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Message: <blockquote data-quote="aramis erak" data-source="post: 8464429" data-attributes="member: 6779310">Pendragon1. Yes, low/no magic in PC hands, unless running 4th or maybe 6th edition. (6th isn't out yet and may or may not have a pc-accessible magic system). And even when aa caster in 4th does use magic, it really is "One big showdown, then go down for the count for months"2. Stick to the core for any edition, and the crunch really is pretty low. except for economics, Book of Knights is a fully functional 32 page version of the ruleset.3. Progression is "what you use advances"  - and it's not a huge issue if the 40 YO baron is adventuring with the 18 YO just-knighted PC... as every sword and every skill matters. I'd recommend using a deck pull rather than a d20 for the family traits, tho', as that ensures each has a unique one.4. No steampunk. No magic ships. Occasionally, a faerie as an NPC nasty.5. It can be very local based, or can be very political, but the system to date has never had a "save the world" level threat published.6. Doesn't have suspense as a goal, but it happens in play. Character fear is mechanicalized... a wyrm is going to make many a PC turn tail involuntarily... and sometimes, make a Player secretly happy to have failed.It does have a couple issues to be aware of: A. It operates almost as a licensed game would, except that the setting is multple semicompatible legends. Which leads to...B. Historical setting complete with inherent racism. (Manifest as Hate (people) traits that can override player control of their action. There is a resistance to them - invoke a passion or trait to oppose it - but some will find that a dealbreaker. (And I don't blame them.)C. It is, in essence, a wholly male-character focused game. It explicitly notes this, but also provides multiple options for female knights as PC's should one choose to use them.D. Its romance rules presume traditional heterosexual romance only, as that's part of the sources, including Tristam & Yseult (Traditrional), The Mabinogwion (Traditional), Le Morte d'Artur (Mallory), Once and Future King (White), All the Kings of Britain (Nennius), and even a few touches from Lackey's Mists of Avalon series.E. The setting is highly rigid social class-roles; you don't play peasants, nor merchants. You play knights. Or their ladies. Or their squires. All of gentle or noble birth. (Optional rules for other birthrights do exist. They're core only in 4th)F. a secondary focus on dynastic inheritance. That is, it's a strong element that your character needs an heir so you don't lose your accumlated goodies when your character dies.G. All charcters hold to a religion as a function of culture. Actual praxis is "offscreen" but the religious bonuses do shape play strongly. G1. If using 4th ed magic users, the religious traits and adherence to them are a major driver for such characters. Far more so than for Knights.If one is willing to engage with the setting, and that can include allowing female knights quite easily, either with the altered scores or with standard scores generation, possibly even both in the same group, it can be quite a compelling game.The heterosexual characters issue is the dynasticism; non-hetero characters don't generate heirs. This can be an issue, or not, as the group decides, but it's a "faithful to the setting" default state.The 4th ed has two alternate settings: Saxons! and Land of Giants. Both of these change the social classes up, but have many of the issues, as well, but both also make allowance for 4th ed Core's magic users as PCs.</blockquote>

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