Here it is, my first actual article in this blog!
I'm honored and thrilled to allocate this first spell slot for this big-little jewel by mr. Mikael Hassel, which is (my bad) a recente discovery for me, but already dominating my library (his Dungeon Questing RPG is on its way too!).
I'm happy to share with you my enthusiasm for its work so... let's go!
What is Dark Sagas RPG?
Short answer: an awesome modern game with a lovely old school feel. This is not about emulating THE fantasy game, just grabbing some inspiration, reworking everything under the smart sign of a straightforward 2d6 engine and adding a tasteful sandobxy setting into the mix. A full game in 272 pages, available on print as a pdf (it is a steal, please grab one copy, links at the end of the article!).
Strong classical feel on every page, while keeping things fresh and interesting with major tweaks. As the author stated, this is a game you can bring with you (digest size) along with a bunch of paper sheets, pencils and some d6s... Sit down at your local pub and just play!
It is the essence of what most of us classic mongers look for.
The real genius, as someone stated, doesn't need to invent: it does need to recreate. Mikael Hassel is a pure genius to me.
It is the essence of what most of us classic mongers look for.
The real genius, as someone stated, doesn't need to invent: it does need to recreate. Mikael Hassel is a pure genius to me.
How does this Work?
Sometimes, there are tons of misunderstandings among "old school" and "rules-light". The two are not synonyms. Most of the time they are, but only for a specific side of the deal: B/X, white box, the OD&D game are rules-light and their clones mantain the feel of both their ratio and rulesets... AD&D and similar games are NOT rules light, but are obviously pure OSR madness.Mikael Hassel does something great from the get go: he doesn't jump in with a clone (nothing against clones, but here we are talking about being pure genius). He works to find the soft spots of that kind of gaming and slap a surprisingly balanced and well made 2d6 system on top of it, making THE die rule again.
Roll 2d6, add any relevant modifier and you're done. The game doesn't have thousands of variants, but it actually includes endless possibilities. The book does an extremely good job in explaining what to do: pick up a name and concept, assign attribues, choose a race, place skills, grab equipment and you are basically done. It is a straightforward and quintessential system which incorporates the "gaming" feel, the rules-light elegance along with both dark fantasy and modern-ish character customization.
Hassel doesn't want to bog down your games with options: his brilliant writing guides you throw the basics and you are really ready to go after ten minutes or so. He gives you enough meat to build upon and make Dark Sagas RPG the game YOU want to play.
I'm here, actual book in my hands after a strong reading of the PDF and already on the verge of creating my own material! It is insanely inspiring.
Character Basics
Every character is primarily defined by its race and attributes. There are 8 of 'em:
- Fighting: basically melee proficiency.
- Fighting: basically melee proficiency.
- Marksmanship: ranged ability.
- Dexterity: legerdemain, agility.
- Physique: stamina basically.
- Knowledge: what you know.
- Will: your common sense and inner strength.
- Will: your common sense and inner strength.
- Perception: your awareness.
- Charisma: your personality.
- Charisma: your personality.
You can place 16 points, with a 1-5 range on each. If you prefer, you can grab an array or just roll 8 times and place the result (that's good if you like the old school approach of "I play what I roll").
Your race gives you the basic framework to build upon everything: there are Dwarves, Elves, Halfling, Humans. In the appendix, we have the optional (and probably good to use with the provided setting) Gnomes, Half Giants, Wolven and Orcs. Creating new races is absolutely easy, especially if you go for the refluff route.
Races provide racial abilities, that help you out defining your concept: most of the time you ge "free ranks" on skills (more about skills soon) and special features like "darkvision" for the elves or the extra experience point got by humans for their versatility.
You just not down the 4-5 abilities noted and things start getting even funnier!
Once you've chosen your race and placed your attributes, you will get to choose skills. Depending on the race, you'll have a variable amount of skill ranks to start with.
Skills are not treated as in some other games: they have 2 ranks, each one adding a new feature to the character (that may obviously take the form of some bonus). Some of 'em use the "advantage" / "disadvantage" framework we know from another game, which means that you must roll 3d6s instead of two and get the best/worst pair.
Your race gives you the basic framework to build upon everything: there are Dwarves, Elves, Halfling, Humans. In the appendix, we have the optional (and probably good to use with the provided setting) Gnomes, Half Giants, Wolven and Orcs. Creating new races is absolutely easy, especially if you go for the refluff route.
