Integrated Action - Typically role-playing games have been bound into turns. These artificial units of time decide which character gets to act and in which order. The problem arises when arbitrarily assigning how much a character can do before their "turn" is over. If the chunk is too small they cannot perform a meaningful action, and if the chunk of time is too big then other characters must watch helplessly -- unable to react to the change in situation. Every other gaming system on the market today uses an artificial turn sequence to determine who can move. Once they have taken an action a character is forced to wait an absurd amount of time and cannot react in the moment. The action of the game is forced into this artificial mode and the flow of time is nonsensical and frustrating. Gamers accept this as normal because, until now, they had no other choice. Epic Fantasy has integrated action, that means your character is always doing something -- in fact they are usually doing three things at once. The game runs fast ... very fast .. and your character can quickly react to a changing environment. This allows for an unprecedented level of detail and complexity while increasing the pace of the game. Read the section on integrated action to see how this is possible.
Role driven gaming - In an adventuring group there has always been an artificial common purpose that detracts from the individuality of the character and player -- the need for the group to kill and acquire treasure. This artificial common purpose is created because it is the only path to character advancement. Alternately game designers have put forth other methods of evaluating performance and improving abilities. All of the games that I have looked at have made a common mistake, they use the same criteria for evaluating the experience of all the members of the group. This discourages role-play and puts the focus on the artificial objectives. Epic Fantasy allows a player to define their characters disposition and develop on that basis.
Skill Expandability - This is a skill based system. Artificial classes are replaced by orders, guilds, societies, and knighthoods that are part of the campaign framework. Before you apply any preconceptions, or make the observation that this is not new -- read on. The rules for skills permeate the entire game. Every action is the result of a skill or combination of skills. The method of resolving skill tests is unique and keeps the dice in the hands of the players and the mysteries of the universe in the hands of the storyteller. There can be regional variations of all manner of skills and the possibilities for magical powers and abilities are limitless as they interact with other skills. You don't need to buy twenty pre-digested source books to introduce fresh new skills, magic, or concepts into your campaign. The core rules explain the methodology for creating custom abilities and balancing them within the game. Sets of related skills, magical duels, anything that can be imagined by a resourceful storyteller can become a skill arc that generates hundreds of hours of enjoyment. The bottom line is that using skills in Epic Fantasy is fun!
Why is this the best role-playing game ever?
