, though this comes with some downsides too. All four players whose characters undergo their own Focus can expect to face dilemmas and trauma, but it is this last Focus that is the most demanding and the most harrowing, and the roleplaying skill and emotional fortitude of its player will be put to the test.

The campaign proper starts in the third and final part of Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1. This moves the timeline up to date and after the events of the scenarios played through in Shadows of Esteren 0-Prologue. In effect, what that means is the four Focuses in Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1 are effectively flashbacks, which some cases, will take one or more of the Player Characters to locations previously visited in Shadows of Esteren 0-Prologue, before the effects of events of the scenarios in Shadows of Esteren 0-Prologue play out. The campaign proper in Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1 actually begins with its prequel, the Player Characters all together and en media res, being chased by some unnamed monster before being forced to take refuge in some tunnels in the mountains surrounding the Vale of Dearg. What they discover in the tunnels hints at things to come in the following scenario, ‘Scourge’. This takes place at the height of winter, with it being particularly cold, foggy, and snowy, and the inhabitants of the Player Characters’ home village of Dearg having to ration food due to poor harvests. They see signs of disturbance coming from the neighbouring village of Fearìl, fires and smoke, but it is too cold to travel. Then a refugee arrives, half out of his mind, and telling of the terror that befell Fearìl, then more refugees, who bring the terror with them. There are hints that something indescribable—or could it be ravenous wolves or murderous crows?—has attacked Fearìl. The Player Character whose Focus was Love will certainly want to investigate as Fearìl is where his betrothed, Céliane, lives. Investigating Fearìl will initially only reveal confusion and uncertainty, as it appears that the Black Feathers bandit gang has attacked the village as well. Some of the villagers fled to the nearby Fortress of Smiorail—where Eoghan, the Warrior whose theme and Focus is Love, did his military training—and it appears too that this has been attacked. This is intentionally confusing and it takes no little gathering of clues and investigation to determine what is behind the attacks. The final confrontation is nasty and challenging and will potentially have long lasting consequences… This, and the discovery of Céliane, unfortunately comatose, is where this part of the campaign comes to an end.

Physically, Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1 is incredibly well presented. It is profusely illustrated and the artwork is superb. The maps are decent too, but the book does need a slight edit in places. The layout is notably open and easy to read, with icons used throughout to indicate important notes for the Game Leader, scenario hooks, options to include monstrous encounters or supernatural elements, key scenes, setting suggestions, and so on. Several of the setting suggestions include what music to play in particular scenes, including from Shadows of Esteren’s own soundtrack.

Ultimately, the issues with Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1 are twofold. The first is that Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 2 is not yet available. Thus, the campaign is currently on a cliffhanger. The second is that the campaign and its Focuses and themes are demanding, not just in terms of set up and organisation, but also in terms of roleplaying and emotions. Every player is expected to roleplay both a character who will experience traumatic and difficult events as part of the character’s childhood, and numerous other NPCs who will often be present at the traumatic and difficult events of another Player Character in his Focus. Which is, of course, demanding for the Game Leader to prepare and run. It is also a campaign that works best with the pre-generated Player Characters to be found in Shadows of Esteren 0-Prologue, because despite the advice given to suggest otherwise, not using them in a campaign specifically written for them, only increases the amount of preparation required by the Game Leader. Ultimately though, if the Game Leader is prepared to undertake the effort to set the campaign up and her players are ready to accede to its demands and mature enough to handle its emotional heft, Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 1 will deliver a horrifying dark and disturbingly grim roleplaying experience.

—oOo—

The Kickstarter for the second part of the campaign, Shadows of Esteren 3-Dearg – Volume 2, can be found here.

