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Seventh Sea is difinitely one of a kind. Oh sure, there have been other pirate games, but nothing really good. Not until now, that is.

Seventh Sea is a game set on a world very much like Earth. Roughly the same flora and fauna, same physical laws, and same humans. The countries on Théah (which is what this part of the world is called) resemble the major European powers of our 15th-17th centuries. The resemblences are so close, in fact, that it's easy to tell European basis for each Théan country. The background for Théah is also obviously based on our European history, but it has been changed enough to make Théah radically different from Europe. As the book says, Europe and Théah are "distant cousins". They look enough alike to be noticeably in the same family, however.

Politically, Théah is very much like 15th-17th century Europe. Socially, Théah and Europe are close, there are differences here, though. Most Nobility on Théah has sorcerous heritage, meaning that they are magically active. There was also no "New World" discovered as on Earth. Secret Societies abound on Théah, as well. Most conspiracy theories on Earth are dismissed as fake, but on Théah, these theories are usually true, and therefore not talked about in court. To do so would be considered unfashionable at the least, completely humiliating at most! Fashion and Social standing are paramount in the world of Seventh Sea.

Game-wise, the system for Seventh Sea is decent. It's very similar to the L5R system, which is to be expected, as they are both from the same company. There are differences, though. These differences seem to be centered on changing the flavor of gameplay, however. There is a section in the Player's Guide detailing the differences.

I have no complaints about the content of the Seventh Sea Player's guide, but I do have a few qualms about its layout. There is a "Primer" in the beginning of the book which ends up just being a great big redundancy which does not really need to be there. The other qualm I have is that the GM's Guide and Player's Guide are two separate books, with the same price! It makes for a somewhat expensive game to begin to play. The expense is well worth it in my opinion. This is a game which, like L5R, is excellent for beginners or veterans. It's written in a somewhat simple manner, for beginners. But on the other hand, all of the beginning information is clearly labelled and easily skipped.

All in all, I give this book an "A". It's definitely worth checking out, and it's an excellent world with plenty of potential.

Style: 2 (Needs Work)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Seventh Sea Player's Guide
Author: Jennifer & John Wick Category: game Company/Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Group Line: Seventh Sea Roleplaying Cost: 29.95 Page count: 250 SKU: AEG 7001 Capsule Review by JFC Wolz on 07/19/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Historical	Seventh Sea is difinitely one of a kind. Oh sure, there have been other pirate games, but nothing really good. Not until now, that is. Seventh Sea is a game set on a world very much like Earth. Roughly the same flora and fauna, same physical laws, and same humans. The countries on Théah (which is what this part of the world is called) resemble the major European powers of our 15th-17th centuries. The resemblences are so close, in fact, that it's easy to tell European basis for each Théan country. The background for Théah is also obviously based on our European history, but it has been changed enough to make Théah radically different from Europe. As the book says, Europe and Théah are "distant cousins". They look enough alike to be noticeably in the same family, however. Politically, Théah is very much like 15th-17th century Europe. Socially, Théah and Europe are close, there are differences here, though. Most Nobility on Théah has sorcerous heritage, meaning that they are magically active. There was also no "New World" discovered as on Earth. Secret Societies abound on Théah, as well. Most conspiracy theories on Earth are dismissed as fake, but on Théah, these theories are usually true, and therefore not talked about in court. To do so would be considered unfashionable at the least, completely humiliating at most! Fashion and Social standing are paramount in the world of Seventh Sea. Game-wise, the system for Seventh Sea is decent. It's very similar to the L5R system, which is to be expected, as they are both from the same company. There are differences, though. These differences seem to be centered on changing the flavor of gameplay, however. There is a section in the Player's Guide detailing the differences. I have no complaints about the content of the Seventh Sea Player's guide, but I do have a few qualms about its layout. There is a "Primer" in the beginning of the book which ends up just being a great big redundancy which does not really need to be there. The other qualm I have is that the GM's Guide and Player's Guide are two separate books, with the same price! It makes for a somewhat expensive game to begin to play. The expense is well worth it in my opinion. This is a game which, like L5R, is excellent for beginners or veterans. It's written in a somewhat simple manner, for beginners. But on the other hand, all of the beginning information is clearly labelled and easily skipped. All in all, I give this book an "A". It's definitely worth checking out, and it's an excellent world with plenty of potential. Style: 2 (Needs Work) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Seventh Sea Player's Guide