Rating: [ 6.11 / 10.00 ]
Game Info
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 | Game Summary | [ Edit Main Info ] |
The Riddle of Steel tries to make the fantasy genre feel real, while making it easy to tell the stories of the characters. It does spo by means of one of the most lethal and exact combat systems available today - this system is endorsed by the Association of Renaissance Martial Artists, ARMA - and a specialty called Spiritual Attributes.
These two factors mesh well, in that the Spiritual Attrbutes allow a character to spend extra dice on actions which matter to him (or his story), making the players choose their fights wisely - fighting without the benefit of the SAs can be deadly. As such, the narrative element is in the high seat for this game.
The book contains a setting named Weyrth, which is a fairly low-fantasy world, to some extent based on familiar parts of our world's history, added some completely new factors. It is a loosely defined world, being mostly meant as a backdrop for the game master's and players' own stories, and serves admirably in this role.
These two factors mesh well, in that the Spiritual Attrbutes allow a character to spend extra dice on actions which matter to him (or his story), making the players choose their fights wisely - fighting without the benefit of the SAs can be deadly. As such, the narrative element is in the high seat for this game.
The book contains a setting named Weyrth, which is a fairly low-fantasy world, to some extent based on familiar parts of our world's history, added some completely new factors. It is a loosely defined world, being mostly meant as a backdrop for the game master's and players' own stories, and serves admirably in this role.
Notes on This Edition
Hardcover.Game Editions | [ Add Edition | Edit Edition ] |
| Comments & Reviews |
Selected RPGnet Reviews | [ See 10 Reviews | Link 1 Possible Reviews ] |
| Rating | User | Summary |
| 3 + 5 | Chris Safruik | The Riddle of Steel. Innovative character advancement tied to character motaivation, unique, hyper-realistic combat, priority on who a character is, rhather than what he is, and free-form "create on the fly" magic system create a player driven experience unlike any other. [ Read Review ] |
| 4 + 3 | Deacon Blues | The Riddle of Steel. The Riddle of Steel is about one edition away from being a professional-grade product. Its indie-press roots are a little too prevalent, but that doesn't obscure a fantastic, original system for combat and character development. [ Read Review ] |
Selected User Comments | [ See 19 Ratings | See 9 Comments | Add Rating ] |
| Rating | User | Comments |
| 7 / 10 | Pig with Pen | An interesting game with a focus on western martial arts. It has a strong "game" component in that it is beneficial to know all the different combat maneuvers and that there are clearly better and worse choices in any given situation. Sorcery is extremely powerful, but also frightenly dangerous -- for both, victim and perpetrator. The system is tied in well with the game setting, which, incidentally, is the weakest point of the game. An uninspired, traditional mish-mash of D&D influenced epic history with common tropes, such as Dwarves and Elfs. What this game needs most is a focused second edition. |
| 10 / 10 | Autochton | I believe the TROS system to be one of the best fantasy systems ever, if not the best. The SAs make it feel epic, the combat system makes it feel real, the world makes it feel like it matters. |
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