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Uresia has the stable blend of all of the tropes that make the genre unique and fun without going so far as to belittle or poke fun at the genre’s tropes that are caused just by the fact that the sources are console games with linear plots and save points. The “feel” of the games is well preserved in both the rules suggestions and the game world material presented. S. John Ross once again proves that a labor of love, with a soft and natural voice, will shine every time. Art inside is very good and reminds me of the quality art of Centauri Knights (for the same reasons). Also, like in CK, the art has a series of related pieces that show a certain party as they go along their merry way.
The game world is designed to be cool and evocative without dictating to a group what the focus of a game is supposed to be. Many stories are built into the book, but none of them threatens a group that wants to work on an epic story not included in the book. No character occupies a “Must Be NPC” position where they are guaranteed to play some major plot in the unfolding game. Coming from a background of recent game worlds that seem like a big, boxed-set module where the NPCs will win the day with a bit of PC help, it was nice to see a game that didn’t say “Here’s the history of the world. Now, here is the destiny of the world. Here are the people who matter. Here is what they will do. Here is what will happen. Epic done. Um….stuff your PCs in there somewhere. By the way, be careful, as we may release some supplements later that will wildly vary from assumptions you made early in the game. Your loss.”
It was also nice that Ross left room (lots of it), for groups to make islands and people who can be integrated into the nations discussed in the worldbook without a shoehorn and story-solvent. The geography of the game is given a broad overview with lots of story hooks, but none of it feels like dogma.
The best innovation in fantasy that Uresia brings to the table is the genre feel of anime and RPGs made by Japan. The world is mixed with varying tones that change on a hairpin. It has lecherous satyrs and a quest in the game is just as likely to be a panty raid as a dungeon crawl (sometimes it’s both – “Bring me a pair of a Drow maiden’s panties for the Great Ritual of Klora’lann!”). Anachronistic things like Polaroid cameras and Dwarven trains give the game a decided anime/console feel and the setting gives a GM a great feel for how to set the shifting tone for a game where the bad guys and the threats are very real, but the group will also face odd and humorous “side-quests” and interplay.
Character creation and magic is fairly standard for BESM with the addition of several templates and ways of customizing magic to fit the world. The best game addition, in my humble opinion, is the addition of the God of Cookery attribute. This allows one to be a sort of Kensei of Cooking. If you think that is silly, I assure you it is not. Cooking is a big deal in at least one of the Kingdoms and the ability to judge ingredients and to whip up dishes in no time flat are handy on the road. So is the ability to eat anything even remotely edible…in a funny sort of way.
As I read through the book, I was amused many times by the way the voice and tone of the book just made it all seem so fun. You could tell this was a work of joy for Ross, and he communicates that inspiration to the reader in a relaxed and easy to read manner. The maps, done by Ross himself, are well done and leave lots of open opportunities to insert new cities and islands without sacrificing knowing where the existing areas are. Again, I tip my hat to the artists who worked on this project for delivering a solid and consistent quality throughout the work.
If you are a fan of BESM and GOO, get this book! If you enjoy console RPGs and the genre, get this book! See you out there in Heaven’s Grave. I’ll be the guy with his own caravel and a scimitar in each hand! Huzzah!