A French Sword & Planet RPG

It is the Modern Age. Three hundred years ago, at the beginning of the Age of the Havoc, Joskales, the last Incarnate of the Astarite died and the few remaining of that race fled their dead cities. Two-hundred-and-three years ago, a colony ship arrived from Earth lost en route to Alpha Centauri, and founded four colonies. The colonists discovered a world already settled by several species, each of them also colonists who had come to the world in the centuries long past. They include the almost plant-like hermaphrodite Ælfyn; the four-armed, reptilian and mercantile Agamids, who command a fleet of sky-junks; the short, stocky, almost egg-shaped Dakti, know for their technological acumen and their Karkan, specialised exo-skeletons they use for exploration; and Orcs, nomadic hunters and warriors who distrust technology. They also discovered the world was infused with ethereal energy which the Astarites had harnessed both psychically and technologically, constructing a network of stelae known as the Chain which enhanced their abilities and created a planetary communications system. However, their attempts to restart would lead to an Æthero-magnetic storm which would disrupt all technology and lead to increased friction between numerous nations that would escalate into a series of violent wars in the Age of Conflicts.

Thirty years ago, H.E.R.O. (Heuristical Exploration and Reconnaissance Operations), now known as the Free-Lancers’ Guild, was founded during the First Crater Council. It was established to undertake independent operations free of politic influence, to conduct expeditions to the ancient Astarite cities, and once there recover the surviving items and blueprints of Arcanotechnology that have survived, and also to research the Alteration, a strange, gangrenous fungus which was found to be spreading from the ruins. In the years since, the Free-Lancers’ Guild, operating out of Patera, the Crater City, has continued to undertake the same missions, but also provides guards, exterminate monsters, mediates conflicts between communities, and also acts against dragons. These creatures fall as seeds from the stars and when they hatch and grow, they can devastate whole communities. In return, members, known as Freelancers, receive lodging, support, training, and more.

This is the set-up for Lore & Legacy: Fantastic Adventures in a World of Science and Magic, a French science-fantasy role-playing game published by Empyreal Media Productions. It takes place on the fantastical world of Empyrea, a vast planet home to numerous species who have come from the stars and settled. In the long years since, they have forgotten their homeworlds, how they got to Empyrea, and how to operate much of the technology. Indeed that technology has come to be regarded as akin to magic and only a few have the skill to use what has become known as Arcanotechnology. Empyrea is also a world of many ruins, especially of the grandiose and sinister necropolis left behind by the mysterious Astarite civilization that came before anyone settled on the planet. They are said to contain lost treasures and forgotten technological wonders, but also many dangers—antediluvian biomechanical guardians and creatures corrupted by the poison of the Alteration, a mysterious fungal gangrene that spreads over the regions that once formed the heart of the Astarite kingdoms. In recent years, the Alteration has begun to spread again and Dragon Seeds have fallen from the sky, giving birth to Dragons, creatures of unrivalled destructive power. Where such threats occur, the Free-Lancers’ Guild steps forward to protect and investigate. Found throughout many nations, its members coming from many different species, the Free-Lancers’ Guild sends out those determined to unravel the mysteries of the past and to venture beyond the borders imposed by incomplete maps, to protect the population, lift the veil on ancient lore, and reclaim their lost legacies.

A character in Lore & Legacy is defined by his People (or species), seven Attributes representing his physical and mental prowess, various Abilities in which has either been trained or is gifted, and a number of Traits representing his personality quirks, special talents, obsessions, phobias, and the like. The Peoples of Empyrea—at least on the northern half of the continent of Enelysion, especially in and around the Great Crater and its neutral city of Patera, are the Ælfyns, Agamids, Dakti, Humans, and Orcs. In more recent times, they have been joined by the Disincarnated, sentient androids who once served the Astarite who have awoken devoid of personality and knowledge, but quickly grow to acquire both, as well as the traits of the other Peoples of Empyrea. The Attributes are Acumen, Fortune, Mastery, Presence, Robustness, Temper, and Vigour, and all bar Fortune are represented by a single six-sided die plus a modifier. Fortune is a straight value representing the number of Fortune dice which a player can roll each day. Now not all of the remaining six Attributes are not exactly clear as to what they are from their names. So, Acumen is the character’s ability to observe, reflect, and analyse; Mastery is agility, dexterity, and precision, and ability to think and react quickly; Temper is his willpower; and Vigour his raw physical strength. This runs counter to most naming conventions for attributes and may well be confusing for some players.

