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Role-playing games are, at their core, something you do with friends. Whether people you've just met, or a group that you've known for years, sitting down around the game table is fundamentally an activity that's about friendship. So wouldn't it make sense for the actual game-play to be about friendship as well? Of course, that'd require something different from the usual fare of "killing monsters and taking their stuff." It'd need to be something like...

My Little Pony: Tails of Equestria: The Storytelling Game.

Based on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Tails of Equestria (and no, that's not a typo; it's "Tails") is the official tabletop RPG adaptation of the TV show. Created by River Horse Games and distributed in the US and Canada by Shinobi 7, the main (or should I say "mane"?) rulebook is a 152-page full-color hardback. Retailing for $34.95, it's reasonably priced for what's being offered.

There are several things to be said about the book before we start looking at the RPG system itself. The first being that this book is COLORFUL! This isn't so much due to the full-color interior artwork as it is just how much of it there is to be found; I believe there's only a single page (the first page of the index) that doesn't have a picture or illustration on it somewhere. Other than that, every single page has a screenshot, drawing, picture, or other artwork on it. More than that, there are numerous instances of one- and two-page full spreads throughout the book as well; each of the book's twelve chapters, and the adventure and appendix, have a two-page spread opening them, which comes out to almost 20% of the book right there. That's before looking at the rest of the book's artwork. If you were to look at a text-only version of this product, I suspect that it would be literally half as many pages as the finished book.

The other thing that needs to be explicitly noted is that this book is meant not only for younger gamers, but those with no experience with tabletop role-playing games. That might be expected, given the target demographic of the source material, but it's worth repeating. Indeed, the expected "what's a 'role-playing game'?" blurb is actually on the back cover! Moreover, the book's writing is very simplistic, and clearly meant to be approachable by younger readers. While it never talks down to you, it also is making a clear-cut effort to be as unintimidating as it possibly can. (On that note, it flat-out states that it's using "storytelling game" as a synonym for "role-playing game," which are fighting words in some parts of the RPG community.)

The book also takes a moment to moment to mention other Tails of Equestria products (e.g. dice, character sheets, etc.), doing so first in the book's introduction and then again at the end, but I can't find it in myself to be cynical about this. That's because the book also goes out of its way to suggest free alternatives to these. For example, it not only says that you can find dice-rolling programs online, but offers "dice charts" – full-page charts with random numbers that you can point to randomly in lieu of rolling dice – in the appendix. Similarly, there's a blank character sheet in the back of the book as well. So the book is making an effort to be playable right out of the metaphorical box.

So with all of that said, what's the actual RPG like?

All PCs play as one of the three main kinds of ponies: unicorns, pegasi, or earth ponies (in fact, "PC" stands for "pony character" here). Alicorns – ponies that blend all three types – are mentioned, the book flat-out says that you can't play an alicorn character. Needless to say, I'm sure that house rules to allow for this are being implemented even now.

The central aspect of characters are traits and talents. Traits are essentially ability scores; Body, Mind, and Charm. Talents, by contrast, are skills, being things like Keen Knowledge: History or Fly (if you're a pegasus). Each race includes one talent for free (such as the aforementioned Fly for pegasi). Each trait and talent is measured in terms of the die size associated with it. So your earth pony PC might start out with Body d8, Mind d4, and Charm d6 for your traits, with Stout Heart d6 and Special Skill: Running d6 for your talents.

These dice showcase one of the core aspects of the game rules: there are no numerical modifiers to dice rolls. To be clear, you can modify your rolls, but only with regard to the size and/or number of dice used. In the latter case, you always pick the die with the best result; the only time you add or subtract anything is with regards to your character's other main mechanic: stamina points, which are essentially hit points by another name.

Most of the other aspects of characters are largely non-mechanical in nature. You pick which Element of Harmony (the game's six principle virtues: Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, Honesty, and Magic) your character most closely aligns to, but this is purely as a role-playing guideline. Quirks, the inverse of talents, are likewise not measured with dice rolls. Instead, when a quirk comes up and you voluntarily allow it to impede your character's efficacy, you're rewarded with a token of friendship.

Tokens of friendship are a meta-mechanic that allow characters to affect dice rolls, or alternatively to change minor aspects of the setting. You start with a limited number of them, but can gain more in various ways (such as by role-playing quirks, as noted above). The game lays out the basic manner by which tokens can be used, and how many tokens are required for certain actions, but makes sure to leave this open to GM adjudication. Wisely, this is framed in reference to the GM being encouraged to lower the total cost of tokens for certain effects if multiple PCs contribute them, serving to incentivize the cooperative aspect that this book is predicated upon.

At the end of each adventure, characters gain a level. This isn't tracked by any sort of point mechanic; completing an adventure is worth one level, period. Leveling allows you to buy larger dice for some of your traits and talents, though the game implies – but doesn't outrightly state – that this tops out at a d20 (given that some of the example creatures have multiple dice for certain traits, there's an obvious house rule of allowing you to buy a second die at a d4 after your first one hits a d20). You can also purchase new talents (or new quirks, if you're so inclined), which always come in at a d4.

