Bag of Games

Few days ago, the postman was kind enough to deliver the Dragon Age boxed set I’ve been so anxiously waiting for. I’ve already had the opportunity to try it, since the pre-order deal included the pdf-version of the game, so I do believe it is time to write a word or two about the game.

The box is rather study, it looks good when I slip it to bookshelf next to other rpgs that are occupying the space on the shelf. The box includes the two rule books; Players Guide and Game masters guide, which are both high quality prints. The books are both 66 pages and they pretty much cover all the necessary you need to play the game.

However, since they’re not hardcover, I do believe that constant use will leave its marks to the product. The dice included are really basic (two black and one green six sided die), but the map looks and feels quite good.

The actual content is well laid out, clear fonts, bold headings and to my surprise, the books both have excellent indexes so for once, I am able to find what I’m looking for. The art inside is quite beautiful and sometimes quite big, somewhat traditional to the actual game as you can imagine.

What is the feeling of Dragon Age?

We’ve been running few sessions of Dragon Age for now, and the first taste of the new setting is positive. While my expectations from the game were quite high, it does live up to expectations at most parts. 3D6 and stunt system does seem to hit the spot. Here’s how;

Creating your character happens quickly and it does have elements that I love to see in character creation; some chance. The balance between luck and “character optimization” is just right. Not too much, not too little. You roll for a list of abilities: Communication, Constitution, Cunning, Dexterity, Magic, Perception, Strength and Willpower. Then you’ll have the opportunity to switch place between two of them. Once the attributes are in place, you choose your background and roll some benefits according to it. Similar activities go on until you’re finished and ready to start your Dragon Age experience. I liked it, my players didn’t complain about it. Maybe you’ll like it too?

Character classes

The first boxed set does have three classes to choose from: Warriors, Rogues and Mages. Every class has their specialties as you can imagine. Rogues have the backstab and warriors can do their thing in heavy armors. Mages will do what they’re expected, but there is still a flavor of specialization if you wish to. Mages will also have a mana pool so they won’t be using their “real” spells all the time. Once again, choices… I’m eagerly waiting what classes and abilities the future sets include, but in the boxed set, there’s enough to start the game.

The base mechanic is simple: 3d6 + appropriate stat + modifier vs. target number. Good and simple mechanic which I see as one of the strengths of the game. It’s easy to adapt and players won’t be forgetting how the game works. While you’ll be throwing 3d6 basically all the time, one of them (usually in different color) is a Dragon Die which will show how well did you do when you exceed the target number. The Dragon Die is also used when you roll doubles and “score a critical” and thus gain stunt points. This will give the players some flexibility to do “flashy moves” with their characters instead of never ending “You roll, I punch” (almost like Minsc said). The dragon die does bring that little something to Dragon Age rpg and from that I do seem to enjoy a lot.

Combat

Stunt point system is one of the ticks of the game.

Combat isn’t anything ground breaking, but the stunt point system is one of the ticks of the game. The same 3d6 mechanic is in use and you’ll be using different abilities with different weapon groups. Dexterity is for ranged and light weapons, Strength for heavy weapons. For damage: ranged weapons use Perception and Strength for melee. When you score double on any dice, you gain number of stunt points equal to dragon die. Then you’ll have a set of stunts “to choose from” and you’ll spend your stunt points for i.e. knockdown or disarming the opponent. One thing that I’ve noticed with my gaming group is that if you have enemies with big armors, you’ll be spending your stunt points for heavier damage since the armor will almost completely reduce the damage from smaller weapons.

Things to remember

One thing game masters have to keep in mind is how to use monsters and villains in their campaigns, since the boxed set does not include “rules” for how many villains is appropriate for any given group. Game master thus have to be careful and learn it by doing. There have been tough fights in the few sessions we’ve gone through, but there have also been easy ones as well. The feeling for “dark fantasy” thus does not come from the combat system and lethality, but from the skills of the game master, as always.

The Game Master’s Guide does not bring much fluff to the game, but one playthrough of Dragon Age Origins will cover a lot. If for some reason it isn’t enough, you can always take a look here: http://da-codex.appspot.com/ for missing information. I was little disappointed, when I realized that Grey Warderns are not covered in the first boxed set, but hey.. at least I have something to wait for. *whines… but smiles.

As a summary, the system is simple, and easy to pick up which is always a plus.

As a summary, the system is simple, and easy to pick up which is always a plus. The Stunt system has earned a special place in my heart and I’ll think that is one thing which I’ll have house-ruled to other systems as well. The THEDAS as a role-playing setting is just fantastic and my head is full of ideas how to use them, though the actual fluff is somewhat missing from the books.

One might say that the first boxed set isn’t a full product, but as a role-playing game it is coherent and consistent. I am pleased now, but anxious to see the further releases to fill the few missing gaps.