Wednesday 1 June 2011

4 RPGs to look out for this year

1. Fabled Lands RPG


The Fabled Lands gamebooks have recently been re-released, much to my pleasure, and hot on their tails comes the tabletop version. The Fabled Lands RPG was originally released in 1995 but Cubicle 7 will be re-launching it this month. If you've ever played the gamebooks you will know how detailed the world of Harkuna is, even in gamebook form. There will also be 12 source books released after, detailing the territories covered in the original books (12 were originally in the pipeline, but only 6 were published). The game uses the same simple mechanics as in the books, but expanded for party play, so I expect this to be a relatively rules-lite affair. There's no news yet on a digital version, so until then it'll be places like an Office Depot  retailer will be getting my money for the countless pencils and paper I have to invest in. 

2. Dragon Age RPG: Set 2


Nobody can doubt the popularity of the Dragon Age video games, but few could have predicted how much of a hit the tabletop game would be. Set 2 covers rules for characters level 6-10 and includes rules on playing as a Grey Warden, 40 new spells, exploration stunts and more. I've never played the game, but I've heard many rave reviews, some even saying that this is what 4e should have been.

3. The One Ring


Tolkien's beloved stories and world have had a couple of tabletop renditions already with MERP and The Lord of the Rings RPG by Decipher. Now Cubicle 7 have thrown their hat in the ring (geddit?) and will in August release The One Ring. The first book of an ongoing epic series, called Adventures Over the Edge of the Wild, will focus on the Wilderlands, which includes Mirkwood, the Lonely Mountain and East of the Misty Mountains. It will be set 5 years after the events in The Hobbit and will offer players a rich and immersive setting. Each subsequent release will open up a new geography in Middle-earth and span generations of characters, making this game truly massive in scope.

4. Dungeon Crawl Classics


November will see the release of Dungeon Crawl Classics by Goodman Games, an old-school spin on 3rd edition D&D mechanics. According to the author, it plays like a 1970s D&D session with race-classes such as Elf and Dwarf, but its attributes are slightly different to 3e with the inclusion of 'luck'. Whatever this concoction of new and old school is, you can colour me intrigued and I'll definitely be investing when it's released later this year.

3 comments:

  1. Excellent choices all. I think Dragon Age has managed to no longer be seen as just another license and now more as a system unto its own.

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  2. Did the pdf order for Dragon Age Set 2 is going to be pretty nice. And really interested in Dungeon Crawl Classics

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  3. Nice list, but I would add HackMaster as a fifth. Yeah, I'm that optimist. :)

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