While game mechanics and character creation are important so is assessing what you are getting for your money. With all the role-playing games on the market the real question here is: Why should anyone care about Fantasy Imperium?  To answer that we must look between the covers and evaluate what we find therein.

Chapter 1 - Characters: Following a one-page introduction come these four pages of the game's basic rules. Covered here is character generation, an explanation of characteristics, and very brief sections on character background and character flaws.

Chapter 2 - Skills & Professions: This chapter contains 10-pages broken up into roughly a page and half of explanatory text followed by a massive list of skills.

Chapter 3 - Combat: These 5-pages cover the basics of the Fantasy Imperium conflict resolution system.

Chapter 4 - Movement & Fatigue: A sparse 4-page extension of the conflict resolution system that covers movement (for horses) in depth and Fatigue as it affects combat, magic, and travel.

Chapter 5 - Injuries & Death:  Flipping through the 6-pages of this chapter you will see paragraph headings that read "Injury Procedure", "Hit Location", "Magick Weapons", "Severity of the Wound", and etcetera. This makes for a total of 15-pages dedicated to the conflict resolution system so far.

Chapter 6 - Morale & Healing: Two simple pages covering morale rules and healing; raising the tally to 17-pages of conflict resolution rules.

Chapter 7 - Fighting Styles & Tactics: More of an expansion on the skills systems this chapter contains 11-pages outlining basic combat techniques from Boxing to Streetfighting.  Thematically some may feel this chapter should have come before Chapters 5 and 6, as these are unarmed combat skills.  For instance the "Boxing Techniques" are listed as: Jab, Hook, Uppercut, Cross/Power Punch, Combination, and Body Punch. Each skill listed comes with it's own fatigue cost and damage thus, in this reviewers opinion, this chapter really should be read before Chapter 5.

Chapter 8 - Spiritual Warfare: That this chapter has 7-pages shows its import to the game world of Fantasy Imperium. Covered herein are Piety, Prayers, Blessings, Spirit, and brief overview of the medieval view of the struggle between the angelic and demonic realms.

Chapter 9 - Fate & Magic: The frontispiece to this chapter is a shadow-shrouded skeleton sitting at a table dimly lit by candles with a skeletal hand hovering over a spread of tarot cards. Quite the thought-provoking introduction to the 6-pages that follow. This chapter presents rules for Fate Points, a discussion of the four categories of magic- Ceremonial, Natural, Extrasensory, Black Magic- and how Magick and Fate are intertwined.

Chapter 10 - Ceremonial Magic: 28-pages covering priests, astrology, alchemy (sic), conjuration, ritualism, necromancy, and spell lists for same. Here necromancy is closely linked with spiritualism- defined as "the study of the dead"- and has the most spells (35) associated with it. An interesting section even if I do not entirely agree with how Alchemy has been presented. Too, I would like to have seen more text dedicated to discussion of priests and priestly sects.

Chapter 11 - Natural Magic: 31-pages covering Deceivers (Illusionists), Elementalism (Earth, Fire, Air, Water), Enchantment (Candle Magick, Eldritch Magick, Enchantment), and Sorcery with associated spell lists. This is perhaps the most mundane section of the magic rules as it encompasses the familiar sorts of magic we've all seen before.

Chapter 12 - Extrasensory Magic: 27-pages providing rules for playing a Mystic (Mysticism), Psychic, Seer, or Talismanic (talisman magic) with associated spell lists. One thing many GMs will like about the rules for talismans is they are self-limiting, meaning once an item has been used it becomes inert. Better yet each talisman is, by the rules, powered with only one charge. These sort of checks and balances built into the rules might make baby Monty Haul cry but it sure makes the rest of us smile.

Chapter 13 - Black Magic: 9-pages of rules for the black arts, which within Fantasy Imperium is mostly limited to Hexes & Curses. One interesting twist is the use of hatred not only as a motivating factor but a central component of the casting process. As the book says, "if the person that the spell caster is fighting is a mortal enemy, then there is a bonus to cast of +25%". What's not to love about that?

Chapter 14 - Time & Money: 16-pages of (mostly) lists of items and their prices with a bit of historical background about timepieces and monetary units for the target periods in which Fantasy Imperium is intended to be played.

Chapter 15 - Weapons: 18-pages of charts listing weapon types, where in the world they might be found, who used them, their weight, and various other sundry data points needed to generate damage et al.

Chapter 16 - Armour & Shields: Like chapter 15 this is 19-pages of charts for armor and shields with a section on shields and their enhancements.

Chapter 17 - Mythical Races: This is perhaps the most disappointing chapter in the entire book. It's only eight pages and provides a grand total of six, count them SIX, fantasy races. If you've played any incarnation of Dungeons & Dragons- or any of the half a hundred other FRPGs published in the last twenty years- you've meet these six races before for they are Centaurs, Elves, Dwarves, Half-Elves, Halflings, and Gnomes. The racial write-ups average about a page each and provide barely a dearth of information.
The remainder of the book is filled with appendices for Spell lists, weapons (marvelously illustrated), armour (also marvelously illustrated), suits of armour, and a section entitled "A Witness of 1121 A.D." which is a primer for the world of that time period from the British isles to Northern Europe and beyond. There is also a extensive appendix of reference charts and an index that lend Fantasy Imperium the look of being a very well rounded core rulebook.  But is it?

