Ironclaw

[Heavy_Crossbow]

Yes, it is an anthropomorphic role-playing system. And yes, it is completely awesome.

I picked up themain rulebook at a new-years day sale at my game store. The cover art was a bit embarassing, and if you have seen the cover, you know what I mean. But as I flipped thorugh the book before I bought it (I'm not the type to just go out and randomly buy games), I saw one of the best systems I had ever seen. The only problem was that it was, well, anthropomorphic, a.k.a. "furry". I read the Redwall books as a kid, though, and some of this seemed comfortingly familiar.

So I bought it, trying not to look too terribly embarassed. It felt like I was buying a porno. But considering that the guy in front of me had bought the "Book of Erotic Fantasy" scott-free, I suppose that nothing could break the composure of the man at the register. I also picked up a few misc. other books, including a shadowrun supplement. Not necessarily because I wanted them. More just to say that I play the classics, but I am willing to dabble in new things. You know how it is.

So I bought it and flipped through it. Privately, of course. I didn't exactly want to be seen with the book. I wasn't sure how my twin brother would take it. The art was...okay. The writing was...decent.

But the RULES!

The rules system was one of the best that I had ever seen. It seemed a little complicated at first, but once I got the jist of it, I realized how elegantly simple they were. It reminded me of a cross between the Savage Worlds system and the old Tri-Stat system. But in a good way. It wasn't multi-genre. The game is set in the world of Calabria, a pseudo-renassiance setting. It is built not around "leveling up", but instead around climbing the social ladder and roleplaying, as well as plenty of political intrigue.

That night, after we played a game of Arkham Horror (good family fun), I welcomed the new year by offering to run a game for my siblings and sister-in-law. We weren't tired (the Coke Zero floweth through our veins), so they agreed. I offered to run a new system that I had picked up earlier that day. They seemed excited at the prospect. So I reached into the little plastic bag that I had gotten from the store earlier, grabbing the soft cover of the book. Trying not to cringe, I took out the book as unceremoniously as possible, quickly turning to character creation. I explained the game to them. For the most part, they were not only accepting, but excited. My sister in law is a "furry" artist, though she isn't a furry herself. Ironically my brother, who is her wife, hates anything even vaguely anthropomorphic. So he criticized it out of hand.

But after a few minutes of bagaining (play or we take away the snausages), we finally got down to character creation. It was a snap. Everyone had their characters done in about twenty minutes, which is record time for a new system for me. I had already given them a brief explanation of the world to my understanding.

One of the interesting mechanics of the game is that you use dice-pools from your stats and your skills, plus and racial bonuses you get, plus any career bonuses that you get. These are likely going to be different types of dice. So let's say I have a Tiger that is a Poacher. I'm going to roll a die for my Speed stat, which I put a D8 into. Then I get a die from my race (race is also a stat), since stealth is a racial skill for tigers. I had put a D6 into this in character creation. Then, I get a die since Stealth is a career skill. Career is also a stat, which I had put a D12 into. So now I roll all of those together, the D8, the D6, and the D12. The game master rolls a number of dice depending on the difficulty of the action. If it is a moderately difficult action, he may role two D6. If it is very difficult, 2D10, etc.

And the magic system is relatively simple, using MP. I won't go into detail, but it is relatively easy to learn.

The only difficulties of the game arise not from the rules, but from what the game is: an Anthropomorphic fantasy game with one setting. And the setting is very...complex. Sometimes it's hard to come up with a pretext for adventure. And you can't walk into a restaurant and order a ham sandwich. The pig-man at the nearby table would shoot you. He would shoot you dead. And mounts aren't horses. Horses are people, too. Instead, you ride giant lizard-things.

All I can say about this game is this: Give it a chance. If you have thought about buying the book, but didn't because it was embarassing, go ahead and buy it. It is so worth it. I'd also recommend the source books. They are packed full of useful information. So once you get past the fact that it is anthropomorphic, it is a great game. Just try it. I guarantee that you'll like it. It is a very singular roleplaying experience.

[Treebore]

I haven't even seen this book around, but I'll keep my eyes open for it now. I'm pretty sure my kids would be open to giving this a try.
_________________
The Ruby Lord, Earl of the Society

Next Con I am attending: http://www.neoncon.com/

My House Rules: http://www.freeyabb.com/phpbb/viewtopic ... llordgames

[cinderblock]

Fie on you furry , get thee from here! jk

[Heavy_Crossbow]

cinderblock wrote:
Fie on you furry , get thee from here! jk

Thou art a brigand, and do call me by false name! Get thee gone from this place, and hang thy head in shame!

But yeah, as long as you know the disturbing "furry fandom" association, it is a great game. I'm sure that kids would be able to appreciate it more than more "seasoned" roleplayers. I feel firm in my assertion of its quality. I've played just about every RPG under the sun, and I only recommend things I think of as quality games.

[Lord Dynel]

A good system, in my opinion, can hold it's own despite the genre of the game itself. Or so I believe. I'm not keen on the furry side of things, but I might check it out, if I see it, to take a look at the system. Thanks for the heads up, H_C!

[Heavy_Crossbow]

I aim to please.

Pun intended.