The Riddle of Steel has generated a lot of quality discussion on this website and others, which prompted me to take a look at Driftwood’s website (www.theriddleofsteel.com), which further added to my curiosity. I ordered one of the pre-release copies and anxiously awaited its arrival (the official release is scheduled in August; I am not sure if there are any changes planned for the “full” release). Now that I have it, I decided I’d offer a review of it. The game’s designer, Jacob Norwood, makes some very strong claims about the uniqueness and accuracy of his combat system, calling it “the most realistic…in any RPG” on the back cover, and lauding it throughout the book. The game also has the distinction of being the only RPG endorsed by the Association for Renaissance Martial Arts (ARMA, www.thearma.org). Does this game live up to the hype? Let’s see…
The presentation
The Riddle of Steel is 262 page-long hardcover, with a one-page color insert map of the game world, Weyrth. It’s priced at $32.95. The cost is comparable to other hardcovers on the market, like Feng Shui, Fading Suns, or the Blue Planet Player’s Guide. The binding seems solid and the paper is thick.
This is a complete game under one cover. You could play a significant campaign using only this material. All you need is dice: lots of D10’s and a few D6’s.
The cover is dark, and it’s a little hard to figure out what’s going on at first. The cover illustration sets the tone without grabbing the eye. The rest of the artwork in the book suffers from this same darkness. All interior art is black and white, except for the map. Most of the illustrations are of average quality, although some of them are a little poor. Some of the best pieces are drawn from historical fencing manuals. These add a real sense of style, but they are obscure. A lot of the art is irrelevant to the text that surrounds it. All of the pieces are reproduced a few shades too dark, making them difficult to interpret, especially the historical illustrations. While some may say this adds to the “grittiness” of the game, it doesn’t impress me. The tables suffer from a similar overemphasis on shading. If I tried to photocopy them as recommended for ease of use, I doubt they would come out legible. The text in the appendix is also marred by images of swords behind them that really interfere with reading.
The text is arranged in two-column format in a readable font, with a sword design in the header and a key design in the footer. There is little wasted space. The prose is readable, although sometimes a little too chatty. I’ve noticed a decent number of spelling errors, and some missed cross-references. The table of contents and the index both seem adequate. A unique feature is the presence of text printed on the outer margins of the pages that allow the reader to “quick scan” the contents of the page. I like this; it looks like it will save time. Overall, the book seems well organized, although in certain places (namely character generation) information could have been consolidated a little better.
Fictional pieces open every chapter. They do a good job at setting the grim tone of the game, but are otherwise unremarkable. Examples are frequently given throughout the text, and are appreciated.
Just a quick note on the website: it’s superb. There’s a lot of good downloads and support material. I highly recommend you check it out if you’re interested in the game: it sold me.
The Mechanics
The Riddle of Steel is divided into eight chapters and an appendix. I’ll go through each chapter in turn.
Book One: In the Beginning.
Book One gives us the ubiquitous introduction to what role-playing is, as well as providing us with the basic mechanics and attributes used in the game. The Riddle of Steel uses a dice pool mechanic for task resolution. You roll a number of D10’s equal to your Attribute and equal or beat a Target Number. If you are testing the Attribute itself, you roll against a difficulty assigned by the Seneschal (Riddle’s name for the Gamemaster). If you are checking a Skill, you roll your Attribute in dice against a TN defined by your skill level. Each die over the result is a success; higher successes equal better results. Contested rolls subtract the lower set of successes from the higher. You fumble if you fail your roll and turn up more than a single 1. The situation is slightly different for combat, but I will reserve discussion for it until Chapter Four.
Characters are defined by four sets of attributes: Temporal (Physical), Mental, Spiritual, and Derived. There are 10 Temporal and Mental Attributes, with no real surprises here. Derived Attributes are calculated from Temporal and Mental Attributes. These mostly have to do with combat, although sorcerers get their own special Derived Attributes.
The real gem of the lot is the Spiritual Attributes. There are six Spiritual Attributes: Conscience, Destiny, Drive, Faith, Luck, and Passion. Players pick a set of these for their character and allocate dice to them. Some, like Destiny, also require the character to specify how they will use them (“I am destined to become King of the Desert…”). These dice can be added to the character’s Skill, Attribute, or Combat rolls when the character acts in a way consistent with their Spirit. For instance, if I have 2 dice in Conscience, and I am trying to bring a criminal to justice, I can expend those dice to help me when I duel him. I can only use them in a manner that affirms my goals or beliefs, and they “refresh” after every game session. Spiritual Attributes add a real extra dimension to the character, and are also critical for advancement.
Book Two: The Birth of Legend?
Book Two concerns itself with character generation. Riddle places a great emphasis on development of a character concept, even going so far as to insist each character have a sentence-long philosophy on life that goes right at the top of the character sheet.