Your trait and talent dice are put into play for one of two different types of rolls: tests (where you're rolling to try and equal or exceed a static number) and challenges (where making an opposed roll; this is where you'll find the combat rules). The thing to note is that you can usually – but not always – roll your dice for the most-relevant trait AND roll the die for an applicable talent, keeping the better result. More notably, there are several sub-rules given for these rolls as well. For example, rolling double or more versus a target number (or an opponent's score) allows for a critical hi-, er, amazing success, or what happens if several characters work together (which, in a friendship-focused game, naturally provides notable advantages).

I should note that the combat rules – called "scuffles" here – are set up in such a way that most fights probably won't last long. Basically, each opponent makes a Body challenge (with a combat-relevant talent, if any) and the one with the higher roll subtracts the TOTAL value of that roll from their opponent's stamina points. Given that your total stamina points are the maximum value of your Body and Mind dice, that means that characters will only be able to take a couple of hits before being defeated (though characters who run out of stamina don't die; rather, they lose consciousness, run away, admit defeat, etc.). That certainly fits the theme of the show, where combat is only rarely used, but if you want fights to last longer, consider having the loser's die roll subtracted from the winner's die roll to determine how many stamina points are lost.

There's a basic equipment list in the book, and some quick rules for how much money characters have/earn. This section felt odd, if for no other reason than equipping for their adventures isn't something that's done very often by the characters in the TV show. Given that having the proper equipment can bump up the die used on a relevant roll to the next-larger one, PCs will almost certainly be looking to purchase goods that they think might be useful in the near future. Though I have to note that, for fans of the show, the list of prices for various goods is a godsend; finally something hard-and-fast with regards to how much things cost!

The book's introductory adventure is entitled "The Pet Predicament." It sees the PCs being called up by the Mane Six to look after their pets while they go investigate a new threat to Equestria. Naturally, the pets don't take very well to their new keepers, and a search-and-rescue mission ensues when they all wander off and get into trouble. Despite the low-stakes nature of the adventure, it does a fairly good job laying out the game rules, and has several call-outs to aspects of the show built into it (e.g. a meeting with Zecora). Of course, it ends with a sudden cliffhanger that just so happens to lead into the next adventure (sold separately).

More noteworthy is that this is where we get stats for creatures and NPCs. While all of the creatures used in the adventure are given game mechanics, it's more noteworthy that this is where we get stats for the Mane Six, and even Zecora to boot! Of course, there's a bit of an irony in that Spike (and the pets) remain without stats, given that Spike and co. are typically overlooked to the point of it being a minor trope in the series anyway. A few generic stat blocks for background ponies wrap this section up.

Overall, I only noticed a few production issues with the book, such as two instances where there wasn't a space between words. More hilariously, the table of contents listed chapter five as being "Traits & Shamans" when the chapter itself correctly listed it as being about "Traits & Stamina." So it looks like we'll need to wait until a future book to have more shaman characters besides our resident zebra! (I'm also convinced that Twilight not having the Stout Heart is an error as well, since it's the racial talent for earth ponies, which as an alicorn she should have.) But overall, there aren't really any errors here.

I'd say that the book's biggest issue is that it doesn't have very much in the way of help for GMs. While there's plenty of advice as to how to be a good role-player, coming up with adventures is an area that it doesn't really cover. This is somewhat understandable, as adventures are likely to focus around social, puzzle, and even athletic challenges, rather than combat per se. Moreover, they're going to need to be at least somewhat tailored for each group, depending on the talents that the PCs are bringing to the table. A group of all pegasi is going to be very different from a mixed group. Although these are areas that the book can't readily address, I still feel like it should have said something about them, even if only to acknowledge them in overview.

Despite this, Tails of Equestria is a great game for bringing young people into the hobby, though this is predicated on them already being fans of the show. The mechanics are light and easy to grasp, and the book's presentation means that it's actually not that difficult for younger gamers to pick up and start using on their own. Likewise, older members of the RPG community will likely have reason to appreciate the RPG engine that the game runs on, though the book's focus on introductory presentation will be somewhat wasted on them.

If you're a fan of ponies and slinging dice, I definitely recommend checking out Tails of Equestria.

Is this a licensed My Little Pony rpg? Seems like a missed opportunity to make it for kids. 125 pages seems a bit much for younger kids. Any plans to release a more kid-friendly version?

Quote from: Voros;958865Is this a licensed My Little Pony rpg? Seems like a missed opportunity to make it for kids. 125 pages seems a bit much for younger kids. Any plans to release a more kid-friendly version?

It is officially licensed, yes.

The writing style is quite comprehensible for kids, and although the book is somewhat lengthy, a significant portion of that is artwork. The number of words per page shouldn't be intimidating for kids who enjoy reading, and the book's chapter breakdowns are brief enough that it can be digested in pieces. Obviously, you wouldn't give this to your four year-old, but kids around ten or so (I'm taking a complete stab in the dark, here) should be able to handle it. More than that, it's easy for them to play the game if someone older runs it.

