The Earthdawn RPG is a fantasy roleplaying game that was originally produced by FASA in 1993. Living Room Games produced the second edition line in 1999. Currently, RedBrick Limited has the game license and just released the third edition of the Earthdawn RPG.

HISTORY

For anyone that isn’t familiar with Earthdawn, you may be more familiar with its FASA counterpart, Shadowrun. There was a very loose connection between the two games with FASA when they both came out. Earthdawn is essentially the same setting as Shadowrun, but take place Millennia earlier.

RedBrick Limited recently announced the end to the Earthdawn Classic line, which featured the earlier versions of the game. This announcement came with the release of the Earthdawn Third Edition Player’s Guide and the Earthdawn Third Edition Gamemaster’s Guide.

SETTING

Earthdawn is a fantasy setting similar to Dungeons & Dragons, Palladium Fantasy RPG, and RuneQuest. A primary focus of the game is the underlying magical metaphysics that attempt to create a more realistic fantasy world. Magic plays a pivotal role in the Earthdawn society.

The basic premise for the game is that magic, like nature, goes through cycles. These cycles can take place over hundreds of years. When the magic cycle is low, magic takes a lesser role in society as it seems to be a less powerful force. As it rises, magic becomes something that society can focus on and use. When the magic cycle rises to a high level, alien creatures called Horrors are able to cross from their otherworldly dimensions into the Earthdawn land. They devour all living creatures, be it plant, animal, or humanoid.

To combat these Horrors, the people of the Earthdawn world built kaers. These kaers are underground towns and cities which protect them from the Horrors. For hundreds of years, societies lived in these kaers to protect themselves from the Horrors. Eventually, these societies emerged to find that the Horrors had devoured their world. Some of the kaers survived the Scourge, while others were not so fortunate. The player characters in Earthdawn are the people exploring and discovering the new world, the secrets that were lost, and fighting what Horrors still remain in the land.

RACES AND DISCIPLINES

Being a fantasy setting, Earthdawn has many of the ‘typical’ fantasy races that you will encounter in other fantasy games. These races include, Dwarf, Elf, Human, Ork, and Troll. There are also a host of other races that are unique to the Earthdawn world which include, Obsidiman, T’skrang, Windling, Leafer, Ulkmen, Jubruq, and Jackelmen. This combination of familiar and non-familiar fantasy races gives Earthdawn both a taste of classical fantasy, and a new feel with the additional Earthdawn-only races.

Disciplines are essentially the fantasy equivalent of classes in other games, like Dungeons & Dragons. The basic disciplines that are listed in the primary books are disciplines such as, Archer, Beastmaster, Cavalryman, Elementalist, Illusionist, Nethermancer, Sky Raider, Swordmaster, Thief, Troubadour, Warrior, Weaponsmith, and Wizard. There are also other disciplines listed in supplemental Earthdawn books.

MAGIC IN EARTHDAWN

One of the most unique parts about the Earthdawn game is its magic system. The basic premise for all Disciplines is that they use magic in some way to perform their abilities. So it isn’t just the typical ‘caster’ types that use magic. Warriors, Archers, and any other discipline for that matter, will use magic to display their abilities.

While caster disciplines do have access to spells, which non-caster disciplines do not, all of the disciplines use Talents which are augmented by their magical ability. Casters place their spells in spell matrixes in order to cast their spells. Casting without using a spell matrix is considered raw casting. Raw casting is definitely possible, but a more dangerous option than using a spell matrix. Raw casting also has a higher chance of drawing the attention of a Horror, which is another type of danger within itself.

Magic items are also more unique in Earthdawn than in most other fantasy games. Although finding magical items may be equally hard in Earthdawn as in other fantasy games, actually using them is more difficult. Initially, the magical item will work exactly like a similar non-magical, or mundane, item. As the wielder of the item is able to unlock the history and magical bond with the item, it becomes more and more powerful. Some magical items only have a few levels of power, while other magical items have many more.

EARTHDAWN REVIEWED

I’ve always really liked Earthdawn as a roleplaying game. I definitely think that it is one of those games that players will typically either really like or really hate. I really like the setting that has been created for the world. In general, if the gamemaster can’t think of a good campaign or plotline, they can always default to having the players hunt and fight horrors. It’s kind of a built-in fallback plan for the game, in case you can’t think of a good adventure. Just find a horror and throw the players up against it.

There are enough Earthdawn novels, game supplements, and history that there should be plenty of plotline and story ideas out there for gamemasters and players. The primary setting, Barsaive, is a former province of the Theran Empire. There is an underlying theme of the Barsaive people fighting against the Theran Empire. This opens the door for political-based plots, in addition to the adventuring and exploration that you have in all fantasy games.

The magical system can take some getting used to. Like I said, it’s either one of those things that you love about the game or that you hate about the game. Using spell matrixes, spell threads, and karma rituals can be a fun part of the game, or it can really bog you down. In general, combat doesn’t go as fast as a game like Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition, but it is still pretty streamlined in comparison to other games.

Magical items is definitely one of those too that can be a big deal breaker for players of the game. Magical items in Earthdawn actually matter when you find them. They also take time and effort to coax the power out of them. In some ways, it is reminds me a little bit of rune weapons in Palladium Fantasy. Each item seems to have a history, and with that history comes power. But the power comes at a price.

I think that the system itself works well. It is a level-based system that uses open-ended dice rolls to hit specific difficulty numbers for tasks. As a player, you’ll definitely get the feeling that your character is gaining power as you level up.

If I had to criticize Earthdawn about anything, I’d say that character leveling can be a little stale. In general, all disciplines will be very similar as they level up. For example, there won’t be a lot of variation between two 7th Circle (Level) Archers. In general, they’ll have most of the same powers and abilities. Their race and equipment may be different, but if you don’t give them a solid background to really make them stand out you’re going to be the same as all the other characters of the same Circle and discipline.

Overall, I think the Earthdawn RPG has more positives than negatives. If you’re looking for a fantasy setting game that isn’t Dungeons & Dragons, this is a good alternative. There is a lot of history and supporting books out there. Each new edition of the game seems to tighten up the rules system a little more. Hopefully we’ll see the same with all of the Earthdawn Third Edition books as they continue to be released.

EARTHDAWN RESOURCES

RedBrick Limited
http://www.redbrick-limited.com/

Earthdawn Blog
http://earthdawn.blogspot.com/

Earthdawn – Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthdawn