Exceptional sandbox fantasy TTRPG in an exceptional world. This Nordic post-apocalyptic take on the Tolkienesque pseudo-medieval fantasy is just so tasty and full of great bits of lore that are easy to adapt into the play of the game. The version of the Year Zero Engine (YZE) used in this game, while not perfect due to some rules being prone to misconceptions, is a really good adaptation to this setting and fantasy sandbox gaming in general. My players are simply loving this game and it is so easy & fun to run. Five out of five stars.

Highly recommend. Great narrative given and enough space to incorporate your own ideas. I really love the combat mechanics - even more enhanced by the optional cards.

There is a fantastic solo/ coop expansion available that adds to the „Book of Beasts“ (same author) mechanics.

Take the Silmarillion, remove ever more hope, and you get the world of Forbidden Lands. It's a game with amazing flavor, and brimming with conflicts. They've also adapted the fantastic Year Zero engine for Forbidden Lands and it's fits so well. I purchased this bundle at PAX Unplugged in 2022 after skipping over the game for Christmas the year before--and I regret that. It's an excellent fantasy system.

Different game system, but not my cup of tea

Bought the core book since my group have had so much fun with the "Vaesen" setting from the same publishers. However, upon the initiel read of the book I saw that it's not for my group, so I'll post a quick review in case it might help others decide if it's for them.

When I read a new core book for the first time, I always start with the dice mechanics to see if it will work for my group. Otherwise there's not much point in reading on. Looking at this system, and running a trial/test combat, I can see that it is way too clunky/cumbersome for us. The system is basically a variation of the Year Zero Engine like other Free League products, but my problem with it is that your pool of D6's need at least 3 colours - for skill, attribute and gear/weapon. And rolls of 6 and 1 means something different depending on which dice you roll it on, and whether it's a pushed roll or not. Basically it works like in their Alien RPG, only even more convoluted. At that point you might as well go with the trusted d20+modifiers.

The second thing I look at in any game system is magic, because that usually tells a lot about how a fantasy game will run. I really want to like the magic system in Forbidden Lands, and I love the spell list and the Sword & Sorcery feel of it all - less fireballs etc. I enjoy the component integration and the flavour of the schools. However, upon further inspection, problems arise:

1) In-world, with RAW, it would be impossible to actually be a practicing caster for any length of time. The dicepool for spells can be varied, but basically you need a least 1 die until you're a rank 2 caster. Presumably, you can't start at rank 2 or higher "lorewise", hence every caster would need to cast "with dice" (no safe casting) when starting their training. And the trick is that casting with even 1 die gives you a 1/6 chance of a mishap (basically Perils of the Warp), and from there a 1/36 chance of instantly dying. No save. So in effect, every time you cast, you have a 1/216 chance of dying. I can see why it's fun and very "Conan-like" for a one-shot, but for a campaign, and especially from a lore perspective, it makes no sense. Unless spells are really really powerful and not something you'd ever do, let alone train, unless it's your last option. Problem is, most of them are rather basic utility effects. This also cannot be mitigated by any talents, powers, gear etc. At least not in the core book. You're just going to have to suck it up.

2) The "mana" resource is called Will Power and you gather it by pushing rolls - in other words, failing a task and trying it again. Only, you can't push spells. So a caster that wants energy for casting needs to go fail at jumping over a gorge..... Yes, it doesn't make sense at all.

3) Your attributes and skills do not affect your casting. No more brainy wizards or charismatic sorcerers. While it's certainly a different approach, it's not what I was looking for.

Many other aspects of the system looks good. I really like the look of the crafting and the non-classical take on a classic trope-filled setting. I also adore the crit tables! Further, the production value is decent, with a good font and the book itself is very nicely decorated with flavourful art.

In summary, there's much to like about this system, but the dice mechanic and especially magic system kills it for my group. I give 3 stars since I can see the system working for people who're just doing melee and/or one shots, and who doesn't mind the clunky dice rolling.