Abilities include Arcanotech, Charge, Investigation, Melee Combat, Passion (Painting), Wizardry, and more. They are always represented by a single ten-sided die plus a modifier. Traits tend to apply situational modifiers. For example, ‘Beast of Burden’ increases a Player Character’s Luggage Points by three; Healer which grants a Fortune die any non-magical healing action; Agoraphobic, which levies an Adversity die on all actions when the Player Character is in an open space; Ancestral Weapon, which grants the Player Character a weapon with the Ætheric, which reduces the Magic Resistance of a successfully struck opponent; and Remarkable, which marks the Player Character out in social interactions with members of other races, levying an Adversity die and adding a Fortune die. A Player Character also has a number of derived secondary characteristics, including Health Points, Magic Points, Physical, Magic and Mental Resistances, and so on.

To create a character, a player selects a race, which provides the base attributes and traits. He has six points to assign to his character’s attributes, eight to spend on traits and ten to spend on abilities. One of the latter points must be spent on a passion or a hobby. Lastly, a character receives some money and equipment, and if he has studied magic some spells. In general, characters tend to be fairly focused and specialised, backed up with more general skills.

Our sample character is Zuwena whose fascination with Arcanotech has never extended beyond the library. She has joined the Freelancers’ Guild in the hopes of joining an expedition, if not actually leading one. In the meantime, she has to undertake other tasks for the guild, perhaps to prove herself worthy, perhaps to gain a bit more experience of the world outside of her books.

Zuwena
Human

Temper 2 Acumen 4 Mastery 4 Presence 2
Robustness 1 Vigour 1 Fortune 2

Racial Traits: Noticeable, Technophile
Traits: Bookworm, Little Genius

Abilities: Archaeology 2, Investigation 2, Observation 1, Dodge 1, Melee Combat 1, Mysticism 1, Wilderness Survival 1, Wizardry 2

Passion Ability: Arcanotech 1

Wizardry Spells: Ætheric Echolocation (6), Ætheric Arrow (3), Healing (3)

Luggage: 9
Weight: 30
Health Points: 4
Magic Points: 8
Physical Resistance: 3
Mental Resistance: 16
Last Chance Pool: 3
Injury Threshold: 2
Speed: 5

Mechanically, Lore & Legacy uses the ‘3d’ engine, which uses three sizes of the dice and three types of dice. The three sizes are ten-sided or Ability dice, eight-sided or Damage dice, and six-sided or Attribute dice, and they are always used in specific situations. In general, when an Ability or Attribute is tested, or Damage is rolled, only one die, the Basic die is rolled, any modifier being added to the result to get a total. However, it can be as many as three. It cannot, though, be more than three. The extra dice can either be a Fortune die, an Adversity die, or even both! The result of the Fortune die is added to the result of the Basic die, whilst the result of the Adversity die is subtracted from the result of the Basic die. Adding both a Fortune die and an Adversity die to the dice to be rolled does not mean that they cancel each other out. Instead, their results are added and subtracted respectively.

When a Player Character undertakes an action, his player makes an Action Roll, consisting of the appropriate Basic die—whether a ten-sided die because the Player Character has an appropriate Ability or a six-sided die because he does not and must rely upon an Attribute instead—and applies any modifier. The Difficulty Rating for the Action Roll ranges from six for ‘simple’ to eighteen for ‘superhuman’. The success result can vary. A result equal to, or greater than the Difficulty Rating is a Standard Success and indicates that the Player Character has achieved his intended aim. A result one-and-a-half times or greater than the Difficulty Rating is a Major Success, and indicates that the Player Character has achieved his intended aim with positive benefits. A result less than the Difficulty Rating and less than half of the Difficulty Rating is a Partial Success, and indicates that the Player Character has achieved his intended aim, but with unforeseen complications. A result less than the Difficulty Rating and more than half of the Difficulty Rating is a Failure, and indicates that the Player Character has not achieved his intended aim.

