Character generation initially consists of a three-word description or Aspect. This describes who a character is e.g., "An elfin wizard", "A French werewolf" and allocating 13 points to the three Virtues, which represent the character's ability in a physical (Hand), mental (Head) and social (Heart) tasks. Add to this a character's Charms which are special or magical abilities implied by their aspect and equal in number to their lowest Virtue rating. Characters also may have Taboos, which are limitations to their abilities. Although the staring number is 0, a player may voluntarily adopt Taboos to gain Charms at a rating of 2 Taboos per extra Charm. In the course of adventure characters may also accumulate Luck or Curses which modify their ability to succeed at tasks. Finally characters are given the opportunity to write a summary of their story; their "Legend" and underline a number of keywords equal to their lowest Virtue, which acts as a narrative hook by which the player may engage in plot buy-in.
The game system is initially "task-based"; a roll of 13 on a d12 plus the appropriate Virtue and modified according to circumstances, ranging from +4 or more for easy tasks, +3 for matters of average difficulty and all the way down to -6 or more for the "nearly impossible". This is further modified by the player's narration of the character's actions (-3 to +3) per phrase of Embellishment and with automatic or critical successes and failures on die rolls of a natural 1 or 12.
However in addition to this "task-based" system, the game is also "conflict-based". Any conflict is resolved through Overture, Crescendo and Finale. In the Overture characters define their victory conditions and determine their "initiative" through a Courage roll (d12 and Heart). The winner of the Courage roll, builds the next phrase of the narrative with Embellishments taken in turn describing the next activity. This can continue for any number of turns but can be concluded at any time by the Narrator or player, although there is also a final retort stage. In the Finale the total of all the bonuses are added and an attempt is made on "Roll 13". Defeat for faeries usually doesn't imply death, but certainly is does imply temporary incapacitation or disposession. In some circumstances (e.g., mass melee) narrative bonuses can be combined. Natural disasters and challenges use the same system although their "narrative" is somewhat limited and their results are defined as grades of a Calamity.
Overall, it's a neat and light system and one which largely works. Unfortunately, there are very few examples of what constitutes positive or negative modifiers and what does exist is scattered through the text. This can be considered a significant flaw as it is both simple and necessary for consistant game-play. Another problem we found in playtesting exists in character development. Simply put, this is narrative driven. The more narrative points a player accumulates the more they can change the Taboos, Charms and so forth of their character. Whilst this is quite enough, a competitive situation develops where at the end of each session the player with the highest narrative points gained in that session may attempt to gain an improvement in their Virtues. Apart from the fact that this means the chance of improving a Virtue varies dependent on the number of players in the game, it also can lead to according the best chance to improve the most vital game statistic to the most overbearing players.
The second part of the game consists of the setting of Faerie. It is quite good insofar the author includes many of the key themes; a non-cardinal and mutable approach to space and time, which emphasises loci and influences with thematic geographies rather than ones which make realistic sense. The entire point is to create thoroughly strange and fantastic settings with the most imporant NPCs and this regard the province descriptions are successful. There is enough material here to generate at least a dozen sessions of satisfying play. In addition to these there are briefer descriptions of domains, places dominated by single NPCs, "kissing points" where the mortal and faerie realms meet and how mortals come into the faerie realm, how to mix player Protagonists into a group, or Troupe, and a selection on NPC Antagonists, including classic characters such as Baba Yaga, Circe, the Green Knight and so forth.
The final part consists of three short scenarios; "The Emperor's Painting", which introduces core elements and themes in the game, the rather clever "You Only Live (Happily Ever After) Twice" (with the subtitle "Daemons Are Forever"), which was originally played as a Contes de Fees game in 2003, and finally the multi-session and complex "The Ass' Skin". All three scenarios are enjoyable and challenging.
Seven Leagues is a recommended game for a handful of sessions as it is writ. For a longer-term game a Narrator would have to establish a set of firm guidelines to strengthen the narrative game system, but as it stands it is quite workable in the short-term. The setting has the richness of hundreds of years of faery stories to back it up (and Einstein's quote on said matter is appropriate here), and is well presented. The semi-anonymous author clearly has more than just a basic familiarity with the tales. Overall, the combination of the game-setting and game-system is a thoroughly pleasing experience.
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