I am going to run a brief adventure using the ruleset from Green Ronin's Dragon Age tabletop game. I have procured the quickstart rules (a free and very simplified version of the rules), and the idea is that if I like running the game, I will purchase the actual books, learn the whole system and start running a permanent game.
Dragon Age, for those who do not know, is a series of video games. Developed by Bioware, they are considered a spiritual successor to the Baldur's Gate videogames set in Forgotten Realms. The setting for Dragon Age is therefore similar to Forgotten Realms, although not identical. The setting is also highly influenced by Tolkien and A Song of Fire and Ice.
In terms of lore and setting, I'd say the three biggest differences between Dragon Age and typical D&D settings are religion, magic and the darkspawn.
In D&D, the gods are very much real and tangible. They walk the world and grant spells to their faithful. In Dragon Age, that is not the case. There are several big religions in the setting, but there is no verifiable proof any of them are 'real.' DA gods do not grant spells (rather, all magic--even healing magic--is the domain of mages) and do not seem to directly (if at all) influence the world. Thus, faith is a much bigger element in the DA setting than in most D&D settings.
Magic works differently, too. All magic is the domain of mages, even healing magic. However, in D&D magic is something you can learn (so long as you have the intelligence for it). In DA, magic is something you are born with. You cannot 'learn' it, you either have it or you do not. Furthermore, magic is much more dangerous. Anyone who uses magic has a possibility of becoming possessed by a demon. Mages who become possessed remain that way permanently; they are called abominations and there is no known cure for it. Thus, mages are incredibly feared and distrusted because in reality, they are very dangerous. The Chantry, the biggest of the human religions, keeps their mages locked up in towers and under constant guard from Templars--holy knights who are trained to fight mages. These 'circle towers' are similar to the Orders of High Sorcery from Dragonlance, except you are required to join and it's not the mages who will hunt you down if you refuse.
And then there are the Darkspawn. DA does not have orcs, goblins ogres and so forth. What they have is much, much worse. The Darkspawn are pure evil, corrupted and tainted beings that spread disease and blight wherever they go. They kill indiscriminately, and any land they walk over becomes unable to grow plantlife. Animals and people who spend too much time around them become corrupted into 'ghouls.' The Darkspawn largely live underground, only sending small raids to the surface now and again. They wage a constant war with the dwarves, however. But every few centuries, the Darkspawn form a massive army and head up to the surface. This is called a Blight. There have been four blights so far, and there are murmurs that a fifth one might be starting soon. Only the Grey Wardens can stop a Blight.
(To learn more about the setting and lore, check out the Dragon Age Primer down in the actual forum. It has way, way more info than anyone will need to play this simple adventure. Sorry, I went a bit overboard. I just really like the setting and lore of these games.)
In terms of mechanics, it's similar to D&D but there are big differences. Everything is resolved with 3d6 instead of 1d20s, 1d10s and so forth. Some of the mechanics are rather similar to 3E but they are much more simple and streamlined, reminding me more of 2E or 1E instead.
You can read more about the mechanics in the actual Dragon Age forum. They're really simple, at least so far. However, if you'd like to see an example of gameplay, check out the two videos below. Each one is half an hour long, but aside from being very entertaining to watch (and starring Wil Wheaton! and the GM is the guy who actually designed the game we're going to play!) they give you a very good idea of how the mechanics work.
Part One
Part Two
Now, down to the basics. This is a level 1 adventure. Nobody will level up during this game (even if I knew how to level people up, I doubt anyone would earn enough XP, as the adventure is pretty short and sweet). I don't know how to create characters either, but the quickstart rules provided five pre-generated characters to use. Therefore, I am looking for somewhere between 2 and 4 players (Horizon has already signed up).
I want to emphasize, this whole adventure is basically one big experiment/tutorial. It probably won't last longer than 3-4 months tops, so it's not a big commitment. I don't know the rules well, and I assume none of you do either (although if you do, feel free to give some pointers). The point is, I'm learning how to run this game at the same time as you all are learning to play it, so if you sign up, you should expect at least some bumpiness along the way.
However, if the game goes really well, I might buy the full rules and start running a real game. If you play in this one and really like your pregen, you can transfer him/her over to the new game, if that should happen.
The premise of this adventure is that a local arl (like an earl) wants to hire some mercenaries for a job escorting his children home. The pregens come with a very vague background, which you can change or flesh out, if you like. You can also change the names if you don't like them (both a male and female name is provided for each character).
Whew. Okay, I think that covers everything. If not, feel free to ask any questions. So, join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that can not be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day we shall join you.
