 Goto [ Index ] |
Chapter 1: Deomeidh (16 pages) – Here we get a broad overview of the world, its calendar, its cosmology, and the like. Deomeidh is effectively a world created by opposing supernatural forces; where those forces violently meet is called the “edge”, and is where the world exists. There is no greater universe at work; the sun and moon are in fixed orbits and move around the world. Humanity is the dominant race, and almost the only one. This chapter also includes an introduction to Celestials known as “angels” and “demons”. I use that term in quotes because neither is supposed to be inherently good or evil, but more on that later. Anyway, the Celestials struggle for the faith of humanity, and the Celestials’ existence is one of seemingly imposed balance: for every angel that manifests in the world, a demon of equal strength also manifests. And these two opposing forces set out to battle, so that only one can survive. The Celestials spend some time resisting this urge to meet their unique polar opposite in order to build up armies and allies to help them in the oncoming battle. Some might even engage in magical experiments (or possibly even Celestial-human breeding programs) to gain an edge over their foes. But even the most powerful Celestials can hold off this urge to fight their reflection for so long. This ongoing struggle has shaped human societies for centuries, and the timeline in this chapter goes into great detail covering the Faith Wars and the events that seemed to make Celestial manifestation possible.
Chapter 2: The Lands (30 pages) – The eight nations of Deomeidh are covered here, each getting a 3 page description covering the current politics, exports, and common character experiences relevant to the nation. It’s short, but pretty well done. There’s a nation of expansionist sailors, a nation of democratic nobles, a theocracy ruled by a Demon High Lord, a country under attack by creatures made of Nightmare, a country ruled by merchants and guilds, an oppressive matriarchy, a theocracy ruled by a High Angel Lord that knows its angel is about to leave the world, and an immense nation about to experience civil war. The overall feel is more “Renaissance” than “Medieval” perhaps, with characters wielding rapiers or wearing full plate, but some advances like gunpowder don’t appear to exist. The feel is strongly European however; other lands and peoples may exist, but they aren’t covered here, and it’s entirely possible that there’s only the one continent in the entire world (the book doesn’t really say, except that the world is much smaller than ours). Rounding out the chapter is a page devoted to dangerous places like cursed islands or ruined cities.
Chapter 3: Rapidfire (8 pages) – Here we have the system. Characters have three stats (Body, Mind, Spirit) with scores ranging from -3 to +3 as absolute human limits, and most people ranging from -2 to +2. I should point out that there aren’t really any ways to measure lifting strength or IQ under this system, and that some creatures or artifacts or powers can go past these limits. Players roll a die, add the relevant Stat, add a relevant Skill, apply any other modifiers, and compare it to a difficulty number ranging from 2 (Routine) to 6 (Moderate) all the way up to 14 (Epic). Characters also have a 3 point reserve they can use to increase their rolls on a one-for-one basis, after the dice are rolled. Reserve is refilled by doing something Awesome, accepting a Critical failure, or whenever the GM says. Awesome acts are essentially “stunts” in other games, except here they merit a +1 bonus to the roll, 1 point back of Reserve, and potentially an XP bonus to the skill. Likewise, if the player rolls a 1 and fails by a wide margin (3 or more points) the player can ask for a Critical failure; the GM can’t kill them, but can do pretty much anything else, and in return the PC gets a point of reserve back and another XP for the failed skill. The rest of the chapter is devoted to explaining the combat system, environmental damage, and supernatural damage. Combat is fairly lethal, with a starting character likely able to dispatch an average foe with a single hit or two.
Chapter 4: Characters (41 pages) – In this game there are three classes: Edgemasters, Chosen, and Dreamweavers. Edgemasters are a worldwide order of 300 highly respected magical warriors, who have immense power in battle. Chosen are individuals who have been given great healing and smiting power by the Celestials, powers that can’t be taken back even if the Chosen should leave the faith. Dreamweavers are feared folk who can enhance or create (almost) anything they can image, including magical animals and mounds of gold (and the creations are permanent with XP!). Each of these classes has an assortment of common powers, as well as 5 unique Paths they can walk. Paths offer specialized powers and diversity among starting characters. When they near mastery of one of their class’ Paths, they can start work on another, and then another, and so on. The end result being that even if there were a party of three Edgemasters traveling together, no two of them would have to have the same powers. Add to this things like Skill selection and the game lacking niche protection, and you have Dreamweaver warriors, Edgemaster scholars, and Chosen assassins all being valid and functional character options. In terms of powers available, they vary from class to class and range from low level comparatively trivial effects that give a bonus to actions, to high powered effects that work as an “instant kill” or “instant resurrection” but often at the cost of the character’s own. For example, the Edgemasters can perform a Strike of Faith, but often lose their own lives doing so. High powered Chosen meanwhile can bring the dead back to life, but will certainly die doing so. Dreamweavers meanwhile can busy themselves creating pet dragons or enchanted weapons and armor to make them the equal of Edgemasters. There’s almost a “rock-paper-scissors” vibe between the three classes that I found amusing. It’s entirely possible for a Dreamweaver to create an incredible suit of armor, a Edgemaster to sacrifice himself to penetrate the armor and kill the Dreamweaver, and a Chosen sacrificing himself to bring the Edgemaster back to life. This chapter also includes the Skill lists and character creation rules, as well as a short section covering gear and money.