[size=10]Note: It's been a goodly number of months since I wrote the original version of this review. It's become rather apparent to me in the meantime that review is sadly never going to see the light of day in a timely fashion at the venue to which it was promised to appear. Thus, for the less than timely appearance of this review, I would like to humbly apologize to the publisher.  Despite events out of my control Shadowstar Games provided me with a review copy with the full expectations of seeing a review and I intend that what I've written will be read.  That said on with the review. .[/size]


Intent
Fantasy Imperium tackles role-playing by stressing storytelling; the author refers to his creation as an "Interactive Storytelling Game". However unlike most RPGs this is not merely a rehashing of Lord of the Rings or the usual uninspired genre tropes but rather an attempt to create a rules system role-playing in a historical setting.
   Certain traditional elements of fantasy folklore are present, such as mythical races and various types of magic, but Fantasy Imperium concentrates primarily on rules for running a game in a medieval setting. So what do you get?


Mechanics
Fantasy Imperium is essentially one massive rules tome with a glossy cover and sturdy binding of heirloom quality. (There are RPG books in my library I've almost never used that are falling apart due to cheap bindings so I consider a good binding a major plus.) However the real question here is: Are the rules within this massive 429-page volume worth the paper they're printed on?
   While billed as an "interactive storytelling game" it is actually a skill-based RPG. To begin with character generation is accomplished by rolling D100 (%ile dice) for each of 10 Stats, which form a character's Characteristics. Next a skill point base is generated. These SP are used to purchase skills, all pretty standard RPG rules fare. There is a bit of difference. Fantasy Imperium has a specific time period in which it is designed to be played.  A time period in which social class is an integral part of the character generation process. Another surprise was that secondary traits require six-sided dice. A minor speed bump in an otherwise streamlined system, or is it?


Character Creation
You can tell a lot about a game by looking at the character sheet. The Fantasy Imperium character sheet is six pages. Talk about daunting! First impressions are everything and that may turn off a lot of gamers. No matter how good the cover art is or how well constructed the rules may be veteran gamers all look to the character sheet as a gauge of the game. Conversely, those coming into role-playing for the first time may glance at the charts and character sheet and decide this game system is not for them.  Which is a shame because those six pages may lead many to conclude this game is a crunchy, rules heavy, time consuming monstrosity.
   But is that assessment true?
   To find out I'm going to walk you through character creation, you be the judge.  I used a stopwatch, sans time for printing the character sheet et al, to find out how long creating a basic character takes.
   How long did it take?    To start a quick three minutes to generate basic stats. (A die bounced off the table in a vain effort to escape forcing me to execute recovery plan baker.) By about the eight minute mark, and that's with a calculator, various sundry secondary "combat factors" stats were on my sheet. By the eleven minute mark I had the "saving throws" filled out and generated Luck and Fate scores; which you need six-sided dice for by the way.
   By the thirteen minute mark I was confused. You're supposed to determine Social Class then choose a Profession appropriate to it so, flipping pages, yeah, how?
   Had to re-read everything. Added a couple three minutes to the time. By the eighteen minute mark, after much double and triple checking, I had my profession recorded on the character sheet; sort of. Quadruple checking my figures showed, no, I could not be that Profession because I didn't have enough SP left after buying into that Social Class. I blame that evil die and its attempt to escape its honor bound duties for distracting me.
   Overall I feel the process might have gone smoother if the charts and process were explained by way of example instead of leaving the reader to muddle through. Even so the time taken thus far is still pretty good. All told, after another minute or three occupied in page flipping, the basic characteristics and character profession took roughly twenty minutes to generate the first time through. That's up to step eight in the thirteen-step character creation process. The remaining steps being mostly equipping the character, determining starting spells, and the all-important background.
   A note to veteran gamers: Social Class really matters. Expect to not have a lot of fun if you're used to playing Mages and your dice rolls were not generous on the Social Class chart. On the other hand there's a lot of professions to choose from and, once you know the basics of how character creation works, it's a very organic experience. In the meantime just call me Father Absolon Wishiwasamage.