Races provide racial abilities, that help you out defining your concept: most of the time you ge "free ranks" on skills (more about skills soon) and special features like "darkvision" for the elves or the extra experience point got by humans for their versatility.
You just not down the 4-5 abilities noted and things start getting even funnier!
Once you've chosen your race and placed your attributes, you will get to choose skills. Depending on the race, you'll have a variable amount of skill ranks to start with.
Skills are not treated as in some other games: they have 2 ranks, each one adding a new feature to the character (that may obviously take the form of some bonus). Some of 'em use the "advantage" / "disadvantage" framework we know from another game, which means that you must roll 3d6s instead of two and get the best/worst pair.
Let's make a couple of examples.The Riding Skill, at Rank I, gives you Advantage on Dexterity checks about riding and Physique checks against dismounting attempts.
At Rank II, you gain +1 Attacks and Defense while mounted.
As you notice, you have a plain and simple benefit for being a "knight/rider". You know that you won't be a nice enemy while mounted, that's exactly what I'd expect from a riding skill, which is usually useless in most other games. We don't assume you are not capable of riding, since this is a medieval dark fantasy game... We assume that if you have ranks in riding you are a very good rider!
Another concrete example is the Thievery skill. At Rank I it provides you with Advantage to Dexterity checks involving criminal activities and sneaking... At Rank II you get a similar benefit on Charisma based checks, while gaining some contacts in the underworld.
Again, skills help you define who you are, what you do and where you've been. Having Thievery at Rank II tells you a lot MORE than a "Stealth skill at 5" would do. It means something mechanically wise and concept-wise.
Hassel makes a clever move here, since (I'm sure you've noticed this at this point) there are no actual "classes" in the core concept of the game. Your character is defined by race + features. If you have 6 points to invest as a human, you can easily be a "bardish" like character, a "roguish" kinda monger, a pure "warrior" or a "paladin". Just invest in the Attributes you feel more appropriate and gain skill ranks accordingly.
At character creation you only get access to Rank I skills, but you can get Rank IIs as you progress (since we don't have levels here, but a customized progression).
Equipment and Details
The equipment section is straightforward. Armor gives you damage reduction, shield provides "defense". You can obviously focus on mundane equipment too. Weapons give you out a basic modifier and often notes altering gameplay. In example, an Unarmed strike deals 1/2 dice damage - 1d3 - but gives you a +2 initiative bonus; a dagger has a -1 damage on the roll, but you can throw it and gain a +1 to initiative.
This adds some variety without having to deal with a thousand tables and cross reference. Easy, funny. As above, smart.
Some details have to be filled too here: hit points, physical and mental resistances (like "saving throws" if the authors allows me the similarity), defense (basic protection against physical attacks) and movement.
You have then other "esotheric" scores I really like as the expendable and precious Fortune (allowing for rerolls and small bonuses) and Corruption (a mean to counter occultism abuse).
This adds some variety without having to deal with a thousand tables and cross reference. Easy, funny. As above, smart.
Some details have to be filled too here: hit points, physical and mental resistances (like "saving throws" if the authors allows me the similarity), defense (basic protection against physical attacks) and movement.
You have then other "esotheric" scores I really like as the expendable and precious Fortune (allowing for rerolls and small bonuses) and Corruption (a mean to counter occultism abuse).
A character will be ready in minutes. Just choose the concept, start from a race, roll your attributes if you want to start from there or assing 16 points, allocate the number of skills given out by your race, buy some stuff to go adventuring, check final calculations and.... go!
Character creation in Dark Sagas RPG is not only funny (I'm testing with some sample PCs), is deep as hell, while being so intuitive that a newcomer and an expert RPer can sit down together, speak the common tongue of amusement and just roll some d6s for extra fun!
Geek the Mage!
The magic system has something. It is "magic points" based + roll. You must check AND spend magic points to cast spells, that's the limit. You can learn spells by research and expenditure of EXPs.
In order to cast a spell you need ranks in Wizardry (for arcane spells) or Theurgy (for "priest" spells). Wizardry related list is obviously deeper and bigger, while theurgy list is shorter, but that's perfectly in line with the Original game desing framework: miracles are a different thing and should not be catalogued as any other spell.
When you want to cast a spell, you need to check and spend the amount of Magic Points required, which are "spent" if you cast it or "lost" if you fail it.
Spells can be surprisingly strong, on average and still a bit customizable depending on the situation. Short and intuitive descriptions tell you everything you need to know, with GMs filling the gaps (very white boxish).