Like Mutant only set in a fantasy setting, which for me personally is a much better thing! The system is easy to understand yet it´s complex enough to tell a good story around!

I'm conflicted about Forbidden Lands.

About half as complicated as 5e, but still a LOT of rules to learn.

Mechanics evoke the sword & sorcery themes well, but the setting isn't compelling.

Combat is exciting and tense. The failure mechanics give players a great opportunity to narrate how they fail. But overland travel felt tedious for my players who prefer storytelling.

Character progression has enough runway for longer campaigns.

Overall a much slicker alternative to 5E.

I like the system and the setting. This game is an elegant sandbox RPG focused on the exploration of an unusual dark fantasy world, in search for booty and fame. Combat is tactical enough but does not require a grid. It is fluid (and quick and deadly) and allows for any non-fighting action to be performed as usual. Adventures are meant to be found exploring the world, so there is not a set order of challenges for the players. For this reason I found it a little more challenging to run than D&D. But it is very cool to give this freedom to the players! Great game! (and also very cool art)

Forbidden Lands is great complete game without adding to much complexity to the rules. The pushing dice mechanics allows for suspense and cinematic value. What I liked most is the solid rules for overland exploration, which can be also expanded for dungeon crawling, they are give sense to the character's skills and give them more to do than just slashbuckling around.

I only hope however that the Magic system is expanded in future editions, with more interesting effects and synergy with the exploration rules and dice mechanics.

As for the scenario, the Ravenlands is not my usual choice of setting. But the system can be easily adapted to other fantasy worlds, it can even work quite well with some kind of gritty Lord of the Rings IMO.

A fantastic game, which simulates the feeling of an OSR game very well! Although too mechanized at times, the game delivers great fun and greater challenges!

Full disclousure: this game would like you to have three good sets of differently colored D6s, a handful of other dice, a deck of cards, and if possible a second deck of specially made cards to play. there's a lot of different things going on with the mechanics and i can honestly say it's easy to get overwhelmed.

If that doesn't instantly turn you off, good news! Forbidden lands is a rich, colorful dark fantasy setting where all the races have interesting things about them, conflict is both rife and as risky as it is rewarding and the stories in the world are a great background to play off. this is an RPG that seeks to bring the lessons of roleplaying today to you alongside the colorful and unsoftened trappings of the first RPGs, good for new players or old vets.

as i got it free as part of a promotion, 5 stars.

Forbidden Lands is perhaps the best iteration to date of the Year Zero rules system by Free League Publishing, paired with a setting that brings forth scenes and scenarios reminiscent of certain black metal or old school prog rock album covers' art. As a Kickstarter backer, I had been eagerly awaiting the game for some time, and after my first full session running the game yesterday, I'm glad to report that it does not disappoint.

The game is focused on exploration, with hex-crawl style play, punctuated by visits to villages and strongholds as well as dungeons and ruined castles. The exploration rules remind some players of a lighter version of The One Ring's travel rules, with different roles to be fulfilled in terms of one player character using survival skills to lead the way through the wilderness to avoid the party getting lost or running into hazards, and one player character keeping watch to avoid ambushes and make any random encounters along the way optional. There's some light resource management (you don't track individual units of rations or water but rather roll resource dice with each use to see if your supplies are running out) that may prompt other party members to forage, hunt or fish to avoid conditions like Hunger and Thirst. Party members might also fulfill important roles such as cooking the food others have caught or found (otherwise it won't last to become a resource), making camp (if a campsite isn't built in a good place or done well, you might wind up getting soggy or setting up your tent on an insect colony), and other chores. With each 10 kilometer hex you enter, you roll to see if you safely navigated the wilderness and if the lookout will spot any random encounters that the gamemaster might have rolled up, but there's plenty for everyone to do in this mode of play, although it's probably a good idea to make sure everyone is involved in decision making.

