Dragon Age Set 2
Set 2 is the second core rules box set for the dark fantasy system Dragon Age written by Steve Kenson, T.S. Luikart, Chris Pramas, and Jeff Tidball and published by Green Ronin Publishing.
By Aaron T. Huss
Dragon Age Set 2 is the second core box set for the Dragon Age role-playing game that takes characters from 6th Level through 10th Level. In addition to presenting the obvious mechanics for advancing characters, it also presents more advanced rules for character creation compared to all the basics contained in Set 1.
Dragon Age Set 2 is a boxed product consisting of a Player’s Guide, Game Master’s Guide, (6) card stock stunt reference cards, and a fold-out map. All of these are packed in a beautiful, hard-sided box with the same art as the Player’s Guide.
PLAYER’S GUIDE
The Player’s Guide is divided into the following sections: lore, character options, specializations, equipment, magic, and player advice. The Lore section is a large grouping of source material to further the Dragon Age setting and includes the Grey Wardens, Dwarfs of Orzammar, religion, Elven pantheon, and the Qunari. The two big focuses in this section are Grey Wardens and the Dwarfs with religion coming in third. The Grey Wardens area big part of the overall Dragon Age setting in regards to combating the blight and its associated denizens. To use them properly within your campaigns, you must understand what makes them tick. The Dwarfs section is a thorough delve into the societal structure of the Dwarfs of Orzammar with a deep look at the different castes and an in-depth look at their history. While Grey Wardens are an option for character advancement, understanding Dwarven castes can significantly alter the make-up of a character and how they are role-played. Religion is a full look at the chantry which ties together with mages, basic religious beliefs, and dwarven beliefs. While this doesn’t necessarily translate into in-game mechanics, it is perfect fodder for campaign structure and storyline. The remaining pieces include a look at the pagan-like Elven pantheon and a new race called the Qunari.
Character Options contains the more advanced character creation options (compared to Set 1), the Grey Warden character advancements, and the applicable information for taking your characters from Level 6 through 10. Eleven new backgrounds are presented for character creation including new options for Dwarfs, the new Qunari race, some of the new areas detailed in the lore section, and more. Following the new creation options are the mechanics for bringing your character through the new levels and the new advancement option for becoming a Grey Warden.
Specializations expands upon much of the core mechanics from Set 1 surrounding focuses, talents, and the new specializations. A handful of new focuses are presented, the “Master” level for talents is presented for each talent, but the big thing here is the new specializations. These new class specializations, available at 6th Level, give your character more focus other than just rogue, mage, or warrior. This includes things like Assassin, Bard, Champion, and Templar. These are great new options to better define who your character is.
Equipment adds poisons, grenades, and traps to the system. These are also excellent additions providing new, interesting ideas for the characters during standard game-play. However, they also give GMs more devious means to thwart the character’s plans.
Magic is a two-part section containing fluff surrounding how mages become mages and introducing new spells, including the new Blood Mage line of spells. This section is an absolute must for those becoming mages as it contains excellent background information for fleshing out your character’s history.
The Player’s Guide ends with a look at how to better embrace the Dragon Age role-playing game along with providing a few new combat stunts to add to the list. Additionally, this section provides a list of Exploration and Roleplaying Stunts that can be used outside of combat. I really like these as they really encourage non-combat game-play in a more dynamic fashion.
Including the Index and front page, the Player’s Guide is only 80 pages, a quick read, and filled with awesome source material and value.
GAME MASTER’S GUIDE
The Game Master’s Guide is divided into the following sections: GMs Lore, campaign tips, new adversaries, rewards, and a new adventure module. Within the pages of the GMs lore is the Game Master’s behind-the-scenes information concerning the blight and the Grey Wardens. Albeit short, this is great information for better incorporating Grey Wardens into ongoing campaigns.
Campaign Tips is a fluff section dedicated to helping the Dragon Age GM run better adventures and campaigns. This includes a large list of campaign framework types along with details of each. Following this is general information for designing encounters along with making them more interesting. Finally, this section ends with a look at how to balance roleplaying and rollplaying.
Adversaries is a large section containing 17 new adversaries in the standard presentation format. This section is very easy to read and completely straight-forward.
Rewards contains some new direction for how to better reward the player characters outside of the standard gold and experience points. As this is a dark fantasy setting, gold shouldn’t be readily available and neither should fantastic weapons. So instead, Set 2 introduces honorary titles giving to use as rewards, giving the characters various bonuses. In addition, this section takes a look at weapon and armor material considering how these materials make better equipment resulting in specific bonuses. Finally, some magic items are provided, although it should be noted that half of them are temporary.
Half of the Game Master’s Guide is given over to the new adventure titled The Autumn Falls, designed for 5th – 7th Level characters. This adventure is awesome! I really can’t divulge much as it would really spoil the adventure, but I will let on that it’s an excellent combination of several aspects of role-playing in a single adventure. This adventure alone makes the entire Game Master’s Guide worth using. The only thing I’ll say is that the Autumn Falls is a massive tournament where warriors compete for many prizes. But there are so many twists and turns along the way that your PCs will always be kept on their toes.
OVERALL
One could argue that Dragon Age Set 2 is a required purchase for those wanting to continue a campaign. While Set 1 introduced all the basics and got players moving forward, Set 2 is more than just the next levels of campaign play. It is filled with new options and mechanics giving a more advanced take on the system. This translates into value for both players and GMs. Upon reading through Set 2, you may just want to take your campaign in a whole new direction.
RATINGS
Publication Quality: 10 out of 10
Dragon Age Set 2 contains all the beauty of Set 1, once again in full color. The format and layout are always easy to read and highly effective. The collection of illustrations is beautiful, bringing about more visual aspects of the setting and the “look and feel” it portrays. There is a slightly excessive use of the color red, but everything still looks fantastic. Also in the same fashion as Set 1, it is contained in a solid box with two high-quality books, a fold-out map, and this one contains laminated cards listing the combat stunts (which is one of the best ideas for accessories in this box).
Mechanics: 10 out of 10
Dragon Age Set 2 contains a lot of small additions to existing mechanics along with a lot of new options that take existing mechanics in different directions. Small things such as new stunts are a great addition, but it’s the large ones such as Grey Warden, dwarfs, specializations, and blood magic that really stand-out. Upon reading through Set 2, you begin to realize that Set 1 really focused upon the basics of the system and setting while Set 2 brings in new, more advanced mechanics that one wouldn’t need to worry about when you start playing for the first time. It truly builds upon and advances the entire system.
Desire to Play: 10 out of 10
Without considering the fact that to continue playing characters past 5th Level requires Set 2, the new options make it desirable for even those who want to get more out of the system as a whole (considering the new character creation options coupled with the options from Set 1). An entire chapter of the Player’s Guide is dedicated to furthering the development of the setting including general player and GM knowledge that can add source material to your campaigns. Essentially, the desire to use Set 2 is a combination of furthering your characters through levels 6 – 10 and the new character creation and advancement options available on top of the additional lore.
Overall: 10 out of 10
If you like Dragon Age Set 1 and enjoy playing the game, then there really is no reason to not further your adventures with Set 2. The only thing that may cause frustration is your players realizing they’ve spent 5 levels with a character and now the new options make them want to start over with a new one. This is one of the biggest drawbacks to this style of development, but they’re easy to work through and characters can easily be modified. However, sometimes it’s easier to “test the waters” with the basics and then move to the more advanced options once you’re familiar with the system and setting.
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