Currently Smoking: Banana Peels

13th Age is clearly derived from "the world's most popular role-playing game" but it goes off in its own direction in terms of both setting background and game mechanics, two factors that are deliberately interlinked.  As the title suggests, the civilization on this plane has gone through twelve prior ages, each dominated by so-called "icons" - legendary figures, some of whom have existed since the 1st Age, some of whom are unique, and some of whom (like the Emperor) simply inherit their titles.  A player character doesn't simply exist in that background, he actually has a relationship, positive or negative, with at least one of these icons, and the interplay of relationships is meant to affect the course of a campaign.  

In the two-page Introduction, the designers go over the basics of what the game is about and how the system is supposed to work.  In particular they bring up the point that Heinsoo and Tweet worked on both D&D 3rd and 4th Editions.  How does 13th Age compare?  "Critics
complained that 3E weighed the game down with rules for everything, turning an open-ended roleplaying game into a complicated simulation ... (they) compared 4E to a board game or miniatures game that distanced itself from its roots."  Whereas they claim that 13th Age is rules-light, free-form, gridless AND story-oriented.  For the most part, this is all true, though that's not entirely a good thing.
Chapter 1: ICONS gives formatted descriptions of the 13 icons who rule the world.  Technically it's more like 15, since one icon, "The Three" are the 3 evil dragon leaders remaining after the White was killed and the Green was taken hostage.  In order, they are the Archmage, the Crusader, the Diabolist, the Dwarf King, the Elf Queen, the (human) Emperor, the Great Gold Wyrm, the High Druid, the Lich King, the Orc Lord, the Priestess, the Prince of Shadows and the Three.  It is mentioned (much) later on that they aren't given stats in this book, though the authors hold out the idea that "epic level" play could involve a PC challenging or replacing an icon.  In any event while some of these beings are simply powerful, others are truly mythic- the Great Gold Wyrm is physically blocking the gate in the earth which would otherwise allow demons to break free and invade the dimension, and if anything happened to him, it would be apocalypse.  The icons have their own relationships with each other, with the Archmage and the Priestess serving under the Emperor's rule, and the Dwarf King and Elf Queen being loosely allied, with all of these supporting the Great Gold Wyrm to preserve the world.  
In this regard, the substance and tone of 13th Age can already be shown to differ from actual D&D – as an OGL game, it refers to D&D concepts like alignment, but it doesn't refer to them very much.  Thus while each of the icons is mapped on the nine-point alignment chart, the game system refers to them more generically as "Heroic," "Villainous" and "Ambiguous."  Even then, the categories can shift: The Crusader, for instance, can be counted as ambiguous because even though he protects civilization from demons he does so by being as cruel and ruthless as they are.

