Regular mobs are a cake walk, when the villains get involved you start having to take the combat properly seriously. It suffers from "easy mode is having a white mage/healer in your party" pretty bad. The leveling system causes the system to have a steep entry but the complexity increases gently thereafter. Designing and playing against custom multi-part bosses is where the system really shines. The monster stat block design is copied straight out of a Final Fantasy strategy guide. Having the PDF on a touch tablet alleviates a lot of the layout issues. Seems to be a great gateway to attract JRPG players into the hobby.
I really love some of the ideas in this book. And I look forward to running my first game on this system. If I have one central criticism for the system, it's that the author seems to have a chip on his shoulder about other GMs. He seems to think that he should use his rules to reign in the excesses of game masters. He even uses the game mechanics to take the power of life and death out of the hands of the game master. It just doesn't make sense to me, But there is so much to love in the system, that I am definitely going to run it, and I'll run it as he intended
I would argue that clocks are an important aspect of player-facing rules and not exclusive to game masters. Clocks are used for PC rituals and projects. There are also some PC abilities that can advance or turn back clocks (e.g., Orator's "Persuasive" ability).
To me, this game is alt-D&D with JRPG trappings. Armor helps you avoid damage but doesn't reduce it if you're hit. Having initiative as a group check is also clunky, though I do like how turns alternate between the PCs and the enemies, which gives the game a more strategic feel. The game also goes out of its way to enforce JRPG tropes, such as deliberately narrating villain cutscenes where no PC is present (which grant Fabula Points), PCs not being able to die without their consent (and under specific circumstances), and the way Ultima Points allow villains to power up but become more irredeemable in the process. To top it all off, aside from the default 5 XP reward for showing up, all other XP gained is dependent on spending Fabula Points, which reinforces a particular gameplay loop of tension-building and tension-release (which is cool). Despite the level 50 cap, the difference in numerical power between a starting character and a maxed out character is between doubled to tripled. This seems anti-JRPG, whereas you have something like 13th Age, where the power difference between a 1st level character and a 10th level character is orders of magnitude apart. Aside from a lot of D&D tropes, there definitely is more flexibility with what characters can do, not only due to the way attributes can be combined for tests, but with the way rituals work for non-combat magic. If I wanted to play a D&D style campaign (leveling up, class-based but with a lot of flexibility) but not with D&D (which I don't like), I would definitely play Fabula Ultima.
I would agree. It certainly does go out of its way to make use of certain mechanics. I would put it on the same level as D&D in which the PCs are supposed to be fantasy superheroes that can kinda steamroll over a majority of encounters they come across.
I've been really curious about this just because the cover artist (Moryo, who did I beleive a lot but not all the interior illustrations) is one of my very favorites and I was like wait what they did art for a ttrpg? I'm not certain I'm that interested in the system but I might buy it just for the art and see what I think of the actual system.
I really like the ideas and mechanics of this game, but it seems like the kind you almost have to tweak to suit your table. And that makes it less accessible for a lot of players. Initiative seems too complex, but it almost always is in ttrpg's. I still think it would be a fun game with some unique elements to offer.
I think you'd have to tweak most games to suit what works for your table. There might be a mechanic that you really like that import from another game, or you decide to just "forget" a certain rule to streamline things. I do agree, though. If I was going to play this one, there'd be a lot that I would change
On initiative being too complex, even the creator doesn't like it. He's planning doing 2e at some point, and just wants to throw whole initiative check away, replacing it with "Unless villain is present, heroes go first"
Nice video, my dude! :D This game seems a trifle complicated. It's nice that they suggest just tossing what doesn't work, but I can see that going to silly extremes with the wrong kindnof group! Do you think this wuld be a good way to introduce filthy gaijin to the joys of weeb-dom? ;) Keep up the groovy work! :D
![Megan Thee Stallion - Neva Play (feat. RM) [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TpYTyAaTRts/mqdefault.jpg)
Regular mobs are a cake walk, when the villains get involved you start having to take the combat properly seriously.
