BRP Magic World, Quick Start Quide

Page: 7 / 38

How to Play
6
Magic World Quick-Start
How to Play
Storytelling is the most ancient art in which hu-
manity still engages. From time inmemorial we
have gathered in groups to engage in the myths
and legends of our people. From the hearth fires
of ancient tribes, to the glittering cineplexes down
the street, stories help us to understand who we
were, who we are, and who we wish to be.
Magic World is a set of rules to allow you
and your friends to tell astounding stories of
fantasy and myth. The rules codify what ac-
tions are available within the game, while re-
maining intuitive so that they do not get in
the way of your enjoyment of the stories.
The rules to Magic World are easily remem-
bered. Most tasks can be resolved with a single
roll of the dice. Character creation is quick
and intuitive, with numerous options as to
character race, skills, etc.
But don’t take our word for it. Grab some
dice and friends and forge the stuff of legends!
Roleplaying
Fantasy Roleplaying is a form of social gam-
ing, akin to acting out a novel. There are two
sorts of players. Most players act out the prima-
ry roles in a game, the heroes around whom the
tales revolve. They might be swaggering war-
riors in plate armor, sly beggars whose weapons
are the deformities with which they earn their
living, or decadent Sorcerers of noble birth.
One other player becomes the Chronicler, who
devises and presents the adventures in which
the rest of the players participate. The Chroni-
cler describes the world in which the Adventur-
ers roam, and how that world is affected by the
players’ actions. While a player acts out only one
role, or perhaps two if playing two Adventurers,
the Chronicler presents the entire fantasy world
in which the game is set, with its people, places,
monsters, and gods.
Play is mostly conversation: the Chronicler
outlines some situation or encounter, then
the players say what they, in the guise of the
Adventurers, propose to do. Relying on the
rules to keep everything consistent and fair,
the Chronicler then tells them how to do what
they proposed or, if impossible, what hap-
pens instead. Dice rolls, the results of which
are unpredictable, keep everyone honest and
provide surprises, triumphs, dismal defeats,
and hairs-breadth escapes.
Success in roleplaying comes not from play-
ers eliminating each other, as in chess or Risk,
but in memorably adopting the personas of
characters quite different from themselves, and
in reacting as those people would to other-
worldly scenes and creatures.
Part of the pleasure in roleplaying is the in-
teraction and cooperation between players: a
novel gives solitary pleasure, but roleplaying
gives the satisfaction of theater. Cooperation
among players is important in successfully
completing the task or quest the scenario set
forth, and in granting their own pleasure in
the game—you are not only the actors, but
the audience as well.
Many of the game’s details are glossed over here
but since Magic World is a game of fantasy and
wonder, this will not the atmosphere of imagi-
nation necessary for a good fantasy game.