Characters are generated in a manner that should be familiar to anyone who designed their own character (outside of a template) in Shadowrun. The player allocates priorities (from A to F) to each of six aspects of their character: Race and Sorcery, Social Class, Attributes, Skills, Proficiencies, and Gifts and Flaws. The higher the priority, the better the character is in that aspect.
In order not to play a human or to use magic (or both) Race and Sorcery must be ranked high. Social class determines starting wealth, income, and social privileges. Attribute priority determines how many points you have distribute among your 10 Temporal and Mental Attributes. The limitations are that no Attribute can be below 2 or above 7 to start, and one Attribute must be designated as “high”. High Attributes must have a higher score that all other Attributes. Skills cover all non-combat or non-magic-related learned activity. Proficiencies help determine what weapons or spells the character can use. Gifts and Flaws round out a character and include things like Obese and Beauty of Legends. The list is a little short, but a little creativity can add many more.
The problem with the character generation section is that information necessary to build a character is spread over four chapters: One, Two, Three, and Seven.
Book Three: Training
This Book outlines the skills, training packages, gifts and flaws, combat proficiencies and maneuvers, and character advancement.
Characters choose two skill “packets” during generation. There are 14 packets, like “Knight” or “Academic” that cover a group of related skills. This gives the character a blend of reasonable skills, although a few more packets might be helpful. The rating of the skill comes with the packet. There are over 60 skills, and the list seems comprehensive enough. A few of them, like “Ridicule” are unique and flavorful.
Combat proficiencies represent familiarity with a general class of weapon or a style. Some are basic, like “sword and shield”, others are a little more sophisticated, like “case of rapiers”, which involves dueling with two rapiers at once. Each proficiency can be allocated dice and provides its own list of maneuvers, both offensive and defensive. Proficiencies determine the size of the character’s Combat or Missile Pools (discussed in Book Four). Again, the unique martial feel of the game really comes through here. The number of maneuvers is large, and the particular mechanics can be involved for some of the more advanced actions—a quick reference of some form would be really helpful here.
Advancement in everything but skill use is bought through spending Spiritual Attribute points. Consequently, a character can only get better by fulfilling their Destiny, listening to their Conscience, affirming their Passion, etc. This really puts the emphasis on developing the character’s personality and biography as the way to make them stronger. Additionally, every point spent on increasing a character influences the karma of later characters that player has. This is called “Insight” in the game. It allows a good player who loses a strong character a better shot than average the next time around: experienced characters give their next character higher priorities during character generation when they die. This keeps continuity in power in a campaign, and it is certainly unique. It also makes a player less reluctant to risk a long-running character, and in the grim and deadly world of The Riddle of Steel, shyness is a natural temptation.
Book Four: The Codex of Battle
This chapter forms the centerpiece of the book, literally and figuratively. The combat system is one-of-a-kind, rich in detail, and complex.
Initiative is handled differently than any game I have seen. Combatants each pick up a red die and a white die at the beginning of each round. They drop one die from their hand at the command of the Seneschal. A red die signals attack, a white die signals defend. Two white dice indicate the combatants are circling each other for a few seconds, looking for an opening. Dice are dropped again until a red die shows up. If a player doesn’t drop a die, the character “hesitates” and leaves themselves open to an attack. Two red dice equal a simultaneous (and possibly mutually lethal) attack. You can “steal” initiative given the right circumstances and the gusto to do so. The passage of time is various--a combat round takes a few seconds, but "circling" can last a few minutes. if you get tired of circling, you can try and taunt your opponent into combat (the Ridicule skill comes in handy here).
Each combat round is fought as a series of exchanges, attack-defend, attack-defend. Each player allocates a number of dice from their Combat Pool for each action. These dice are rolled against a TN derived from the weapon involved. The attacking player picks the type of attack and the point of aim. The defender picks a defense and subtracts his or her success from the attacker’s. Several defensive maneuvers allow counterattacks. When the dice are used up in one character’s Combat Pool, the round is over. The interaction between maneuvers is really sophisticated, and requires player strategy to succeed. A highly skilled character who nevertheless is run by a player with poor judgment can end up dead very quickly. This seems like it could develop into a problem if the player can’t seem to grasp what’s going on.
Damage is handled by checking the success of the attack against the general aim point. A D6 is rolled to determine exact location, and damage results are applied. Injuries cause shock, pain, bleeding, knockout, and knockdown effects. Shock and pain affect the number of dice in the injured parties Combat Pool. The individual injuries are described colorfully, and the system is quite deadly. A little nick sets you up for a major wound. Bookkeeping looks like it might be a nightmare, with so many factors to keep track of, but the system is elegant is its own bloody way. Combat, as the author strongly advises, is something to be avoided or planned very carefully.
Armor soaks up damage. Heavy armor is rare, expensive, and often limited to certain social classes. It makes you easier to hit, but you take less damage.
