Before starting the review of Il Nido dei Draghi, I would like to thank Isola Illyon Edizioni for sending us a copy of the manual. This supplement is a campaign and an expansion of the possibilities offered by the basic manual of the natural fantasy roleplaying game Ryuutama (obviously required to be able to use this one); inside we find lots of new content, both for the narrator and for the players.
In case you want to buy it after reading this review, I would like to point out that Il Nido dei Draghi is available in Italian on the publishing house’s official store for 40 euros; this price includes both the physical and digital copy. And remember that with the code NODICEUNROLLED you don’t pay shipping costs!
I also remind you that this roleplaying game (originally published by Kotodama Heavy Industry) has a very particular approach; it pays great attention to journeys, to their meaning (even metaphorical) and everything that happens to the protagonists in the meantime. We will find action and combat, but they will not have the same weight as in other TTRPGs. In any case, for more information on the spirit of the game, I refer you again to my review of the basic manual.
Review of the Aesthetics of the Il Nido dei Draghi Manual
First of all, I really appreciated that the volume is perfectly in line with the basic manual in every aspect. The size and format are the same; the number of pages is also almost identical (Il Nido dei Draghi in fact has around 225). When they are in your bookcase they will make a great impression!
The layout is also the same; the text is arranged in a single column and the very legible font facilitates fluid and pleasant reading. Colourful tables and titles further improve the visual impact of the contents. The color of the page borders helps distinguish the four main sections, and the index completes this series of features, making the manual extremely usable.
The illustrations are also extremely precious and themed. Their light and dreamy style conveys the typical sensations of a JRPG or a manga, taking into consideration the more delicate and graceful ones. As you can see from the images included in this review, the decorations embellish each page and the images graphically narrate the main elements of Il Nido dei Draghi.
The quality of the materials is very high and the hard cover completes a highly valuable manual.
Review of the Contents of Il Nido dei Draghi
After a brief introduction, as anticipated, the manual can be divided into four main sections:
- Book of Tama: geographical, historical and social presentation of this original setting.
- Book of Zahira: new character options, including expanded magic.
- The Book of Dragons: deepening on the dragons of this world, core of the game campaign and tips for the narrator.
- Book of Creatures: introduction of new specific creatures for this setting, with the possibility of creating your own.
In the next paragraphs of this review, we will go deeper into the various contents, but I can anticipate that the fulcrum of Il Nido dei Draghi is to provide all the necessary material for an exciting non-linear campaign. Obviously, the contents can also be exploited in other adventures, but using them in this context allows you to live a compelling and complete plot.
The Book of Tama
This section of the manual occupies just under half of the pages and has a fundamental element for the narrative: the game world. Its value is so high because, as we will see in the next sections of this review, the proposed campaign is sandbox.
The first element introduced is the history of the world. It is a fairytale story, which traces the creation of the world to dragons; they shaped it, to become spirits that embody the basic elements. Then came the other species, including mankind; their expansionist craving has grown, putting them more and more at the centre of the events of the world. The dragons became more shy, but always remained a crucial element of the setting; in the darkest moments, however, they continue to represent the salvation of humanity. Between myths and legends, one day a child managed to awaken the powers of the dragons, making sure that dark creatures and bloody wars did not lead to the extinction of mankind.
The world that was born from these events takes the name of Tama. Each of its macro-region is somehow linked to the influence of the dragons and is presented in a sort of atlas. I found the world map very appreciable, as beautiful as it is useful.
Later each geographical area is analyzed individually, presenting peoples, languages, traditions (clothing, holidays, food,…), spirituality, territory (with temperatures, atmospheric phenomena,…), places of interest and more. Each area is characterized by unique elements, but know that the desert will play a very important role. The narrative ideas are instead incredibly useful for creating well-inserted characters in the setting. In a sandbox campaign this accuracy is a blessing for each narrator; having these notions they will be able to remedy any unexpected choice of the characters.
The Book of Zahira
The protagonists of the next section of Il Nido dei Draghi (and therefore of this review) are the characters. In this campaign, they take on the name of Pilgrims since they obtain some extra elements. Narratively obtain this title as they are chosen by a particular entity to bring harmony back on Tama, but we will talk about this later. This happens when they observe a falling star, guaranteeing them also a Desire that will have a narrative weight. The event also gives them an Emblem or a distinctive sign of this meeting.
