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Fantasy Age - any good?

Started by danbuter, October 20, 2016, 09:26:21 PM

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danbuter

Just wondering if anyone has played Fantasy Age from Green Ronin. It looks pretty interesting. I know it was based on the older Dragon Age game. I've read a couple reviews, but I'm not sure how well the game would work in regular play. It certainly looks interesting.
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estar

Quote from: danbuter;926009Just wondering if anyone has played Fantasy Age from Green Ronin. It looks pretty interesting. I know it was based on the older Dragon Age game. I've read a couple reviews, but I'm not sure how well the game would work in regular play. It certainly looks interesting.

Yes it pretty good and very moddable. The stunt dice mechanic for criticals is surprisingly good. It uses hit points and relies a lot on healing. Dragon Age is a slightly different form of the system so you can mix and match between the two.

Skywalker

Not a fan. Magic is combat focussed, bestiary is small, PC options are often haphazard, and I personally didn't like certain actions being hidden behind a random critical hit.

Kuroth

Fantasy Age?  I came to it from Dragon Age, which I still like better, but Fantasy Age has many fine qualities too.

There are non-combat spells in each Arcana listing. Examples.
Air Arcana: Voices on the Wind, Winds of Flight.
Divination Arcana: Bloodhound, Blood Mark.
Earth Arcana: Stone Cloak, Earth Speed.
Fate Arcana: Hands of Fate, Strings of Fate (either may be used in non-combat tests).
Fire Arcana: Arcane Lantern.
Healing Arcana: Restoration.
Heroic Arcana: Hero's Inspiration, Hero's Spirit.
Lightning Arcana: all combat.
Power Arcana: Arcane Awareness, Arcane Abatement.
Shadow Arcana: Shadow's Embrace, Shadow Slip.
Water Arcana: Arcane Spring.
Wood Arcana: Forest Blend, Regrowth.

Those examples provide a list of the Acrana types available in the core book too. A fair percentage of the spells can be used or are meant to used outside of combat.  It might be a better critique to say there aren't enough combat spells. Ha The core book is trying to keep the long lists down as much as possible I believe. There are lists of Focuses and Talents already for players to become familiar.

The criticals (Stunts).  The list that a player may select from with randomly determined points is pretty short, since they are meant to be applied broadly, with whatever roleplay description that fits into what is going on in game. There are seperate Stunt lists for Exploration and Roleplay that may be used in tests during those game activities.

The adversary section is on the short side, when compared to other games. The full setting for Dragon Age had a pretty tight group of creatures, beside the non-monstrous adversaries.  I like the tailored example of Dragon Age adversaries and similar, which is how I have always done it anyway. I often make my own adversaries for settings, and the system is easy to use to make them.

estar

Even if the core spell list is lacking it easy to see how to mod it to make it into more  of what you want. That to me is a crucial aspect of the system. Overall my view is that Fantasy Age is in its infancy and Green Ronin is production rate for the game is sloooooow.

However it is a fantastic foundation. I wrote a science fiction version to use for my Majestic Stars campaign.

Kuroth

#5
Good points Estar.  It is easy to use for whatever setting for a campaign.  I have used it with some osr items.  The three classes fit well with the original concept of D&D, actually.  I like games that I can use for whatever setting the players and I have in mind, without jumping through too many hoops.

Did you put up your notes for your Majestic Stars campaign?  

One of the things that is good about the system is the amount of non-Green Ronin support there is from refs.  There is a nice Mass Effect Age write-up around, for example.  I actual prefer the independently made setting content to the things Green Ronin has, beside Dragon Age. It is one of those games that has a robust creative community, which is always nice.

estar

#6
Quote from: Kuroth;926221Good points Estar.  It is easy to use for whatever setting for a campaign.  I have used it with some osr items.  The three classes fit well with the original concept of D&D, actually.  I like games that I can use for whatever setting the players and I have in mind, without jumping through too many hoops.

Did you put up your notes for your Majestic Stars campaign?  

One of the things that is good about the system is the amount of non-Green Ronin support there is from refs.  There is a nice Mass Effect Age write-up around, for example.  I actual prefer the independently made setting content to the things Green Ronin has, beside Dragon Age. It is one of those games that has a robust creative community, which is always nice.

The thread I started on Ronin forums. '

The basic premise

QuoteMankind has reached the stars only to find… Earth

Birds flying under distant skies, fish swimming unexplored seas, and dinosaurs ruling unknown continents. On a hundred words there are the children of Earth. Children from an Earth of sixty-five million years ago.

Now man has outgrown his cradle and traveled into the black, wondering who and what scattered the seeds of Earth throughout the cosmos. Mankind is forging a new life among the stars but old fears and conflicts still threaten. The year is 2525 and this is their universe, the Majestic Stars.

It is actually written in a form of a rule book but it has too much of Ronin text to post as is. So here are some except.


Psionic Rules

Character Generation

Equipment

Talent List

James Gillen

I like it very much but I find the magic system a bit lacking.  I'd like to see what they do with it in the Blue Rose adaptation.

JG
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bat

I have the core and bestiary and I wonder about it. The game is like Warrior, Rogue and Mage, or even WhiteHack, but with so much window dressing that I don't see why a person wouldn't just play 5e due to all the bells and whistles. You go to the forum and people are converting everything to Fantasy Age and while this happens a lot, it seems like it is revved up here because the production of companion products is so slow.
Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets

Sans la colère. Sans la haine. Et sans la pitié.

Jag är inte en människa. Det här är bara en dröm, och snart vaknar jag.


Running: Barbarians of Lemuria, Black Sword Hack
Playing: AD&D 1st Edition.

estar

Quote from: bat;926647I don't see why a person wouldn't just play 5e due to all the bells and whistles.

It doesn't play the same as 5e with 3d6 and the stunt system. I refereed both FAGE and 5e and played both.

bat

Quote from: estar;926655It doesn't play the same as 5e with 3d6 and the stunt system. I refereed both FAGE and 5e and played both.

Thanks, I will give it a go then. I was asked to run a campaign at the FLGS and there is already 5e. I am trying to run something in print that the shop can sell (although I don't have to) so I was wondering between Symbaroum, Mutant Year Zero, Mythras and Cypher/Numenera what to jump in with, maybe Fantasy Age then. If I go with a pod style game it will be OSRIC with a lot of Dark Albion influence or White Star.
Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets

Sans la colère. Sans la haine. Et sans la pitié.

Jag är inte en människa. Det här är bara en dröm, och snart vaknar jag.


Running: Barbarians of Lemuria, Black Sword Hack
Playing: AD&D 1st Edition.

estar

Quote from: bat;926658Thanks, I will give it a go then. I was asked to run a campaign at the FLGS and there is already 5e. I am trying to run something in print that the shop can sell (although I don't have to) so I was wondering between Symbaroum, Mutant Year Zero, Mythras and Cypher/Numenera what to jump in with, maybe Fantasy Age then. If I go with a pod style game it will be OSRIC with a lot of Dark Albion influence or White Star.

Fantasy Age is pretty moddable plus you have Dragon Age for a slightly different take and for more material.