The map of Ravenland, the titular Forbidden Lands, is covered in icons where a hex will have a village, castle, or dungeon. It is up to the gamemaster to place the highly detailed adventure locations Free League and freelancers working on the game have come up with in those hexes. There are three locations in the Gamemaster's Guide, one each of a village, a dungeon and a castle. These can be used on their own, but they also play into the Raven's Purge campaign, which can be bought separately and has a great deal more locations. They say that the gamemaster can place these locations anywhere there's a corresponding icon on the map, and technically you can (technically, you can do anything you want at your game table) but every location has a legend and a history, and might have geographical features or suggestions for where it should be placed that in some cases - if carefully considered - lend the location to being placed in only one or two places on the map. Narrowing things further, the gamemaster's guide has a map showing where each Kin (fantasy race or subrace/clan) has settled. For example, if you're placing the laboratory and stronghold of a certain villain who called forth demons from a demonic portal, there's only one castle icon on the map adjacent to where history tells you there's a demonic portal. If you had a village that was a burial ground for officers killed in the Alder Wars that should be along a river, well, you've got several villages along rivers on the map, but there's a certain area between which Zygofer's forces would probably have met Alderland's in battle. Some locations are more flexible than others, if you want someone who understands the full history and context of the location to feel it makes any sense. This is possibly my one semi-criticism of the game, although the lack of labels on the map adds to the replayability of the campaign and makes it easy to reskin the game world as you please.

The feeling that only certain spots on the map felt appropriate for certain locations hardly mattered to me, though, because reading through the lore scattered throughout the gamemaster's guide and figuring out where best to place all of the locations in Raven's Purge and the Gamemaster's Guide was probably the most entertaining game prepration I've ever done. The history of the Forbidden Lands is full of secrets, betrayals, false narratives, unreliable narrators and legends that contain only a shadow of the truth. The native inhabitants of Ravenland were the elves and dwarves, with humans arriving later on as interlopers reluctantly given half of the land to keep the peace, negotiated via what's considered a protector god. Of course, humans being humans, they soon find themselves transgressing into the half of the land that is still reserved for elves, dwarves and other Kin due to religious persecution, overpopulation, a long period of poor growing seasons, in pursuit of the persecuted, and so forth. A series of migrations, wars and intrigues occurs over hundreds of years, up to the point where a demonic Blood Mist stretches across the land, devouring anyone who wanders from home and hearth at night. The Blood Mist rises each night for 300 years, until just several years before gameplay begins. This is why the lands are unknown to their inhabitants, and where all the constant exploration comes in. The player characters are among the first brave souls to go out to the wilderness and seek fortune, fame, knowledge, or even just a break in the monotony of not being able to leave the lands your family has lived on for 300 years, where your restless dead ancestors moan and mill about your family burial plot or the village graveyard, and you spend your life farming turnips.

The system is similar to Mutant Year Zero, also by Free League. The dice system can be punishing, but in actual experience not as punishing as one might think when first reading it. Each character has attributes, skills, and equipment that lend dice to a pool of d6s. Only sixes are successes. You can 'push' a roll, representing your character pushing themselves body and/or mind to succeed at a task where they must, re-rolling all dice except for sixes and ones. However, any dice that came up as ones on your attribute dice also cause harm to that attribute. You strain your muscles, tire yourself out, become frustrated or mentally fatigued. But the desire to triumph over adversity also gives you the rare resource Willpower, and you gain one for each 1 rolled on an attribute die in a pushed roll. So you damage yourself, but also gain a certain sense of determination. "Yeah, I did that, I'm capable of pushing myself to the limit if need be." Unless your party builds a stronghold and stays the night there, this is the only way that you will get Willpower. Willpower is used for racial abilities, professional (class) talents, and for all magic. If anyone is playing a druid or a sorcerer, they're going to want to push rolls right away.