Missile weapons do not have the depth of strategy that melee weapons do; the emphasis on hand to hand is obvious. This does not seem to be a major flaw. Despite how deadly everything looks, a still duel seems more exciting than picking an opponent off from a distance.
My real concern is with handling complex situations, like mounted combat. The system is really built for one-on-one combat among humanoid combatants of the same size. Hit location and damage for horses, mounted riders, and stranger beasts is not clarified enough. The rules for multiple combatants need some elaboration as well. A skilled character will avoid fighting several opponents, but this situation will arise not so infrequently. The supplement Flower of Battle, may of course, fix these gaps. it doesn't feel sorely incomplete, but some adjudication may be necessary for complex situations.
The claims made by Mr. Norwood seem justified here. I’ve personally read or played close to 30 game systems, and the combat resolution of The Riddle of Steel combines a real feel for action along with the deadly consequences of combat more accurately than any I’ve seen, even Phoenix Command. The emphasis on strategy is welcome, and the specificity is on par with any of the simulations out there. My one reservation is the complexity of the mechanics, which is to be expected in a game with this level of detail. A lot goes on with trading maneuvers and all of the little realism rules for injury. Since this isn’t a playtest review, I can only offer my hunch that it will take a dedicated group of players to master the system. However, my further suspicion is that they will love it once they get the hang of it.
Sure, you can find nearly all of elements of combat in The Riddle of Steel in other games. Is it a revolution? Maybe. Is it a grand synthesis and clarification? Certainly. The detail freak inside me is very excited.
Book Five: The Laws of Nature
This chapter discusses the mechanics for movement, encumbrance, falling, fatigue, and healing among others. It’s the shortest chapter in Riddle, and fills in some of the remaining mechanical details. Healing takes a long time. Many other rules issues are dealt with in Book Three, under skill descriptions. Of note is the lack of rules for poison or drowning.
Book Six: Sorcery
Mr. Norwood expressly proclaims that the magic system in Riddle is not designed to be balanced. The emphasis is on the mystery and power of sorcery. Spells are divided into nine Vagaries (or schools): Sculpture, Growth, Movement, Conquer, Glamour, Vision, Summoning, Banishing, and Imprisoning. Each Vagarie has its domain of control. And each of the Vagaries has three power levels. Up to three (or more if a Ritual is used) Vagaries can be combined into a single spell. The numerology of the number 3 is explicit.
Sorcerers get their own Gifts and Flaws, and they also get their own Derived Attributes and a Sorcery Pool (that functions much like the Combat or Missile Pools). Spells are cast against a Casting Target Number (CTN). Powerful spells age a character prematurely (in fact, this is the only way the immortal Elves age), and can cause fatigue or unconsciousness.
While there are a few spells listed at the end of the chapter (about 60), the emphasis is on using magic creatively to make up your own effects. This freedom is both exciting and challenging for the Seneschal. It could get out of hand rather easily. The text declares “There are no fireballs.” Magic can bend, but not break the laws of physics. The attempt is to make magic look less like its Dungeons and Dragons version, and give it back some of its strangeness and power. Think Merlin more than Mordenkainen. A magic-user should be introduced carefully into the setting; they are certainly not to be found on every street corner in Weyrth.
Weyrth is a magic-poor world. Only one human in a hundred thousand can be expected to learn sorcery, and most powerful spell users are hunted or non-human. There is also no “clerical” magic, although healing spells are possible. For better or for worse, there are no magic items listed in the book (so no fireballs and no healing potions, either).
Book Seven: The World of Weyrth
Book Seven contains details on the geography and cultures of Weyrth, its religions, its history, its sapient non-human inhabitants, its economy, and equipment tables.
Weyrth is both the name for the main landmass of the planet and the world itself. It has three subcontinents: Mainlund (the assumed starting point for beginning characters), Tegaarn, and Maraiah. Over thirty distinct nations are described in terms of geography, religion, political system, laws, and culture. Each nation has benefits to characters that come from that background.
The setting feels very much like our own world between the late Middle Ages and the early Renaissance. There is an analog for the Roman Empire in decline, etc. This is not to say it is entirely derivative. There is a “twist” for almost every nation, but the resemblances to historical cultures is deliberate and obvious in places. I think this enhances, rather than handicaps the setting; it allows players to have a feel for the world and still have plenty to discover. The game includes some blank spaces on the world map for a creative Seneschal to fill in his or her own places, a nice touch. The one drawback is that the nations and peoples of Mainlund are given equal space with more exotic countries. It would have been better to include more detail on this subcontinent than on the others, if the focus in the beginning is supposed to be here. A significant city might well have earned a few pages of its own to serve as a base of operations for new characters. As is, it will take a little work for a Seneschal to get everything going. All of the exotic names are given pronunciation keys, which I find useful.
