More on genre

I’ve been writing about low fantasy as it pertains to ttrpgs. I have to say that, I really like what it offers. Specifically, what I’m going to discuss today is a overiview of Beyond the Wall from Flatland Games.

The core rulebook is one of my book projects right now. I’m really enjoying it. I haven’t read the whole thing, but I’m about halfway through. The game has been easy to read, logical to follow, and offers some innovation, despite describing itself as OSR. (A clone of an early edition of D&D, basically.)

However, a few specific things stood out to me. Every character has a relationship to a place. This removes murderhoboism to an extent, and I’m immediately a fan of that. Second, magic is fundamentally altered to make it a significant, but less prevalent component of the game. Magic is rare and powerful, with possibly awful side-effects. Outstanding! Finally, the game has lore written into its rules. Also cool. For example, if you want a taste of the setting the game is aiming, read the description on elves. This says so much. (Sorry, no spoilers!)

So far, I’ve really liked what I’ve seen. In many places I feel like the game isn’t as robust as I’d like, but its a lightweight system that will offer a lot. Multi-year campaigns? Maybe not. Outstanding adventures just the same? Almost certainly! The game stands out as a well-considered winner, and does a great job (so far, I’m only halfway through) of embracing low fantasy.