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Chronicles of the Outlands

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The game is fantasy role-play with Cutlass style mechanics of event driven combat.

Chronicles of the Outlands is set in a river rich land east of the Western Barons. The players are heroic characters without class distinction, proto Vikings, exploring and adventuring in a broad continental land bordered by seas. Magic works. All the characters will slowly improve a magical sword and train a magical mount. Magic is an integral part to play. Yet there are no spells per se, as each player character grows in power through the actions of the game.

There are six principal traits of characters: Bold, Clever, Energetic, Gifted, Methodical and Rugged. There is no degree that measures a trait; they are either present or not. The absence of a trait denotes the character is not any better than the norm in that area. There are no hit points. Each hero is a couple of blows away from death, but the mortality rate need not be high for PCs. The monsters, on the other hand, might be brought down in scores.

The player characters will also acquire a special set of combat skills, called swaggering techniques, by engaging in battle. These will be personal fighting styles as well as techniques gain specific to their Blade, Mount, Longboat and Wizardry. The new (level zero) character probably has practiced and even fought, but only through often repeated exercise of the game mechanics will he obtain great swagger.

To gain levels the character must perform Ignoble Deeds, nine tests of worthiness. These will relate to game events of the following types: Adventure, Fame, Battle, Ingenuity, Magic, Profit, Forethought, Comradeship and Courage.

Magic is performed like any other skill. The player describes an action based on a wizardry technique, and the Referee decides the degree of difficulty that must be rolled to succeed. It’s that simple (or not). In combat however, the mechanics of each quick and dirty table apply. The various magical techniques will be seen as advantages, making the dice roll easier. Once the player discovers any wizardry techniques, he can shift to Recitation Method and use his magic for specific results. Yet, using magic dooms the character to slowly change to something less human.

How about this example of play? The player’s reach a river and need to cross. They do not have or can’t wait for their boat. Impatient fools, perhaps. What do they do? The obvious answer is swim, make the roll for each to avoid drowning. That Ref is dice happy in a bad way. Yet why not form a bridge of earth and stone (Geomancy). Open a portal connecting two sides (Cosmic). Fly (Shape Shift), get a tree to help (Animate Objects), flame or lightning a tree to fall across (Pyrotechnics or Voltaic), leap the river mightily (Demigod), float across clinging to the backs of the risen bodies of dead fish (Necromancy), command another to carry you (Thought Control), freeze the river (Celestial), and the list continues for another ten techniques. The player character’s Spirit Guide might alert the group to a shallow ford. Precognition could have warned the players to be prepared or take a different route. About the only one that gets me head scratching is Illusions? Make someone believe he can walk on water? Good for a laugh.

All those magical fields are in this game and more. I defy you to find in any other game system a means to get across as a party, one or no roll, on the first adventure, using new characters, not a natural twenty either, no one drowning or catching on fire. Okay, you might catch on fire in Outlands, but not because you’re new to spellcasting. It’s the veterans that are slowly moving toward magical mishap and oblivion.

Curious? Click on the game’s preview. Or submit your questions here, or at the spacegamer.com site. As Lou Zocchi always said to me, “You can’t go wrong for a few of bucks.”


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Reviews (2)
Discussions (4)
Customer avatar
Fredrick R November 02, 2022 10:30 pm UTC
Just FYI anyone buying this there is an Omnibus Version out now
Customer avatar
George R September 19, 2022 4:12 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Here's another YouTube series related to solo play of the game:

https://youtu.be/zxczm3PtgQg
Customer avatar
Valdus C March 11, 2021 11:31 pm UTC
PURCHASER
If characters start out on level 0, how do they pick up a swagger? Also, does a party have to have a longboat to get the longboat swaggers?
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Customer avatar
George R March 28, 2021 8:37 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Level zero is the start. It's the programmer in me. Swaggering is achieved by completing tasks where either the Advantage is a swaggering or the reward is a swaggering. In the Q&D Tables the Advantage will often be listed as one of the combat techniques. Success at the roll and you also gain the swaggering. The Ref might also just declare that anyone to escape the sixteen guards w/ crossbows on a Tasking roll will also gain the swaggering of Better Valor.

Longboat swaggering are gained in similar ways. Something like Vermin Free is more often lost by enemy cruse or mischief than player action. But magic is strange. The game has a Viking as character motif. You can lose all the longboat and it still works. You and your players may wish to play with a longboat and decide if that suits you. Your question might be can you gain a Longboat swaggering while in the underworld. Yes, the swaggering are also a crew or warband rating. Something like Battle Hard would be acquired or lost. Also, the game is...See more
Reply
Customer avatar
Fredrick R May 20, 2021 8:19 pm UTC
The Players start with a Longboat

Characters are considered capable sort of equivalent to Level 3 in a certain popular other fantasy ttrpg
Customer avatar
Bruce E V September 26, 2018 8:42 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I am one of the play testers. It is a great game and it is only getting betting with time. It is very much like Crimson Cutlass only with magic. One of great things about both games IMHO is the leveling system. You have to do certain things to level called ignobles. These ignobles define your character because it forces you make choices in order to level. This makes playing with others more enjoyable because your character is fleshed out with fake world experiences. It as a very unique battle system which changes according to the situation you are in and very unpredictable. You can be in Keep trying to complete a quest only to find out the new quest is just to get of the keep alive or anything else. The system allows for non-linear events easily. Great game.
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File Last Updated:
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This title was added to our catalog on September 24, 2018.
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