First, I'd like to point everyone to last week's review of the game by Funksaw. I agree with all he had to say, but this game is so full of unique and interesting bits, I wanted to expand on several points instead of restating the general overview he gave. That said, I suggest that if you haven't already, you read his review ( http://www.rpg.net/news reviews/reviews/rev_6690.html ) and then return here.
All done? Ok.
I have been watching the development of this game for a while now. Steampunk/ pulp are my favorite genres, and the preview artwork I saw was excellent. I snagged a copy as soon as my FLGS got it in, and I have been reading it voraciously ever since.
Since you already have the overview from Funksaw's review, I first wanted to explore the dice mechanic a bit more. In some ways it is similar to the Ironclaw and Deadlands systems, but is a bit simpler. Tests require you to roll a number and type of dice equal your Attribute, and you reroll any die that rolls the maximum possible. You keep the highest die rolled, and then add your skill level to this amount. If this beats the target number or opposed roll, you succeed. Example: You want to climb a wall. You would need to roll your Agility dice, which may be anything from 1d4 to 5d12 or more... lets say you have 3d6. You roll 1, 5, 6, and the 6 is rolled again, coming up a 3 (total = 9) You keep the 9 and add your Climbing skill (a 2, lets say), for a total of 11. If the wall's TN was 11 or lower, you succeeded. This same mechanic is used for everything from combat to casting spells to skill checks.
Now that you know the system, the next point I wanted to emphasize is that the whole theme of the CotS system is flexibility. From character creation to magic items to spells to spirits and undead, even campaign "feel", CotS strives to give you as many options as possible.
In chargen, there are no classes or levels. You have free access to buy skills, spells, attributes, special abilities, etc. You really create the character YOU want! Any race, any profession, any skills, any spells, etc... you spend points on your choices, and costs are generally well balanced.
Magic items come in 3 varieties, and while there are several samples of each type, the focus is on building unique items yourself! There are Linked Items, Divine Relics, and Arcane Engines. Linked Items require the user to bond with the item, similar to items in Earthdawn. Divine Relics require no bond, but the user (and use) of the item are carefully watched by the Elder Spirit to whom the item is dedicated... Arcane Engines, however, are what make the setting unique. Scientists have found a way to inscribe magic runes (called circuits) onto items. This gives the item a specific spell or power, usable by anyone, even if they have no talent for magic. These circuits have led to a huge number of inventions, from vehicles to weapons to household items (arcane steeds = motorcycles, linkpads = palmpilots/PDAs, and there are radios, magical radar stations, guns, airships, etc)
Spells are highly variable too. Like most things in CotS, they have Quality or Effect ratings. These can be boosted by spending more magic points when casting the spell. Each extra Magic point spent allows you to do 1 of the following: Add 1 Effect die, increase the effect die type, increase the duration, increase the range, or expand the area of effect. For example, want your 1st level Awaken spell to wake everyone in the party up at once, but the Area is 1 creature? No problem! Spend 1 extra magic point per addition person! This versatility makes magic do what YOU want, not what the book says, and isn't that the whole point of playing a spellcaster?
Spirits and Undead are also presented as individual creatures. The GM is given a host of common abilities and powers, and rules on how to create unique opponents for the PCs to encounter. Each ghost or spirit may have radically different abilities, weaknesses, and motivations, and presenting a construction system for them really drives this point home!
Lastly, the campaign theme and "feel" of the game is highly variable. If you want to play up the pulp adventure side, you can. There are areas of jungle with lost civilizations and powerful relics. If you want political intrigue and social drama, there are a wealth of opportunities. If you want the focus to be on character development, there are many unique races in the game with interesting cultures, and the usually proud and haughty Elves are the targets of hatred and discrimination in CotS. If you want a bleak and desperate struggle-for-survival type of game, the island of Lysirial was utterly devastated in the last war and is now home to demon-infused soldiers and insane spirits left over from those battles.
