After watching Kurt Wiegel’s review on Sundered Skies, I purchased a copy of Sundered Skies and the Savage Worlds rule book. I was already familiar with the Savage Worlds system, but hadn’t played it in quite a while. As a game master, I was looking for a fast and easy to play system, with a newer setting that I could learn quickly, and an experience different enough from Dungeons & Dragons that it could stand on its own.

The world of Sundered Skies began when another world died. A terrible cataclysm tore the world apart and left an unknown number of islands floating in a fathomless void. Above that void is The Draining Sea and below it is The Flaming Skies. The void is bathed in a constant glow of orange light, leaving no night in the Skies. Prolonged exposure to the glow can drive humanoids “glowmad.” It is an affliction that causes uncontrollable aggression and madness in the victim.

Trade is the life-blood of the Sundered Skies. It keeps the different islands going. This trade is accomplished by the adventurous skyships that navigate their ways through the void. Pirating, trade, smuggling, slavery, swashbuckling, underground wars, and just trying to survive in a harsh environment have made the Sundered Skies what it is, a dark fantasy roleplaying game.

How is Sundered Skies similar to other fantasy roleplaying games?
- It has many of the traditional races you would see in a normal fantasy game. You have Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, and a dragon race called Drakin.
- The gear and magic are very similar to other fantasy roleplaying games.

How is Sundered Skies different from other fantasy roleplaying games?
- The setting is one of the most unique settings for a fantasy roleplaying game.
- The ‘world’ is a collection of floating islands in the Sundered Skies.
- The Elves are part plant, as well as practitioners of slavery.

How is Sundered Skies different from Dungeons & Dragons?
- It uses the Savage Worlds system instead of the d20 system.
- There are no character classes. There are common character types, many of which are unique to the Sundered Skies setting.
- It has more of a pirate and swashbuckler feel to it than traditional D&D settings.

Is it worth playing if your group already plays another fantasy roleplaying game, like Dungeons & Dragons? I say, yes. As far as being different enough, the Sundered Skies setting is further apart from a normal D&D setting than almost any other fantasy game I’ve seen. And, it uses the award-winning Savage Worlds system, so you’re not going to be bogged down by a game with a good setting but a bad system.

Be aware if you plan on purchasing Sundered Skies, the core rules are not in the main book. You will have to purchase a Savage Worlds rule book if you do not have one already. And although only half of the Sundered Skies book is devoted to rules, the second half is devoted to adventures which I thought was awesome. It really gives the game master a great head start on ideas for a campaign. Go check it out, you’ll be glad you did.