13th Age

13th Age is an excellent tabletop RPG from Rob Heinsoo (lead designer of D&D 4th Edition) and Jonathan Tweet (lead designer of D&D 3rd Edition, Over the Edge, and Everway). The rules feature fast-paced combat, classic fantasy classes, weapons, and spells, alongside fresh mechanics like the escalation die, which increases damage as the battle progresses.

The core rulebook contains everything players and GMs need, including a bestiary and a description of the Dragon Empire. It is in English and spans 320 pages.

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Icon relationships and the escalation die are unique features which offer exciting storytelling possibilities with simple yet powerful skill rules and fun, fast-moving combat. In the 13th Age of the world, adventurers seek their fortunes in the Dragon Empire while powerful individuals known as Icons pursue goals that may preserve the empire from chaos, or send it over the edge.

Players decide which Icons their characters ally with, and which ones they oppose. These relationships, along with a personal history and a unique trait chosen during character creation, help define an adventurer’s place in the world of 13th Age and lay the groundwork for epic stories that emerge through play.

There are also fun new rules for hitting and defeating orcs. 13th Age was playtested in 2012 by more than 200 gaming groups around the world, one of which included our own Dave from Telesales.

"Our goal with 13th Age is to recapture the free-wheeling style of old-school gaming by creating a game with more soul and fewer technical details. …13th Age makes the play group’s campaign the center of attention, with a toolkit of rules that you can pick and choose from based on the kind of game you want to play. The mechanics draw from classic games as well as newer, story-based games."

Links

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