The system works well if the gamemaster moderates it and heeds the game's advice. Don't let that spellcaster do every silly thing they can to roll dice and push themselves. They should get a decent amount of willpower from regular gameplay. My partner played a druid, and wanted to push his first roll even though he had a basic success. I told him not to, there was no need. He still had willpower when it came time to use the Path of Healing to save another PC, pretty early on. Likewise, as a sidebar early in the game says, you don't need to roll for everything. Think of this like an old-school fantasy roleplaying game without skills, even though this system is based on skills. In other words, think OSR, think basic D&D. Don't do "perception" based checks to search rooms and find things... if the party needs to find something to move the plot along, they should. Otherwise, they should tell you specifically where they're looking (I look in the wardrobe, I look in the desk), and if something is there you tell them about it. Use the Scouting skill (the perception-like skill) as directed to keep watch, oppose stealth, or otherwise as outlined in the book. You should only roll where there are consequences for failure, and if someone rolls and fails, there should absolutely be consequences for failure. Unlike the way modern D&D is often played, if someone rolls to climb a wall and fails, they aren't just standing at the base of the wall going 'unnnhhhh, can't reach' and unable to begin. They probably got partway up the wall and fell at some point, perhaps painfully or making noise. All of the advice for running the game, while brief and to the point with little exposition on why it should be done, is worth heeding: the core principles of the game, advice sidebars like don't roll for everything, rolls have consequences, etc. This will make or break this game system (and honestly, it can only improve other systems you apply these principles to, as well.)

There are random tables for generating monsters, villages, castles, and dungeons that are actually surprisingly good. You'll have a few dozen monsters in the gamemaster's guide, but the thing to understand there is that (1) monsters are a big deal, they follow their own rules and if PCs don't approach things very carefully and with preparation, they will probably die, so monsters should be used sparingly, (2) the conflict of the Forbidden Lands is such that you'll probably be facing humanoids built similarly to the player characters more often than monsters, (3) locations detailed in the campaign and various other places will have their own monsters, and (4) monsters are easy to come up with or convert for the system, even without the random generator, as it's not hard to see how everything works in this system. There's no hidden balance to break per se.

Legends and Adventurers, the handout included in the core set, also includes an alternative method to randomly generate a player character that I was shocked every single one of my players used, sticking with the characters as they rolled them randomly for the most part. It also includes tables for a gamemaster to randomly come up with a legend for a person, place or artifact. Most of these tables are d66 (roll 2d6s, one is the tens digit and the other is the singles digit), but surprisingly flexible and providing a good number of options.

The combat system is decent, but fast and brutal, and you might see character death from time to time. If a fight is one humanoid person vs another humanoid person, there is an alternative advanced melee system that adds some more dynamism to combat, involving combat cards. A character in arm's length of another, with a full set of actions available to them, can force the character they're engaged with into advanced combat, if the gamemaster agrees. Both characters act at the same time, picking two cards to represent their actions. The attacker reveals his first action, and resolves it, then the defender, then the attacker, then the defender. This can "lock down" a combatant, forcing them to defend themselves or spend their actions fleeing melee or trying to fight back when they may not be much of a close combatant, and thereby allow someone to 'tank' an enemy. I have a feeling this will lead to a lot of people trying to immediately melee sorcerers and druids. However, the tables can be turned on the attacker if the defender throws caution to the wind and decides to fight back, because if one or the other side is hit first, pain prevents them from attacking later in the same round of combat. I only got to use this mode of combat for one exchange, as the bandits I had attacking the PCs and a caravan started attacking at range, and then went down quickly. I tried to manuever the NPCs into a situation where advanced combat could be invoked to demonstrate it to the group.

Eventually, we started off a round with two combatants in arm's length, and I decided on what the NPC would do and drew cards, and the player did as well. It turns out we both wanted to shove the other to the ground with the first action, me because I decided the NPC was panicking as the last bandit standing and the player because his PC was hurt and had diminished strength with which to attack, and wanted an easier target. The PC missed their shove attempt, I hit with mine, so the wounded PC and the scared bandit grappled briefly, and the bandit threw the PC to the ground. Then, we revealed our second actions. Unfortunately, the PC had chosen to attack, and couldn't do so while prone. The bandit's second action was to run. So he knocked the PC down and tried to flee. That sort of thing could happen in any system, but the simultaneous struggle, the PC's frustration at being unable to stop the last bandit, that came out of the advanced combat system.

