Hello all,

I am thinking of buying Arduin Eternal, but remain on the fence. Among other things, I am wondering how complete the various subsytems for Arduin Eternal are.

What do I mean by that? Well...

-How rigorous are the rules for technological invention? Does it boil down to "roll a skill against a difficulty arbitrarily decided by the GM, and make up some rules for how the device works?" Or are there lots of examples of technological devices to be created, with complete rules for how to create them, what skills and difficulty numbers are involved, etc? Or is it something in between? If I am completely outside the ballpark, how does it work?

-Same question as above, but for herbalism, alchemy, etc. How rigorous are these systems?

-Do magik, prayer, psychic powers, etc all work very differently from one another, or are they mostly the same thing with different attached skills? Are there a lot of examples of non-combat spells, or is magik mostly used for fighting? How is the selection of spells, mental powers, etc? Do they cover a wide selection of effects, or does the GM have to come up with rules for pretty common stuff?

-Are there rules for common combat maneuvers such as charging, tripping, disarming, etc? Or is the GM expected to adjudicate all of these instances?

-How about rules for things like jumping, climbing, balancing, etc? Are there detailed rules for how to adjudicate these and similar physical but not necessarily combat-related feats?

I am very interested in any help you might be able to give regarding these questions. I am especially interested in detailed responses that give me a real sense of how these aspects of the game work, but any help at all will do.

Hey, thanks for taking the time to post that detailed reply! I think you've sold me on it! I'm heading to the city tomorrow and I'll see if the game store has it, otherwise I'll place an order.

The other thing that I love a lot about Arduin is the wacky selection of monsters, but I understand that they are going to be presented in their own book. Any idea on when that one is expected? Is it in the range of weeks, months, or years?

Also, for anyone else, I'd love to hear your experiences with these game subsystems, or any feedback on the game at all for that matter.

Gods bless Games of Berkeley for carrying small press games like this. I have my copy now!

First impression: very cool. I've only flipped through it, but my fears of vague, non-specific mechanics were absurdly misplaced. Can't wait to devour this beast and see what it is all about. I really love the old-school style art and the enormous selection of character options.

In another thread, I suggested that somebody review this for rpg.net to help with exposure. I reiterate that suggestion at this time but, if nobody gets time to do it, I have it now so I'll put one up myself. Note that this may be awhile off, as I have to READ the sucker first, and this is one substantially sized tome of lore here.

Can't wait for more releases! Let me know if you need a free pair of eyes for proofreading or anything. I have no sort of game industry credentials or bona fides, but I am educated, literate, and willing to work for nothing

I'm sure I'll have lots more to say after I've read this over a bit.