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The complete rules primer is online: http://www.untoldthegame.com/primer. The game is extremely easy and quick to learn, with most players building characters and playing in under 10 minutes. There are no other rulebooks, or primers. The online primer is free for anyone to read or download.
The game itself is played on cards, which is beneficial in several ways. First, all of the necessary rules/stats are all printed on the cards, which removes the need for rule books, and allows for a great amount of mobility and easy transportation. Secondly, there are no random booster packs. All of the cards come in decks, with a complete contents list online, on the deck box itself, and on a Deck ID card inside the deck. So, when you buy cards, you know exactly what you're getting. Also, most cards are printed on double and "quad" cards, putting more information on each card, and not wasting unnecessary space. Finally, being on cards, the game is extremely affordable. Most decks range between $5.00-$15.00, depending on the amount of cards in the deck. Starter sets, priced around $30.00, include everything for 6 players and 1 GM to play a long term campaign.
The cards are broken down into five distinct types, which are explained in the Primer. First, there are Race cards, which have certain stats specific to each race. Next, there are the quad cards, Aspects. Aspects (Body, Mind, and Soul respectively) define how well your character can do certain things. Body, for example, defines how physically strong your character is. You do not need to use each Aspect if you do not want to. Next is Powers, which are broken into 4 different subcategories: Site, Story, Time, and Hot Swaps. Powers can be anything from weapons to spells to personal abilities. Site Swaps means the Power in question must have been used or acquired at a certain area. Story Swaps tell a story about how the Character came to be in possession of a certain Power. For example, if your Churl Barbarian has an Ancestral Club, then he probably obtained that club from his father, who inherited it from his father, and so on. Time Swaps simply mean the Power takes time to perform, such as drawing and firing a bow or a complex spell or ritual. Hot Swaps are Powers that your Character knows, such as spells and abilities. The next card is the Minion card, which is used primarily for GMs. A Minion card is a creature used for encounters, and all of its basic stats are printed on the back of the card. These stats can be modified with the use of other cards, but they are not required for the minion to be effective. Finally, there are Bane cards, which simply serves as a reminder if your Character has some status problem, such as poisoning or blindness. Each card, with the exception of Bane cards, have Untold Points or UP costs. These UP costs are what allows the Player to build characters. The GM, instead of setting a starting level, sets a starting UP reflecting the difficulty of the beginning of the campaign. Characters are built using UP, and as the campaign progresses, Players are awarded more UP by the GM, kind of like XP.
The setting for Untold is what is being referred to as an open-ended setting, with all the information you need being found here: http://www.untoldthegame.com/ss/setting. In other words, there is a general "setting" and theme but Players are encouraged to make their own worlds and settings with both material provided and their own creations. The setting, referred to as Splintered Serenity can be broken down into three basic worlds.
The first world is Apoc Earth, or post-Apocalyptic Earth. Whatever the "Apocalyse" was, it left Earth devastated and having to rebuild and regrow. It is inhabited by Undead and horrible creatures, both natural and unnatural. There two distinct groups of humans, both descended from a type of super-soldier. The Highbred are super-soldiers who were on bases and in bunkers when the Apocalypse happened. While they do not have the technological superiority humanity once had, they do possess powerful weapons and super-human qualities. Churls are super-soldiers who were caught in the field during the Apocalypse and embraced humanity's more barbaric past. These tribes of barbarians have learned how to use powerful elemental magic, and have grown to tremendous size and stature.
The second world is Ai, a realm of pure magic and uncontrolled nature. Ai is a plane inhabited by sentient, magical proto-beasts called L'na, who serve as both Ai's inhabitants and children. Ai is not the tree-hugging, nature is love kind of place either. Ai is a world of savage spellcasters, forests full of ancient and dangerous secrets, and seas that are in constant turmoil. The L'na, while animal in appearance, are not mindless beasts. Resembling no one animal is particular but rather combinations of various creatures, L'na can be broken down into two groups: Dawns and Twilights. Dawns, more active during the day, are powerful elemental spellcasters, capable of bending the elements to their will. Twilights are superb mentalists and psionists, whose powers over the mind and soul are unmatched.
The third and final world is the Great Machine, a plane of cogs and gears. The Great Machine is inhabited by "steampunk" like robots referred to as Klik. These Klik, which are built by and serve the Great Machine can be broken down into two groups: Tripods and Rollers. Tripods are the heavy lifters and front line soldiers. Armed with arrays of saws, drills, flamethrowers and other powerful tools and weapons, Tripods are tough machines. Rollers are the executives and commanders. Moving on a large metal ball instead of legs, Rollers are streamlined and specialized with lockpicks, tool sets, and other useful tools.
Finally, the Splintered Serenity setting has an overlying, general theme. Something called the "Event" has caused these three worlds to collide and the boundaries between them to bend and break. Also, something called the Flux has emerged, conjuring up massive storms and opening portals between these three worlds and others, and unleashing Lovecraftian like horrors into the realms of existence.
Untold the Game is trying to be the ultimate RPG, and prides itself on giving it's fans a great deal of control over the setting and game. Fans write everything from creature ecologies, and serialized fictions, as well as creates cards. To date, several fan created cards have been released.
All in all, Untold is meant to be a fast and fun RPG. Easy to learn, easy to play, with players building the equivalent of 7 and 8 level D&D characters in a matter of minutes. To learn more, go to http://www.untoldthegame.com/.
