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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Iosue" data-source="post: 9551642" data-attributes="member: 6680772">Rulebook 1: Characters is a 36 page booklet, A4 size, with glossy pages just like the rulebooks included in the D&D Starter Sets. The book opens with the expected introductory material: Sword World 2.5 is a game that takes place in the sword and sorcery world of Raxia, you play adventurers belonging to an adventurers guild, and a role-playing game is one of conversation and imagination. Of particular note is that the reader is told that they only need to read this book, and then Rulebook 2: Scenarios to play the game. Rulebook 3: Reference, which contains all the actual rules for making checks, using magic, and running combat, is explicitly described as a reference book, to be referred to if there is confusion, but not something necessary to read all the way through before starting to play.After this four pages of this introductory material, the next 5 full pages of the book are a Replay, a transcription of an actual session. In this case, a GM takes Player A and Player B through the character generation process. Note that it is not actually necessary to a GM to do this, but was done here in lieu of the players silently reading the book. Player A has never played RPGs before, while Player B has experience role-playing, but not with Sword World.Once the Replay has concluded, the remainder of the book lays out the step by step procedures for using the character generation cards to create a character. Now, if your RPG has a fairly simple and straightforward character generation method, then this slots very easily into the beginners box model. Character generation takes up a smidge over 8 pages in Moldvay, and actually involves very few distinct choices.Sword World 2.5 is not that kind of game. <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/lets-read-sword-world-2-5.691213/post-8760826" target="_blank">Character generation</a> is not complicated, but there are many decision points, and a method for determing ability scores that is just slightly rococo. To the point that even Core Rulebook I comes with pregenerated characters of each race that you can flesh out with personality and history (so-called, "<a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/lets-read-sword-world-2-5.691213/post-8759897" target="_blank">simple character generation</a>"). The official character sheets can look awfully intimidating for someone new to TRPGs.And yet, for this box set, the designers wanted their players to be able to quickly and easily create unique characters. So instead of the bottom-up approach of standard chargen (i.e., choose your race, and then figure out what you do), they took a top-down approach (i.e., choose what your character does, then figure out who they are). Here's the process:Each player is given a chart handout that guides them through character generation. The far left column of the chart are character types:  Warrior, Spy, Archer, Magic-user, Magic Warrior (basically, heavy warriors that use magic), and Magic Swordsman (light warriors that use magic). Each corresponds to a common combination of skill sets. The magic-using types provide a choice of Sorcerer, Conjurer, Priest or Druid. Each type is given its own page of detailed description, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar_chart" target="_blank">radar chart</a> of strengths to give the player a good idea of the kind of character it would make. The handout also includes recommended party composition based on number of players. Once you've made your choice, you receive an L-shaped card with boxes for certain vital statistics, which contain the formula for calculating that stat. For example, the Attack box for a starting Warrior with 2 levels of Fighter has the formula "2+Dexterity" written in unobtrusive very light blue ink.The next column shows the races available to that character type. While there are 7 races included in the game (Human, Elf, Dwarf, Runefolk, Tabbit, Lildraken, and Mellia), only a limited number are available to each character type. Each race has four cards, half the width of the character type card, with pictures and descriptions of that race and their special abilities. The descriptions are the same, but the pictures differ: two male, two female, one young and one older for each, providing variety.To this, the player adds an array card for that race that lists their ability scores. There are four kinds of arrays: Power (best bonuses for damage and HP), Speed (accuracy, evasion), Intellect (magic power and MP), and All-Around (uniform bonus of +2 for all ability scores). The available kinds of arrays depend on the race.  The provided chart handout notes which arrays are very good, good, playable, or not recommended based on the character type. For example, for the Warrior, the Power array is very good for that character type, the Speed array is good, the All-Around array is playable, and the Intellect array is not recommended.These cards are layered on top of each other to create the kind of character cards used in these box sets.<img src="https://www.groupsne.co.jp/products/bg/SW25buildbox/compo1.