In Mythras, player characters are tied to family, village, and cults and their quests change the world around them and influence the direction of society’s growth. Mythras is mythic in scope and the PCs create legends with their adventures. This review covers a newcomer’s overall impression of Mythras.
Mythras is an RPG of mythic adventure. A free quickstart is also available. The hardcover book is black and white with over three hundred pages of content. Mythras settings include carefully researched past periods of almost Earth history with magic, sci-fi settings, and swords and sorcery worlds. Mythras used to be RuneQuest 6 and it grew out of the various versions of the Runequest game published by Mongoose Publishing. When the rights to the Runequest name reverted to the owners, Design Mechanism, the game's publishers, renamed it Mythras.
Mythras uses a percentile roll under system tied to a finely detailed skill system which works well whether the PCs are exploring, haggling, or attending court. The system does not use feats or talents, but the skill system is robust and allows PCs to achieve amazing results without special tricks beyond earned skill.
Combat is brutal. A good hit can lop off a limb or a head. The system uses hit locations, armor to absorb damage, parries, and other detailed options to make combat exciting and dangerous.
Characters are powerfully tied to the culture they live in. Their upbringing and community shape character creation and access to skill training and magic spells are available through cults. Cults are organizations founded around a common goal or belief that require service from members in exchange for training and magic.
Mythras features amazing well-detailed worlds. The settings are well researched and stunningly detailed. Settings range from Mythic Britain to the time travelling Luther Arkwright.
Based on my experiences playing the game, Mythras works best when all PCs have some magic or high tech. PCs can be like glass cannons. They can be taken down with a good hit but if they have powerful magic they can unleash it to turn the tide of battle. Without magic, PCs experience myth and legend but can die without warning or much recourse. My preference is for characters to have access to magic or high tech. I love the settings of Mythras especially the sci-fi ones. But those settings with low magic or without high tech are hard to survive.
Our group struggled with combat, specifically initiative. In Mythras, the initiative system uses action points and fighters can perform two to three actions a round. The challenge for us was that parrying required the use of an action. It was quite possible to charge and use up actions on one attack and parry while a quick opponent could strike back twice along with a parry, leaving the charging character defenseless on the last attack.
Combat was counter-intuitive for us and my players had no desire to continue beyond the one shot. Add in the deadly effects of an attack that cannot be parried and the system simply frustrated my players.
I discussed this dilemma online and was flooded with suggested optional changes and fixes. I like that Mythras is easily house ruled but the various systems and possible rule options can be overwhelming at times.
Even though our experience with Mythras was challenging, there is no denying the meticulous detail and work that goes into each book and setting that use the rules. Also, the rules are time tested and the settings, whether sci-fi or a Mythic Earth setting, are glorious. I recommend giving the quickstart a try if you have never experienced the wonder that is Mythras.
This article was contributed by Charles Dunwoody as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. Please note that Charles is a participant in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to DriveThruRPG. We are always on the lookout for freelance columnists! If you have a pitch, please contact us!
Mythras is an RPG of mythic adventure. A free quickstart is also available. The hardcover book is black and white with over three hundred pages of content. Mythras settings include carefully researched past periods of almost Earth history with magic, sci-fi settings, and swords and sorcery worlds. Mythras used to be RuneQuest 6 and it grew out of the various versions of the Runequest game published by Mongoose Publishing. When the rights to the Runequest name reverted to the owners, Design Mechanism, the game's publishers, renamed it Mythras.
Mythras uses a percentile roll under system tied to a finely detailed skill system which works well whether the PCs are exploring, haggling, or attending court. The system does not use feats or talents, but the skill system is robust and allows PCs to achieve amazing results without special tricks beyond earned skill.
Combat is brutal. A good hit can lop off a limb or a head. The system uses hit locations, armor to absorb damage, parries, and other detailed options to make combat exciting and dangerous.
Characters are powerfully tied to the culture they live in. Their upbringing and community shape character creation and access to skill training and magic spells are available through cults. Cults are organizations founded around a common goal or belief that require service from members in exchange for training and magic.
Mythras features amazing well-detailed worlds. The settings are well researched and stunningly detailed. Settings range from Mythic Britain to the time travelling Luther Arkwright.
Based on my experiences playing the game, Mythras works best when all PCs have some magic or high tech. PCs can be like glass cannons. They can be taken down with a good hit but if they have powerful magic they can unleash it to turn the tide of battle. Without magic, PCs experience myth and legend but can die without warning or much recourse. My preference is for characters to have access to magic or high tech. I love the settings of Mythras especially the sci-fi ones. But those settings with low magic or without high tech are hard to survive.
Our group struggled with combat, specifically initiative. In Mythras, the initiative system uses action points and fighters can perform two to three actions a round. The challenge for us was that parrying required the use of an action. It was quite possible to charge and use up actions on one attack and parry while a quick opponent could strike back twice along with a parry, leaving the charging character defenseless on the last attack.
Combat was counter-intuitive for us and my players had no desire to continue beyond the one shot. Add in the deadly effects of an attack that cannot be parried and the system simply frustrated my players.
I discussed this dilemma online and was flooded with suggested optional changes and fixes. I like that Mythras is easily house ruled but the various systems and possible rule options can be overwhelming at times.
Even though our experience with Mythras was challenging, there is no denying the meticulous detail and work that goes into each book and setting that use the rules. Also, the rules are time tested and the settings, whether sci-fi or a Mythic Earth setting, are glorious. I recommend giving the quickstart a try if you have never experienced the wonder that is Mythras.
This article was contributed by Charles Dunwoody as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. Please note that Charles is a participant in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to DriveThruRPG. We are always on the lookout for freelance columnists! If you have a pitch, please contact us!