Chapter 2: CHARACTER RULES reviews how to make a PC.  Character creation starts similar to D&D 4.  You get the six familiar stats, and you can either buy them on an ascending point scale or roll best 3 of 4d6 for each.  Characters can be Human, Half-elf, Half-orc, Halfling, Dwarf, Gnome or Elf (including drow/dark elf, high elf and wood elf), races which are further detailed in the next chapter.  In addition to Armor Class, there are two other defense stats, Physical Defense (used to 'dodge' ray spells and other exotic attacks) and Mental Defense (against mind-affecting attacks), and as in D&D 4, these are determined on the base for your class and the average ability modifier for three relevant stats (for Mental Defense, you use the 'middle' of your Int, Cha, or Wis modifiers).  Similar to the SAGA version of Star Wars, you take your potential hit point value per level, plus Con modifier, and then triple it to get your 1st level hit points.  Looking through the details of this chapter, it becomes clear that 13th Age only has rules for taking characters to 10th level, though the game design reasons for this aren't really discussed.
After discussing secondary traits, the book asks each player to come up with a certain hook.  This is referred to as your one unique thing, or for short, "your unique" (with italics in the original).  The emphasis is that the unique isn't supposed to be of mechanical benefit.  The text goes into several examples to show the difference between a good unique and a bad one and how the GM should rule on what it means.  For example if your unique is "I am the reincarnation of a previous Archmage and I remember everything" you would get at best a partial veto: At 1st level, you wouldn't remember very much of your past life.  But your unique is a story element that the GM can use in the campaign, and as you gain experience, you will regain more memories, which will become important later on.  The book says that the one unique thing feature "deliberately dances along the line between solid rules and improvisational storytelling."  Much like the rest of the game.
This chapter also goes over the mechanics on a character's icon relationships.  At 1st level each character gets 3 relationship points (which will increase at certain levels).  For a given icon you can choose to have a positive, negative or "conflicted" relationship.  The number of points you spend on a given icon determines how close and/or how positive the relationship is.  (The game assumes generally heroic characters, and normally doesn't let you have 3-point relationships with villains like the Lich King; at best you could get a 1-point connection that gives you some allies in the villainous camp but can also be a liability when dealing with heroic types who question that character's associations).  In mechanical terms, each point gives a 6-sided die that is rolled in certain circumstances, where a 6 equals success on the roll and a 5 is something that draws the icon's attention but can also complicate the PC's life.  Exactly HOW all this works is not made clear here- the reader is referred to the "running the game" section at page 179.
This game does not have specific rules for skills.  Like some "story" games, 13th Age gives characters certain background abilities (quantified as background points) that act as skills do in d20.  Characters start with 8 background points though some classes can get more.  For example if a half-orc wizard had placed his points in Imperial Mage +4, Wild Mountain Tribe +1 and Tooth of the Black Wyrm +3, this is because he grew up with that tribe, trained as an assassin for one of the Three, but then defected to serve the Emperor as a court wizard.  If a situation arises where his assassin training would come in handy, the +3 modifier would apply along with ability modifier and +1 per level.  With "skill" rolls or other rolls, the Difficulty Class is usually a number based on "tier" - adventurer tier (where 1st level characters are) is DC 15, with harder rolls being at least DC 20.
The tier system also prioritizes feats – every character gets one "adventurer tier" feat at each level including 1st , to a maximum of 4 (as in D&D, humans get 1 additional feat at 1st level, so they get up to 5).  At 5th level, characters get one "champion tier" feat and gain another at 6th and 7th levels (a total of 3).  Finally at 8th level, characters get an "epic tier" feat and gain another at 9th and 10th.  The lists seem to imply that many of these are what other games call class features, or modifications to class features, and thus are usually more detailed in the class writeups.
Finally there is a basic equipment list with details on accepted coins of the realm (though of course they're generically arranged on a gold piece standard).  Game equipment like armor and weapons is given very generic description here, although some items are given more detail (a large tabby cat is 5 copper pieces whereas a large tabby cat 'guaranteed free of fleas and demonic possesssion' is 20 gold).

Chapter 3: RACES works similar to the racial rules in D&D 4.  Humans can put a +2 in any one stat of their choice whereas other races can choose one of two favored stats to receive the +2 bonus.  Each race has some kind of "racial power" - for instance the Human power allows you to roll twice for initiative and take the better result – with each "racial" usable once per battle (which does sound less mechanical than 'encounter power').
The racial descriptions also touch on how each race works in 13th Age – for instance the three "shards" of the Elven race work together more or less in unity under the Elven Queen, though not quite harmoniously.  This chapter also gives brief descriptions of four optional races – effectively Dragonborn, Tiefling, Aasimar ('Holy Ones') and Dwarf-forged, or what Eberron would call Warforged. ('If you like, you can say that they don't breathe and then deal with all that living construct stuff.  Or ignore most of it.')

Chapter 4: CLASSES details how each class works in the game.  (In chapter 2, the book specifically says that it doesn't allow multiclassing.)  The classes available are a good variety but not too fancy: Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer and Wizard.  Each of these classes provides a +2 to one of two abilities as long as it's not the same one you boost with your racial bonus (so a Dark Elf can put +2 into Dexterity or Charisma, as can a Rogue, but a Dark Elf Rogue can't start with +4 to Dex or Charisma).  Characters are defined as only able to wear certain armor for their class, such that heavy armor for a bard could be "form-hugging leather armor" with an AC of 13, but Fighters and Rangers can wear armor with AC 15 and Paladins can have AC 16.  Each class has a progression table showing what it gets at each of 10 levels, including hit points (which again are modified on a certain formula and multiplied, not rolled).  At 4th, 7th and 10th levels, a character can add +1 to each of 3 separate abilities.  Each class usually gets to choose three from a list of "class talents," and can usually pick at least one more at a higher level.  Most classes get a set of abilities (referred to as spells, maneuvers, songs, etc. as appropriate) at a certain level (thus a Fighter with a 5th Level Maneuver gets it at 5th level).  Barbarians and Paladins do not get such abilities and instead use their other class abilities to boost basic attacks.  The book recommends certain class options for ease of play, with those two classes specified for simplicity and ease of use, with the Cleric being the easiest spellcaster to play.
Much of this, where it differs from D&D Classic, strongly resembles the mechanics of D&D 4.  However, some parts, especially the standardized categories for Armor Class, seem that much more generic than 4E.  Also, in the class descriptions certain game mechanics like "escalation die" and "flexible attack" come up that aren't fully explained here.

