Is 13th Age stealing dnd next's thunder?

[Agamon]

Games that have stolen D&D's thunder: http://bit.ly/OU7LSr

 

[Light Knight]

I can't find much about 13th Age (game mechanics...). Does anyone have a link talking about the rules system?

 

[Pog]

Try pelgrane press website, or clawclawpeckpeck review

 

[Light Knight]

I checked thee pelgrane site, but it doesnt share much info on mechanics...I'll try the other..but thanks.

 

[dkyle]

I'd add Dungeon World as another game that's sapped interest in D&D Next. Certainly among the people I would playtest D&D Next with, we're just playing Dungeon World instead.

Same here; my group's Dungeon World campaign literally started out playing the first playtest packet. I don't think anyone is very interested in going back to playtesting Next.

As far as I'm concerned, Dungeon World is everything essential about early D&D that Next seems to be trying to capture, except done right.

 

[Pog]

Light knight, hasn't pelgrane issued a demo? I think it also has links to reviews and stuff, but I might be mistaken. There's another good review with loads of mechanical discussion somewhere on the Internet, but I can't find it at the moment ... Maybe check out the pelgrane forum

 

[Light Knight]

There is a "2 hour demo", but it really doesn't go into mechanics specifically...I can poke around the player and DM aids, and make some assumptions...but no actual details...I'd hate to have to preorder the book, just to get the beta..

 

[B.T.]

Dungeon World and 13th Age are both D&D-style games for people who don't like D&D. If you like storygames and fantasy, they'll probably appeal. For people who like all the D&D quirks and foibles, you're probably not going to be interested in such.

 

[Dragonblade]

I can't find much about 13th Age (game mechanics...). Does anyone have a link talking about the rules system?

Well, what would you like to know? 13th Age is a narrative driven D&D inspired d20 fantasy RPG that, in my opinion, takes a lot of cues from both classic AD&D, 3e, and 4e. There are only 10 levels. 1-4 is adventurer tier, 5-7 is champion tier, and 8-10 is epic tier. Every level is a significant power up from the one before. It gives you a cumulative +1 to all your rolls (such as attacks, and skill checks), and to your defenses. You also gain a die of damage whether you are melee or caster based. So an epic level 10 fighter is rolling 10d8 with their swords.

Every class can choose from a number of class talents, feats, and spells when they level up, depending on the class. Powers scale with your level. Likewise, monsters work like in 4e. They exist to challenge the PCs and their attacks, defenses, etc. are designed to be a challenge appropriate to their level. There are monster roles like 4e uses.

The game is gridless and focuses on the narrative. There is no skill system, rather PCs have background that they put points into. For example, my fighter might have the background Former Imperial Legionnaire +4. When a situation would call for a skill check, I can explain to the GM how my background applies and if they agree I add my background bonus to my level when making a check. For example, if I need to make a climb check to rappel down a dungeon wall, I can explain how the Imperial Legionnaires trained how to rappel as part of their seige warfare training. The GM would say "Cool, that makes sense, add your background bonus to your skill check".

Every PC also gets to declare One Unique Thing about their PC that should be story oriented and that helps define the campaign. If a PC says their halfling paladin is the only halfling paladin in the world, then so they are. And the GM can use that as part of the campaign. Likewise, they could do something dramatic, I could declare as my OUT that my human fighter was once a mighty dragon cursed into human form. The GM could then make that part of the story. Maybe he lets the PC know things that an ancient dragon might know. Or at the culmination of the game, perhaps the PC can finally be restored to their dragon form. There are tons of possibilities.

Its an amazing game and I'm totally in love with it. Its how I've always wanted D&D to be.

 

[Light Knight]

Well, what would you like to know? 13th Age is a narrative driven D&D inspired d20 fantasy RPG that, in my opinion, takes a lot of cues from both classic AD&D, 3e, and 4e. There are only 10 levels. 1-4 is adventurer tier, 5-7 is champion tier, and 8-10 is epic tier. Every level is a significant power up from the one before. It gives you a cumulative +1 to all your rolls (such as attacks, and skill checks), and to your defenses. You also gain a die of damage whether you are melee or caster based. So an epic level 10 fighter is rolling 10d8 with their swords.

Every class can choose from a number of class talents, feats, and spells when they level up, depending on the class. Powers scale with your level. Likewise, monsters work like in 4e. They exist to challenge the PCs and their attacks, defenses, etc. are designed to be a challenge appropriate to their level. There are monster roles like 4e uses.

The game is gridless and focuses on the narrative. There is no skill system, rather PCs have background that they put points into. For example, my fighter might have the background Former Imperial Legionnaire +4. When a situation would call for a skill check, I can explain to the GM how my background applies and if they agree I add my background bonus to my level when making a check. For example, if I need to make a climb check to rappel down a dungeon wall, I can explain how the Imperial Legionnaires trained how to rappel as part of their seige warfare training. The GM would say "Cool, that makes sense, add your background bonus to your skill check".

Every PC also gets to declare One Unique Thing about their PC that should be story oriented and that helps define the campaign. If a PC says their halfling paladin is the only halfling paladin in the world, then so they are. And the GM can use that as part of the campaign. Likewise, they could do something dramatic, I could declare as my OUT that my human fighter was once a mighty dragon cursed into human form. The GM could then make that part of the story. Maybe he lets the PC know things that an ancient dragon might know. Or at the culmination of the game, perhaps the PC can finally be restored to their dragon form. There are tons of possibilities.

Its an amazing game and I'm totally in love with it. Its how I've always wanted D&D to be.

So it seems its more for role playing than game mechanics akin to say the Vampire or Torg systems?

Can you use miniatures and maps? I love role playing in the game, but I am very much in favor of heavy mechanics and realism. I like the idea that a low level starter guy, if the gods are with him, with one lucky stroke can kill a high level elite guy. (Which you can't have in D&D unless you use 3rd party crit tables).