Does it have an age range recommended? My 5-year-old daughter loves My Little Pony: the show, books, toys, games, you name it. I wonder if she'd be able to play this. We could use her little plastic ponies as figures for scuffles.

The book doesn't expressly list a particular age range for potential players. Obviously you'd know better, but I suspect that you could run her through making a character and playing the book's introductory adventure.

What she'd probably appreciate most is that the character sheet in the back of the book has two blank spaces meant to be drawn on: a larger one for the picture of her pony character, and a smaller one for the picture of her character's cutie mark (i.e. the tattoo a pony has on each flank).

That, and the book can effectively double as an art book (e.g. pages 22-23 are a two-page spread of the official map of Equestria, etc.).

Cool, I'm interested in kids RPGs too. May check this out.

Quote from: Alzrius;958983The book doesn't expressly list a particular age range for potential players. Obviously you'd know better, but I suspect that you could run her through making a character and playing the book's introductory adventure.

What she'd probably appreciate most is that the character sheet in the back of the book has two blank spaces meant to be drawn on: a larger one for the picture of her pony character, and a smaller one for the picture of her character's cutie mark (i.e. the tattoo a pony has on each flank).

That, and the book can effectively double as an art book (e.g. pages 22-23 are a two-page spread of the official map of Equestria, etc.).

Awesome. Right now she said she wants to be Rainbow Dash instead of making up her own but I think she may grow into the latter over time. Her brother who claims not to like My Little Pony (yet watches if with her and knows all the characters) might enjoy it as well.

So as a note, it turns out that while the book doesn't list an age range that I found, the order page (http://sodapopminiatures.com/my-little-pony/my-little-pony-tails-of-equestria) for it says that it's for "Ages 8+" - that certainly sounds about right to me.

The person running this website is a racist who publicly advocates genocidal practices.

I am deleting my content.

I recommend you do the same.

Good to see a review!  My daughter is 5 (soon to be 6) and I'm planning on picking this up for her.

Quote from: jcfiala;959280Good to see a review!  My daughter is 5 (soon to be 6) and I'm planning on picking this up for her.

Yeah, mine already shipped! And there is a module coming out in September according to Amazon.

I got this RPG for my two daughters. I was expecting the licence to be slapped onto something awful, but it is actually a surprisingly well designed RPG for both young RPGers and adults.  I only wish we got an Adventure Time RPG of the same ilk.

Quote from: Dumarest;959287Yeah, mine already shipped! And there is a module coming out in September according to Amazon.

The module is due this week according to the publisher (http://riverhorse.eu/curse-of-the-statuettes-and-tokens-of-friendship/) and EN World (http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?4053-New-Releases-In-Stores-This-Week-24th-April-2017). They have already released the "Friendship Gems" accessory.

Quote from: Skywalker;959439The module is due this week according to the publisher (http://riverhorse.eu/curse-of-the-statuettes-and-tokens-of-friendship/) and EN World (http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?4053-New-Releases-In-Stores-This-Week-24th-April-2017). They have already released the "Friendship Gems" accessory.

Amusingly, the friendship gems (from looking at photos) are about the same sort of plastic gems that go with the Unicorn Glitterluck game from Haba.  (Which is basically a simple roll and move game where the pieces are unicorns.  My daughter is 5, she loves it.)

For what it's worth, I ordered the Tokens of Friendship (http://ninjadivision.com/my-little-pony-tails-of-equestria/tokens-of-friendship/) (i.e. the "friendship gems"), and I don't recommend them to anyone else.

The actual plastic gems are smaller than the pictures make them appear. In the photos I saw, the looked like they were somewhat larger than standard marbles; in fact they're about half that size shown. Also, the "collector's bag" that it comes with is rather poorly designed; the drawstring has no catch or seal on it, so the bag sort of falls open unless you re-knot it when you draw the bag, which is a pain.

The real irony is that the box that the product came in was actually quite a bit nicer than the one in the picture. That one looks like a flimsy cardboard box, complete with a hole-punched tab so that it can hang from a store rack. In fact, the box that I got was not only made out of sturdy cardboard, but was a two-piece model, where the top and bottom were separate pieces, the former sitting snugly over the latter, all with no hole-punched tab on them. It was rather classy, which made the sub-par nature of the actual product all the more disappointing.

If you want to represent Tokens of Friendship during a Tails of Equestria game, save your money and use flattened marbles or pennies or even pieces of candy. The official Tokens aren't something I can recommend in good conscience.

As far as the Curse of the Statuettes goes, I'd heard that it was releasing in the UK and EU this week; no word on a North American release, but that's partially because I read the announcement on the River Horse webpage, and they only directly distribute to Europe and the UK; Ninja Division/Shinobi 7/Soda Pop Miniatures handles North America. That said, I suspect that it'll come out in NA very soon - Amazon honestly seems to be a bit behind where this particular product line is concerned, for some reason.