The GM's chapter contains several pages of plot hooks, and tons more are scattered throughout the book (in the History, World Overview, and Creature chapters, especially). The book also comes with 2 sample adventures, and they are both exceptional! In the first, the PCs are hired to get rid of homeless squatters living in an abandoned theater that has just been bought by a new owner. They end up finding much more than they bargained for! The second adventure involves a gentleman's club that enjoys making outrageous wagers... their current one involves each wealthy patron hiring an individual or group to race across the entire island of Krace, recover a statue, and be the first to return to the club with it! The round trip will take over 3 months, and in addition to the natural perils and encounters on the road, some of the competing teams/ individuals may get downright nasty... perhaps that prize of 7000 coins to the winner has something to do with it... Another interesting feature of the adventures is how they are laid out... As Acts and Scenes, like a play! This makes it easy to keep the adventures organized and on track, and is a brilliant move!
Since I don't want to come off sounding like a complete fanboy, let me get to my nitpicking section...
At times, the sheer variety means that the game does not have a strong focus in any one area. For example, the full effects of how the invention of Arcane Engines has changed life in the world of Cots is not explored to its fullest. What does the added mobility provided by vehicles mean for the average person? How is the ongoing change from individual craftsmen to factories and companies impacting people? Are there labor movements, robber barons, specialized industries, competing corporations, pollution, and other effects of advancing civilization? To be fair, there was only so much they could fit into the main rulebook, and the authors said they ended up cutting a great deal due to space limitations. They have said they plan to focus on the increasing industrialization of the world in upcoming supplements, so I am happy about that.
The book was extremely well editted for a small-press book, and I found very few actual errors. I do have a few other nitpicks though... The Critical Hit chart on page 165 is not repeated in the back of the book. I would think that this chart would see far more use than the Strength chart or the Movement charts that are presented there. The organization of the book seemed strange until the author explained his reasoning for the chapter order. The reason why some spells on the spell cart in the appendix are italicized and others are not was a mystery to me until I found the answer on pg 79 (Italicized spells are intricate actions and take longer to cast)
There are many beautiful pictures throughout the book, but very few of them show any kind of technology. This is another reason why the "dieselpunk" feel doesn't come off as strongly as it could. Out of about 75 pictures in the book, only 9 of them show technological items! The numerous pictures of creatures, the Elder Spirits/Gods, historical world events, etc are very nice, but they strongly emphasize a fantasy world with a few guns, instead of a dieselpunk setting. Horses and swords are far more common in the artwork than guns and cars.
Finally, I disagreed with the power level of starting characters. While they are about equal in ability to 1st or 2nd level D&D characters, they seem quite weak for the setting and themes of the game. A starting character is equal in power to only 2 creatures in the monster section... an Adavae (8" tall fairie creature) and a Leechsnake (normal-sized snake/leech combo). A wild Luparathi (one of the PC races) is over 3 times as powerful as a starting character, and a 3' tall Therol (equivalent to a goblin) has a total of 42 attribute dice, compared to a starting character's 13... thats a huge difference! 1 Therol would be a match for an entire starting party! Ok, the good news is that CotS includes rules for starting with more advanced characters, and it is extremely easy to just give the PCs extra Attribute dice at creation (I'd recommend 15 instead of the 4 given in the rules...)
The above complaints don't detract from my belief that Children of the Sun is one of the most unique and interesting games released all year! The system provides a ton of options and is complex without crossing over into "rules heavy". The setting is populated by unique races and shows a fantasy world advancing into the age of industrialization. It is ripe for a wide variety of adventures and even genres, from pulp to horror to high fantasy. If you see this game in the store, I highly recommend you take a look... especially at the picture of the Harvesters on pg 276. That picture alone should encourage some reluctant players to give the game a try...
An exceptional 1st product for Misguided Games, and if their quality stays this high, I'm sure they have a bright future ahead!
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