I wanted to do something myself and Raksha used to do frequently when we first started writing/presenting, and very rarely get to do these days due to real life issues. This is of course a review, in this case Dragon Age: Dark Fantasy Roleplaying, which I must admit to being a quite a fan of.
Now for anyone who doesn’t know, Dragon Age started off on the EA website as a game called Dragon Age: Journeys which spawned Dragon Age: origins (and it's various DLC) then Dragon Age 2. There have also been mentions of an anime coming out soon (we hope). The game is set in a fantasy universe and is considered Dark fantasy, since no matter what choice you pick someone dies.
The pen and paper version is produced by Green Ronin publishing and tries to allow players, to both follow the video games, and explore other background stuff. The role playing game comes as a box set, where everything you need is included, although since only 3 dice are included you may want to raid your board games for more. The games uses 3D6 dice - two white and one red (henceforth called the dragon), these are used to calculate your decisions and luck. The game says it suits any number of players, and for once I agree - having run the game for groups ranging from 2 to 8 (not including myself as the almighty Games Master).
The books themselves are beautifully illustrated in colour, which is more than can be said for the supplements, giving the reader an insight into the history, and beliefs of the citizens of Thedas. The Game part of the book I found to be nicely thought out, as it didn’t expect me to be a Guru, nor treat me like I was an eight year old. The box set also contains a Map, (so players can see where they are in the world) and some mini cards displaying important information such as special moves.
The character creation has tried to stick to the original game, whilst at the same time offering more choice than just the conventional human, dwarf and Elf as races. Despite this, the age old choice of Mage, Fighter or Rogue however are still present (but since it fit the video game, I let my disappointment slide).
When you start a game, you first you pick your race, then your class (which is usually dependent on your race choice) and then move on to your stats. I found the stats not to be much of a departure from other role play games, such as Dungeons and Dragons (both in description and how to determine them), this usually consists of rolling three dice and consulting the table - with the option afterwards to swap two dice around. Once you have done that, you roll twice on your race table to get two extras such as stats or talents. You can then follow your class page and pick up extra focuses and talents. Talents allow you to do things like use swords, use a bow, and wear heavier armour with fewer penalties, whilst focuses give you a bonus to things like attacking. Your Health in this system (which is on the class page) and your equipment are standard, based on your choices earlier on.
When your Characters are complete, you can now go on and do things like searching, killing, climbing, killing - did I mention Killing? This is done either through role play, or by rolling the dice. The dragon dice serve two purposes, the first is to determine the degree of success with jobs (should it be needed) and the other is for stunt points, which are awarded if someone rolls a double.
Tests can be done by adding the relevant skill, for example if you wish to climb a cliff, then you would use strength and add any focus that is relevant such as strength climb (the focus gains you a +2), then anything else that may affect your roll. The GM will either have given you a Target Number to reach, or you can tell him/her and they will say if you have passed. Characters in the game level up through experience to achieve levels which is similar (if not identical), to the one that Dungeons and Dragons uses. So theres how to play Dragon Age: Dark Fantasy Roleplaying in a nut shell, I know the game is simple, but personally I think that’s part of its charm.
Currently the Dragon Age series consists of 2 sets and one supplement (also a story comes with the GM screen), with another set and supplement on the way. I like that the game is simple, so people relatively new to role playing can pick up the rules fast, it neither tries to follow the game nor avoid it, therefore giving you the choice of what you want to do. Which is helped by how there is plenty of background stories to tackle, from a GM point of view.
What I don’t like about the game, is that there seems to have been little thought put into how the equipment works. For example, one of my players told me that he had 3 sets of mail, a bow and a crossbow; as well as a tent, clothes, an axe and 6 blades - I don’t even think my Girlfriend could fit all that in her bag! Some equipment is irrelevant such as the whet stone (for keeping your blade sharp), as there are no mechanics to dull weaponry unless the GM makes it up. This can understandably turn into a headache for the GM, having to keep track of all the classes, and the state of their weapons.
Overall I would recommend this game, as it has kept my group entertained for almost 5 months now (from time of writing) and I feel it will do until they clear level 20 (which is the last level the box sets cater for). The mechanics of the game allow players to usethem for their own devices, such as at a fair ground or pie eating contest.