Oh right, I think I heard about that one - thank you for the reminder. I'll put in an order. I would say that it's for the purposes of introducing the new generation to roleplaying, but my Element is Honesty for I cannot tell a lie - I'm totally and shamelessly a fan of the show. ;)

Quote from: Skywalker;959438I got this RPG for my two daughters. I was expecting the licence to be slapped onto something awful, but it is actually a surprisingly well designed RPG for both young RPGers and adults.  I only wish we got an Adventure Time RPG of the same ilk.

An Adventure Time rpg in the mode of TOON could work quite well.

I currently use Far Away Land for Adventure Time but an official RPG would be great.

Also, my Curse of the Statuettes adventure for Tails of Equestria just shipped.

Quote from: Skywalker;959590Also, my Curse of the Statuettes adventure for Tails of Equestria just shipped.

Who did you order it through? I ask because the store for the official North American distributors (http://sodapopminiatures.com/my-little-pony) doesn't have it listed yet.

EDIT: Whoops, your location is New Zealand. That might have something to do with the discrepancy. My name is Der-, er, Muffins.

Quote from: Alzrius;959598Who did you order it through? I ask because the store for the official North American distributors (http://sodapopminiatures.com/my-little-pony) doesn't have it listed yet.

EDIT: Whoops, your location is New Zealand. That might have something to do with the discrepancy. My name is Der-, er, Muffins.

http://www.nzgameshop.com/. It has free international shipping too.

Product listing: http://www.nzgameshop.com/my-little-pony-trading-cards/my-little-pony-the-curse-of-the-statuettes-tails-of-equestria-expansion

However, it looks like it is hitting all non-US stores this week.

I just got my copy last night, and honestly, I'm blown away.

Yes, I'm a Brony and yes, this was an impulse buy. But inside, a clean, light, functional RPG systems (despite the game billing itself as a 'Storytelling game') that gives me just enough system when I need it and then gets out of the way.

Brony?

Quote from: Dumarest;961007Brony?

Slang term for an adult fan of the My Little Pony cartoon, sometimes referring to just the male fans.  If I didn't have a 5 year old daughter I might be considered a Brony, although the fact that I haven't watched any of the show since she left for North Carolina suggests to me that I'm not. :)

Quote from: jcfiala;961011Slang term for an adult fan of the My Little Pony cartoon, sometimes referring to just the male fans.  If I didn't have a 5 year old daughter I might be considered a Brony, although the fact that I haven't watched any of the show since she left for North Carolina suggests to me that I'm not. :)

I got the game for my daughter but the show is actually pretty good and funny.

Quote from: Dumarest;961024I got the game for my daughter but the show is actually pretty good and funny.

As someone who does consider themselves a brony (albeit one who doesn't buy any non-RPG merchandise, go to the conventions, or do much of anything else besides watch the show and talk about it), the show is quite enjoyable, and I can see why it has the following that it does. For me, a lot of the fun comes from the world-building they've got going on, since they tend to dole out just enough to make it interestingly different from what we usually see (such as the may-or-may-not-be-true story of how, before Celestia and Luna came to power, the unicorns had to collectively move the sun and the moon). Even then, the characters are great too, and there are quite a few episodes that are adorably genuine in their positive portrayal of others without being too unrealistically saccharine about it (though obviously, not every episode lives up to this).

Quote from: Dumarest;961024I got the game for my daughter but the show is actually pretty good and funny.

It is good and funny, and one episode has a great treatment of time travel, especially in a show aimed at young kids. :)  But it's not something I'd really be seeking out if I didn't have Rose around.

Quote from: jcfiala;961011Slang term for an adult fan of the My Little Pony cartoon, sometimes referring to just the male fans.

I've only ever known the term to refer to males, regardless of age.

My 4 year old daughter really likes the show. James Sphan wrote a review as well. I just don't see my daughter and her friends picking this up and playing it on their own free will. I have a feeling that the game was written for adult fans of the show and to "mimic" a childhood RPG. If I'm going to be running a game for kids I can use any system and just streamline the play for the kids and have the adventure being in a setting that is of interest to them.

What age do girls fall out of My Little Pony? Do they continue to enjoy the show when they are 10-12? Or do they fall out?

I guess I'm the odd duck because I hate the show. I don't think it's clever. I don't find it funny. And I hate the animation. It's shitty flash based animation.

Quote from: Ulairi;961306My 4 year old daughter really likes the show. James Sphan wrote a review as well. I just don't see my daughter and her friends picking this up and playing it on their own free will.

Well, but is your daughter going to pick up any rpg and play it of their own free will?  I plan on trying to run this for my daughter when she's home again.

The game system really is quite simple, so it's not too confusing for a kid - really, a basic starting character has three stats, two skills, and a quirk or maybe two - beyond that, they get to draw their own pony and pony symbol.

Either way, I'll see about returning to this thread later on and reporting on what my daughter thinks.  But she doesn't return home until June, so don't hold your breaths. :)

River Horse Games have just announced the name of the next Tails of Equestria adventure in their email newsletter: Festival of Lights, "a story of delving and of darkness."

