Product Name: Medieval Rage
Publisher: Nerd Rage Games
Author: Richard Green, Nicholas Huth, BJ Lewis
System: Rage Series
Setting: Medieval Rage
Series:
Theme: Epic Fantasy
Type: Core
Link: http://nerdragegames.webs.com/
Medieval Rage is the epic fantasy core module for the Rage Series. As part of the recent “reboot”, Medieval Rage has been not only revised but drastically expanded upon. The core mechanics have not deviated from their solid design but a whole new world has been opened up with the system, literally. There are some new core mechanics added, but the majority of the reboot is an enhancement and revision. The original publication was fairly strong with an easy to use system that could work very well for a typical epic fantasy game. This review is to highlight the additions to the content and note the ratings considering the product’s revisions. You can read the standard review here.
RUNES
In addition to the already presented types of arcane magic and psi-talents, runic magic has been added to the system. Instead of making this another form of arcane magic, there are new mechanics surrounding the use of runic magic. This includes rolls required to draw the rune and what happens if you are unsuccessful. A new list of spells has been added specifically for runic magic including the object on which the rune is to be written on. While there isn’t a large amount of spells, it’s a great addition to the system.
BESTIARY
The “bestiary” has been greatly expanded upon with this revision. Being almost double in length, this list is quite comprehensive with solid descriptions for each creature and all applicable stats.
PANTHEONS
A new mechanic being added for divine priest is the available pantheons. This core module brings two pantheons: Norse mythology and a generic pantheon. These pantheons contain a number of deities the divine priest can worship to obtain their divine powers. Each deity carries different bonuses and requirements. The list is quite long and offers many new options for creating divine priests and giving them different types of focus.
GM TOOLS
There are a few new GM tools added to this revision. While they are seemingly unnecessary, they add a bit more value to the product and give the GM a quick way to create adventures or details without much preparation. These new tools include a mission generator, world builder, XP value calculator and a couple of the previously available tools.
LANDS OF AVAL
Lands of Aval is a full campaign setting for Medieval Rage. This setting carries a large list of additions to the module and is basically a free sourcebook being added to the module. While it doesn’t fully detail the entire world, it does describe an important part of the world and promises to be continued in later supplements.
Lands of Aval starts by presenting new half-races into the system along with an alternate human race. This includes half-ogres, goblins, elves, and orcs, along with the humankin race which is similar to its human cousin race. Character creation then moves into actual backgrounds for the different character types. These are basically different schools or guilds the characters can be a part of which provide different bonuses and penalties.
Divine priests are given a boost with a new pantheon and seminaries the priests may attend. These deities are a bit more detailed and offer new (and more) bonuses. Along with divine magic, there is a list of additional sorcerer spells for arcane spellcasters. This is followed by additional skills and weapons.
Lands of Aval continues with a detailed description of the campaign setting in regards to the region being focuses upon. A great listing of cities is included with regional location, descriptions and their population. This moves on to a large list of new bestiary and new magic items (which should have been placed with the new weapons). Finishing this campaign setting is a simple set of maps depicting the applicable area.
OVERALL
While Medieval Rage contains a good set of game mechanics, I really like the addition of the pantheons, runic magic and the expanded bestiary. The incorporation of the campaign setting is basically a bonus and could easily have been sold separately. This is a good direction for the module and really brings in a great new level of game-play. Plus the new layout looks great.
RATINGS
Publication Quality: 7 out of 10
The new layout and presentation really improve the quality of Medieval Rage. There is still a lot of white space and some of the sections could use a little tweaking, but overall it’s a big step in the right direction. One of the weak spots, however, is the lack of illustrations, especially in the bestiary sections. Illustrations really help to creature visual representations of what you’re trying to describe instead of forcing a description. Many of the creatures are standard and common, but illustrations really enhance the content. I am also very glad to see that the background has been removed.
Mechanics: 9 out of 10
Medieval Rage already had a good set of mechanics. The new pantheons and runic magic make great additions, but the character creation still contains the bit of sluggishness I noticed before. However, game-play should not be hampered once the characters have been created. With the options for divine priests, even more unique characters are possible.
Desire to Play: 7 out of 10
Even though character creation has been enhanced with the new options available, game-play itself should remain relatively consistent with the previous version. This does not mean the game has become more or less exciting, it simply means that the game-play for Medieval Rage has not been altered enough to really notice a different.
Overall: 8 out of 10
I really like the revision to Medieval Rage. Not only has the layout and presentation been improved, but the incorporation of new options during character creation and an entire campaign setting are amazing. Nerd Rage Games shows definite progress with their products and the open-ended method of design really allows for a high number of supplements to be created to further enhance game options, character creation, interesting adventures and GM resources.
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