Thunderscape: The World Of Aden By Shawn Carman And Alan Bahr, RPG Review

 

My comrades and I decided it was time to find out about some of the history of our world, Aden. So much knowledge and history were lost because of The Great War. But Takko found a passage in an ancient tome that has us on a path to a hidden, or lost, temple north of Burcham's Pass. It was some sort of temple devoted to the knowledge of the ancients. It will be an arduous journey, but the possible rewards could set us up in style for the rest of our days.

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Thunderscape: The World of Aden is a game world of fantasy and science fiction. It has been developed to be used on several platforms of play. This review is the base rule book for playing in the world of Aden using the Tiny D6 Role Playing Game (RPG) system. I received a copy of the book from the publisher for review purposes.

Overview

You may have already experienced Thunderscape on another platform or with another RPG system. This work is designed to bring the setting to the Tiny D6 system and its minimalistic mechanics. The richness and the depth of the world is maintained.

I was introduced to this world through this book. From the beginning I was interested in the deepness of the setting with its backstory and current affairs.

Characters

The character creation for Thunderscape uses the same basic components used in character creation of other Tiny D6 settings. Some of the terms are a little different so they fit the game world.

Each character come from one of the nine Heritages. In a different setting these would be considered races. Then there is a selection of Traits (these would define your class in the more widely known systems), Weapon Proficiency, Family Trade, and Belief (character motivation). Players already experienced with Tiny D6 will see there is little difference in the basics. The difference comes in from what you can choose because Thunderscape maintains its identity as a world with its own history and cultures. More about the world later.

Mechanics

Tiny D6 mechanics use three six-sided dice. When a check needs to be made for combat or a skill then one, two, or three dice are rolled. A success is if any of the dice roll a five or a six. Simply to determine and it really speeds of play through the combat and other checks. The advantage of this mechanic is the allowance of the building of the story without having the calculations to determine success or failure.

World

Aden is a dynamic world with a rich history. In the current time there are kingdoms the characters can hail from or go exploring in. There is intrigue between the kingdoms and enough peace to allow for business to thrive between them. It wasn't always a peaceful world though.

War raged that encompassed the known lands for hundreds of years before peace was finally made. The war has meant many parts of Aden's history was lost. (There are other books you can purchase to flesh out the world, or you can use this to create your own backstory.) There are remnants of the old knowledge still being used and more is being discovered.

Aden combines fantasy elements with nice smattering of post-apocalyptic flavoring. This is a world where there is swords and sorcery backed up with trains, cars, and guns. It reminded me of a series of books and a television show from my younger days.

Overall

My group enjoyed exploring the small part of The World of Aden on the first adventure. One of the most intriguing parts was the combination of the elements of a high fantasy setting with the introduction of so a few modern ones. The melding created a fun and exciting experience.

As with introducing any new world, there is a little more groundwork required for the game master if you are not using one of the other available publications. The nice aspect here is the use of the Tiny D6 system that allows for quick creation of character for both the players and the game master.

Thunderscape: The World of Aden is now a part of our Tiny D6 catalog of games that we revisit.

I recommend Thunderscape to RPGers who like Tiny D6, minimalist rules games, and those who are looking for a unique setting. Also, to those who already enjoy Thunderscape in one of its other incarnations.

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There is definitely something of value in the mountains, but I don't know if it is from the ancient times. There were monsters there I have never seen before. I don't think any of our party had seen the likes of what we ran into. And I'm the only one who could speak to what we encountered. For a week I snuck my way back out of the wilderness. It is a dangerous world out there in the lands beyond civilization. I am more comfortable facing the dangers of the streets of a city and what is hiding in the shadows with me than what might be crouching in the branches of a tree.

 

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