A sneak preview will be available at the UK Games Expo, June 2nd - 4th.

Quote from: jcfiala;961310...they get to draw their own pony and pony symbol.

I have a feeling my daughter will spend more time doing this and thinking of names for ponies than actually roleplaying it, but we play with the little hard plastic ponies all the time so maybe she'll get into it over time.

Quote from: Dumarest;961346I have a feeling my daughter will spend more time doing this and thinking of names for ponies than actually roleplaying it, but we play with the little hard plastic ponies all the time so maybe she'll get into it over time.

My daughter watches youtube videos where they re-paint the ponies to represent a different pony, and then does it to her own toys.  I figure it's on the trail to painting her own minis. :)

Quote from: jcfiala;961357My daughter watches youtube videos where they re-paint the ponies to represent a different pony, and then does it to her own toys.  I figure it's on the trail to painting her own minis. :)

If my daughter gets into that, she can paint mine for me. I lack the time, patience, interest, and talent so I inevitably use plain grey metal miniatures unless they're colored plastic already.

Ahead of the upcoming UK Games Expo, River Horse Games has released a free mini-adventure for Tails of Equestria!

This two-page adventure is a scene (two scenes, actually) that can be interjected into any larger adventure. Its title is The Gift Horse, and you can download it for free over here (http://riverhorse.eu/download/mlp-mini-adventure-01/). As a note, their newsletter strongly implied that this would be the format of the mini-adventures released with the upcoming dice sets.

Cool, I will have to print that out when I get a chance.

The Curse of the Statuettes has just been released in North America (http://sodapopminiatures.com/new-releases/mt-little-pony-the-curse-of-the-statuettes-adventure-story-box-set)! It's $25.95 - though the website I linked to only has a 2-day shipping option, which costs a whopping $14.50 - and includes dice, character sheets, and a GM screen in addition to the adventure itself. I've already ordered my copy, so I'll be sure to post a review once it arrives.

Oh, yes, do.  My daughter's finally returned, so I'm interested in hearing about the adventure.

My daughter has returned!  And now she can read.  

This morning she was looking at the start of one chapter in the book and asked me "Daddy, what's GM Mean?"

I mean, that right there makes the purchase worthwhile. ;)

Get her started while she's young! My copy of the game is in the "prize box" waiting for her to earn/win it or else it may end up a birthday present soon.

It's taken me too long to get around to this, due to a combination of the two-day shipping needing five days, and a sudden illness on my part, but I've finally received and read through The Curse of the Statuettes. What follows is my take on it:

The Curse of the Statuettes calls itself an "adventure pack," and it's not hard to see why. Although it's entirely possible to get a Tails of Equestria game up and running with no more than what's in the main rulebook, this set contains both the accessories (i.e. a set of dice, a GM's screen, and a pad of character sheets) that are staples of an RPG session and a 48-page adventure. While the adventure is the main thrust of what's here, I want to cover the other aspects of the pack in turn.

I was quite pleased to see that Curse is a true boxed set. Contained in two slide-together pieces of high-grade cardboard, this is something that's become all too rare in contemporary RPGs. Rather oddly, the boxed set is just tall enough to be noticeable compared to others of its ilk; most (that I have, at least) are 9 inches by 11.5 inches or thereabouts. This one is 9 x 13 inches. That seems slightly unnecessary when you take into account that the interior has a supplementary piece of cardboard acting as a cradle for the book, pad of character sheets, and GM's screen. Wouldn't it have been easier just to make a shorter box?

The dice are a standard set of RPG polyhedrals, being a D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, and D20. Take note that there's no percentile-D10 here, since Tails of Equestria makes no use of one. While it's barely worth mentioning, the six dice are contained in a small ziplock bag, which might make it easier to store them for younger gamers who don't have their own dicebag yet. Amusingly enough, the dice are color-coded to match the listing of the different dice in the Tails of Equestria rulebook. This isn't a coincidence, as that book notes that River Horse Games (who made Tails of Equestria) color-codes the dice in ALL of their games, and is apparently given over to using that instead of the "D-number" notation that gamers prefer (e.g. they'll say "the blue die" instead of "d20"). The irony, of course, is that they DON'T do that in Tails of Equestria, saying "D20" instead. But I digress...

The GM's screen is a three-panel piece that's quite wide, but not very tall. The outer faces show the Mane Six (i.e. Twilight Sparkle and friends) standing in front of the magical map of Equestria in her castle. On the inside, the center panel reproduces the (current) official map of Equestria, whereas the left and right panels reprint salient information from the core rulebook. On the left you'll find the rules regarding test DCs, the rules for critical successes and fumbles, and the rules regarding tokens of friendship. The right panel has the equipment list and stats for generic earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns.