History revolves around the rise and decline of the Empire of Xanar, and the struggles of the Church that “fills” its place.
There is plenty of political intrigue and room for conflict. The overall feel is dark and gritty, as well as vast. The world feels complete and well thought out. It is reminiscent in places of the Warhammer fantasy universe.
One of the really interesting features of Riddle is the use of religion. Religion plays a large role in the lives of the people of Weyrth, and there are some thinly disguised versions of real world religions in the setting. There are crusades and Jihads brewing. But none of the religions are simply a copy of an existing faith; and even Blade-slingers have their own martial search for enlightenment. The author freely admits that this can be controversial, and urges individual gamers to make their own decisions on the use of religious themes. Religion adds another layer of depth to the setting, and I think it is handled maturely. I’d use it.
Non-humans are secretive and rare, and they get their own special treatment. They are divided into the mischievous Seelie (sprites, pixies, etc.), the malicious Unseelie (goblins, gremlins, etc.), the distant and noble Fey (elves), Trollspawn (big and scary), and members of the “Other World” (demons, devils, angels, etc.). The first three of these go under the collective name of Siehe. Characters may not even believe these rare and awesome creatures exist. The image of Oberon’s court in Midsummer Night’s Dream, or the denizens of the spirit world in Three Hearts and Three Lions best captures what the game is trying to achieve. There are even Halflings, but they aren’t Tolkienesque: they are more half-elves than anything. It’s a refreshing take on non-human cultures. They are put in the margins, these “things that go bump in the night”, in much the same way magic is pushed out of the daylight. It restores a little mystery to the genre.
The discussion of economics involves a lengthy discussion on different types of coinage: their metal, their comparative weights, who mints what. It’s nice and adds to the feel without being too burdensome.
The equipment lists are long and fairly comprehensive. There are plenty of weapons and a decent number of armors to choose from. Included are the prices of common lodgings and services.
Book Eight: The Seneschal
The last chapter in the book is devoted to advice for the Seneschal. The tone is light and encouraging, and offers a decent amount of practical wisdom for the beginning Seneschal. Apparently, a lot revolves around who orders and pays for the pizza. More experienced game masters might not be too impressed, and there is nothing extraordinary about the suggestions. Its good, but not great, advice for the now comer.
Additionally, there is a set of game designer’s note in the form of a FAQ, that gives us a window into why certain things are the way they are in The Riddle of Steel. I always like this, but it isn’t essential, and the space could have been used elsewhere. But at least I know the “spirit” of the rules.
Book Eight also includes a selection of typical humans (the town guard, a wandering knight, etc.), some common animals, some non-humans (Siehe, Trollspawn, and Other worlders), and some mythical beast (giants, dragons, unicorns). Most of the monsters are not unique to the world. Almost none get illustrations, nor are their stats fleshed out much. This is a little disappointing, even if the monsters are supposed to be rare. The emphasis is clearly on human opponents.
A few brief adventure ideas round out the chapter. While these are sketches in the truest sense of the word, some of them have merit. Care is taken to have a place for either combat or diplomacy if the characters should choose. They aren’t especially imbedded in the setting, but they a good place for a novice to start.
Appendices
The appendices contain all of the wound tables for the various types of weapons in the game, as well as combat statistics for the weapon. It is frustrating that the utmost care has been taken to make the weapons in Riddle historically accurate, in terms of name, use, and performance, but there are no illustrations of the particular weapons clearly identified as such. The pictures that interfere with the missile weapon descriptions are supposedly examples of the right kinds of weapons, but they are not labeled and are more of a nuisance to the reader than anything. Additionally, there are a lot of wound tables, rifling through them might be a chore. I have already mentioned reading some of these might be tough. A final difficulty lies in the contrast between the detail of the weapon wound tables and the injury table for everything else. Fire, electricity, and any magical effects that don’t involve mechanical force all get one, one row table without any description. For example, a level 3 wound to the upper arm from a bludgeon gets, “Broken humerus (hairline). May drop item in hand”; there is no descriptive text in the general table. I realize the table is general, but it could have been expanded to something less so. The details often seem unevenly perched on melee combat.
Conclusion
Was this game worth it? In a word, yes. Admittedly, I’m a combat system junkie. The Riddle of Steel certainly delivers in this department. But there are a lot of other interesting ideas that, while not as novel and powerful as combat, would make this a fun game to run. In particular, Spiritual Attributes really are unique and look like they might add a lot to playing a character. And you can play The Riddle of Steel with just this book, which is always an advantage to me. I haven’t been interested in fantasy role playing in a while, but this game makes me want to give it a shot again.
I’m giving this a 5 in substance, with the following caveat: The combat system and the Spiritual Attributes alone make this game stand out and worth procuring. If the game were absent these elements, I’d give it a 4.
Go to forum!
(Due to spamming, old forum discussions are no linked.)