The Inside Scoop on Gaming

With much anticipation I picked up my copy of the 7^th Sea players guide on the day it was available in my area. I was not disappointed. The first thing I noticed was that the game designers Jennifer & John Wick along with Kevin Olson have gone to great length to create the compelling world of Théah. They have not just created a game, they have created a whole world to explore.

The first section of the book is entitled the Primer. It's designed to let you jump in and play the game right away. It comes complete with some pre-made characters and enough information about the rules to start playing right away. It touches on the game mechanics which are based on using ten sided dice. Basically you roll a number of ten sided dice equal to your characters trait and try to beat a target number set by the game master. One cool aspect is that you can request a raise. A raise makes the target number more difficult but when you request one you can do cool things like a called shot or add dramatic flare to your characters actions.

The second section is entitled Théah. Here you are presented with a complete history of Théah leading up to current events. The depth the game designers went to bring this world to life blew me away. As the book describes the different nations of Théah you find out about the people, their ideas about politics and the land they live on. You even get a section with common names people from each nation use.

The world of Théah is a kind of alternate reality of our own past with each nation bearing a strong resemblance to real nations. Avalon resembles (England), and Eisen (Germany), Montaigne (France), Castille (Spain), Vodacce (Italy), Vendal (Scandinavia) and Ussura (Russia). The Alternate reality aspect is very cool considering this game will have an ongoing story line. Théah is filled with things that make the 17^th century interesting, including a play of religion and science, mystery, intrigue, romance, politics, sword play, sorcery, secret societies and of course swashbuckling pirates.

The third section is entitled Hero. Here you learn how to create a character. What better way to get a concept for your character than playing 20 questions. The questions in the book help you get an idea of the hero you want to play. Basically you get 100 point to spend on traits, skills, special backgrounds etc in a six-step process to create a character. A very nice character sheet is provided in the back of the book for photocopy.

The fourth section entitled drama goes into more depth of the mechanics than the Primer section does. This system is designed for drama and cinematic adventure and has some nice touches with Raises and something called drama dice. You'll have to read the book to get all the details.

The fifth section called Player offers some good advice on running a fun game. There is a section for both novice and experience players alike. My favorite part deals with getting into your character voice. I can't wait to role-play a Pirate and get my Pirate voice going. How fun to be yelling out phrases like Ahrrrr Matey, and Swab the Deck! Thank you AEG for adding a Pronunciation guide in the back of the book.

As AEG gears up to support this new game line they have alluded to a collectable card game and a miniatures game for 7^th Sea in the future rounding out the gaming experience. One of the coolest things about this is the interactive nature of this world. Apparently they are going to have story line events and tournaments where players get to effect the outcome of the 7^th Sea story line. They even have a form in the back of the players guide to sign up for the 7^th Sea Society. A club where you get a newsletter, some promo cards, and a membership card. All I can say is WOW! I hope AEG will support this club by getting the newsletters out on time and sending out letters with updates etc. The interactive nature of the 7^th Sea could be one of the coolest things ever if done right. Good luck AEG.

At only $29.95 this book is a bargain for the wealth of information you get. The weaknesses of the book were hard to see, perhaps more could have been covered regarding ships and sea travel but I am sure an expansion in the future will offer more on that. The strengths of this book are the depth and detail describing the world of Théah and its people. The game system places an emphasis on cinematic drama and fits well with Théah. The artwork is great and adds to flavor of the world. It is such a cool world to game in everyone will want to check it out. Go out and buy this book from your local gaming retailer.

Any one who lives in the Minnesota Twin Cities area who would like a demo of this great game please contact me through e-mail

Support your local game retailer!

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

7th Sea Players Guide
Author: Jennifer & John Wick, Kevin Wilson Category: game Company/Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Group Line: 7th Sea Cost: 29.95 Page count: 252 Capsule Review by Clayton Capra on 06/25/99. Genre tags: Historical Espionage Conspiracy	With much anticipation I picked up my copy of the 7^th Sea players guide on the day it was available in my area. I was not disappointed. The first thing I noticed was that the game designers Jennifer & John Wick along with Kevin Olson have gone to great length to create the compelling world of Théah. They have not just created a game, they have created a whole world to explore. The first section of the book is entitled the Primer. It's designed to let you jump in and play the game right away. It comes complete with some pre-made characters and enough information about the rules to start playing right away. It touches on the game mechanics which are based on using ten sided dice. Basically you roll a number of ten sided dice equal to your characters trait and try to beat a target number set by the game master. One cool aspect is that you can request a raise. A raise makes the target number more difficult but when you request one you can do cool things like a called shot or add dramatic flare to your characters actions. The second section is entitled Théah. Here you are presented with a complete history of Théah leading up to current events. The depth the game designers went to bring this world to life blew me away. As the book describes the different nations of Théah you find out about the people, their ideas about politics and the land they live on. You even get a section with common names people from each nation use. The world of Théah is a kind of alternate reality of our own past with each nation bearing a strong resemblance to real nations. Avalon resembles (England), and Eisen (Germany), Montaigne (France), Castille (Spain), Vodacce (Italy), Vendal (Scandinavia) and Ussura (Russia). The Alternate reality aspect is very cool considering this game will have an ongoing story line. Théah is filled with things that make the 17^th century interesting, including a play of religion and science, mystery, intrigue, romance, politics, sword play, sorcery, secret societies and of course swashbuckling pirates. The third section is entitled Hero. Here you learn how to create a character. What better way to get a concept for your character than playing 20 questions. The questions in the book help you get an idea of the hero you want to play. Basically you get 100 point to spend on traits, skills, special backgrounds etc in a six-step process to create a character. A very nice character sheet is provided in the back of the book for photocopy. The fourth section entitled drama goes into more depth of the mechanics than the Primer section does. This system is designed for drama and cinematic adventure and has some nice touches with Raises and something called drama dice. You'll have to read the book to get all the details. The fifth section called Player offers some good advice on running a fun game. There is a section for both novice and experience players alike. My favorite part deals with getting into your character voice. I can't wait to role-play a Pirate and get my Pirate voice going. How fun to be yelling out phrases like Ahrrrr Matey, and Swab the Deck! Thank you AEG for adding a Pronunciation guide in the back of the book. As AEG gears up to support this new game line they have alluded to a collectable card game and a miniatures game for 7^th Sea in the future rounding out the gaming experience. One of the coolest things about this is the interactive nature of this world. Apparently they are going to have story line events and tournaments where players get to effect the outcome of the 7^th Sea story line. They even have a form in the back of the players guide to sign up for the 7^th Sea Society. A club where you get a newsletter, some promo cards, and a membership card. All I can say is WOW! I hope AEG will support this club by getting the newsletters out on time and sending out letters with updates etc. The interactive nature of the 7^th Sea could be one of the coolest things ever if done right. Good luck AEG. At only $29.95 this book is a bargain for the wealth of information you get. The weaknesses of the book were hard to see, perhaps more could have been covered regarding ships and sea travel but I am sure an expansion in the future will offer more on that. The strengths of this book are the depth and detail describing the world of Théah and its people. The game system places an emphasis on cinematic drama and fits well with Théah. The artwork is great and adds to flavor of the world. It is such a cool world to game in everyone will want to check it out. Go out and buy this book from your local gaming retailer. Any one who lives in the Minnesota Twin Cities area who would like a demo of this great game please contact me through e-mail ©1999 Clayton Capra Mirkwoodcc@aol.com www.rpg.net/mirkwood Support your local game retailer! Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

7th Sea Players Guide