I deleted my previous review which complained about all text being centered as this is no longer the case. However, this is still by no means a good game.

The language used is childish, and editing was done by a spell checker (e.g. "Creating You First Adventure"). There are 235 pages and no bookmarks in the PDF, no table of contents, and no index, making it entirely useless as a reference. There isn't very much art, but every character class has a large portrait, and the art that is included is full color and rather attractive, especially for an indie product. There are no author, editing, or art credits, nor even any copyright notice, a glaring omission.

Character generation is class & race based, with some restrictions, and some races having a Preferred Class, which means essentially nothing. Which is fine, as despite being told we should pick race second (right after naming our character), races are not detailed in this book at all. Only a list of 20-something names is provided. You can't even tell what their preferred classes are from this book. There are many many references to different books in the "World of Arator" series.

The system feels like the author played many video game RPGs and tried to simulate that in pen & paper. "A calculator is essential", a solid warning sign if there ever was one. Characters have a base 5 points in all stats but their class gives stat and skill bonuses. Health (hit points) is calculated by using a base 100 points + stamina score + class health bonus percentage. The example character is 100 + 5 + 50%. This information is on page 3, and I have already mentally checked out. There are several mentions of "after level 50". Clearly the large numbers and percentages are why you need a calculator, and greatly contribute to the video game feel.

Characters use physical energy points in combat and will regain stamina points every 5 seconds. To measure success you add your skill and agility stat to get a percentage score... which you don't use as a percentage. Instead, this percentage is compared to the target's percentage score (which is intelligence + agility, because it is a thief, for what reason I don't know...) and the higher percentage wins. I can't say I even understand how damage is even calculated after re-reading the paragraph a few times. It looks like its a fixed calculation. I have trouble understanding why dice are even necessary to play at this point.

Character stats include: Perception, Charisma, Wisdom, Intelligence, Strength, Will Power, Stamina, Agility, Fighting Skill, and Weapon Skill. In addition to Physical Energy Points, there are Spiritual Energy Points, Mana Points, Hit Rating, Movement Rating, Armor Rating, and Haste Rating, if the character is "capable of hastening themselves". Sample armor rating calculation: "if a character is wearing chain mail armor with an armor rating of 150 and they are level 50 with an agility score of 54 they will have an overall armor rating of 254". So... level and agility add to armor?

Experience is dolled out based on killed monster hit points, with a paragraph explaining quest XP. To level you need (level + 1) x 1000 XP. If monster hit points line up with character hit points (and I have no idea, as monsters aren't covered in this book), I would guess characters level very quickly, maybe once per adventure.

Classes have beginning alignment restrictions, and the alignments are pulled straight from D&D. Classes have roles which are pulled from MMORPGs (DPS, tank). They have many other class-y type bonuses and penalties and restrictions. Classes also seem to have many special abilities, all of which are unlocked at level 1. This reduces character advancement to a matter of raising existing numbers. There are at least a wide variety of classes to choose from, including multiple evil-only classes, although the classes are all pretty standard. Each class has an automatic "upgrade" once they hit level 50, which gives them a new name (e.g. Bounty Hunter => Renegade), extra bonuses and talents. Class descriptions take up the entire remainder of the book.

With a few additional sections I didn't go into, like armor and weapon durability and environmental damage, that's all there is to this book.

I can't say that I can recommend this product in any way. The rules system is not salvageable and should be dropped completely. The world design would benefit from a narrower and more creative focus and less of a kitchen sink approach.

I am into system design, and am working on my game design, so I like to check out lots of different games. Being that World of Arator was 'on sale' for $1.99 I'd thought I'd give a read through. I was unpleasantly surprised.

This is evident from the start. The document seems to be done as a single run of text, 235 apges of it.. No chapters, very little white-space, little in the way of headings and organization. No summaries evident, no bookmarks, no index. Ok, so that's -1 off the top.

With a name like a World of Arator I was expecting a Fantasy Heartbreaker, a FRP based on someones house-rules and game-world after having played D&D and some other games. Well, it is a Fantasy Heartbreaker after a fashion, but one designed in reaction to playing WoW or some other CRPG. Seriously, this game has the most calculation intensive, way to much of a pain to ever run by hand, mechanics I have ever seen.

I'm not kidding, from the intro...

"...A calculator is also essential to add and subtract the various bonuses, damage done, and percentages that are present in the game."

This games base mechanics are designed for computer moderation, not tabletop play by hand. Seriously, nearly every success and damage roll requires decimal multiplication to come up with percentages. Hit points measure in the hundreds. Levels range from 1-50+.

Tru story... from the stats section "A stat's percentage of success is added to a level success rates as well as specialty bonus success rates, but the stat number is divided in half. For example, a thief needs to make a climbing roll. His agility is 65, he is 40th level and has the climbing feat. Which gives him a success percentage of 48%. = ((650.5)1.4*1.05))"

So by the commutative principle, this is way way to much fiddly math for a tabletop resolution system. Seriously, don't get me wrong, my own system uses low two-digit addition, I'm not scared of counting up 12d6 attacks in Hero, but this is just ridiculous. The accepted wisdom is that in terms of resolution mechanics, comparison/result counting is easier than addition/subtraction, which is easier than multiplication, which is easier than division, and let's not even consider anything more complicated.

So if that isn't enough math, character's have health points in the hundreds, health that regenerates every x seconds (remember how I mentioned CRPG mechanics?). Then there are physical energy points, spiritual energy points, mana points, all which regenerate in the seconds, etc. Damage ratings and armor ratings are listed in the 100s as well. i.e, you'd need a computer to keep track of all this crap. Oh, and equipment has durability ratings

After it has numbed you by its descriptions of the base stats and assaulted with you examples of it's way to complicated resolution math, it drops into the character class descriptions. There are twenty, arranged into groups such as Battle Classes (Fighter's, Warriors, Berserkers, Nature, Knights), Stealth (Thieves, Scouts, Assassins, Bounty Hunters. Bards) Nature (Druid, Shamans, Rangers, Elementalists, Ferals) Holy (Paladins, Crusaders, Clerics, Priests, Monks), Magic (Sorcerers, Warlocks, Necromancers, Illustionsts, [Your a] Wizards [Harry], , and Special.

Special classes are 'fallen' versions of good aligned classes such as Paladin, Knight, Druid, Ragner. Yep, it has all 9 D&D alignments, yeah for Heartbreakers. Classes are defined by the weapons they can use, special abilities they can have, armor allowed, stat bonuses, healp points, specialties, etc. Most telling is that the classes have a class role defined, including Damage Dealer (DPS) - yep it really says DPS. Tank, Support (Buffs Plox or HJEALS!), etc.

The class descriptions make up the bulk of the book. There is never any mention made of the World of Arator or what it's like (You've been bamboozled, hoodwinked, run amuck!). Presumably that is in the other books in the line.

So what have we gotten for our TWO DOLLARS? A very poorly laid out, poorly organized mess of computer RPG mechanics masquerading as a tabletop RPG. Mechanics so calculation intensive and cumbersome that NO ONE but the most math loving would bother to use them at the tabletop without a ton of computer aids, and then they could just go play a MMO with their friends instead.

So, how to make this a better product? First, dump the overly calculation intensive rules and the ridiculous amount of book-keeping required.

Perhaps converting it to a PathFinder/D&D/OGL book would work. The classes could be made into an interesting variation on the core rules. Totally revise the layout and organization of the book. Throw in some actual setting details, anything besides a big book of CRPG rules.

As it is it is only of marginal value for stuff to rip off for making your own class variants for D20 based games, and there are many better products to spend your $2 on, where you literally, don't have to do all the work.