In addition, a Player Character can also roll a Spectacular Success or Disastrous Failure. A Spectacular Success is achieved when a Fortune die is included in the Action Roll and a maximum result is rolled on the Fortune die, when the result of the Action Roll is a Standard or Major Success. Similarly, a Disastrous Failure is achieved when an Adversity die is included in the Action Roll and a maximum result is rolled on the Adversity die, when the result of the Action Roll is a Partial Success or Failure. Although a Disastrous Failure cannot result in the death of a Player Character, the Game Master is free to be as creative as she wants, whether the result is a Spectacular Success or a Disastrous Failure.

For example, Zuwenna has been assigned an escort mission, and whilst she is not interested in the job itself, the route does take it near some ruins that are rumoured to be Astartite. Before she attempts to persuade her colleagues that they might be interesting, she decides to spend some time in the archives conducting research. She has the Investigation skill, so her player will be rolling a ten-sided die and adding Zuwenna’s Investigation of 2. In addition, the Little Genius Trait grants her a Fortune die with any Ability which uses the Acumen Attribute. However, she does not have long, so there is a time penalty to find any useful information. The Game Master sets the Difficulty Rating at twelve. Zuwenna’s player rolls the two ten-sided dice and rolls a six on the basic die and a maximum of ten on the Fortune die! Not only is the result a total of eighteen, but the ten on the Fortune die means it is a spectacular success! This means that she definitely has some information related to the ruins and it could contain arcanotech. That should be enough to persuade her companions on the road.

Both combat and magic use the same mechanics. A combatant has a single gesture, move, and action each round, and if he attacks, his player’s Action Roll is against his opponent’s Physical Resistance as the Difficulty Rating or Magic Resistance if the weapon used involves arcanotech. A Fortune die can be added to an Action roll if the opponent is immobilised, paralysed, knocked down, unconscious, and so on, likewise an Adversity die can be added if the attacker is suffering from similar conditions. Damage is rolled on a single eight-sided die, plus the weapon’s damage bonus, and is halved if the outcome of the Action Roll is a Partial Success, but increased by a half if a Major Success. Damage inflicted equal or superior to an opponent’s Injury Threshold and an injury is inflicted.

Lore & Legacy includes several types of magic. Illusory magic deals with changing the perceptions of others about their environment, whilst Material magic being the scientific study of making real what was not, or transforming what is. Ritual magic consists of magic which takes several magicians to cast, whilst Spiritism deals with ‘nature spirits’, including possession and exorcism. Bar Spiritism, the other types of magic include lengthy lists of spells, which are all in their own way interesting and ones that a magic using character in the game would want to cast. As in combat, the outcome of a Partial or Superior Success on an Action Roll halves the effect of the spell, or increases it by half, respectively.

For example, Zuwenna has persuaded her colleagues to investigate the ruins in the hope of finding some Arcanotech or at least something interesting. She has already cast Ætheric Echolocation to determine the extent of the underground passages and rooms when the guards left behind to protect the caravan come looking for them. Not to check on their welfare though, but to steal what Zuwenna and her colleagues have found. However, their disappointment at the lack of discoveries leads them to threaten Zuwenna and her colleagues, and a fight breaks out. Zuweena is attacked by one of the guards, Hagor. Both Zuwenna and Hagor have a Speed of five, but he is wearing chainmail, which reduces it by one to four. However, surprised by the attack, Zuwenna decides to fully defend herself. This doubles her Physical Resistance from three to six, to which is added her Dodge skill of one and the bonus from her padded armour, for a total Physical Resistance of eight. The Game Master rolls a Basic die and adds Hagor’s Melee Combat skill of 3 to the total. She rolls a two and adds the three for a total of five. This is a Partial Success, which means that any damage inflicted by Hagor is halved. The Game Master rolls 1d6+1 for his shortsword, rolling a one, then adding one before halving the damage inflicted—one! Clearly Hagor was expecting to be more of a pushover, as he growls, “C’mere you little witch!”, but Zuwenna’s Health Points are reduced from four to three.

