The Riddle Of Steel

moriarty777 · Post by **moriarty777** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 2:03 am

Poking around the 'net, I found reference to an RPG called 'The Riddle of Steel'. Has anyone tried it or can tell me something about it... I'm curious.

Thanks,

Moriarty the Red
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serleran · Post by **serleran** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 2:16 am

Riddle of Steel

Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 9:39 am

That is an interesting system.
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Nifelhein · Post by **Nifelhein** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 6:49 pm

I haven't got around to get the system but i heard good bits on it, the quickstart looks interesting too, someone used it for a Midnight game, and there is an Ars magica to Riddle of Steel page where you can use the Ars magica magic with the system.

I think fantasy games like we usually game requires us to have another book beyond the basic one, of Men & Beasts or something like that.
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jman5000 · Post by **jman5000** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 12:38 am

I have it, play it, and am in a group that has been running it for 6 months or so. it's a mixed bag IMO.

the combat is simply the most brutal combat there is... you don't ever want to be in a stand up fight. you don't ever want to be outnumbered (even 2 to 1), and you don't ever want to go up against anyone with a ranged weapon.

so, it's pretty much, surrender, ambush or run away most of the time.

if you ambush, you win

otherwise, you lose, and it's tpk

because of it, it's almost impossible for the gm to create a 'balanced' encounter. so the fights are either walk in teh parks or outright bloodbaths (for you)...

however, the SA's (spiritual attributes) are a thing of narritive beauty. the gm doesn't have to do any work, it's all done for him. all he has to do to drive the story along is fire SA's all night long... it's a great mechanic to make sure you are reaching your goals, and a really great way for the gm to ensure that the story stays on track.

for everything else, it's pretty much white wolf d10, adds mechanic...

Liked it, liked the campaign I was in, don't think I'll ever play it again once the story ends.

Cheers,

J.

moriarty777 · Post by **moriarty777** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 2:53 am

Interesting... how about the magic system... can someone give me a general idea how it's set up? The site for the game describes it as this:

Quote:
Powerful sorcery, disturbing the balance of all things. Wizards and Druids roam the world, wielding powers rivaled only by the gods. Founded on Celtic and Norse mythology, sorcery in The Riddle of Steel allows players and characters to create spells on the fly, producing the kinds of effects they want with speed and efficiency. No two spellsnor any to sorcerersneed aver be the same. With such unlimited options, each spell caster must decide how and when to use the subtle-yet-mighty forces in their handsor be destroyed trying.

As such, I'm curious...

Moriarty the Red
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"You face Death itself in the form of... 1d4 Tarrasques!"

Partner to Brave Halfling Publishing
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jman5000 · Post by **jman5000** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 11:53 am

we do magic a bit different than btb TRoS magic, so I can't help too much. however, magic has serious consequences. all spells cause aging, and depending on the amount of power you apply to a spell, that determines how much you age - from days to years. you have to make essentially system shock rolls once the spell is cast, and if you fail that, you pass out, and finally as spells subtract from your mana pool. the more power you apply from the pool for a spell, the less power you have for the next spell.

it's pretty crazy actually. but fun
just like everything else from TRoS.

as far as supplements, I think the 2 must have books are The Flower of Battle and the Companion, TFoB is great as it provides many many more fighting styles, the Companion (though widely panned - justifiably in many cases) does have some nice new SA's and skill bundles to add further options to your characters...

hope this helps a bit.

Cheers,

J.

Inkpot · Post by **Inkpot** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 1:38 pm

I have this game....never really played it. I absolutely adore the magic concept in the game, though. It's the reason why I go the game, honestly. The overall game system, though, seems to be a little too 'crunchy' for my tastes. Combat seems like it would take forever to resolve.

Ink
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jman5000 · Post by **jman5000** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 1:46 pm

Actually Inkpot. while it 'feels' cruncy, it really isn't... combat in my experience is many times faster than a comparable D&D combat, that is because 80% of the time, 1 hit your dead. you roll lots of dice, but its a d10 mechanic, so you only keep successes rather than add anything...

Combat was VERY VERY VERY fast... the "crunch" is picking your maneuver, which mechanically really only gives you different target numbers or bonus dice to your pool, or additional actions.

Cheers,

J.

Inkpot · Post by **Inkpot** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 4:01 pm

Good to know. Thanks, jman! I may just have to give this a whirl.
Inkpot
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