I’ve loved 13th Age ever since I first bought the first edition rulebook about seven years ago. It’s a d20/DnD-style game with far more storytelling options and some very neat rules. Players get to be literal fantasy superheroes in a sparse fantasy world where the players’ decisions control outcomes and the storyline as much as the GM’s.

One example is the escalation die – it’s a 6-sided die used during combat, representing the amping up of tension during a battle – after the first round the die is set as 1 and every player gets +1 to hit. Each round the die escalates, giving players additional bonuses up to +6 (assuming the battle lasts that long). Another example is the use of the Icons, high-level “off-screen” patrons that can assist (or hinder) the PCs. Another is each player has their “one unique thing”, a non-tactical, role-playing subplot that can come into effect at any time to expand the story.

This 2nd Edition is from a Kickstarter I supported a while back – two glorious hardcovers in a lovely slipcase. Here’s the Player’s Manual unboxing (stop the video at any point to view a page). Enjoy! 🙂

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