In order to cast a spell you need ranks in Wizardry (for arcane spells) or Theurgy (for "priest" spells). Wizardry related list is obviously deeper and bigger, while theurgy list is shorter, but that's perfectly in line with the Original game desing framework: miracles are a different thing and should not be catalogued as any other spell.
When you want to cast a spell, you need to check and spend the amount of Magic Points required, which are "spent" if you cast it or "lost" if you fail it.
Spells can be surprisingly strong, on average and still a bit customizable depending on the situation. Short and intuitive descriptions tell you everything you need to know, with GMs filling the gaps (very white boxish).
Consider, very important, that you can cast spells of any level. They are just more risky and difficult to cast, so it's up to you to move in the comfort zone or going full Draco Malfoy.
But dark fantasy wouldn't be... dark without magic being dangerous! So the author slams Mishaps and Corruption into the mix! When you roll badly (two 1s) on a casting check, you face a "mishap", which can lead to unexpected and cruel consequences... and sometimes to corruption itself! The corruption mechanic is similar to the one shown in the Legends of the 5 Rings game, where the more Corruption you get, the more your will is threatened and even your body shows signs of it. You will eventually lose body and mind if you don't be aware of its threat!
I like the idea of having, as a GM, a "wild card" rule in my hands to compensate and give some personality to the magic system.
It seems like Hassel wanted something I really love: esotheric characters can "craft" potions (or even other items I guess, with a little tweak) if they have a minimum will of 4+, which means that you can throw even a more "scientist-alchemist-scholar" oriented wizard as well as a more "sorcery oriented" caster, if you like. The system is flexible enough for you to see magic as you like to see it, altering these abilities as you see fit.
There's not much to say here, and it's a good thing! The game is self explanatory, the book is clear and well written. You roll to go first, you roll to attack vs defense, you roll if you cast spells and your opponent (if needed) rolls to resist, apply / reduce damage... and do whatever you like in the meanwhile!
The system doesn't include "mini-tactical" games: it's deep 'cause it's free. The good combination of skill ranks, simple monster stats and abilities, magic and the thousands of clever ideas your players can easily throw into the pit make this system easy to manage.
As any other rules-light system, you should trust the GM, which in my opinion should be a bit experienced. Filling the (wanted) gaps requires a bit of awareness and the GM is the only player that I guess should have some degree of experience as a referee in order to make a game like Dark Sagas RPG really shine. Not because the game is not brilliant, but because its light can be shed upon the table even more with an aknowledged GM which doesn't focus on rules, but enhances the already good base with its personality.
You don't have to read that much as a player, unless you wanna keep a copy of the spell section if you're a caster, but the game and the character sheets are enough.
But dark fantasy wouldn't be... dark without magic being dangerous! So the author slams Mishaps and Corruption into the mix! When you roll badly (two 1s) on a casting check, you face a "mishap", which can lead to unexpected and cruel consequences... and sometimes to corruption itself! The corruption mechanic is similar to the one shown in the Legends of the 5 Rings game, where the more Corruption you get, the more your will is threatened and even your body shows signs of it. You will eventually lose body and mind if you don't be aware of its threat!
I like the idea of having, as a GM, a "wild card" rule in my hands to compensate and give some personality to the magic system.
It seems like Hassel wanted something I really love: esotheric characters can "craft" potions (or even other items I guess, with a little tweak) if they have a minimum will of 4+, which means that you can throw even a more "scientist-alchemist-scholar" oriented wizard as well as a more "sorcery oriented" caster, if you like. The system is flexible enough for you to see magic as you like to see it, altering these abilities as you see fit.
Take it Easy!
There's not much to say here, and it's a good thing! The game is self explanatory, the book is clear and well written. You roll to go first, you roll to attack vs defense, you roll if you cast spells and your opponent (if needed) rolls to resist, apply / reduce damage... and do whatever you like in the meanwhile!The system doesn't include "mini-tactical" games: it's deep 'cause it's free. The good combination of skill ranks, simple monster stats and abilities, magic and the thousands of clever ideas your players can easily throw into the pit make this system easy to manage.
As any other rules-light system, you should trust the GM, which in my opinion should be a bit experienced. Filling the (wanted) gaps requires a bit of awareness and the GM is the only player that I guess should have some degree of experience as a referee in order to make a game like Dark Sagas RPG really shine. Not because the game is not brilliant, but because its light can be shed upon the table even more with an aknowledged GM which doesn't focus on rules, but enhances the already good base with its personality.