Four bandits versus four PCs, resolved in just few minutes, with all the players describing their actions. As they 'broke' each of their opponents (taking them out by reducing an attribute to zero with an attack) I let them roll on the critical charts to give them something to work with in terms of describing how they took down the opponent. (Later in the game, a PC would take out a named Rust Brother (evil priests who gather sacrifices from villages) with a single arrow to the groin at a village, and I let it ride because it was just too perfect. It will also complicate things for that village.) Everyone was happy with the combat, but eager to buy more armor and some shields, and placing orders with the first blacksmith they met.

Overall, my first session running the Forbidden Lands took a group that mostly wanted to talk about Dungeons and Dragons 90% of the time, and engaged them in an old school, more narrative game of exploration, intrigue and gritty combat, and they were happy when it was done, ready to come back for more. I was probably more satisfied having run the session than I ever have been running games, which I've been doing for decades with a large collection of RPGs. The session went in directions I wasn't prepared for, but it was easy to read out whatever encounter or location the players had taken us to without disrupting the game. As the players have begun to explore and discover this new fantasy world, I got to experience their story, the unique order of events that sprung up from their explorations, what they decided to engage with, the consequences of their actions and rolls, and how they decided to deal with various NPCs and places. It gave me the kind of experience I feel every GM should get from running a game. In all RPGs, the gamemaster is another player at the table, but a lot of games can make the gamemaster's role feel like work. This game lets you feel like you're also a player at the table, in somewhat different ways than things like the Powered by the Apocalypse system or Modiphius' 2d20 system, but in a completely satisfying way.

If you like the One Ring this can give a dark fantasy change of pace. If you like OSR games, this feels like an old school gold box RPG cranked up to an HBO original series level of 'Woah, WTF?". If you like gritty combat... the combat monster among my group of players started out the first encounter cracking a man's skull and shattering another man's leg, then got nearly sliced in half by a broadsword. If you like intrigue and complicated plots and narrative games, there's something for you in here, too. If you like survival games, this is definitely something to get into. If you just need a change of pace from your group visiting another magically cosmopolitan, Disneyland version of a medieval fantasy metropolis, check this out. It does 'points of light setting' in a way that the game franchise that introduced us all to the phrase 'points of light setting' never did.

Highly recommended. Trust the game and its advice and you'll have a great experience. DriveThruRPG, please increase the scale for reviews so I can give this 10 out of 10 stars.

I wish this book could have existed 20 years ago when I was first introduced to roleplay. I think it would remain my favorite to this day. Not to dismiss it compared to today's standards, but I believe this game is a love-letter to old school gaming.

For those players who reminisce about the "good old days" of roleplay and try to recreate the experience of classic gaming, this game is definitely for you. I don't think the visual style and pacing would appeal as much to younger gamers who grew up with video games and movies that spoiled their imagination (no offense intended), but for a gamer my age or older (I'm 38) this game is a true treasure. I love the black and white artwork - it inspires me and fills me with wonderful nostalgia.

While I encourage you to purchase the PDF to review the game yourself, I strongly recommend purchasing the printed box set, as the actual books are beautiful and charming. Check out a video on Youtube of someone else opening the set to understand what I mean.

I would recommend it for two audiences. For many around my age, the team at Free League have created the game were wishing for back when we were twelve. All the possibilities that the games of the early eighties offered us, are here finally realized. Intuitive mechanics make combat gritty and heroic, magic thrilling and even resource management entertaining and fun. For people starting out in the hobby, this is an excellent value box, that gives you everything you need (apart from dice and a pencil) to build your very own world of adventure.

I was a Kickstarter backer and so have had early drafts, completed PDF's and now the physical product for a little while, so I may be predisposed to liking this game. And I am. But my expectations were high, and I have not been disappointed. Yes, obviously I would recommend this game. We played a one-off scenario, and my players wanted more. One of the starts running his own campaign on Monday.