Now Zuweena can act. She has a dagger, but attempts a desperate blast of magic by unleashing an Ætheric Arrow at Hagor. Having already cast Ætheric Echolocation, Zuwenna has two Magic Points left, but Ætheric Arrow costs three to cast. This means that the power must come from somewhere and that is from her Health Points, which will be reduced by a further single point, leaving her with two. To cast the spell, Zuwenna’s player will be rolling a ten-sided die and adding Zuwenna’s Wizardry of 2. As before, the Little Genius Trait grants her a Fortune die with any Ability which uses the Acumen Attribute, which includes the Wizardry Ability. The Difficulty Rating is determined by Hagor’s Mental Resistance, which is fourteen. Zuwenna’s player rolls eight on both dice for a total of sixteen and adding her Wizardry gives a final result of eighteen. This is a Standard Success and inflicts 1d8+1 damage. Zuwenna’s player rolls a total of eight, enough to beat Hagor’s Injury Threshold of eight. This can trigger a Condition, which will vary depending upon where the Ætheric Arrow. Zuwenna’s player rolls ten on a ten-sided die, indicating the head. Hagor screams as his head is burned by Ætheric energy. Until healed, the Game Master must roll all of his actions with an Adversity die.

The advancement mechanics in Lore & Legacy are nicely woven into the setting itself. Being a member of the the Free-Lancers’ Guild provides a Player Character with motivation and missions to undertake, but having completed a mission, the Freelancers are paid in Asters which can be used to gain training, access Arcanotech archives and magical libraries, and even undergo experimental therapy to effectively buy off the negative effectives of Traits. For example, Bookworm provides extra points to spend on Abilities during character creation, but at the cost of an Adversity die being rolled every time a character undertakes an action related to his Vigour. So a player could spend the Asters to pay off this negative effect, all of which provides a nice range of options when it comes to Player Character advancement.

Although Lore & Legacy employs magic and wizardry, it is very much a Science Fiction game and this shows in the range of equipment available. So not just swords and shields, but firearms, technologically enhanced weapons such as gravitic bolas or phase kukri, and Arcanotech. The latter are lost devices from all of the peoples on Empyrea whose manufacture is no longer possible, and they need to be found and deciphered. They can be weapons such as Adamantine Claws and Disphasers which paralyses targets, and artefacts such as Anti-Grav Boots, Assessor collars which estimate the value of items, Khading Wings carried in a backpack and allow wearer’s to fly. Vehicles exist also, such as the Agamid aerial junks, gunboats that have survived wars, but are fielded during emergencies, such as dragon attacks. Full stats for dragons are provided in the bestiary along with a host of other threats and dangers.

Lore & Legacy includes a decent amount of background about the Free-Lancers’ Guild, what it does and what the Player Characters do. Patera, the Crater City, is also detailed as is the Greater Crater Region, along with various NPCs which can be found throughout the region. There is plenty here to support an ongoing campaign, and both the Game Master and her players are provided with a starting point. For the latter, it is set of six pre-generated characters, but for the former, it is not one, but three adventures. They begin with an investigative adventure in Patera itself following an attack on the Free-Lancers’ Guild headquarters, whilst the second is more traditional, being an expedition to investigate a meteor strike which at worst could be the arrival of another Dragon Seed. Lastly, the third scenario follows on from the second, to further investigate what was found at the site of the meteor strike. Together the three scenarios nicely showcase aspects of the setting—the Player Characters’ base of operations, what expeditions are like, and a little bit of some of the mysteries of the Empyrea. In addition, suggestions are given as to how to include the ‘Froglins in the Mist’ adventure from Lore & Legacy – Quick-Start Guide in between the three adventures in the core book. Each of the three should provide at least two sessions’ worth of play, if not more.

