Goto [ Index ]

Alright, this is my first review. First of many I hope. However I would like to point out that although I will try to be as unbiased as possible, but due to my background with AD&D and the following versions of Dungeons and Dragons, my views are affected by them.

But then again, this game is a variant of the venerable system, so to paraphrase a quote from a World Of Warcraft video:

"Iffin' ye donae like DnD, GO HOME!" This review will not likely change your opinion on it.

One last bit of history, I picked this up in hopes of finding a game system like 3.x, but with less chance of all the old and local arguments dealing with the feats and what you can or can't do if you don't have them.

Now, to get into the nitty gritty and start with the positives.

First off, the Art is both consistent and pleasant to look at. It's also sparse and non-intrusive. Now, personally I like my art in RPGs, as long as it follows the theme of the game and/or world, and although I would have preferred a few larger pieces, Peter Bradley captures the feel of the game excellently.

The rules system is indeed a lighter version of the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2e, with all that entails. The SIEGE Engine[size=1]tm[/size] is a simple and easy mechanic that replaces most skills and the proficiency system, and will be described in detail below, as I understand it.

And this game is built with the assumption that it'll be houseruled into oblivion, which to a tinkerer like me, is a dream come true.

Here's the basics:

The game is class based with a total of 13 core, which can be modified with a choice of 7 races. The traditional four are depicted with Fighter, Wizard, Cleric and Rogue, and it adds a few more the Bard, the Assassin, the Druid, the Paladin, the Knight, the Monk, the Barbarian, the Ranger and the Illusionist.

The Races are the same as those found in the DnD 3.x series, with Elves, Dwarves, the Halves (Elf and Orc), Gnome and Halfling as well as the ubiquitous Human.

As for the SIEGE system, as far as I can tell the following is what it consists of:

There are two set difficulties for it, dependent on which of the core six attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma) are Primary and which are Secondary. Humans have three, while the other traditional races have two, that they can choose as a Primary. With which the difficulty to overcome is 12 plus various modifiers as per the 'Castle Keeper's' (AKA Gamemaster or GM) decisions. One Primary is based on the classes available to choose from, the other one (Or two if human) are player's choice. The Secondary level of difficulty is 18 plus the various bonuses and penalties set by the Castle Keeper.

Simple, right? And it is. That's the best part of it.

Unfortunately, the rest of the system very much like it's predecessor, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, in many ways. Actually, most of the original's problems are compounded over due to the streamlined nature of the game system.

For example, unlike 3.5 unified Experience Chart, each of the classes has their own, with differing amounts of 'XP' to gain to increase in level. On it's own that's not so bad. Except for the 'Fighter Problem' that crops up as it did in AD&D.

Apparently the Fighter's three abilities of Combat Dominance (Allowing fighters at 4th or higher to a get single attack against a 1 Hit Die creature, but the die must be 1d6 or less), An extra attack at 10th and the ability to specialize in a single weapon is so powerful that they need to be among the highest XP bracket. (Requiring 250,000 to get past 12th level, the cap of this system) As a comparison, the Rogue and Assassin with their 11 special skills are the lowest two (At 125,000 and 150,000 respectively) and they get the whole gamut of physical skills, along with back stabs and roguery talents. The other combat specialist with the same progression is the Monk and his 3.5-like list of abilities which numbers 13. The Paladin is the class with the highest XP requirement but his abilities actually justify it. Where as being the only class that gets to start off at a +1 to hit at first level (All others are +0) doesn't seem fair to me.

The 'problem', in case no one knows, is that it forces niche gaming (Which isn't bad in itself, unless you get players who don't want to play all the 'required' classes.) The other issues is that the Fighter plateaus after level 4 with a single spike at 10th and doesn't really do much other than hit well, but not hard enough to be worth it. All the other combat classes like the Barbarian, Paladin, Ranger, Monk and Knight all have abilities that are more interesting, and the ability to hit one more time doesn't really match up (After all who regularly faces level 1 critters past level 5 anyway?) Also it makes the game dependent on magical equipment or plain old magic to keep combat fast, or it'll get tedious.

The SIEGE mechanic isn't much of a balancer, because like the 3.x feat system, anyone can use it.

I also have some questions on the design philosophy of some of the classes. Bards having a d10 in hit dice? When they aren't frontline combat, or at least shouldn't if they want to use their abilities? Why bring back the Illusionist?

Also the basic equipment list brought up some questions. For example, what's the point of using a long sword (1d8 damage), when you can pick up a bastard sword which does more damage (1d10), but can still be used in one hand? In 3.x, a bastard sword is a two handed weapon that can be used two handed, but requires a special skill, or feat, to use it in one.

Also, one thing I liked in the current DnD is that strength damage is multiplied by 1.5 when using a two handed weapon, here it's not. At least I'm not seeing it in the rules, but then I'm having a bit of problem following the book, which leads to the next issue I have:

The layout.

The basic construction of the book itself is another sore point with me. Now to be fair, I am assuming that I have a first edition printing. At least I think it is as although I splurged about a week ago on this, there's nothing in the book claiming it's anything but a first printing.

Either way, it's horrible. There's no 'chapters', the section breaks are done in a small enough font that makes it hard for me to notice I've gone from one rules section to another. It feels like it's one giant 'chapter', which is exhausting to read. And worst of all, there's no index, which makes finding anything doubly hard. (Something that leads me to believe I have the dreaded 1st printing.)

It's also what makes it feel like an amateurish attempt at a game.

Still, I plan on using this game, with probably extensive houseruling. But I never expected a game to be perfect.