Saw this game listed as the fifth most popular ttrpg in 2016 by Estar in the Realistic Rules thread. And I've never heard of it (granted, thats not surprising, I don't buy many new products these days). But googling only pulls up videogames for me. So whats its deal-io?

Green Ronin's TTRPG adaptation of the hugely popular video game. Ironic to see a RPG based on a video game eh? Surprised more haven't done this as opposed to adapting cancelled TV shows. I'd think a Mass Effect, Witcher or even (gasp) Skyrim RPG could be huge.

It's the licenced RPG for the videogame. Typing it in over at drivethruRPG should net you a quickstart.

I happened to like what they started when they released the first videogame. Lots of cool, if not blindingly original, stuff in the setting and details - a flawed gem. Unfortunately BioWare decided to focus on the flaws instead of the gem as they developed the series. I don't know much about the proper RPG apart from it coming from Green Ronin nor how much GR took after BioWare in the flaws-department. It is the origin of the AGE-system.

Honestly, it's just a somewhat gritty-ish version of standard D&D fantasy, with rules that are a somewhat flashy-ish version of standard D&D hack'n'slashing. Nothing too memorable.

I suspect that the popularity has more to do with the fact that the video games have a lot of fans. And I am absolutely one of those fans, but the draw of them is the NPC characterisation and the choices you get to make - in other words, the video games are really great campaigns in a humdrum setting. The roleplaying game... gives you the humdrum setting and leaves you to make up your own campaigns in it. You see the problem.

Rant incoming!

I lost most interest in the DA ttrpg after the video games totally nuked the story and mood of Dragon Age Origins. DA:Origins was the "Baldurs Gate-of-it's-generation". It was originally supposed to be a D&D (and probably Forgotten Realms) licensed game. It was as said above a flawed gem in general a very D&D-ish game and world. However the new games in the series departed massively from the story, mood and presentation from DA:O with different line-up in the team developing them. Secondly Bioware decided making the Dragon Age franchise to be a flagship in the gaming industry of militant saarkesianism (same with Mass Effect) which made its fan-community a highly toxic wasteland of rabid SJW's.

The Dragon Age ttrpg is a good solid D&Desque traditional game. The old world with the Darkspawn (demon-mutant-goblinoids basicly. Reminds me a bit of Dark Legion from Mutant Chronicles)  and Wardens were nice variations on fantasy tropes. But all the baggage Bioware has added to this franchise killed my affection for it.

The same system (or close to it) has been released in vanilla form as Fantasy Age. It has some interesting elements to it, in particular, a low magic feel, guns and grenades, and a pretty cool stunt system that relies on rolling doubles on the 3d6 roll.

Quote from: Teodrik;946459Secondly Bioware decided making the Dragon Age franchise to be a flagship in the gaming industry of militant saarkesianism (same with Mass Effect) which made its fan-community a highly toxic wasteland of rabid SJW's.

I played Mass Effect 2, but not 3.  I played some of Dragon Age 2, but not 3.

When did the "militant Sarkeesianism" come in, and can you run down a concise bullet point list of what you mean?  My main criticism of the second installment of both series was the movement towards a console-like action rpg instead of a true cRPG like the first ones were.

First off the thing about Dragon Age is not just the setting of the computer game but also the AGE system as well. Part of the reason that it got some people attention is that it will featured as part of Will Wheaton's Tabletop Show. He didn't use the Dragon Age setting instead he came up with one of his own which showed how flexible the system is.

So what is the AGE system?

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It is based on 3d6 roll high.

It you roll two dice of the same color and another of a different color. That single dice is called the Dragon Dice or Stunt Dice in Fantasy AGE. Anytime you roll doubles on any two of the three dice and succeed at the task you get to use the result of the stunt dice execute stunts. For example If I rolled a 4 6 (4) with the 4 in parenthesis the stunt dice then you get the spend 4 stunt points.

Attributes are bonus only. You have a +1 Strength, -1 Dexterity, +2 Cunning, etc, etc.

