this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2024
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The game is still in beta, so things could change etc... I also haven't played the game, my opinion is simply from what I've read - I barely play dnd nowadays, I don't have time to learn and give a chance to every other ttrpg that gets released on the market.
But for the moment I'm not particularly impressed. The Hope/Fear system seems fun at first, but it's more resources that the party and the GM have to manage. The fact that I, as a GM, should be forced to manage resources across an entire session (should I spend fear points now or keep them for the climatic battle?) is kind of annoying when I'm already trying to prep and run a session.
The combat system is... Odd. I get what they were trying to do - do away with turn based combat and allow for a more cinematic experience, where players can prepare combos and react to situations on the fly - but the free-form combat system doesn't really allow that. It's just yet another weight on the shoulders of the DM, who is forced to make sure that the spotlight falls equally on all players. A fun game still requires everyone to take their turns equally, and the lack of rules doesn't change that.
The game also refuses to verbalize even the most basic of information. How much gold is in that hoard? How far does that bandit run? The game doesn't want to answer those questions, because it doesn't want to curb the players' imagination. The reason for all these changes and mechanics is to allow the game to be the most cinematic ttrpg ever, and I kind of applaud the effort - I can see the free-form combat, the vague and generic quantities, the whiplash of hope and fear and their effect the session, allowing for epic and cinematic moments that will be recollected for decades among the players.
But it's also not for everyone. It's great for theatre-of-the-mind play where the narrative is much more important than the mechanics, but it needs a strong DM to put all those mechanics to good use, and a tight group to roleplay effectively without stealing each other's spotlight.
Edit: forgot to mention, but of course this is just my own, personal opinion, and doesn't necessarily reflect other people's experience with the game.
Thanks for taking the time to write that.