Chapter 5: COMBAT RULES is described in the Introduction as "our streamlined version of d20-rolling battle."  The Introduction also says that if you aren't comfortable running a character without knowing the rules system, you should read this chapter and Chapter 6 before picking a class in Chapter 4.  Sound advice.

Much of this, again, resembles 4E mechanics: You have daily and at-will powers, they have "miss damage" on attacks, and attacks scale per level (so that a 1st level Barbarian with a 1d10 greataxe does 8d10 with the same weapon at 8th level), but whereas 4th Edition D&D emphasized facing, squares, and game-piece movement, the style here is more do-what-feels-right: "we're advising fudging movement whenever possible- don't spend time being precise."
However, while 13th Age wants to have a "gridless" combat system, it also wants the sort of tactical features that 4E gave to Strikers and Leaders in that game system.  So they came up with even more rules to replace what they got rid of.

One such principle is the escalation die, which is apparently meant to pace the combat.  Usually the GM will take out an actual d6 as a visual aid and set it to "1" after the first or surprise round.  This then goes up one each round til you get to "6" in the seventh and later rounds (assuming combat goes that long).  The number on the die represents a bonus to attack rolls, such that "4" is a +4 to hit.  Also, there are certain character abilities that specifically refer to the escalation die, like the Wood Elven racial power of Elven Grace, where you can get an extra action if a certain die roll comes up less than the number on the escalation die.
 
Another concept is the use of "flexible attacks."  They are first referenced under the Bard description in Chapter 4, where it says "the full rules for flexible attacks" are on page 167.  There it says: "When you decide to make a flexible attack, you choose your target first, make your attack roll, and then use the natural unmodified die result to determine which of your eligible flexible attacks to use."  This still doesn't make a whole lot of sense without context (or examples).  What this means- I think- is this: Certain classes, namely Bards and Fighters, have powers that include "flexible attack" in the description.  Each of these has a certain trigger, for instance Deadly Assault is a 1st Level Fighter maneuver that triggers on any even hit (an attack roll that hits that is also an even number on the die).  Every class has a certain number of powers/spells/what have you per level, as in 4E, for example the Fighter has three maneuvers at 1st Level, all of which are flexible melee or ranged attacks.  The maneuvers you pick determine your options and in some cases can overlap- so that if Grim Intent and Heavy Blows are both 1st Level Maneuvers with the trigger "any even miss" you can pick one or the other to use on an even roll that misses, assuming you had picked both of those in your list of maneuvers.  Bards likewise have "battle cries" defined as flexible attacks, although these are usually more designed to aid others in combat, help them make new saving rolls, and so forth.

In other mechanics 13th Age is thus similar to the standards already set by the prior two editions of D&D.  For instance, healing can sometimes be performed in combat, and when you take a recovery, you actually roll a certain dice type (d6 for casters, d6 for clerics, d10 for warriors) times your level to recover hit points.  The game is also that much more lenient than 4E when it comes to character death- when a character is at negative hit points, if he manages to get a recovery, he actually is reset to 0 hp and counts hit point regain from there.  Otherwise a character gets to make four 'hard saves' (16+ on d20) and if he fails all of those, he dies.  If you make a death save, you roll a recovery and get up after telling the group "what form of courage, willpower, stubbornness or quest brought you back from the brink."  Long term resting is likewise a cross between the 4E approach and the authors' "story-based" approach.  A quick rest simply allows you to use any remaining recoveries you still have and could not trigger in combat, and you can also roll to "recharge" any powers that you used that allow for such.  Resetting damage, recoveries and rechargeable powers- what 4E called an extended rest – is here called a "full heal-up," but whereas in most iterations of D&D this occurs after a day or a fixed rest period, in 13th Age, the GM is as a rule only supposed to allow a full heal-up after every four battles.  This is supposed to give a team an idea of how to husband their resources.  There is of course the possibility that a team may be too banged-up to go four battles in a row without full recharge, in which case what occurs is a "forced heal-up" in which the characters' goals may be set back because they had to step away from their quest.  The authors do say that the possibility of setbacks can make a more engaging campaign, and it does seem to indicate a less "easy" time in adventuring than the 4E standard.  

Chapter 6: RUNNING THE GAME starts, as promised,  by going into some detail about how the GM is supposed to run icon relationships, especially in terms of rolling the dice for them.  In this chapter, there's actually a sidebar in which the authors say that players usually come up with better ideas for a game mechanic than the writers who invented it, and refer the reader to the Internet for more advice on relationship dice, but they don't mention any particular sites.
But here, the authors say that the relationship dice are rolled by each player at the start of a game session, which they admit requires the GM to have a certain amount of improvisational skill or tools, since those icons that "come up" on the rolls are going to be involved in the next story somehow.  (It's also suggested that you roll the relationship dice at the end of the last session instead, to give the GM more time to prepare.)  For example, rolling a 5 for an icon can mean that the icon helps a PC but with strings attached; one example they give for such is when an icon's servants give the PC's group a powerful magic item on the condition that they drop everything they're doing to use the item against the icon's enemies.

More generally, this chapter discusses challenges in terms of the game's tier system, which again is divided between levels 1-4, 5-7 and 8 through 10, or as they call it, ACE (Adventurer/Champion/Epic).   In this system, standard tasks for an adventurer (that aren't otherwise set or based on an opposed roll) have a DC of 15 with hard rolls being DC 20 and a "ridiculously hard" task being DC 25.  Champion and Epic tiers raise the bar by +5 DC each, so that a ridiculously hard task at Epic level is DC 35.  This includes such things as "impromptu" damage from the environment, or dodging/disarming traps (which the authors try to make more  cinematic obstacles than truly lethal threats).
The rules use similar tables for monster encounters, or "building battles" with the odds building somewhat between adventurer, champion and epic levels, such that an even fight for adventurers is monsters who are the same average level but an epic fight involves monsters who are at least 2 levels higher- note that certain monsters, such as the most powerful dragons, can exceed 10th level.  Also, huge monsters (like the most powerful dragons) count as 3 standard monsters for the party's level.

With regard to level, the authors state that tracking XP is "better left to computer games."  Rather, the system automatically levels up the entire party after every 3 to 4 full heal-ups, or every 12 to 16 battle encounters.  They say this is a slow system, but each level means more (since there's only 10 of them).  Also they encourage a certain mechanic for incremental advance.  As an after-session reward (which the GM can withhold if 'the PCs have slacked off, deliberately dawdled, horribly underperformed or fled a battle') the GM can allow a PC to get one of the bonuses he would normally get for advancing a level – spell, feat, ability increase, whatever.  The only thing you can't get is the increase to attack and defense bonuses that automatically accrue each level.  You aren't even obliged to keep your mid-level pick when you actually do level, so that you could start using a 5th level spell at 4th level for instance, then trade it out upon actually reaching 5th level.  You're just supposed to come up with a good story rationale for the change.  I consider this that much more bookkeeping to deal with, but it does offer more flexibility to the player than what d20/level-based games normally offer.

There are a few other elements dealt with in this chapter.  There is a benchmark table for what kinds of loot the GM should reward over the course of time between full heal-ups (in other words over the course of four battles) including the first mention of one-shot magic items versus "true magic items."  There are also rules for ritual magic: As in D&D 4, Clerics and Wizards automatically have the Ritual Casting feat, which could be learned by other characters.  Compared to D&D 4, however, 13th Age rituals are a that-much-more-vague version of ritual magic in Shadowrun, simply allowing you to take one of the standard spells in a character's repertoire and then you "(choose) outcomes that seem like logical (or magical!) outgrowths of the spell's normal effects."  They're not especially clear on examples, either- one of them is using a variation of the Acid Arrow spell to destroy a demon-possessed weapon, presumably because it takes more than a standard 1st level spell.  

