I have always loved the low-fantasy genre, rooted in games like Runequest and Warhammer FRP. Both are d100 roll-under games, and Dragonbane covers the same genre with a d20 roll-under system. There is an excellent how-to-play video here that teaches you the basics of combat and gets you up to speed quickly on the flow of the game:
Note there is an error in the above video where he assumes you can 'hold an action' to parry - you can't, and this is a rule from Forbidden Lands. This was pointed out in a second video, so to err here on the side of learning to play, actions can't be held in this way. He also points out he is currently playing a Forbidden Lands game, so the little mistake is understandable.
This is quickly becoming a favorite solo-play game for many gamers, and I like the traditional roll-under mechanic and the quick, deadly fights with a deeper tactical aspect. Timing, dodging, and parries are essential to success and strategy.
The art is flat-out beautiful and unique. Very evocative!
The game isn't a fantasy superhero game, and the power level is lower than the big-name fantasy games. A lower power level invites more roleplaying and creative play, and it keeps magic mysterious and powerful. Anytime characters become walking power bags, their brains turn off, and they get a shoot-first mentality. Here, skills matter, and solving problems creatively makes a huge difference. There are no die roll modifiers here, and you are not doing any mathematical addition outside damage rolls. The play is speedy, and skill rolls are these pass-or-fail results - which is lovely.
This shames 5E's math and constant (and meaningless) numerical escalation. Bounded accuracy looks like a solution to a self-inflicted problem D&D never had until the Wizards team took over. This is a 5E killer for me, more so than Shadowdark.
There are three types of rest, and you get one of each every day. This reminds me a little of Cypher System and Low Fantasy Gaming. One is a 10-second turn, the other is 15 minutes, and the final takes six hours - so three rests daily. They allow you to recover hit points and willpower, recover conditions, and, the most prolonged rest, reset the character to normal.
In a more game-style resting system, restricting the number of daily rests is critical to play balance and tension. Otherwise, your party sleepwalks their way through a dungeon, and it ruins the experience like some sort of easily-exploited low-budget videogame. At that point, it seemed the designers didn't care about their game, so why should the players?
Some design teams just don't get it and live in the past.
So this game doesn't have wounding that extends across days and heals slowly, like B/X (sans magic healing) or games like GURPS. It does have a severe injury system for surviving zero hit points. It is a more modern, player-friendly wounding and recovery system and less of a simulation, but it still retains a deadly edge.
Equipment has a supply rating, which is a nice nod to everything not available everywhere. If you lose that great sword or it gets damaged, replacing it will not be easy. So even the gear system has that gritty reality and money. One gold coin is worth 100 coppers, and most weapons cost gold - some even 200. With you finding small amounts of gold on treasure cards, gold keeps its value.
Too many leading game systems use personal power as a motivation and not the story, gold, or danger of the world. Yes, the leading systems today are popular but shallow and poorly designed.
The game has solo-play rules, and solo characters are buffed a little to make them more survivable. I love this in the game, and The AMC Walking Dead Universe RPG also has rules like this. I love this inclusion of a single-player powerful hero ARPG experience. The game also has a solo adventure, which is another huge plus.
With many of the newer Free League games, the boxed experience plus solo play is a driving force in the design goals - and these are little things they can do that expand the value and appeal of the game. I like this design theory, keeping everything in a box and expanding.
You don't need to play the more mainstream games these days, and these more accessible, more focused, well-crafted games can easily replace your more giant, bloated, multi-book games that focus more on boatloads of unbalanced quantity or too many similar options. If you think you need to play the top two or three pen-and-paper games, you are missing out on many great experiences.
Overall, it is a great boxed set with tremendous solo-playability. I am looking forward to diving in and playing this one.
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