Broadsword - A Cut Above The Rest ...

Looking for a fast, pick-up game with a high turnover of characters that emulates the low-budget sword-and-sorcery masterpieces of the 1970s and '80s? Then look no further than Broadsword, the new roleplaying game from Deep 7, written by our own Jeff Mejia and James Stubbs.

Using the innovative 1PG system, all the core rules are condensed to a single page, the rules summary and character sheet take another page, the referee gets a page and supplementary rules (in this case "advantages" and "magic") get a page each. All this is topped off with nine single-page adventures (the last six forming The Crimson Chronicles campaign).

While this is a great system to use when introducing someone to roleplaying - it uses a simple d6 against statistic/skill mechanic - the brevity of the rules means some concepts are open to interpretation and some aren't explained at all; which is okay for someone with a history of roleplaying games, but rather daunting to a newbie. But this is spelt out on the "rules of play" page, so shouldn't come as a complete shock to the reader.

These core rules of play are pretty constant between all the 1PG games (which cover genres from the Wild West to Outer Space, via Two-Fisted Pulp Action and Samurai, to name but a few), but tinkered with for period flavour, which is why it is rather surprising that this is the page with the most typos!

Another carry-over from the core rules is the unexplained inclusion of "hit locations" on the character sheet (presumably this is an "advanced rule" from the 1PG Companion).

Where the game triumphs is its authors' obvious self-deprecating love and knowledge of the genre, with such character talents as "chainmail bikini" and referee advice that includes "cut to the chase" and "bring the popcorn" (figuratively). Broadsword is all about having fun (think Hawk The Slayer and Conan rather than D&D) and not taking things too seriously - characters can die at an alarming rate. The page of referee's advice is some of the best - and most condensed - I have read for anyone running a swords and sorcery game (be it this or some d20 variant)

Although extended campaign play is possible under these rules, they are really geared to cinematic one-shots where you're not trying to preserve a treasured character but can let your hair down and rampage through the enemy hordes with a maiden in one arm and a flagon of mead in the other!

In total, Broadsword is a 16-page PDF download for the princely sum of $3.95 (about two quid English money), and a worthwhile adventure for anyone looking to unleash their inner barbarian without having to worry about hurting the feelings of whiny elves or stubborn dwarves.