Overview
HinterWelt Enterprises, a company conceived in 1998, brings us its debut fantasy role-playing game, Tales of Gaea. Claiming a commitment to the fusion of gaming and the Internet, HinterWelt Enterprises has burdened itself with quite a lofty goal. Keeping HinterWelt's ambitions in mind, one may scan Tales of Gaea (TOG) in hope of discovering something revolutionary. Unfortunately, a short perusal of Tales of Gaea and HinterWelt Enterprises house system, called the Iridium System, will offer nothing new. At a glance, the Iridium System is nothing more than a variation of other RPGs, and the background will seem all too familiar to fantasy enthusiasts.
The campaign setting within TOG is one of high sorcery. Magic has developed as the force of nature taking the place of true science. Player characters have a variety of racial options: humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, Halflings, and lizard-men; and character classes, or types, have been divided into the easily recognizable "fighter types," "bard types," "sage types," and "thief types." These types are further subdivided to create a total of sixteen character classes like "buccaneer," "monk," and "craftsman." With races and character classes like these, it quickly becomes evident that Tales of Gaea is indebted to fantasy role-playing games of the past.
A closer examination of TOG reveals HinterWelt's attempt to create a simple, yet all-inclusive role-playing game that will appeal to a broad range of FRPG gamers. While there are many familiar elements within the game, TOG offers variations that serve to enhance FRPG conventions. The magic system leaves players with a bevy of options, and while the combination of skills and levels has been done in other RPGs with various degrees of success, the Iridium System balances character advancement in such a way as to allow limitless customization. True, TOG is not as close to the next generation of gaming as HinterWelt would like to believe. However, because the Iridium System was designed with character advancement as its strongest attribute, TOG will succeed equally well with either a storytelling campaign or a campaign of looting and dungeon crawls since the best PC motivator is "leveling up."
Presentation
Tales of Gaea is in print as a perfect bound softcover. The 324 page book features a wrap-around cover by Martina Pilcerova. The cover art, illustrating a magic-wielding, fire-breathing dragon amidst a fog enshrouded forest, is as good as the art gets. The print version of TOG also contains a character sheet for the players' convenience as well as the often taken for granted table of contents, index of skills, list of tables, and maps of the continent of Narheim.
Also, staying true to their word, HinterWelt has published Tales of Gaea (sans artwork) on their website. Hyperlinks effectively serve as an index and character sheets can be downloaded in either .pdf or MS Word format. HinterWelt also provides support in the way of a character generator and database called CHARGen. While an extensive critique of CHARGen is beyond the scope of this review, it would be irresponsible not to mention that the hardcopy of TOG and its website are meant to be in dialogue with each other. By simply registering as a user on the TOG website, gamers may use the CHARGen character generator to create PCs, download them in .pdf format, add things like equipment or items, and spend experience points to advance each character. HinterWelt even keeps the generated characters in a database that can be accessed and manipulated through any Internet connection.
The Iridium System
As a skill and level based system, Iridium works just as well as any other RPG of the same ilk. There are eleven PC attributes (e.g. strength, agility, dexterity, will, piety, etc.), though it seems that the Luck attribute can be ignored altogether. (There are, after all, no rules to suggest a proper use for such a statistic.) Each attribute is represented by a numerical value from one to twenty-five; those values then affect bonuses and penalties to an assortment of abilities like combat modifiers, encumbrance, and craft skills.
A player character's skills are chosen during character creation, and PCs have the option of increasing their skills or purchasing more skills through the expenditure of experience points. As is expected, each race and character class has a set of default specialty skills that they do not have to purchase. However, there are no class restrictions in purchasing skills; thus a mage can have the "two-weapon fighting" skill just as a knight may choose "pick pockets." With these possibilities in character creation and advancement, one could imagine a character truly modeled after the heroes of high fantasy novels (ala Gandalf or Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser) rather than the structured stereotypes of conventional RPGs.
The majority of the skills a player character may choose are measured in percentages (beginning at forty percent) in conjunction with skill level, not PC level. For instance, a fifth level minstrel may have a first level "swimming" skill at fifty percent if the PC hasn't bothered to purchase "swimming" again. That isn't to say that skills do not advance per character level, however. Depending on the PC's character class, a skill advances from two to three percent each level. And like most percentile-based game systems, a PC must roll under his/her percentage to succeed any given task. True, the advancement in skill percentages may seem nominal, but a significant gain is made when skill levels are purchased and developed through the course of a campaign.
Magic within the Iridium System works something like skills in that some character classes like the mage are masters of magical forces, but ALL characters have the option of wielding magic. The system uses "spirit points" to activate spells, and because PCs typically have a low pool of permanent spell points, most spells are low in activation cost. Interestingly, the Iridium System uses a different magic system for invoking the power of deities. Rather than have a set list of spells that can be cast, the cleric and mystic character classes must concentrate on a desired effect. If the effect pleases the "greater powers," and the character succeeds in two consecutive "stat checks" (i.e. saving throws), the spell comes off without a hitch. Of course, some limitations do apply. For instance, the more incredible the desired effect, the more penalties the saving throws incur. Also, a cleric or mystic may never cast a spell that contradicts the higher power. Thus, a cleric who worships a god of war will never be able to heal, but could imbue other characters with a berserker rage that would allow the PC to ignore the penalties of otherwise fatal wounds. In effect, clerics' miracles or mystics' feats are truly limited by the players' imaginations and the GMs' leniency.
Combat in the Iridium System is standard fare. Players roll for initiative, take actions accordingly (which include an attack, casting a spell or miracle/feat, or performing an action), then use any devices (wands, stave, rings, etc.) he/she might have. Unfortunately, the rules are less explicit as to whether an action can be taken in conjunction with the use of a device, or if using the device is one of the actions, or if the use of a device automatically places a character last in actions. Nevertheless, the important aspect of combat is straightforward enough, if not a bit reminiscent of other RPGs.