The pony character sheets are a single pad containing 40 sheets in total; five copies of eight different sheets. Calling them "different" needs an explanation. Most of the sheets have pre-drawn outlines of mare and stallion versions of each of the three pony types, which you can expand upon by coloring them in. There are also sheets whose character pictures have been left completely blank. Although it can be easy to overlook, each sheet is outlined in either blue or brown, with the former being for females and the latter being for males. That makes it rather awkward to have blank pictures for both males and females (i.e. there's a blue-outlined sheet with a blank picture, and a brown-outlined sheet with a blank picture), but there you are.

Finally, we come to the actual adventure for which the boxed set is named. The Curse of the Statuettes is, like the rest of the set, a fairly high-production item. Despite being only 48 pages in length, it's a perfect-bound booklet, and each page is laminated. This was probably a necessity due to the book being so art-heavy. While it doesn't quite live up to the core rulebook's having artwork on every single page, it comes close: this book is heavily illustrated (though, ironically, virtually none of these are deliberately designed to be shown to the players). Even the text is set against a sand-colored background.

Curse picks up where the core rulebook's intro-adventure, The Pet Predicament, left off: Spike has just rushed in to meet the PCs and begged them for help: the Mane Six, who were investigating a new threat to Equestria, have been captured! (I find it amusing that the Mane Six had stats given in the core rulebook, despite having almost no screen time in its adventure, whereas Spike appears in both adventures and receives stats in neither; it's just too apropos.) The PCs need to retrace their hoofsteps and figure out not only what happened to them, but how to solve the mystery that they were investigating.

The format of the adventure is meant to be very friendly to new GMs, to the point where it almost feels as if it's acting like an on-site coach. This isn't just due to the overview and preparation advice it gives, but in how it makes sure to use bold for things such as character names, tests and challenges, things that cause Stamina damage, etc. But the most notable aspect is the writing itself: most RPG adventures are written in a very "as-is" format, telling you what's there and leaving it at that, while others take a "if they do this, then this happens" approach. By contrast, whenever Curse presents a location or scenario, the writing comes across more like inspirational notes and salient reminders for an improv set. While it does talk about consequences to the PCs actions, the presentation is given in a way that is quite clearly trying to be evocative, inspiring the GM so that they'll in turn paint a vivid picture for the PCs. That's how I read it, at least.

The course of the adventure sits comfortably between a railroad and a sandbox. The setup presumes that the PCs grab the initial hook, after which they're largely expected to follow the trail of breadcrumbs that's laid out for them, though they have a middle segment where they can choose what order to follow them in. (To my delight, there was even a random encounter table at once point!) The book walks a tightrope with trying to tie itself into the source material without getting entangled by it, and does a good job as the PCs peel back the layers of the mystery. Most of the character tasks in this are focused around overcoming obstacles and challenges, with major threats being something you run away from rather than defeat (though there's at least one fight where you have to win, rather than escape). There are also a few scenes that have scripted endings regardless of what the PCs do, mostly with regards to the villain making early appearances as foreshadowing. Of course, the end of the adventure resolves the immediate threat, while still leaving a new mystery beckoning...

I have to take a moment to note the one thing this adventure doesn't do, which left me scratching my head. The entire idea of a "curse that turns you into a figurine at random times for random durations" was originally the idea of Tails of Equestria's lead designer (and editor for Curse), who always had - in whatever RPG he ran - that happen to the PCs at the start of a new campaign. The idea was that allowed for an in-game explanation for what happened when someone couldn't make it to game night. It's a creative idea, and it works very well here...except the book never once tells you to actually put that idea into practice! Obviously, you can connect the dots yourself, but I'm still surprised that it wasn't ever explicitly stated in the text.

Still, that aside, what's here is a very solid expansion pack for the Tails of Equestria RPG. Between the accessories and the adventure, this really helps to get a new game off the ground, and it as much of an introduction for the GM as it is for the players. It's a great product, and I'd definitely recommend it to fans of the game.

Sounds great, thanks for taking the time to write that up. I preordered it via Amazon back in April or whenever it was and am waiting for it still. Sounds like I didn't waste my money. The price seemed high but I didn't know there was so much packed into it.

So River Horse just put up a preview for the Tails of Equestria dice sets (http://riverhorse.eu/tails-of-equestria-dice-sets-preview/).

To recap: these are three different sets of dice, each containing a d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20. Each set is themed around one of the three types of ponies (earth ponies, pegasi, or unicorns), with each set also including a mini-adventure.

The preview doesn't add much new information, though we do get pictures. From what I can tell, the cases that the dice come in are metal (I think), and that suggests that they'll rest in a foam insert. We're also shown that the mini-adventure is folded so that it can fit into the case, which seems to confirm the idea that these are one- or two-page scenarios, similar to the mini-adventure they recently released on their website.

The other bit of new information is that, in addition to the dice being color-coded to match the usual River Horse Games presentation (mentioned in my review of Curse of the Statuettes), they're also in a different style depending on the set: the earth pony set has marble dice, the unicorn set has glitter dice, and the pegasus set has gem dice. Picture of the dice are shown in the preview.

The blurb is given below:

QuoteTake a look at the upcoming Dice Sets for Tails of Equestria: The Storytelling Game!

