I've been reading my PDF copy of Spirit of the Century, the Evil Hat "pulp pick-up game" which is their first commercial release using the third iteration of their Fudge-derived FATE system.  I think I've got *most* of my fanboy enthusiasm out of my system now.  So I think I can give a half-honest assessment of the TOTAL AWESOMENESS OF THIS--

*smack*

      Right.  Nitty detailed below.

* The presentation of the book--at least in PDF form--is very professional and evocative of the pulp genre.  The type is clear, there aren't any annoying background that make it hard to read, the sidebars are well placed, etc.  The art is usually small pictures done in a pulpy-yet-realistic style that depict certain iconic characters performing examples of what the text is discussing.

* The books itself is remarkably crunchy.  Reading the cover blurb, one expects a White-Wolf style colour fest with loads of scene and setting chapters.  In reality, the specifics of the SotC setting are dealt with in a few pages--a "reveal" about the reality of the major "adventuring society" known as the Century Club, a discussion of the metaphysics of the setting (the characters and their enemies represent spirits and shadows of archetypes important to a given century), and a broad look at forces and events prominent in the 1920's.

   The book does not, however, skimp on emulating the genre.  Evocation of the setting comes through in a very thorough discussion of how skills are used in specific circumstances in pulp fiction.  In the discussion of Drive, for example, there are detailed Chase Scene rules.  Mysteries includes rules on how Mesmerism can be used (and with certain "stunts", abused!).  There are also very useful chapters detailing how to run a mystery-centered game, a terrific plot structure using common pulp tropes, etc.  The fluff text is there more to set an initial mood.

* The system itself is an overhaul of the Fate 2.0 rules published for free by Evil Hat.  This is something of a weakness in Spirit--at times, it feels more like an attempt to showcase their new Fate 3.0 ruleset rather than the game itself.  I might have asked more slightly more setting text.  However, the new Fate rules are a significant improvement of the old Fate 2.0 rules.  

* Aspects have always been the core of Fate.  They are dramatic, broad based descriptors that take the place of both stats and advantages/disadvantages as used by other RPG systems.  This is particularly useful for a pulp-action game--Aspects are perfect for portraying the kinds of taglines and signature phrases ("Snakes?!  Why did it have to be snakes?!") that are a genre trope.  The difference between the old Fate system and that used in SotC is how they are used.  Aspects under Fate 2.0 had "levels" that could be checked off for use in dramatic situations to re-roll or add to the final result.  In Spirit, Aspect use is paid for by spending Fate points--similar to "Force" or "Luck" points--per use during a given action.  

   What constitutes an Aspect has been broadened to make Aspects a meta-mechanic.  Essentially, any significant aspect of a character or object of a setting or the environment of a scene can be invoked (used to advantage by spending fate points), compelled (forced to act or be subject to, giving one Fate points), or tagged (allowing one to use Aspects of an NPC, scene, or object for invocation or compulsion).  One can invoke the Dark aspect of a night-time scene to can a re-roll on a poor Stealth roll, or tag an NPC socialite's "flighty nature" Aspect for an advantage in distracting her.  One can even generate temporary Aspects by successful maneuvers--throwing sand into an opponent's face makes them temporarily "Blinded".   Players can even "declare" certain facts true with a successful knowledge roll and assign them as Aspects, such as a know-it-all professor "suddenly remembering" that such-and-such a tribe is deathly afraid of fire.

* The crunchy bits of the system use both the freeform mechanics of Aspects and some fairly detailed rules to good mutual effect.  The SotC rules are a balance between really rules-lite games like Risus and the more heavy crunch of D&D.  There are a number of in-game mechanics that deal with the effects of distance, damage, and such that are to me right on the balancing line between abstraction and specifics.  Distance for example is in terms of "zones" where one's proximity in terms of reach (one zone is touch, two zones is talk, three is seeing at a distance, etc.) affects actions without going into specifics like physical distance.  "Borders" are things like obstacles and other environmental features that raise the difficulty or time needed to pass from one zone to another.

    Combat is a very interesting case in Spirit.  *Everything* is either an attack or a maneuver.  Attacks are attempt to impose an agenda on another character or thing.  Not merely physical damage, but social or mental attacks.  One can attack a character with Fists/Guns/Weapons, with Deceit for fooling them, etc.  Attacks cause "stress" to either a Health or Composure (social/mental health) wound track similar to that used in the new World of Darkness.  A three-success "hit" fills in the third box on the wound track, and another such hit fills up the next one over.  Stress represents minor, non specific damage or disadvantages like bruising or running out of room to dodge a gun.  Once the health track fills or there are no more boxes to fill the overflow, one takes three successive levels of Consequences (minor, significant, major) that represent effective wounds.  The trick is that Consequences are Aspects and can be manipulated just like any other.  There ios no "death spiral" where wounds automatically cause roll penalties...but can be compelled by the GM or characters to give them an advantage in a given fight.

     Maneuvers are more straightforward--actions that don't cause direct harm but do affect the scene.  A maneuver assigns a temporary Aspect like a consequence--such as being Pinned, Blinded, Knocked Back, Hypnotized, etc.--of varying degrees of permanence.  It creates an interesting game effect where a character is actually encouraged to perform wild stunts because a successful Maneuver can create a temporary Aspect that can be used to effect in an attack.

     There are some nice pulp-specific rules dealing with Minions--those nameless mooks who always show up at the behest of the named villain of the scene.  The minion rules are very pulpy in how they take damage, how they automatically split themselves up among the PC's, and how villains can manipulate various skills and abilities to increase the effectiveness of their minions.  There's also a very funny piece of advice when it comes to minions: "when all else fails, send in the ninjas!"

* Speaking of which, what a character can actually *do* is governed by Skills and Stunts.  Skills cover both innate traits usually governed by stats--things like Endurance and Resolve are skills that deal with a character's stamina and willpower--and more traditional knowledges and talents.  Stunts are similar to feats in D&D--exceptional abilities that enhance the skill it is linked to.  They cover everything from wealth to social connections to very pulpy abilities like a Barnstorming pilot.  

     Skills use the Fudge word-ladder scale, and one gets fifteen of them at character generation.  They are assigned in a "pyramid"--always one more at each ladder level below the peak--from a peak skill level of Superb.  One also gets five stunts to start.  Yes, characters in SotC are *very* high-powered.  It's perfectly possible to play a n Indiana Jones or The Shadow right out of the box.  Spirit characters are assumed to be equal to the stars of an average pulp story.  Not so good for someone who wants to run an unexceptional character and build from there through a series of adventures; in fact, character advancement is not through skill raising (bringing the skill pyramid higher than Superb can really warp the game) but through the odd stunt acquisition or acquirement of new Aspects.  This may not be to the taste of players who prefer a D&Dish "leveling up" approach to character progression.  

    Well, that's my initial impression of Spirit of the Century.  In terms of Fudge-derived systems, I think it is a major advance in game technology.  As a pulp game by itself, I give it about a Great to Superb, with the odd drop to Good.  It's not always the most evocative in terms of fluff text, but the mechanics are quite focused for what started as a generic RPG system.  Worth taking a look, IMO.

Andrew

I have been thinking about getting this game, but I'm not huge on pulp games (though i like Hallow Earth).

you chould write a review when you have you final thoughts on the game.