To attack, players must roll a twenty-sided die versus an opponent's defense statistic. A higher roll scores a success with the opportunity to target one's hit to a specific body location. Damage to the specific area (i.e. arms, shoulders, legs, head, chest, stomach, and groin) is dealt to a PC's armor points first and then to a character's fortitude points. Opponents can choose to deflect successful hits by either parrying a blow or disarming the player. In order to target, parry, or disarm, however, PCs must have the appropriate skill with the appropriate weapon. In effect, character balance is created since anyone can purchase these skills, but most of the "fighter types" are given them during character creation.
Outstanding Features
The greatest feature in Tales of Gaea is the absolute control one has in character development. After understanding the rules for magic and skills, it is obvious that the creators of the Iridium System want gamers to use TOG to create and advance the fantasy characters they want to play rather than be forced to play the pigeonholed PCs of other FRPGs. True, at first level most character classes from the same type will look the same. But with time and the expenditure of experience points, the possibilities for character customization are unlimited.
Adding to character customization is that magic in TOG travels in diverse directions. Mystics and clerics are able to stipulate their own spells, and divine intervention goes on to add its own twist. Experienced game masters will know that shrewd PCs can come up with wild ideas that can leave one shocked at the results. On the other hand, in the "structured" magics, eight different schools have developed in which most PCs are limited to the study of one! Thus, very few PCs will know illusionary spells and metamorphosis spells, or summoning spells and the manipulation of the elements.
To diversify magic even more, traditional mages, Halflings, and humans can cast spells directly from their own spirit point pool. Others, with a few exceptions, must use an object (like a staff, gem, or animal familiar) as a vehicle for channeling spells. All in all, the possible combinations of character classes, skills, and magical abilities are mind-boggling! And with HinterWelt's CHARGen program provided free of charge on the Internet, one could spend days just creating characters, manipulating their experience, and buying new skills to see how many interesting combinations one can achieve.
One other strong point within TOG is its world background. True, the battle of the gods, the creation of Gaea, the character races, and character classes are trite. Dwarves are gruff, Halflings are happy-go-lucky, elves are immortal and more than a bit aloof, the lizard-men are tribal and warlike, etc, etc, etc. But what happens when all of these races are thrown together on one planet? A clash of interests is bound to arise, and the only way to keep the peace is with politics, baby. Politics have certainly been covered in RPGs before, but not so much in the fantasy genre. The creators of TOG have gone out of their way explain things like why the elves are wary of other races, why gnomes have become the best assassins on the planet, and why magic runs rampant. Taken as a whole, HinterWelt Enterprises has provided a fantasy campaign setting with a focus on the logic behind the world's growth.
Needs Improvement
Despite TOG's strong logical slant, the book's structure and cohesion suffers as a weak spot. I'm of the opinion that a core book's game mechanics and setting should remain distinct from each other. That is, a system's rules should not be on the same page, or even the same chapter, as a game world's background.
Nowhere is this pet peeve of mine more exploited than in the description of TOG's character classes and races. For instance, the ranger character class falls under the "fighter types." However, rangers are further divided into different factions. While the factions offer some differences in game mechanics and serve to give more depth to politics on Gaea, placing the descriptions of each within the chapters on character creation break the coherency of the rules and bogs down PC creation. Thus, a core book should contain a distinct section for rules and one for background.
Even worse instances of this break in coherency can be found in the description of each race. Each race (and factions within the races) is described in detail, but that means wading through the background to get to the game mechanics. The instance where this upset me the most, however, was within the monk character class. With their own brand of "dragon magic," monks are indisputably one of the most interesting character classes within TOG. Unfortunately, the description of Narheim's monasteries and the dragon magic that goes with each order span nearly ten pages leaving the other character class descriptions in the dust! With so much to say about one particular character class, it's probably safe to say that a little more time and effort could have produced a supplement focusing completely on Gaea's monks. With this in mind, I was even more perturbed to find that the witch (creators of magic potions) and the alchemist (creators of magic items) were mentioned in several places yet not included as character classes. In my opinion, the ten pages on monks and monasteries could have been saved for a future supplement, and witches and alchemists placed in its stead. They do serve an important purpose in Narheim society, and witches and alchemists are more likely to find themselves in fantastic situations. After all, even the monk character description claims that they rarely leave the monastery.
My next critique may seem trivial, but I must confess that I found most of the original artwork within Tales of Gaea to be simply appalling. Much of it seems to have been scanned in at a poor resolution; perhaps they were grainy to begin with. One particular piece, a demon hunkered next to a twisted tree, doesn't even seem to be complete as there is clearly a stick-figure outline of a humanoid body appearing to hang from the tree. What is worse is that there is no innovation in the characters presented within the artwork. Mages are old men in hoods, fighters are long-hairs in chainmail, and gnomes have coned-shaped hats atop their heads. Most of the creatures in the monster appendix don't look particularly intimidating, and some of them are downright hilarious. It makes one wonder if the PCs are in mortal danger of a laughing fit rather than tooth and claw.
Overall
Though I am reluctant to recommend this to inexperienced gamers, I'm sure Tales of Gaea will appeal to veteran FRPG enthusiasts. Its retro-esque foundation joins with some current trends in RPGs to mark TOG as a collectable, if not playable game. As HinterWelt's debut RPG, Tales of Gaea does-- at the very least-- serve to draw attention a new company that is not afraid to go against popular trends in the role-playing game industry.
Tales of Gaea can be found at: http://www.hinterwelt.com/TOG/TOGPortal.htm
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