There are three sets to choose from: one for Earth Ponies, one for Unicorns, and one for Pegasi. You can collect a different set of dice to use for different pony characters!

Each set contains six roleplaying dice from D4 to D20, colour-coded as referenced in the Tails of Equestria core rulebook (http://riverhorse.eu/product/te/), and each with a different style. Also included in each set is a unique Mini-Adventure, perfect for including as part of a longer story, or as a standalone short session!

Don’t forget to follow the Official Tails of Equestria Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TailsofequestriaMLPRPG/) to see what’s coming up!

So I just received an email from River Horse indicating that the three dice sets are now available. While they don't seem to be up at the Soda Pop Miniatures (http://sodapopminiatures.com/my-little-pony) page yet, that will probably change soon. Moreover, the notification reminded me that I wanted to review the dice sets here, having picked them up at Gen Con.

As I'd previously speculated, each set comes in a metal container. To my surprise, the cover of these containers isn't hinged; rather, it simply fits atop the container and can be completely removed. More notably, there isn't any sort of lip or catch around the container itself to keep the lid in place. For the most part, this isn't a big deal, as the lids fit rather snugly, but that's not a guarantee. Of the three dice sets, I can turn two of them upside-down without anything spilling out, but the third one's cover would immediately fall off if I tried that.

The inside of each container wasn't quite as nice as I was expecting/hoping it would be. I'd thought that there'd be a foam insert, possibly with individual areas for each die. Instead, the containers all have a hard plastic interior with a single recess in the center where all the dice are meant to go. The dice themselves are sealed within a small ziplock bag. As noted before, each set has dice in a different style; marble dice for the earth pony set, gem dice for the pegasus set, and glitter dice for the unicorn set. What that means is that the marble dice are solid with subtle streaks and whorls through them, the gem dice are translucent, and the glitter dice have small, sparkly particles in them. The dice themselves are all color-coded as per the Tails of Equestria rulebook.

Finally, each set comes with a two-page adventure, printed on both sides of a single sheet that's been folded down to fit into the container. While none of these adventures are long enough to be a scenario unto themselves (the text suggests dropping them into an existing adventure), they have rewards of both a tangible variety and a chance to earn new tokens of friendship depending on how the PCs conduct themselves. Interestingly, each adventure is lightly (though not exclusively) themed around the type of pony on the tin. So the pegasus adventure "Flying High" is primarily focused around pegasus ponies, whereas earth ponies fit in best with the earth pony dice set adventure "One Good Turn Deserves Another," etc. These are nice little inclusions, and probably the main reason to pick up the dice sets if you already have sufficient dice to play (though really, who ever has enough dice?).

The latest email update from River Horse arrived yesterday to announce the release of Tails of Equestria's second full-length adventure, The Festival of Lights! The website's product page (http://riverhorse.eu/product/the-festival-of-lights/) is now taking orders (though ordering from that site only works for customers outside of North America), and lists a price of $17.57.

Interestingly, the email provides a bit more information than what's on the product page:

QuoteSomething moves in the deep dark beneath Equestria...

A brand new full adventure for Tails of Equestria, The Festival of Lights is available now!
It can be used to follow on from your adventures with The Curse of the Statuettes, or to start a new series of adventures!

In The Festival of Lights you will delve deep into the Umber Depths, a vast system of caves and tunnels that stretches beneath Equestria. The city of Umberfoal has been lost and forgotten for a thousand years--until now. The city now wakes, its denizens lost and confused, in great need of help...

...but Umberfoal isn't the only thing that now wakes in the dark.

Descending deeper and deeper, a sinister threat lies in wait. Always in the shadows, it plots and schemes, poised to strike at just the right moment.

The moment is coming. The Festival of Lights must be held. The fate of Umberfoal, and perhaps all Equestria depends on it!

A classic RPG dungeon-delve experience comes to Tails of Equestria!

In The Festival of Lights you'll find new monsters, maps, and magic items that keep the action intense and the adventure unpredictable. Experience Equestria like never before!

There were also two previews in the email, the first one being a map of the city of Umberfoal, and the second being for some new monsters (presumably met in the adventure):

(https://preview.ibb.co/ggcaik/The_City_of_Umberfoal.jpg) (https://ibb.co/eks83k)

(https://preview.ibb.co/caEMOk/Festival_of_Lights_monsters.jpg) (https://ibb.co/hsbqG5)

Hopefully the North American release will follow soon!

The latest email update from River Horse announces the release of The Bestiary of Equestria!

Quote"Inside this tome you will find my gathered notes on the creatures of Equestria, their strenghts and weaknesses, what makes them tick, and how to find them."

A brand new core book for Tails of Equestria is now available!

There are tons of new monsters, beasts, creatures, and characters to explore in The Bestiary of Equestria, including new playable non-pony races. With this book, the choice of character race is expanded to include:

• Majestic Griffons.
• Fearsome fire-breathing Dragons.
• Proud Buffalo.
• Curious and cunning Diamond Dogs.
• Wondrously powerful Changelings.
• Wise, ancient Crystal Ponies.

