Before starting this review of Moss, Stone & Steel by Ramsay McGregor, we thank Fantasybound for the digital copy.
You can find the 93-page digital manual here at the price of $6.29. You can also download some free supplements.
Are you ready to enter a world of low magic and discover a dark fantasy roleplaying games inspired by medieval European mythology?
Moss, Stone & Steel: the Four Ages
Chronologically, we can divide the history of the Westlands into four major eras.
During the Forgotten Ages (about 50,000 years before the time we are going to play), humans lived much like our primitives. They sheltered inside caves and lived by hunting and gathering, annihilated by fears and superstitions.
About 10,000 years later, civilization began to develop on the continent then called Laurica. From here began the era that took the name of the Age of the Endless Night, marked by the advent of magic that gradually led to disaster. In the following 20,000 years, in fact, there were at first powerful magicians and priests who used the arcane arts, treated by the people as true gods. But something went wrong. Some doors to other worlds were opened, causing monstrous creatures to swarm in Laurica. The people who inhabited it experienced despair and the destruction of their civilization.
At the end of these conflicts, an era full of prophets and messiahs (true or false) began, remembered as the Yester Ages. In about three and a half centuries, they were the ones who freed several lands from the yoke of darkness, leaving however a country now destabilized and full of internal wars.
We then arrive in the Dawn Age, a time when people are picking up the rubble but still fighting each other in the back for control of the country, between crusades, power struggles and insurrections.
Welcome, then, to the Westlands!
Character Creation
In Moss, Stone & Steel we will be able to choose between four different races, which will affect the characteristics of our character and their age.
Humans need no introduction, they are the ones who rule the planet. Gnomes are the fairy life form that has best adapted to human life, although they are used to living in more rural areas. Sodians are the humanoid race that mostly presides over the areas of Vulcanys. They are strong and taller than normal, and have horns. Arctans live mostly in cold territories. They have gray skin, are thin but are able to use magic effectively.
After making this important choice, we are going to make dice rolls related to the characteristics: strength, agility, intelligence, constitution, charisma, alacrity and courage. Each of them will have a base score of 5, to which we will add the result of a d8 roll. After assigning each of them to a characteristic, we will thus have some ability modifiers available.
Lifestyle and profession will also influence our character’s starting coins, as well as his abilities. Simply put, if our character has lived in poverty, they will only have silver coins available but will have a bonus to strength for what they have endured over the years. We will have 20 professions to choose from, from the basic traveler to the spy and up to the aristocrat. Each of them will have privileged skills in which to specialize, making our adventurer indispensable for the rest of the group.
Classes, Traits and Equipment
In Moss, Stone & Steel we find three distinct classes, and each of them has 3 different subclasses. The first are the Warriors (divided into Vanguards, Warden and Archers), those who rely more than anything else on their own strength. Then we have Knaves (divided into Assassins, Reavers and Rangers), masters of agility and deception to survive. Finally we find the Zealots (divided into Crusaders, Clerics and Monks), hybrid fighters who rely on both physical strength and the power of their faith.
Although two players may choose the same class, their characters may still differ from each other thanks to a different choice of Traits. Traits (that can be passive or class) characterize our character more, making them unique. Our protagonist could be for example a war veteran or a battle master. In both cases, the Traits will grant bonuses that befit their background, such as further mastery of weapons or learning a new style in battle.
Before getting into the heart of the game, it would be better to buy decent equipment so as not to face certain doom. We will then use our starting coins to choose from 4 pages of items, weapons and armor. Don’t be too thrifty: even a simple rope could make the difference!
Moss, Stone & Steel: Game Mechanics
At this point of this review we will talk about the basic mechanics to overcome the tests within the roleplaying game Moss, Stone & Steel. All you need are two 12-sided dice. To succeed in a roll, be it an attack or any other action, the result must be equal to or below a certain value, called the critical threshold factor (CT). The base value to pass the test will always be 8.
Obviously, everything we have presented to you in the character creation can apply modifiers to this score. There are numerous situations in which successes will seem more difficult or the master could have more difficulty in evaluating what could be a malus or a bonus related to the action we would like to do. In this the manual comes fully to our aid, creating schemes for the creation of items, potions, impediments during the journey and for any eventuality in combat.
The magic, on the other hand, as already mentioned is very little present in this fantasy world. Few people have access to it and even then we are talking about spells with very long casting times. A Zealot, for example, can cast a spell following a ceremony or a rite, with required times of about 60 minutes. In short, not the most effective solution during a battle.
Conclusions
The core manual of Moss, Stone & Steel is a mine of information that would require a much longer review. Just think that in addition to what we have described, you will also find references to the geography, religions, and creatures that you can encounter within these Lands. Those who approach this setting will therefore have a lot to read to create a rich and coherent adventure.
The illustrations (some created specifically and others used with permission) by Sergey Shikin, Uglješa Stevanović, Yorse Hernandez, Dean Spencer, John D. Batten, Meredith Williams, Ramsay Meredith McGregor are wonderful and very reminiscent of those of the important fantasy sagas of the eighties.
The wealth of content is made accessible by an excellent layout and choice of fonts, as well as a very well-developed index in which you can immediately find everything you need.
A recommended purchase for those who want to return to a darker Middle Ages, where enchantments are not all. So create a party composed of expert players who are not afraid to get involved with characters outside the box.
0 Comments