Design Physical versions are sold a boxed game, a conceit that reflects its origins. In Sweden many games RPGs are still boxed, in the way that early Dungeons and Dragons, Runequest and Traveller were. The publishers, Free league (or Fria Ligan), set out to create a modern take on the classic games that some of us remember from the early eighties. So by boxing this game, they are not just conforming to the Swedish market, but also asking the rest of the world to remember the good old days. Which brings me to the illustrations. In creating their modern but retro game, Free League were inspired by the black and white drawings of Nils Gulliksson, who illustrated the first Swedish language RPG, a Runequest clone called Drakar och Demoner. Indeed most of the illustations are classics from the early days of Swedish gaming, complimented with newly commissioned pieces from the same artist. These have a certain beauty which younger gamers might find difficult to fully comprehend, especially when compared with the exquisite full-colour work of Martin Grip in Free League's other fantasy game, Symbaroum. There is certainly a degree of nostalgia in their appeal. What it means for PDF purchasers though is a small file size, speedy and responsive, and printing bits out own't drain your colour ink. The Swedish format also gives you a small page size, ideally suited to tablets.

Playing the game The heart of the system will be familiar with players of Mutant: Year Zero; Coriolis; and Tales from the Loop. Of the three, its closest to MY0. Which is entirely appropriate because it is a game of survival, in a fantasy world that has had its own apocalypse of sorts. Like that game, it is best played with enough dice of three different colours. There is a custom set available (more on that in another post) but MY0 veterans can play with those, and lets face it d6 are not something most gamers are short of. Most rolls are made by pooling a number of "base" d6 for your attribute, with a number for your skill and maybe one or two for your gear, and rolling. All you need to succeed is one six (which is marked with crossed swords on the custom dice) to succeed, but more successes improve the effect of your action - more damage in a fight, for example. If you fail, or if you want more successes, you can "push" the dice, rolling again. But the cost of this can be harsh - you can not re-roll any base dice or gear dice which came up one. And these, plus any more ones you roll on your base or gear dice, will do you, or your gear, damage.

This version of the dice pool might seem complicated at first, to those who have come from Coriolis or Tales from the Loop, but you soon get the hang of it, and it creates a wonderfully nuanced and narrative flow to the game.

Unlike MY0 or its sister games, Forbidden Lands also uses d8, d10, and d12, mostly for magical artefacts, but I particularly like the Pride mechanic, which enables a player to name one thing they are very good at. Once per game session, when a player has failed a vital role even after pushing their dice, if they can explain how their pride applies, they get to roll the d12. This has a greater than 50% chance of turning your failure into success, and not just one, but up to four success, which could mean a critical effect. The catch is, if you roll 1-5, your pride was obviously a false one. You strike it from your character sheet and must play a whole session before you can pick something to replace it.

Its a tough combat system, your strength attribute is your "hit points", and only the most exceptional character will ever have as many as six. Given even a glancing blow from a heavy axe can deal three, your players will find combat short, gritty, exciting, and something to be avoided. A quarter day's rest will restore all your attributes, but if you are broken in combat, you also take a critical hit, for the possibility of permanent damage, a slow death or, if you are lucky, a quick one. My advice to players is hit first, hit hard, wear armour, and take up archery.

Character generation is speedy and fun, especially if you use the random system found in the Legends and Adventurers booklet. If you do though, note that unfortunately a number of talents are named in that booklet that don't appear in the Players Handbook. In Horseback Archer becomes Horseback Fighter, and we had to replace Scrounger with Quartermaster. I guess the talents named were in an earlier draft. If random generation isn't your thing, then there is a simple point-buy alternative. One feature I particularly like is that you can start out, young, adult, or old (unless you are an elf - elves are ageless). As you get older you loose attribute points but gain skills and talents. Talents I should say, are specialisms and abilities that turn your relatively broad skill set into a very individual character.