It suffers from "easy mode is having a white mage/healer in your party" pretty bad.
The leveling system causes the system to have a steep entry but the complexity increases gently thereafter.
Designing and playing against custom multi-part bosses is where the system really shines.
The monster stat block design is copied straight out of a Final Fantasy strategy guide.
Having the PDF on a touch tablet alleviates a lot of the layout issues.
Seems to be a great gateway to attract JRPG players into the hobby.
True, true! You're not wrong there.
I really love some of the ideas in this book. And I look forward to running my first game on this system. If I have one central criticism for the system, it's that the author seems to have a chip on his shoulder about other GMs. He seems to think that he should use his rules to reign in the excesses of game masters. He even uses the game mechanics to take the power of life and death out of the hands of the game master. It just doesn't make sense to me, But there is so much to love in the system, that I am definitely going to run it, and I'll run it as he intended
Awesome and good luck to you! Let me know how it turns out.
I would argue that clocks are an important aspect of player-facing rules and not exclusive to game masters. Clocks are used for PC rituals and projects. There are also some PC abilities that can advance or turn back clocks (e.g., Orator's "Persuasive" ability).
To me, this game is alt-D&D with JRPG trappings. Armor helps you avoid damage but doesn't reduce it if you're hit. Having initiative as a group check is also clunky, though I do like how turns alternate between the PCs and the enemies, which gives the game a more strategic feel.
The game also goes out of its way to enforce JRPG tropes, such as deliberately narrating villain cutscenes where no PC is present (which grant Fabula Points), PCs not being able to die without their consent (and under specific circumstances), and the way Ultima Points allow villains to power up but become more irredeemable in the process. To top it all off, aside from the default 5 XP reward for showing up, all other XP gained is dependent on spending Fabula Points, which reinforces a particular gameplay loop of tension-building and tension-release (which is cool).
Despite the level 50 cap, the difference in numerical power between a starting character and a maxed out character is between doubled to tripled. This seems anti-JRPG, whereas you have something like 13th Age, where the power difference between a 1st level character and a 10th level character is orders of magnitude apart.
Aside from a lot of D&D tropes, there definitely is more flexibility with what characters can do, not only due to the way attributes can be combined for tests, but with the way rituals work for non-combat magic. If I wanted to play a D&D style campaign (leveling up, class-based but with a lot of flexibility) but not with D&D (which I don't like), I would definitely play Fabula Ultima.
I would agree. It certainly does go out of its way to make use of certain mechanics. I would put it on the same level as D&D in which the PCs are supposed to be fantasy superheroes that can kinda steamroll over a majority of encounters they come across.
I've been really curious about this just because the cover artist (Moryo, who did I beleive a lot but not all the interior illustrations) is one of my very favorites and I was like wait what they did art for a ttrpg? I'm not certain I'm that interested in the system but I might buy it just for the art and see what I think of the actual system.
I'd say go for it! Support these smaller indie game makers and artists! They worked very hard and even won an Ennie for it.
Moryo did the cover, the chapter heads and the class signature characters.
I really like the ideas and mechanics of this game, but it seems like the kind you almost have to tweak to suit your table. And that makes it less accessible for a lot of players. Initiative seems too complex, but it almost always is in ttrpg's. I still think it would be a fun game with some unique elements to offer.
I think you'd have to tweak most games to suit what works for your table. There might be a mechanic that you really like that import from another game, or you decide to just "forget" a certain rule to streamline things. I do agree, though. If I was going to play this one, there'd be a lot that I would change
On initiative being too complex, even the creator doesn't like it. He's planning doing 2e at some point, and just wants to throw whole initiative check away, replacing it with "Unless villain is present, heroes go first"
@@ShaggyDemiurge good to know
Nice video, my dude! :D
This game seems a trifle complicated. It's nice that they suggest just tossing what doesn't work, but I can see that going to silly extremes with the wrong kindnof group!
Do you think this wuld be a good way to introduce filthy gaijin to the joys of weeb-dom? ;)
Keep up the groovy work! :D