Other unique elements of the protagonists of Il Nido dei Draghi are those included in their Legacy. These characteristics bind the character to the game world in a narratively useful way. In particular, they define the Languages they know, the Environment to which they are linked and the magic to which they can draw.
The Personal Item is instead a very intimate element, a knick-knack that represents something emotionally important for the Pilgrim. The player can use it to roll extra dice that can replace their most unfortunate launches.
New Skills that expand the possibilities offered by the various classes are also introduced, as well as presenting a totally new one: the Scholar; this new role proves useful when you need to appeal to lost knowledge, use ancient artefacts or convince someone. Further new game options include Legendary Journeys, Animals and themed Favorite Weapon.
In the manual, there is also advice to choose the best initial Equipment to face the dangerous world of Tama. However, it must be kept in mind that the volume advises against the optional rule of the light journey, which would simplify the travel in a compatible way with this campaign.
The Book of Dragons
The next section of the manual dedicates the first pages to the most relevant creatures in the lore of this tabletop RPG: the dragons. In particular, their influence on the game world is explained, especially after an important plot event. As always, I don’t want to spoil you that would compromise the gaming experience, but know that they are deeply linked to the Tama climate and its territory. Furthermore, if they are to bind to the characters, they could guarantee unique advantages during travels.
Speaking of journeys, since they are a fundamental element of the game experience, the manual could not fail to introduce some new options. In fact, we find a new explorable environment, the aquatic areas; thanks to various factors and conditions, every area full of this element is an original and intriguing challenge. Obviously, however, travel can also hide tricky menaces and one of them is a new and very dangerous condition: the Black Snow; it represents a reaction of nature to the havoc made by mankind and is probably the most dangerous obstacle that travellers can meet. Also as regards travel, the manual provides useful tables for the management of the known world areas and the methods that can be used for the Fast Travel.
A Due Insight into the Plot
In the same section of Il Nido dei Draghi then follows precious advice for the narrator, but I will not mention some of them in this review since they are linked to deep and mysterious aspects of the game world; among them, there are precious details on the origins of the setting, elements of power and hidden places. However, I appreciate the idea of providing a suggested Ryuujin (the narrator’s character); in this way this role is also covered by an entity deeply inserted in the lore.
Only about ten pages are dedicated to the actual plot, but they are more than enough. After all, the structure is that of a sandbox, in which players can freely explore the world; obviously, there are crucial events that will progress the macro-plot, but all the minor intertwining ones are left to the imagination of the game table. This approach works very well mainly thanks to two elements; I’m talking about a flowchart with the key passages and a timeline that summarizes the fundamental historical events. Thanks to this structure, the players have maximum freedom within Tama, but the narrator will never feel lost. The presence of multiple finals based on the choices of the protagonists further embellishes the gaming experience.
The core plot is very simple; in fact the characters are chosen by very powerful entities to restore the world devastated by the atrocities carried out by mankind.
The Book of Creatures
If you expect a classic bestiary for the last section of the manual, you are wrong. Tama typical creatures are proposed, but only descriptively. As for statistics, we can find a totally new creation method. The mechanical aspect of the creatures is composed step by step, starting from a Basic Form; modifiers established by Tags of three categories are applied to it (Type, Role and Environment). Based on how dangerous it must be, the opponent then receives Special Skills. Personally, I really appreciate this modular approach; starting from a concept, it will be very simple to create the perfect creature for any situation.
All these innovations are coded and made more accessible thanks to a precious glossary. Here is another detail that underlines the intelligent manual organization.
There is also other new themed content with this game world. First of all, I can cite new Types of creatures, such as Nightmares; they are manifestations of nature wounded by mankind and arise in the presence of Black Snow. Finally, we also find a short list of special materials divided according to the regions of the world. After all, such a detailed environment must be able to be exploited even in these small but impactful details; for example, the concept of Magitech is also introduced (as a union of magic and technology).
Conclusions of the Review of Il Nido dei Draghi
This is the end of this review and I can surely say that Il Nido dei Draghi is an excellent supplement for the natural fantasy roleplaying game Ryuutama. It expands the options already present and introduces totally new elements, so as to satisfy both those who want only a greater choice and those who want to renew the gaming experience with totally original content.
Furthermore, this material does not present itself as a simple list without a soul; each element is perfectly melted in an original and very varied setting. The latter can be discovered following the plot proposed by the manual but also explored with totally original adventures.
I am sure that anyone who appreciates the value that Ryuutama gives to travel will find something very precious also in this supplement!
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