Physically, Lore & Legacy is well presented. Much of the artwork is excellent and much of it reminiscent of FASA’s Earthdawn roleplaying game—which should be no surprise given that artist Jeff Laubenstein worked on both. The writing is also good, and the translation is more than reasonable. It feels a little overwritten in places, the rules, though simple, often feel as if they have more terms than they really need. If the book lacks anything, it is an index. The table of contents is good, but an index would have helped.

Lore & Legacy: Fantastic Adventures in a World of Science and Magic could be described as Earthdawn meets SkyRealms of Jorune, but the former is primarily due to Jeff Laubenstein’s artwork. Nevertheless, it firmly falls into the ‘Sword & Planet’ genre, combined with post-apocalyptic elements, whilst adhering to Clarke’s Third Law which states that, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Its inspirations—the French science fantasy comics series, Valérian, the works of Moebius, Philippe Caza, and Philippe Druillet in Heavy Metal, C.L. Moore’s Northwest Smith and Jirel of Joiry, the computer game, Might & Magic, and even She-Ra and the Princess of Power—all combine to give Lore & Legacy a different feel, a stronger sense of the other and the alien than might be found in similar roleplaying games.

Lore & Legacy is an adroit combination of a simple rules system, intriguing setting, a set-up that provides the Player Characters with motivations and missions, and a sense of mystery and wonder in the secrets of the Astarites. Although it leaves both wanting to know more about the world of Empyrea and its mysteries, Lore & Legacy: Fantastic Adventures in a World of Science and Magic provides Game Master and players alike with an impressive introduction and start.

A French Science Fantasy Starter

Lore & Legacy is a French science-fantasy role-playing game set on the fantastical world of Empyrea, a vast planet home to numerous species who have come from the stars and settled. In the long years since, they have forgotten their homeworlds, how they go to Empyrea, and how to operate much of the technology. Indeed that technology has come to be regarded as akin to magic and only a few have the skill to use what has become known as arcanotechnology. Empyrea is also a world of many ruins, especially of the grandiose and sinister necropolis left behind by the mysterious Astarite civilization that came before anyone settled on the planet. They are said to contain lost treasures and forgotten technological wonders, but also many dangers—antediluvian biomechanical guardians and creatures corrupted by the poison of the Alteration, a mysterious fungal gangrene that spreads over the regions that once formed the heart of the Astarite kingdoms. In recent years, the Alteration has begun to spread again and dragon seeds have fallen from the sky, giving birth to dragons, creatures of unrivalled destructive power. Where such threats occur, the Free-Lancers’ Guild steps forward to protect and investigate. Found throughout many nations, its members coming from many different species, the Free-Lancers’ Guild sends out those determined to unravel the mysteries of the past and to venture beyond the borders imposed by incomplete maps, to protect the population, lift the veil on ancient lore, and reclaim their lost legacies.

Lore & Legacy – Quick-Start Guide provides this background and more. Published by Empyreal Media Productions, it introduces the setting and the mechanics, plus an adventure designed for four players and their quartet of pre-generated Player Characters. A character in Lore & Legacy is defined by his People (or species), seven Attributes representing his physical and mental prowess, various Abilities in which has either been trained or is gifted, and a number of Traits representing his personality quirks, special talents, obsessions, phobias, and the like. The Attributes are Acumen, Fortune, Mastery, Presence, Robustness, Temper, and Vigour, and all bar Fortune are represented by a single six-sided die plus a modifier. Fortune is a straight value representing the number of Fortune dice can roll each day. Now not all of the remaining six Attributes are not exactly clear as to what they are from their names. So, Acumen is the character’s ability to observe, reflect, and analyse; Mastery is agility, dexterity, and precision, and ability to think and react quickly; Temper is his willpower; and Vigour his raw physical strength. This runs counter to most naming conventions for attributes and may well be confusing for some players.

