Henry
Autoexreginated
I have run 2 games in this system, with pre-genned 6th level characters in a 3 to 4 person party. The lethality is quite strong, but the numbers are pumped up to such a point that it doesn't happen to the protagonists as much as the cannon fodder. In the two games we ran, I house-ruled the "advantage" rules a bit, so that you didn't re-roll inits every time, but you re-rolled the advantage check.
(Basically: Each side checks to see which side has "the advantage". You can keep the advantage, or "press the advantage," which means one person on your side can re-roll any d20 roll one time; if they do this, both sides check again to see who "has the advantage".)
Magic worked very well, with the party mage mostly using a series of small spells that were nonetheless effective, and saving up for one or two big spells that were effective, before retreating from combat. The special abilities were quite fun for the players to use, and the absence of both gold and magic made the rewards that were given (mastercraft weapons, basically that version of the games' magic items) and silver coins instead of gold, made the system feel quite different.
In the last scenario, the party mage got a little too bold, charged two fighters with axes, and got THREE FINGERS lopped off (yes, there are charts for grevious injuries if they take you below zero hit points, or for critical hits). They liked the system, and being able to take down foes with ambushes and solid hits, but I think the grimness in the end turned them off from it.
(Basically: Each side checks to see which side has "the advantage". You can keep the advantage, or "press the advantage," which means one person on your side can re-roll any d20 roll one time; if they do this, both sides check again to see who "has the advantage".)
Magic worked very well, with the party mage mostly using a series of small spells that were nonetheless effective, and saving up for one or two big spells that were effective, before retreating from combat. The special abilities were quite fun for the players to use, and the absence of both gold and magic made the rewards that were given (mastercraft weapons, basically that version of the games' magic items) and silver coins instead of gold, made the system feel quite different.
In the last scenario, the party mage got a little too bold, charged two fighters with axes, and got THREE FINGERS lopped off (yes, there are charts for grevious injuries if they take you below zero hit points, or for critical hits). They liked the system, and being able to take down foes with ambushes and solid hits, but I think the grimness in the end turned them off from it.
!, since I am following my "Don't do for yourself that which you can get others to do for you mantra" 
!
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