Customer Reviews

The Dying Earth RPG

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Robin Laws and Dean Shomshak are the only two game writers who I think are worth reading purely for pleasure even if you don't play the game they write about. I got this book not because I expect ever to play the game, but because I thought it would be fascinating to find out if Laws, who was able to so perfectly capture the Hong Kong action movie style with his Feng Shui rules, could possibly capture the unique flavor of Jack Vance's brilliant Dying Earth stories.

Well, Laws succeeded. The rules are a marvel of construction, discouraging combat and encouraging the kind of wild schemes and crazy scams that characterize the Dying Earth. I was impressed by their ingenuity, and, as usual, I enjoyed Laws's wit and his clear, succinct writing style. The book also enjoys high production values, and seems sturdy enough to survive sustained use as a reference.

I can only assume this is a labor of love on Laws's part, since the market for an RPG based on a decades-old, moderately obscure fantasy series (which, though overlooked, is a classic work of genius) would not appear to be very big. Also, in reproducing Vance's world, in which characters are often foolish and rarely violent, Laws creates rules that sometimes impinge on the right of the player to control his or her own character. This is necessary to avoid players falling into their regular habits and destroying the atmosphere so important to the Dying Earth stories, but it is so contrary to player expectations that many may never be able to accept it (I myself don't know if I could actually play this game).

Given these drawbacks, I do not know if the Dying Earth RPG will succeed financially. But as an example of how to fit game rules to game setting, and as an homage to Vance's wonderful Dying Earth books, the Dying Earth RPG is a success already.

but even if I can't cajole my group into trying it, the rules are well worth reading in their own right. Naturally, no one else is Jack Vance. Yet Robin Laws and his coauthors have captured a great portion of the Vancian rhythms and conceits that make the Dying Earth books such a pleasure to read. Furthermore, the ingenious rules virtually guarantee that anyone playing the game will be forced to adopt the guileful duplicity of Vance's characters, and there are even rules to encourage the linguistic elaboration prevalent in all of Vance's work.

Anyone even mildly interested in this game should check out Pelgrane's website (the publisher). I downloaded and read the "quick start" rules, and went out less than a week later to buy the book.

If you play in one of those rare groups where everyone successfully plays Lawful Good, this may not be the game for you. But if you have a bunch of players who write "Chaotic Good" on their sheets and then play Chaotic Neutral, buy The Dying Earth RPG immediately.

Jack Vance's unique style permeates this book from cover to cover. Along with Robin D. Laws' innovative approach to game mechanics, this ensures that everything you read in this book is interesting. Whether playing a cadre of rougues like the famous Cugel, powerful and vain arch-magicians such as Rhialto the Marvelous, or the more violent characters, such as Turjin of Mir, of Jack Vance's The Dying Earth, this game delivers.

At this point, I must note that this is not a usual fantasy game. Although the characters might well fight half-men to save a village, or enter a cave in search of treasure, their motivations will rarely be described as noble. The influence of Vance extends beyond the unusual phraseologyemployed by certain authors of circumlocutious natures. The game is firmly rooted in the evocative Dying Earth, in which there is little difference between one man and another; all are well-spoken and self-serving. Outside the Turjin level of play, players will quickly learn to avoid fights through the use of cunning strategems. Also, there is no assumption that the players' characters will co-operate - remember, (almost) everybody is self-serving.

As a reassuracne to anyone who is considering buying this game, it is quite easy to run. That the game is written in Vancian style encourages everyone to adopt that style. The game mechanics make witty dialogue as dangerous as a swinging blade, without giving an advantage to naturally witty players. The authors have usefully included a checklist for adventure creation, so the novice Dying Earth game master will ave no difficulty in creating an evenings entertainment resplendant with exotic vistas, casual cruelty, and cunning scams.

So long as you have a group who can step back from their characters to appreciate the terrible situations that they get themselves into, rather than insisting that they ought to succeed at every turn, this is a wonderful game.