Abilities include Arcanotech, Charge, Investigation, Melee Combat, Passion (Painting), Wizardry, and more. They are always represented by a single ten-sided die plus a modifier. Traits tend to apply situational modifiers. For example, ‘Beast of Burden’ increases a Player Character’s Luggage Points by three; Healer which grants a Fortune die any non-magical healing action; Agoraphobic, which levies an Adversity die on all actions when the Player Character is in an open space; Ancestral Weapon, which grants the Player Character a weapon with the aetheric, which reduces the Magic Resistance of a successfully struck opponent; and Remarkable, which marks the Player Character out in social interactions with members of other races, levying an Adversity die and adding a Fortune die. A Player Character also has a number of derived secondary characteristics, including Health Points, Magic Points, Physical, Magic and Mental Resistances, and so on.

Mechanically, Lore & Legacy uses the ‘3d’ engine, which uses three sizes of the dice and three types of dice. The three sizes are ten-sided or Ability dice, eight-sided or Damage dice, and six-sided or Attribute dice, and they are always used in specific situations. In general, when an Ability or Attribute is tested, or Damage is rolled, only one die, the Basic die is rolled, any modifier being added to the result to get a total. However, it can be as many as three. It cannot, though, be more than three. The extra dice can either be a Fortune die, an Adversity die, or even both! The result of the Fortune die is added to the result of the Basic die, whilst the result of the Adversity die is subtracted from the result of the Basic die. Adding both a Fortune die and an Adversity die to the dice to be rolled does not mean that they cancel each other out. Instead, their results are added and subtracted respectively.

When a Player Character undertakes an action, his player makes an Action Roll, consisting of the appropriate Basic die—whether a ten-sided die because the Player Character has an appropriate Ability or a six-sided die because he does not and must rely upon an Attribute instead—and applies any modifier. The Difficulty Rating for the Action Roll ranges from six for ‘simple’ to eighteen for ‘superhuman’. The success result can vary. A result equal to, or greater than the Difficulty Rating is a Standard Success and indicates that the Player Character has achieved his intended aim. A result one-and-a-half times or greater than the Difficulty Rating is a Major Success, and indicates that the Player Character has achieved his intended aim with positive benefits. A result less than the Difficulty Rating and less than half of the Difficulty Rating is a Partial Success, and indicates that the Player Character has achieved his intended aim, but with unforeseen complications. A result less than the Difficulty Rating and more than half of the Difficulty Rating is a Failure, and indicates that the Player Character has not achieved his intended aim.

In addition, a Player Character can also roll a Spectacular Success or Disastrous Failure. A Spectacular Success is achieved when a Fortune die is included in the Action Roll and a maximum result is rolled on the Fortune die, when the result of the Action Roll is a Standard or Major Success. Similarly, a Disastrous Failure is achieved when an Adversity die is included in the Action Roll and a maximum result is rolled on the Adversity die, when the result of the Action Roll is a Partial Success or Failure. Although a Disastrous Failure cannot result in the death of a Player-Character, the Game Master is free to be as creative as she wants, whether the result is a Spectacular Success or a Disastrous Failure.

Both combat and magic use the same mechanics. A combatant has a single gesture, move, and action each round, and if he attacks, his player’s Action Roll is against his opponent’s Physical Resistance as the Difficulty Rating or Magic Resistance if the weapon used involves arcanotech. A Fortune die can be added to an Action roll if the opponent is immobilised, paralysed, knocked down, unconscious, and so on, likewise an Adversity die can be added if the attacker is suffering from similar conditions. Damage is rolled on a single eight-sided die, plus the weapon’s damage bonus, and is halved if the outcome of the Action Roll is a Partial Success, but increased by a half if a Major Success. Damage inflicted equal or superior to an opponent’s Injury Threshold and an injury is inflicted. 