Finally, Chapter 6 makes some general notes on the 13th Age setting and where players can take it.  Historically speaking an "age" is this setting is a couple of centuries (or so).  The 1st Age began with the coalition to destroy the Wizard King (who later became the Lich King) and the founding of the Dragon Empire, and ended when giants sacked the Empire's capital.  Each Age since then has started with civilization rebuilding itself after a catastrophe, and each catastrophe also tends to erase much of the records from the previous civilization, making history extremely vague, like much else in this book.  In any case the core setting is left deliberately stable and generic so that groups can take it in the direction that works for them.  
Part of this is that 13th Age doesn't have a specific pantheon of gods for the world.  This is partially because the authors liked the old-time approach where various historical pantheons (like the Norse and the Vedic) all crammed together in one setting, partially because they say crossover from other dimensions is "a feature of freewheeling fantasy worlds" and also because in 13th Age, actual gods are de-emphasized compared to the icons.  Of the icons, the Priestess and the Great Gold Wyrm are venerated as is the Emperor of the first Age, but these beings are treated more as saints than true gods.  The authors seem to suggest that religious characters take the approach of worshipping the general philosophy of "Good", which is explicitly the position of the ecumencial Priestess.


Chapter 7: MONSTERS is the bestiary of the game, which can fit here because the rules and the stat blocks are fairly basic.  For one thing the authors decided that battle goes smoother if the monsters only use a flat damage number instead of rolling dice.  There are also "mook" rules (generally mobs are defined as a large 'monster' that loses members after inflicting X number of damage on them, which means that battles often have PCs cleaving large numbers of foes with each attack).  Monsters do not normally use the escalation die- those that do, like dragons, are referred to as 'escalators.'  ('Second Floor: hardware, children's wear, ladies' lingerie...')  And there are monster roles, as in 4th Edition, but 13th Age uses their own terms like "spoiler" for a creature that primarily hinders or de-buffs an enemy.  But otherwise the monster descriptions themselves are even shorter than in 4th Edition, with a stat block of AC, PD, MD and HP, above which you have the creature's level, basic type, standard attack (with any special options that attach to it) and one or two specials ('Imps are hard to pin down because they fly.  Not that fast or well, but you don't have to fly well to fly better than humans or elves.')
The actual monsters in 13th Age are pretty clearly based on D&D standard, with demons having Monster Manual designations like vrock and hezrou (although there are no devils and imps are classed as demons).  There are also beings from other sources like the hungry star ('deviant, malevolent, octopus-like flying monsters from a dimension where space obeys different geometry') and some clues as to the magical ecology of the setting ('Not all orcs are born.  Some spring from the bones of ravaged mountains and the wreckage of shattered forests like an infection spread by destruction').  At the end of the chapter there's a "DIY' section for making your own monsters with guidelines for what powers to use and what the base stats for a given type (non-mook vs. mook) are.

Chapter 8: THE DRAGON EMPIRE is an atlas of the setting, which is collectively "the Dragon Empire" even though not all of it is actually under the human Emperor's control.  The authors specifically state that "The Map Is Not Complete" so that the GM can customize certain empty areas to his needs.  But even so the 13th Age setting is highly magical compared to other worlds where magic is something that could be "tacked on" to an Earth-like planet.  It has three "great realms": the land (what's in the map shown in this chapter and the bookends), the overworld (where clouds are often permanent terrain features and dragons, storm giants and others make their lairs) and the underworld (which has been undergoing constant mutation ever since it was 'poisoned' in an earlier age by dark elves; now passages randomly appear and disappear and 'living dungeons' spontaneously occur in the terrain).

Chapter 8, however, deals mostly with the land realm and various landmarks including the Seven Cities of the Empire, the hellholes where demons try to enter the world, and the Abyss (here a Grand Canyon-level fissure that would otherwise allow demons to invade en masse if the Great Gold Wyrm were not blocking it).  There isn't a lot of detail here, but what there is offers a great deal of seed material to a GM, like the aforementioned living dungeons and the Koru Behemoths, mega-dinosaur level creatures that graze on "primal energy" along a certain route through the main straits connecting two arms of the continent facing an inland sea.  The Behemoths are in fact so big that whole communities temporarily settle on their backs (or shells) to hitchhike.  "Koru Behemoth Native is a great background no matter which way you play it!"

