Before I go into detail about my thoughts on Tales of Xadia, I should mention that I know next to nothing about The Dragon Prince. I have heard good things about it, but I am judging this TTRPG based on it’s merits alone. I am familiar with other systems for TTRPGs, like Dungeons and Dragons and Call of Cthulhu. However, I am by no means a professional. Here I will mention what caught my eye.
To start off with, the game does not use a 20 sided die at all. It is simply 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 sided. Also, everyone rolls out in the open. Also, you can step up or down on your dice. Say my character Average Joe had a strength die of 6. I could step up and make his strength die 8. Alternatively, Average Joe could have shut himself away for a while and I decide to step down from a 6 to 4.
Rolling a 1 causes what the game refer to as a hitch. The NC (Narrator Character) can activate a hitch, presumably something that goes to the detriment of the PCs (Player Characters). However, if the NC rolls a 1, the players get an opportunity. Now if all a PC’s dice come up 1, that’s a botch. Botches make what effort a character put into, basically zero.
One thing that I really like is the idea of stress dice. Stress dice are from 6 to 12. Also, there are multiple types of stress: Afraid, Angry, Anxious, Corrupted, Exhausted, and Injured. However, if stress exceeds 12, a character has trauma. Trauma is basically, long term stress. And if trauma goes past 12, that character is done.
There is also Plot Points, or PP for short. Plot Points are how you can affect the story. They are used for activating special traits, can make dice more powerful, and even adding more dice to your dice pool. You can earn plot points by starting a session, giving in (letting an opponent win their contest), and even roleplaying well.
In closing, this game looks like an absolute blast with friends! Even without watching anything about The Dragon Prince, I would love to play a Campaign with my friends!
