I like Fantasy AGE a lot. I tremendously enjoyed the original game using the AGE system, the Dragon Age Roleplaying Game. It even was one of the inspirations for my own fantasy RPG Warrior, Rogue & Mage. Unfortunately I didn’t get to play it as often as I hoped.

Later, when Wil Wheaton created Titangsgrave for Fantasy AGE, I finally was able to run an AGE-powered game. But it quickly turned out that while the rules itself were solid, easy to learn, and fun to play, the adventure was not so great. It felt linear, very constraining, and there was just not enough material to easily flesh out the world. When I picked up Titansgrave I was hoping more for a proper setting book and not just the adventure Wil already ran for his YouTube show. I could have set down, fleshed out the setting myself, but instead I lost interest in running it.

Titansgrave plus Fantasy AGE sounded like a great combination, but without a proper setting book it’s actually not that great. I could go back to Dragon Age, but it’s too grimdark for my current tastes, and the latest Dragon Age computer game still left a bad taste in my mouth, so that’s not really an option right now.

I’ve heard that Green Ronin recently released a new edition of their Blue Rose roleplaying game powered by Fantasy AGE, which might be worth a look. I don’t know much about the setting, aside from its inclusive nature (it’s supposedly very female and LGBT-friendly). From what I’ve read so far it’s praised by fans and critics alike and another full implementation of the AGE rules. Fantasy AGE, as a setting-agnostic ruleset, always felt a tad barebones.

Green Ronin is also working on a Modern AGE RPG which bring the rules to the … eh … modern age. This is another sign that the AGE System isn’t dead yet, but it’s definitely not getting as much support as I hoped it would get. I am still waiting for the Titansgrave setting book which has been hinted at, and I hoped there would be at least a couple setting for it by now.

Rules-wise there’s nothing wrong with Fantasy AGE: it shares some aspects with D&D in its various incarnations, but it’s also lighter than a lot of D&D editions and also different enough to be its own thing. But I would love to see more support for this systems: more settings, more magic schools, more options, etc. Let’s hope we’ll see more exciting AGE releases in the future.

What are your thoughts on this subject? Are there any Fantasy AGE supplements I missed? Should I check out Blue Rose? Please share your comments below!