Chapter 9: MAGIC ITEMS starts with "one shot" items, namely potions (which seem to be either healing potions that allow you to spend a combat recovery or 'resistance' potions that allow damage reduction against a certain attack type), oils (which can be applied to buff armor and weapon bonuses) and runes (which work similar to oils but allow for random bonuses on top of the enhancement).  Then the book gets more into what is special about "true" magic items, which is to say, all of the permanent ones.  The thing is, true magic items are in some sense alive, and while not always intelligent, they always have a certain personality reflected in their purpose for existing.  These personality traits are manifested as "quirks" by an item's owner.  In these rules, a character can have a number of (true) magic items equal to his level.  More than this causes him to be taken over by at least one of his item's traits.  Mechanically, this serves to limit the number of items a PC has.  The book does admit that the concept could be abused not by power-gamers so much as by a "semi-masochistic method actor" to get on center stage.  In a sidebar, Rob advises: "Parties with that kind of player-dynamic should feel under no obligation to keep their over-quirked ally alive."
Although the authors say there shouldn't be a list of random quirks, each item detailed has a generic quirk that is usually based on its powers- for instance the owner of a Cloak of Elvenkind "(prefers) the finest things in life; of course, they are elven."  Magic items themselves seem a bit generic in their abilities, with the toughest epic weapons and armor being only +3 enchantment.  Of course 13th Age game philosophy considers "epic" to be 8th to 10th level.

Chapter 10  BLOOD & LIGHTNING is the game book's sample adventure, intended for 1st-level characters.  In order to demonstrate how icon relationships work in a game session, the scenario is recast along three lines for the three icons whose followers are most likely to guard a mystic site called Boltstrike Pillar.  Depending on the icon rolls and character backgrounds, the GM comes up with a rationale for the PCs to get in the area, where they discover a threat from within.

After Chapter 10, you have the Glossary and Index, and even these are prone to a certain amount of commentary, for instance the game definition of 'ally': "You are not your own ally; make of that what you will."


SUMMARY

Given that D&D 4 did work for what it was supposed to do in creating a tactical game, some critics said it would work better if it emphasized story more than mechanics, and it wouldn't have gotten as much hostility if it hadn't been marketed as official D&D.  13th Age addresses both of those concerns.  Bits like the icons (their existence more than the relationship mechanics), the "unique thing" and sentient magic items provide lots of flavor that isn't dependent on the rules system, and create a fantasy setting that isn't quite "official" D&D even if it is obviously based on it.
On one hand the extremely casual prose/editorial style is engaging, but on the other hand it's often vague.  It is perhaps better in that it is vague where it should be specific rather than too specific when the GM needs space to customize.  But in several cases (like those flexible attacks) they should have erred more on the side of detail.
Basically, 13th Age has just enough new ideas to be worth trying at least once, though if one is put off by "storygaming" or being called upon to narrate the dramatic origins of a character's tactical decisions, this is not going to be an improvement over prior iterations of D&D.  Other gamers may think that the game's most creative ideas would be better served by a different game engine.  

RATING: 7

QuoteCurrently Smoking: Banana Peels

Do you think the mellow yellow is mandatory to be able to enjoy this game?

I have the hardcopy 13th age book in my bookcase, and I can admire it anytime.

I want to play it, but I have not had much luck getting anyone interested.

It looks excellent to me.

Quote from: 3rik;772042Do you think the mellow yellow is mandatory to be able to enjoy this game?

That would get into a question of which games go better with chemicals, and that might cause the site legal problems.

JG

Quote from: Bill;772212I have the hardcopy 13th age book in my bookcase, and I can admire it anytime.

I want to play it, but I have not had much luck getting anyone interested.

It looks excellent to me.

I got my group to try it out once....ONCE!

It was quite fun, to a point.  It does have allot of narration going on in it and the lack of a real skills system is what hurts it the most I think, at least it did with my group.  They felt the way the whole skills system was based on backgrounds and what not was too Barbarians of Lemuria like and took away from the d20 flavor of the system.  They actually said they would have rather played a game of 4E at least they new they had certain skills abilities then, we soon returned to Numenera.