Nitpicking
This is where I tell you what I really think, no padding, no fluff, just my unabashed opinion.  And it is just my opinion.   So what do I think?
   In short Fantasy Imperium tries to cram too much into its pages.  Looking at the book sitting on my desk through the eyes of a potential Game Master it is cumbersome.  Why was Dungeons and Dragons popular amongst Junior High School age teens back in the eighties?  As I was one of those teens I'm going to let you in on the big secret. . .
   All you really needed to play, besides the dice, was the Players Handbook.  Yes the Dungeon Master's Guide and a module or two were handy to have, but the modules you really did not need.   Too, there were about a dozen or so pages from the DMG that you could Xerox and still play while leaving the core rulebook at home.  For those who don't remember the PHB was a very small and lightweight book.  That meant you could carry it in your backpack without worries of its added weight breaking your back.
   In short all a kid needed to play D&D were quick reference sheets for character creation, a summary of conflict resolution, and a reference manual that's about as heavy as a hamburger.  Fantasy Imperium is thick and heavy.  It's a pretty looking tome for gathering dust on a shelf, not carrying around.  In short the Fantasy Imperium rulebook is best suited for veteran gamers and collectors of game rules.
   This is not to say Fantasy Imperium is built upon a bad system, merely that this reviewer has reservations about aspects of its presentation.  Like the Experience system. As written the text makes it sound like experience points (XP) are awarded not based on goals achieved or character accomplishments but are rather doled out by the Storyteller "at the rate of 1-10 for each gaming session".
   I prefer an experience system that provides for positive (and negative) reinforcement of player character actions during the gaming session with rules that state so in no uncertain terms. Merely sitting at the table and occupying space should not be a guarantee of XP gain, at least not wholly, and this oversimplified rule may lead to lazy GMing. XP should be earned. However there are some interesting checks and balances built into the XP system.
   Unlike many older RPGs, where XP seems to accumulate with no other purpose than to "level up" Fantasy Imperium makes the XP system an integral part of character development. XP are used to purchase skills, with a hard coded rule that 75% of accumulated XP must be spent on profession-based skills.
   On the surface this seems very reasonable, though my overactive imagination can conceive of one or two problems, but the only way to find out for sure is to test this system in prolonged campaigning. Does that mean it's bad? No.
   When you gain a profession the system makes allotments for how much income the character may receive, as well, and what the social class for said profession is. At a glance the system appears to be very well integrated into the world setting. Perhaps too rigidly for some Game Master's tastes, but for those who abhor the gray areas that spawn rules lawyers this is a very refreshing approach.
   And what about Chapter 4? While it's great to see horses covered- after all they are often a player's second game character- I can't help but notice no mention has been made of fantasy creatures. Certainly this would have been the place to mention fairies, giants, unicorns, or other fantastical creatures. Even if such creatures weren't intended for inclusion in the game humans do come in a variety of sizes. Shouldn't some mention have been made of the relationship between size/height and speed? Alas I saw none.
   What about those reservations mentioned in Chapter 10? These I cannot let go so easily. Alchemy seems woefully misrepresented for a historical RPG. Too, the lack of information on priests and priestly castes seems an oversight. Granted Fantasy Imperium is intended for medieval role-play in the European world but there were still many contrary sects out there. Speaking of omissions where are the Cabalists? Why was no mention made of Witches or the Templars? What about the Inquisition?
   Appendix F seemed unnaturally quiet on this subject and only one inadequate paragraph was devoted to it in Chapter 8. Aside from a laundry list of heresies and pagan movements I could mention that weren't this section, as presented, is internally consistent; if wanting. But, as I say, that's just my opinion.


Final Analysis
Fantasy Imperium is a massive rules tome that's essentially a plug-in game engine for the world setting it emulates.  Sadly it is not entirely playable 'out of the box' as presented; at least not without some major work on the GMs part. This is due to a lack of adventure starters or even a codified world setting. The background presented is sparse and the book is full of daunting charts that will have first time gamers thinking the game is far more complicated than it really is.
   What we have here are rules for running a certain style of fantasy role-playing game set in Christian Europe that manages to squeeze an encyclopedia of resources into the appendices. The world is built upon a foundation of classic fantasy stereotypes, however as previously mentioned the scope is limited to Christian Europe. So if you are wanting to run Arabian fantasy or Sword & Sorcery ala Conan this is probably not going to do it for you.
   Veteran gamers will find Fantasy Imperium a welcome addition to their RPG library. Alas, for the newbie, Fantasy Imperium might become little more than a doorstop until Shadowstar Games puts out a world book and adventure modules that actually give Game Masters something to do with the rules. But if you're willing to put in the effort to spackle over the holes you may just find Fantasy Imperium has provided a solid foundation on which to build a campaign.

Copyright © C. Demetrius Morgan
 

And obviously I'm doing something wrong.  None of the BBcode is taking.  And I seem to have flubbed the title.  This is a review of Fantasy Imperium.

If someone can fix the entry to reflect that it would be much appreciated.

Only links work. Everything else is stripped. Sorry - this system is not very flexible. The BBCode method is used so the comments work properly (html is stripped, yet the bbcode displays in the forum when you view the whole comment thread).

I don't see a problem with it though.

Thanks for the review, Kester. I was pondering an eBay copy since I was getting Creatures of Rokugan 3rd Edition from the same author, but at $25 on a gamble plus shipping for a tome you could club a man to death with, your review makes me feel like I didn't miss much. Partially because I'm on a big alchemy kick right now, and a disappointing section on it is worse than leaving it blank to me.