Now for anyone who doesn’t know, Dragon Age started off on the EA website as a game called Dragon Age: Journeys which spawned Dragon Age: origins (and it's various DLC) then Dragon Age 2. There have also been mentions of an anime coming out soon (we hope). The game is set in a fantasy universe and is considered Dark fantasy, since no matter what choice you pick someone dies.
The pen and paper version is produced by Green Ronin publishing and tries to allow players, to both follow the video games, and explore other background stuff. The role playing game comes as a box set, where everything you need is included, although since only 3 dice are included you may want to raid your board games for more. The games uses 3D6 dice - two white and one red (henceforth called the dragon), these are used to calculate your decisions and luck. The game says it suits any number of players, and for once I agree - having run the game for groups ranging from 2 to 8 (not including myself as the almighty Games Master).
The books themselves are beautifully illustrated in colour, which is more than can be said for the supplements, giving the reader an insight into the history, and beliefs of the citizens of Thedas. The Game part of the book I found to be nicely thought out, as it didn’t expect me to be a Guru, nor treat me like I was an eight year old. The box set also contains a Map, (so players can see where they are in the world) and some mini cards displaying important information such as special moves.
The character creation has tried to stick to the original game, whilst at the same time offering more choice than just the conventional human, dwarf and Elf as races. Despite this, the age old choice of Mage, Fighter or Rogue however are still present (but since it fit the video game, I let my disappointment slide).
When you start a game, you first you pick your race, then your class (which is usually dependent on your race choice) and then move on to your stats. I found the stats not to be much of a departure from other role play games, such as Dungeons and Dragons (both in description and how to determine them), this usually consists of rolling three dice and consulting the table - with the option afterwards to swap two dice around. Once you have done that, you roll twice on your race table to get two extras such as stats or talents. You can then follow your class page and pick up extra focuses and talents. Talents allow you to do things like use swords, use a bow, and wear heavier armour with fewer penalties, whilst focuses give you a bonus to things like attacking. Your Health in this system (which is on the class page) and your equipment are standard, based on your choices earlier on.
When your Characters are complete, you can now go on and do things like searching, killing, climbing, killing - did I mention Killing? This is done either through role play, or by rolling the dice. The dragon dice serve two purposes, the first is to determine the degree of success with jobs (should it be needed) and the other is for stunt points, which are awarded if someone rolls a double.
Tests can be done by adding the relevant skill, for example if you wish to climb a cliff, then you would use strength and add any focus that is relevant such as strength climb (the focus gains you a +2), then anything else that may affect your roll. The GM will either have given you a Target Number to reach, or you can tell him/her and they will say if you have passed. Characters in the game level up through experience to achieve levels which is similar (if not identical), to the one that Dungeons and Dragons uses. So theres how to play Dragon Age: Dark Fantasy Roleplaying in a nut shell, I know the game is simple, but personally I think that’s part of its charm.
Currently the Dragon Age series consists of 2 sets and one supplement (also a story comes with the GM screen), with another set and supplement on the way. I like that the game is simple, so people relatively new to role playing can pick up the rules fast, it neither tries to follow the game nor avoid it, therefore giving you the choice of what you want to do. Which is helped by how there is plenty of background stories to tackle, from a GM point of view.
What I don’t like about the game, is that there seems to have been little thought put into how the equipment works. For example, one of my players told me that he had 3 sets of mail, a bow and a crossbow; as well as a tent, clothes, an axe and 6 blades - I don’t even think my Girlfriend could fit all that in her bag! Some equipment is irrelevant such as the whet stone (for keeping your blade sharp), as there are no mechanics to dull weaponry unless the GM makes it up. This can understandably turn into a headache for the GM, having to keep track of all the classes, and the state of their weapons.
Overall I would recommend this game, as it has kept my group entertained for almost 5 months now (from time of writing) and I feel it will do until they clear level 20 (which is the last level the box sets cater for). The mechanics of the game allow players to usethem for their own devices, such as at a fair ground or pie eating contest.
I found the sets to be surprisingly cheap (as its the first set to have cost me £16, which is usually what a supplement would cost) for what was packaged in them. Despite the supplements being the same price as the core set, I would quite happily pick them up in shops having now seen them.
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