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />The next column on the chart indicates the Special Combat Abilities recommended for that character type. There are around 20 Special Combat Abilities in total, but you'll need only choose from among 6 at most. The handout also provides quick single line descriptions of the special abilities to give the player an idea of what they do. Once chosen, you get a narrow-width card that explains how the ability works in detail (shown at the very bottom of the character on the far right of the above picture).Next comes equipment. It's certainly possible to purchase items a la carte, but the book provides a separate chart with different equipment packages depending on the type of character, their Strength score (weapons and armor have minimum Strength limits), and whether they are going for damage or accuracy. You get a narrow-width card for each item; weapons go below the card, and armor goes to the right of the card, as shown above. Once all of these cards are received, they are placed into a A5-size clear file folder, on which you use a dry-erase marker to write the remaining statistics and HP/MP. For magic-using characters, cards are provided with four spells per level, per side. Due to the conciseness of SW2.5 spells, all the information you need to cast the spell and determine what it does are on the cards.Technically, character creation could end here, as everything mechanically important to the character has been determined. But because this is a TRPG, the game makes efforts to create full bodied characters. The core rules have always had tables for you to select or roll for life events prior to becoming an adventurer, as well as your reason for becoming an adventurer. A modified set of tables is provided for this. New to the game with this box set are Principles, Pride/Attachment, and Relationship to the Character to Your Right.Principles are broad principles such as "Justice (Peace, Love)" or "Violence (Death, Destruction)". They represent the character's philosophy, morals, and values. There are 18 Principles, from which the player chooses two, as well as choosing whether they Affirm or Disavow those Principles. So, for example, one might have the Principle for Violence. Affirm would mean that you are always ready to fight, while Disavow means you prefer to seek non-violent solutions if possible. These can be rolled off a chart, drawn randomly, or deliberately selected by the player. Narrow-width cards for these are provided, double-sided with Affirm on one side and Disavow on the other.Then comes the character's Pride/Attachment. You select one of these (again, by deliberately choosing or randomly determining it) and receive a narrow-width card. They are 18 of these, such as "I won't turn my back to an enemy," or "I won't abandon the weak." If Principles are more intellectual positions the character holds, Pride/Attachments represent their impulsive or emotional attitudes. They are not there to restrict the character's behavior, but rather to provide role-playing hooks.The Relationship with the Character to Your Right is a way to relate your character to the greater group. These are things such as "Friendship," "Rivalry," "Admiration," and "Childhood Friend." These are not considered as heavy as Principles and Prides/Attachments, and may even change as the game as played, so no cards are provided for this. This Relationship is determined by rolling on a chart, but again, it's not meant to restrict behavior, but to provide a fun element to role-play. Accordingly, they are all uniformly positive.Finally, you choose a name and age. The final page of the book is a table of sample 40 male, female, and family names for each race. In lieu of choosing your age, you can roll 2d6+10 to determine it, and there's a chart with multipliers for non-human races. There's a subtle influence from shonen manga/anime here, in that your character will skew young. The most statistically likely result is 17, and even rolling the maximum will result in an age of 22.The book wraps up with the rules for advancement. Standard SW2.5 uses XP and XP tables for skill set levels, and after every session, the player randomly determines which of their ability scores will improve by one point. In lieu of randomly rolling for ability score increases, you simply turn your square array card 90 degrees, which increases a pre-determined ability score. The array cards are double sided, with 4 phases per side, for a total of 8. Previous box sets simply used milestone advancement to determine when the player would switch to a pre-advanced character card. In this box set, experience is tracked by Experience Chits. Successfully complete a mission, and you get two XP chits. Fail, and you just get one. (This tracks with standard SW2.5, where you get 1000 XP for a successful mission, and 500 XP for a failed one.) XP chits come in three colors -- yellow, green, and red. Although all colors are worth the same for advancement, the ratio of one color to another becomes important as the scenarios play out.On the character type cards it notes how many XP chits are needed to move to the next one. There are 6 cards in total, which takes your character to Level 5 in their primary skill set. That is as high as Core Rulebook 1 goes, so you get a full experience. When you get to the third card, you choose which of two tracks you will take to add or advance your secondary skill sets.And that's the Character rulebook. I find the system and character card design quite elegant and effective. With the handout guiding the process and the important information all included on the cards, there's virtually no need to refer even to this rulebook during character creation. (The only exception is referring to the equipment packages.) The combinations of cards and clear files also is very plug-and-play. You can create a character, play the game, and when the session is over, you just erase the markings on the file, put all your character and item cards in it, and store it until the next session. Next session you just lay out the cards again, fill in the boxes with the dry erase marker again, and you're good to go. In the next installment, we'll look at Rulebook 2: Scenarios, and examine the good and bad of the build-an-adventure system therein. It's wonderfully innovative, but absolutely not for everyone.</blockquote>

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