Along with Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns from the core rulebook, that's three times the amount of character options for your games!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1808[/ATTACH]

These pages are full of info on familiar creatures from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and even original creatures from Tails of Equestria, such as the arcane 'Bookwyrm' above. They are all detailed with relevant traits, talents, quirks, and special abilities, for maximum ease of reference during sessions!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1809[/ATTACH]

As well as being great reference material, try flicking through The Bestiary of Equestria when planning your own adventures. The detailed information is sure to give you the inspiration you need to make your stories as epic as they can be. There's also a great section on how to create your own creatures: come up with a story, set the challenge, give them talents, and make your game truly unique.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1810[/ATTACH]

PREVIEW:
Check out the brand new rules for playing a Griffon character! Powerful talons and wings make them formidable foes, and even fiercer friends.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1811[/ATTACH]

The Bestiary of Equestria is the perfect companion to your Tails of Equestria rulebook!

You can pick up The Bestiary of Equestria here, available now! (http://riverhorse.eu/product/the-bestiary-of-equestria/)

EDIT: So there's already a review (https://rpggeek.com/thread/1860781/bestiary-equestria-review) over on RPGGeek. The review confirms the following:

• The book is a 128-page hardcover.
• The book has five chapters - creatures; making your own creatures; pony NPCs; new talents and quirks; new player races - and an index.
• The chapter on new creatures includes listings for dragons, changelings, hydras, parasprites, and yaks. Presumably the first two are different from their PC listings later in the book.
• The chapter with new creatures also includes specific individuals, with Discord and Iron Will being listed. This matches what we see in the Tails of Equestria Core Rulebook, where Zecora is listed along with other creatures.
  
• Chapter three is listed as describing "pretty much every character that has been in the TV show"!
• More specifically, it states that some ponies have a full stat block given, while others have abbreviated listings that just list their cutie mark, quirk, and race. DJ-Pon3 and Muffins (aka Derpy) are given the full stat block treatment, for example, while the Flim-Flam Brothers receive an abbreviated listing.
• One of the new talents in chapter four is to have a pet.
• The new races in chapter five are confirmed to be griffons, changelings, dragons, diamond dogs, crystal ponies, and buffalo. No yak option is present.

So River Horse has just announced (http://riverhorse.eu/product/movie/) a new sourcebook for Tails of Equestria based on My Little Pony: The Movie! The announcement is below:

QuoteFriendship comes in many colours.

Take your adventure far beyond Equestria's borders with this: the first sourcebook for Tails of Equestria. Based on MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE, this book contains everything you need to bring new and exciting characters, locations, and stories to your Tails of Equestria game. With new player options and tons of Gamemaster info, The Official Movie Sourcebook is a fantastic way to expand the boundaries of your Tails of Equestria game.

NEW LOCATIONS
You've left the comforts of Equestria behind--ahead of you lies a mysterious realm of unknown adventure, hidden lore, and magical wonders! The Official Movie Sourcebook contains expanded details on the locations featured in MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE, in particular the bustling streets of Klugetown, the ancient citadel on Mount Aris, and the underwater realm of Seaquestria! As well as detailed descriptions, this book also contains advice for Gamemasters on how to incorporate these locations into a game in urban and underwater adventures.

NEW NON-PONY CHARACTERS
A parrot swings from a chandelier, flips in the air and lands with panache. A Lizardfolk explorer guides his friends through Klugetown. A Hippogriff soars through uncharted sky to deliver a vital message, and a Cat carefully disables an underwater ruin's trapdoor. The Official Movie Sourcebook contains four new playable non-pony races:

• Nimble, roguish Cats.
• Swashbuckling Parrots, with striking plumage.
• Brave and honourable Hippogriffs.
• Shrewd and intelligent Lizardfolk.

EXPANDED RULES
If you're looking to bring more depth to your Tails of Equestria game, these rules are for you! Both within and beyond Equestria, adventurers often meet factions and organizations of many kinds. The faction and reputation rules presented within give a bit more context to these relationships and help keep track of who the players know, whether that reputation is good or…not so good.

Optional vehicle rules detail how players can obtain, customize, and use their own personal vehicles. Beyond Equestria, long distance travel becomes a lot more difficult, so having your own airship is a real advantage!

A NEW ADVENTURE!
'The Beasts of Black Skull Island' is the perfect way to kickstart your groups adventures outside Equestria. Join the crew of adventurous pirate Captain Rosella and hunt for the legendary treasure of Black Skull Island! But beware, somepony else might have gotten there first…

NEW CHARACTERS & CREATURES
The Official Movie Sourcebook contains loads of new stats for NPC characters from MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE. You'll find everything from friendly faces like Capper and Princess Skystar, to the villainous Storm King, Tempest Shadow, and their minions.

All of the new content and rules included in The Official Movie Sourcebook are, of course, 100% compatible with all other products in the Tails of Equestria range. So saddle up, take to the skies, and seek out adventure in the wide world ahead!