INTRODUCTION, PART 1
We get a brief introduction telling us what this game is about and what are JRPGs (with examples). If you know, then there isn't much value here. If you don't know, it's a fairly brief, if not generic, introduction. I think Ema is aware, and they try to establish the "vibe" of JRPGs that makes them distinct.
But at the end of the intro, Ema lets us know a significant way in which gameplay in Fabula Ultima acts as a departure from JRPGs:
Unlike a videogame, you won't play through a prewritten plot and grind for experience by slaying monsters for countless hours or carrying out duties for quest-givers.
And there it is. No "prewritten plot." Not grinding for monsters or doing fetch quests is also nice, but the lack of prewritten plots is key.
Instead, you will build your own story together little by little, and you will be rewarded for playing your character in a way that fits their role and identity in that story!
Likewise, this suggests to me that the story and world revolves around the characters instead of the inverse.
The book then shifts to talking about what are roleplaying games. It tells us that TTRPGs in Japan are referred to as "table talk" roleplaying games.
Roles
We are told that one person is a Game Master, and that the rest are Players). The game suggests 2-5 players, which is probably best. I think that most people would be forgiven to gloss over this part as fairly "bog standard." But the game's opinions are already coming through about the Game Master's role in this game:
As the protagonists establish goals and make choices, the Game Master will challenge those goals and describe the consequences of their actions.
...their role is not that of an adversary, but rather someone who aims to make the protagonists shine throughout the story.
But notice here what comes first. The protagonists (i.e., the players playing their PCs)
establish goals and make choices. It's about them. The GM's goal is to create obstacles that challenge the PCs'
goals and choices but in a way that makes them "shine." What's interesting here for me is that the relationship almost feels reversed, with the GM reacting to players instead of the usual framing found in other TTRPGs of the players reacting to the GM.
There is also the usual platitude that there is "no win condition" in this game. I understand where this sentiment is coming, but I'm not entirely sure if most people actually believe it in practice. And we are shortly reminded - to the horror of some people in this hobby - that Fabula Ultima is a "game" and that roleplaying games are "games." But Ema gives a short example of roleplay, but then we get this snippet.
...these events will take place in your imagination — a space that is often called "the fiction".
Emphasis in bold, Ema's. If you find the term "
the fiction" to be horrible Forge jargon, I'm sorry to tell you that it's here on page 11 in the Introduction. But it's hard for me to imagine in anyway that this inclusion is somehow disruptive, gatekeeping, offensive, or convoluted for newcomers to the hobby. It simply says that the shared imagined space is sometimes referred to as "the fiction" and then moves on. That's all that is needed for an explanation.
That's nice. But what is this game about? I'm glad you asked. Because Ema is about to tell us. In short, they acknowledge that we play TTRPGs for different reasons, but FU is designed to emulate the feel and stories of JRPGs. But what does that mean? Ema lists five points:
- Heroic and Fantastic Action
- A Game of Heroes & Villains
- Heroic Destiny
- Challenging Battles
- Your World
This last point stresses that there is no "default world" or established setting. As we learn later (spoilers!), the group will help create the world together. (Sorry, GMs who like world-building on their lonesome.) However, Fabula Ultima nevertheless eight core principles or pillars of play for its game worlds. Some of this won't sound exactly all that different from D&D, which is hardly a surprise given how JRPGs were influenced by fantasy roleplaying games from the United States. But there are some differences.
The Eight Pillars
- Ancient Ruins and Harsh Lands
- A World in Peril
- Clashing Communities: the world is divided, in conflict, and resolving hostilities are key to saving the world
- Everything has a Soul: spirits and spiritual energy are an important part of the world and how magic works. Essentially, the influence of Japanese Shintoism.
- Magic and Technology: two sides of the same coin, but also present in the game. There is not a neat divide between sci-fi and fantasy.
- Heroes of Many Shapes and Sizes: PCs will be different sorts of people, and can even be elderly or children
- It's ALL About the Heroes
- Mystery, Discovery, and Growth: a bit of a three for one, but the idea is that PCs will explore mysteries about the world and themselves through play
That's it for now.