Chapter 5: Organizations (23 pages) – Besides the traditional fantasy groups like Guilds, military orders, royal knights, and assassin societies, there are also two mentioned here that truly stand out: the Angelic and Demonic Churches. Remember, the Angels aren’t inherently good and the Demons aren’t inherently evil. The Angels seek to spread a message of love and brotherhood, but don’t have problems killing people who aren’t part of their faith. The Demons meanwhile are known for their harsh justice and desire to find Faith through fear. In terms of theology, the book doesn’t really offer any and all the talk of Churches and such is more for décor as near as I can tell. I read, and re-read this section a few times, and the best analogy I can come up with is that it’s two political parties engaged in a literal battle to the death, with humanity being told it’s all about Faith and the afterlife. But even then I’m doing mental gymnastics to come to that understanding.
Chapter 6: Legends & Artifacts (8 pages) – Magical artifacts, rumors of ancient heroes, lost magics, and more. There are lots of good things for characters to hunt for or for GMs to base adventures and even campaigns around in this short chapter.
Chapter 7: GM’s Corner (35 pages) – Some discussion for possible rules changes, how to handle rewards, a mass battle system, and stats for creatures and animals and mooks are included in here. Two things stood out to me though, and bear mention: the Brotherhood of the Burning Blade and the Cassit, which made this one of the best chapters in the book. The Brotherhood are essentially a bunch of male chauvinists who teach a bastardized version of Edgemaster powers to any man willing to lift a sword, learn a broken version of said powers, and become a zealot at best and a madman with superhuman fighting powers at worst (not that the distinction is always that clear). The Cassit are a mercenary people infected with a transformative parasite that makes them superior warriors who are always starving. As time passes, the Cassit become stronger and smarter and better adapted to their terrain. And they can turn others into more Cassit as well.
Appendixes (23 pages) – Included here is a page on Dreamweavers creating new lifeforms, a few pages devoted to noteworthy NPCs, and several pages covering the cities and towns of Deomeidh.
Style – I’m going with a “Solid to High 3” on this one. There’s nothing particularly great about the layout or the art or the writing, but there’s nothing particularly bad either. I didn’t care for the poetry dividing each chapter, but I’ll blame a good chunk of that on my limited appreciation for poetry in general. Likewise, some of the art was much better than other pieces, and there was some duplication of art within the book. Editing was bad, but not enough to make the game unplayable, and about comparable to a White Wolf product. I have to give it points for having maps however; good, useful maps of the world at a glance and then zoomed in maps for each of the nations are worth some recognition.
Substance – I gotta go with a “Just Over the Line 4”. For a game focused on empowered humans fighting one another as political pawns to Celestial forces, the game is pretty decent. I’d have liked to have seen a few more different powers for each of the three classes, and I dock points because the Churches really needed some sort of detailed theology to distinguish the differences between them, but other than that I think the game is pretty solid as is. Sure you can go explore ancient ruins and isles of madness, and there is more to do than be a pawn of some nation or Church, but that’s not where the thrust of the game seems to be. What’s really interesting though is that there’s another game or two hinted at throughout the text.
See, the Celestials are having half-human/half-Celestial children, with special powers of their own. Do they breed true, or does their divine power die with them? Likewise, the Cassit represent a growing quasi-race of humanity, built on Dreamwoven symbiots and hunger, and evolving into new sub-races of Cassit. A game focused around the rise of pseudo-humans in what had previous been an exclusively human world (more or less) could make for an interesting campaign. But the game doesn’t really explore such an angle. I don’t dock it for that. What does cost it though is that it barely explores the idea that normal people can bring their nightmares (and maybe dreams) to life. While Dreamweavers are given a lot of attention, the concept of monstrous Nightmares seems to be more of an undefined plot element than anything GMs are actually supported with. I guess they just make up some monster and run with it, with no idea how Nightmares are actually meant to fit into the setting. The RPG “Mechanical Dream” really tried to push the surreal nature of Dreams and how they might interact with reality, and I really would have liked to see this game do some of the same.
Conclusion – To be blunt, The Edge doesn’t live up to its fullest potential. Which I really want people to understand isn’t the same as saying it’s bad or doesn’t offer anything new. The Edge actually offers a lot of neat and original ideas. Despite its stumbles in a few places, it is generally a decent game. I suspect those looking for a fantasy game focused more on people and politics will find a lot to enjoy here, as will those simply looking to idea mine for other fantasy games. A supplement or two, and I think it would good from being an adequate game to an excellent one.
Help support RPGnet by purchasing this item through DriveThruRPG.