The Lore & Legacy – Quick-Start Guide only presents two types of magic, more being available in the core rules. These are Illusory and Material magic. The former deals with changing the perceptions of others about their environment, the latter being the scientific study of making real what was not, or transforming what is. As in combat, the outcome of a Partial or Superior Success on an Action Roll halves the effect of the spell, or increases it by half, respectively. Just a handful of spells are included in the Lore & Legacy – Quick-Start Guide.

The Lore & Legacy – Quick-Start Guide includes four pre-generated Player Characters, which come four of the species available. The Disincarnated are humanoid synthetic life forms left behind by the Astarites, but discovered and reactivated by Free-Lancers, who gather experiences until they reach maturity and individuality; Dakti are short and muscular, good engineers and builders with great physical strength, and nicknamed ‘Dwarves’; Ælfyn, or ‘Elves’ are graceful forest-dwellers deriving most of their energy from photosynthesis; and of course, Humans. Two other species, the reptilian, four-armed Agamids, and the hardy and muscular, felinoid Orcs, who originated from the same world as the Ælfyn, are mentioned, but do not appear. The four pre-generated Player Characters consist of a Disincarnated Healer, Dakti Wizard, Ælfyn Marksman, and a Human Warrior. Theya re of course, members of the Free-Lancers’ Guild, essentially the in-built reason for the Player Characters to explore and adventure on Empyrea. 

The adventure in the Lore & Legacy – Quick-Start Guide is ‘Froglins in the Mist’. Divided into five acts, it is a fairly linear and straightforward affair. It begins in the port of Brasto, a successful trading city-state in the Contested territories. The local branch of the Free-Lancers’ Guild has posted a mission—a celestial barge in distress was spotted over a mangrove swamp two days’ walk south and it wants someone to check for survivors. The adventure provides the players and their Player Characters the chance to test out the mechanics with some shopping and bargaining, followed by travelling, before getting into the meat of the scenario. The Player Characters easily locate the crash of the celestial barge and discover that it was attacked after it crashed, and both crew and passengers are missing. Very quickly, the Player Characters will themselves be under attack, but will ultimately discover what is going on and hopefully rescue both passengers and crew. To be fair, ‘Froglins in the Mist’ is a bit simplistic and too combat orientated, so there is not much in the way of plot to its story. As a one-shot or a starting point for a campaign, it is fine though, providing a reasonable showcase for the mechanics and a little of the world of Empyrea, which can be played through in a session or two.

Physically, the Lore & Legacy – Quick-Start Guide is well presented. Much of the artwork is excellent and much of it reminiscent of FASA’s Earthdawn roleplaying game—which should be no surprise given that artist Jeff Laubenstein worked on both. The writing is also good, and the translation is more than reasonable. It feels a little overwritten in places, the rules, though simple, often feel as if they have more terms than they really need.

If there is a downside to the Lore & Legacy – Quick-Start Guide, it is that both it and the ‘Froglins in the Mist’ adventure could have done with a little more mystery and a little more wonder to really hook both Game Master and her players into setting of the Empyrea. Perhaps the adventure could have been slightly longer and maybe gone into some ruins that might have delivered that needed mystery and wonder? It is a serviceable adventure though and perhaps a separate adventure which would work as a sequel—whether using the quartet of Player Characters included in the Lore & Legacy – Quick-Start Guide or created using the core rules, might deliver that? Nevertheless, the rules themselves are actually fairly simple and easy to understand, being on par in terms of complexity with something like Savage Worlds or Numenera. The setting of Empyrea itself has a post-apocalyptic set-up combined with Science Fantasy and Planetary Romance a la Skyrealms of Jorune or again, Numenera. Overall, the Lore & Legacy – Quick-Start Guide is a decently done little quick-start that can be played and enjoyed as is, but would really benefit from just a little more of its mystery.