Like stats, you get a starting score of 2 in every ability. And its not a case of no skill=no chance as one might assume with a skills-only system. There are just 18 abilities, but then each one has specialisations within it that allow further definition of characterisation. At first I thought “it’s a game with only skills, no stats,” but on further reading and analysis of how they actually go about it I can see that the Abilities are in fact something of a halfway house between stats and skills. So, where to begin? Well, let me start by talking about something that turned me off the original game and tell you why I now think it’s a good system: Abilities. So I started to read SIFRP, and slowly the game itself started to win me over. It was kind of an unwritten pact that I conceded to at least giving it the once over because I wanted him to play Fading Suns, for which he really didn’t like the system. Rich lent me his copy to try and persuade me to run it. There’s one picture, for example, where I don’t know whether one of the characters in the picture is supposed to be Tyrion or Jaime Lannister (for those of you who have read the books you will know how ridiculus that sounds), or just some random person.Īnyway, I’ve got all my moans out of the way so that I can concentrate on why I am definitely going to be playing it. Don’t get me wrong many of the pictures are good, but there’s enough that aren’t to make you cringe. They would have been much better spending the money on getting top quality B&W artwork than some of the shoddy colour ones that make it into the book. This is a game that would have been perfectly adequate in B&W, but the extra expense spent on making it colour has been wasted on a Duplo colour scheme and inferior quality artwork. The choice to use bold colours to box things off and colour-code the sections strikes me as a massive dumbing down of what isn’t a game for simpletons or teenage newbies. The interior design, however, doesn’t even go this far. It doesn’t really capture the flavour of the novels. The trouble is it could be for almost any fantasy game. I’ve heard a number of people criticise the cover of SIFRP, but for me it goes well beyond just the cover. They are simple yet moody and really capture the darkness of the books. The British versions of the novels have truly classic covers. Which brings me to my first criticism of the book: the graphic design. On flicking through it I was further underwhelmed. Even when Dave (owner of my FLGS) and Rich (member of my gaming group) told me it was good I didn’t believe them. I thought “Oh no, here’s Green Ronin sucking all of the life and flavour out of what should have been a really good game.”Īnd it was because of this feeling of disinterest that I chose not to buy it. Just keep the idea in your head that I really wasn’t keen. I can’t remember enough about the quickstart they released as a preview to say anything constructive, and it isn’t really the point of this review so I’ll move on quickly. Whilst their products are invariably beautifully turned out, with excellent artwork and graphic design, the games themselves are often quite bland.Īnd it was with the same underwhelmed-ness that I was hit with when I read through the previews of the Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying Game (which from hence on in I will call SIFRP). However, practically every other Green Ronin product I’ve bought has left me largely unsatisfied. It’s perhaps not as much fun to play as Champions, but it lacks its many flaws. I don’t know of any other Superhero RPG that is both flexible enough to allow you to create just about every type of superhero concept you can think of, whilst still remaining essentially fairly well balanced. Don’t get me wrong I love Mutants and Masterminds (but only the 2nd edition). However, I’m not a massive fan of Green Ronin. I love the medieval fantasy setting with its low-level magic and iconic noble houses. I love the politics and intrigue, and the grim darkness of it all. In this case however, I’ve been inspired to tap away at my keyboard about a product on just reading it.įirstly, let me nail my colours to the mast: I am a massive fan of George R. The previous reviews that I’ve written have all been for games that I’ve played to a level where the rules are come as second nature to me, and I know the setting pretty well, too. I’m taking the decision to tread into uncharted territory here. Summer is coming: A review of the surprisingly good new Song of Ice and Fire RPG
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