You don't have to read that much as a player, unless you wanna keep a copy of the spell section if you're a caster, but the game and the character sheets are enough.
So, there are actually rules for "maneuvers", alternate combat styles and stuff, but it's so easy to get into them that talking too much about it would ruin the essence of the game and this review, whose purpose is to entertain the players with any dark fantasy subgenre, would it be pure intrigue or hex crawl.
The book includes good pieces of advice for GMs though: how to handle common hazards, travel, traps, how to create adventures and award XPs, which attribute to use and so forth. Clearly explained, without any form of verbosity. Elegant, but most importantly, USEFUL.
The book includes good pieces of advice for GMs though: how to handle common hazards, travel, traps, how to create adventures and award XPs, which attribute to use and so forth. Clearly explained, without any form of verbosity. Elegant, but most importantly, USEFUL.
Hey, there's a Monster... oh no...
...there are 100. One Hundred. Yes. One hundred creatures. In the pure old school format, they have basic values (attack, defense, resistances, damage, HP, armour, movement, threat level) and basic descriptions adding flavor or adding details on how to use them. Some of 'em take a full page, most easy monsters (like skeletons) need less space.
Again, be ready to fill the gaps and get inspired! They can be interpreted as "characters", since they basically use the same features, even if aborting attributes (which I like) and the depth of a PC in terms of "numbers" (which means that we have room to give them more breath as creatures).
Nothing to say, again. Straight to the point.
Setting, Appendix and Useful Adds
Hassel doesn't want to provide us with an easy to use and still giant game. No. He does more. He provides us a lovely dark-sandobxy Setting, laid out with a nice map and some key descriptions. I don't spoil, just BUY the book, read these pages and create your campaign. This reminds me the days when I first grabbed 13th Age: I was so inspired by the sandoxish feel of the setting description that I created a small campaign... still alive now with tons of spin offs after 6 years. I see Dark Sagas being next.
Oh yes, Raven's Wall, I'm staring at you!
In the appendix we find the above mentioned additional races, some optional rules (like dynamic initiative) and "class oriented" guidelines to create characters (basically using the same rules, but using archetypes like clerics, with mandatory skills and other skills you might add to customize your idea a bit more). This is clever, since some players need a guide, especially if lost among the choices. This may help those shy players to just grab a concept, note down the mandatory skills and add something into the mix: it encourages cunning anyway.
Oh yes, Raven's Wall, I'm staring at you!
In the appendix we find the above mentioned additional races, some optional rules (like dynamic initiative) and "class oriented" guidelines to create characters (basically using the same rules, but using archetypes like clerics, with mandatory skills and other skills you might add to customize your idea a bit more). This is clever, since some players need a guide, especially if lost among the choices. This may help those shy players to just grab a concept, note down the mandatory skills and add something into the mix: it encourages cunning anyway.
The Dark Judgement: 9,5 / 10
This is the end.Oh, no, this is just the beginning. Too bad I have to quit the review, since I wanted to provide a nice starting point and a well deserved showcase.
Mikael Hassel shows great game design skills. Dark Sagas RPG is the avatar of the gaming I like. As someone will soon discover around here, my favorite game outside the previous mentioned White Box - B/X D&D is Fantasy AGE. That is my main reference of game design.
Now: Mikael aims at a different crowd, but it's just a phantasmal force effect. Hassel, willingly or not, aims at the market with a strong and deadly arrow. This game has everything I consider "good design". It's smart, well put, well organised and incredibly flavorful. Dark Sagas RPG grabs the attention as a rules-light /old school oriented sandbox system, but at the same times it FEELS LIKE A FULL GAME, something you don't need to do too much for, outside sitting down and roll some fucking d6s.
The layout is minimal and that's what you'd expect: pretty cunning as well, since we are trained to buy overweighted 60 bucks books with useless fluff (not all of them, beware, but still...) and sometimes we discover that a digest sized, big character, 272 pages book tells us how to make a good game and tell compelling stories, cover to back.
Hassel is working on other projects and you should seriously consider taking a look at them.
You should do yourself and your players a favor: buy this book, support this author and don't look for the Seventh Wonder among the gods, since sometimes the miracle is right before your eyes...
Or on Lulu. Or on DriveThru. Or in my hands, right now.
Or on Lulu. Or on DriveThru. Or in my hands, right now.
See ya!
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