Any character can attempt any skill but you can take a focus in a skill to gain a bonus by taking a focus which gives you a +2 bonus.

It is a level based system where you get 1d6+Constitution hit points per level as well as mana if you are spell caster.

It has three broad classes Mage, Rouge, and Warrior.

As you level you gain talents which are sort of like D20's feats in that they grant you specific abilities and bonuses. In general they are not overly complicated and you can pick one up to three times getting better abilities in that talent each time. Less often you get specializations which work like talents but focus more on occupations and what D&D had in sub-classes.

Combat work by people with high initiative going first. You need to equal or exceed the target's defense which is 10 + dex. If you hit, you roll damage and subtracts the target's armor rating.
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That the 10 cent version, in play it hit the same sweet spot as most D&D 5e in terms of detail versus easy of use. And it is really easy to see how to modify it, which what Wheaton demonstrated, to adapt it to whatever campaign you want. Yeah talent are kind of like feats but they are far more logically organized and grounded in the genre than d20's feats are. The same with specializations.

I was able to quickly build up an Majestic Stars AGE rule system with it.

I like the AGE system because it uses 3d6 with the bell curve, the stunt system is elegantly simple, and while it has classes the focuses, talents and specializations allows a lot of customization. What I don' t like about it are the high hit point totals. Plus Green Ronin is really dragging their feet about releasing stuff for it and look like they are going to use the Community Content program of RPGNow for third party stuff. Which makes it useful if you have an original setting.

Quote from: CRKrueger;946499I played Mass Effect 2, but not 3.  I played some of Dragon Age 2, but not 3.

When did the "militant Sarkeesianism" come in, and can you run down a concise bullet point list of what you mean?  My main criticism of the second installment of both series was the movement towards a console-like action rpg instead of a true cRPG like the first ones were.

Yeah, I second that question.

I've played all six games. I've seen very little militant Sarkeesianism. In fact, a lot of the time I feel like Bioware is actively trolling the more SJW-y of its audience - one might note, for example, the fact that the ultimate villain in DA2 is basically a sanctimonious "you just don't understaaaaaaaaaand how bad it is!!!" moral crusader. And one of your party members in DAI is a gay ethnic-minority woman who will tell you at great length how much she hates identity politics.

I can not answer for the fandom, of course (I have seen the above party member described as a "race traitor," for instance. Yeah... ), and word has it the Bioware development team includes at least one developer who openly hates white people. But the games themselves tend to be pretty even-handed.

Re Sarkeesianism: I seem to recall reading a hoo-ha over an NPC making homosexual overtures to the PC and people alternately losing their shit and losing their shit over people losing their shit.

Yes it is all typical internet drama over bullshit. Could we not rehash it here?

Dragon Age: Origins is an excellent illustration of how interesting characters and plots trump setting originality. I was taken aback by how generic everything was at first, then forgot those concerns as the various pieces started interacting.

Quote from: VorosI'd think a Mass Effect, Witcher or even (gasp) Skyrim RPG could be huge.

As stated elsewhere on this forum, Bioware has decided not to ever bother with an official Mass Effect tabletop game. Having enjoyed the first one, but not enough to play 2 and 3, I can understand that decision. The most interesting conflicts and situations of that universe were pretty much depleted by the video games (a common problem with tabletop games that want to build off an existing IP).

Yeah I couldn't really get into Mass Effect once I realized how closely it was modeled on Bioware's Star Wars cRPGs which I burned out on. Nothing against the games per se, although if combat had been more interesting I may have stuck it out.

I have never played the video game, but I have played the RPG and it was pretty good. The critical success mechanic was pretty fun and interesting. Setting seemed pretty cool. I think it benefits from a being run by a GM who really like the online RPG.

Cool, hopefully it pops up on Bundle of Holding sometime and I can check it out. I know a couple of people who are really into the game and it would be a cool way to introduce them to TTRPG.