I am generally not a fan of magic systems based on lists of pre-defined spells, but that said recognize the difficulties of creating more freeform RPG magic systems, especially in regards to spotlight  balance in games where not everyone is a magic user. This is spell list based but flexible in the casting. Players should learn quickly though that magic is risky - a couple of unlucky rolls can see you cast into a terrible hell with no hope of return - as a PC at least. The risk can be mitigated with preparation though, taking time to write your spells down and gather ingredients.

Which brings me onto a key philosophy in the game. This system makes resource management easy and fun to play. By breaking activities down in quarter days, by using simple mechanics like resource dice for ammunition, food and water, and a carrying capacity defined by lines in your gear list the system neatly abstracts and gamifies the more simulationist tendencies of (what we used to call) wilderness campaigns. We've played a couple of adventures so far and my players have enjoyed the scavenging for roots to supplement their food supplies. The resource management has not got in the way or story, indeed its has informed  the narrative.

There is one resource that you can only get through failure. When you push your dice and take damage (or wear for your gear) on ones, you also earn willpower points. Willpower powers magic spells and a good number of talents. There has been some debate about this mechanic. Some people are unhappy that only physical strain earns you the power to do spells (players start with no willpower and can only store up to ten points), or they can't see a connection between taking damage and gaining resolve. It may not lend itself to immersion, but I like the way it builds the narrative beats - your triumphs are all the sweeter after failure, after all.

The World Part of me wishes the setting was a humanocentric one, like Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones or The First Law books, but this is a retro game, and so of course there are not just humans, but Elves, Half-Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, Orcs, Goblins and (less obviously retro, except perhaps to Traveller players) Wolfkin. Swedish genre author Erik Granstrom manages to give us all the nostalgic fantasy tropes our heart desires but put a subtle spin of novelty on them which makes this world strange and beautiful. Part of the strangeness is due to this world being described mostly in myth and legend, with some of the stories contradicting each other and very little (but just enough) explaining the "true" ecology. The elves in this game have a marvelous yet non-game-break-y immortality that makes them seem truly alien. Halflings and goblins have a link that is both novel and yet a reflection of the Frodo/Gollum relationship, and Dwarves build the world as much as mine it. Humans in this world are the invaders, and orcs the (by no means hapless) victims. There is just enough cliche to recognise and plenty of novelty to explore and excite the imagination.

One of the best assets of the GM's Guide (and the Legends and Adventurers booklet) is the help it offers in world building. There are three sample "adventure sites", none of which offer an "on the rails" story, but NPCs, motivations, and opportunities that allow your party to truely create their own adventure. On top of these sites however there are random generation tables that enable any GM, even the greenest, to confidently prepare an adventure in advance. A quick thinking GM could even create an adventure on the fly, while it is being played.

As I was ready the GM's guide indeed, I was thinking this  might well be a perfect gift for a young and aspiring potential GM. It could be an ideal first RPG even. All you really need (apart from dice) for a world of adventure is contained in just one box. Who is it not for? Well, I know somebody who hates dice pool systems, and prefers a d20. It's not for him I guess. But even if you are wary of dice pools, let me reassure you that this one is simple, fast and fun.

Our gaming group has really been enjoying this game, it is a distinct change of pace over more "heroic" feeling fantasy games. If you like gritty fantasy where any combat encounter can easily result in death, where being Cold or Hungry can seriously hamper you, or where an injury can impact you for days or even weeks, then Forbidden Lands may be exactly what you are looking for. We have been playing for several sessions now and for the first time in years I'm watching my players approach everything with caution and well-thought out plans, especially after a single generic archer with no specific talents managed to take two of them out in consecutive rounds!

Forbidden Lands manages to incorporate a variety of features in the game that are often ignored in other games because they have overly complex rules, or they are simply not addressed. Things like the impact of being tired or hungry, encumbrance, or managing limited resources like ammo and torches, are all addressed in ways that are easy to track (and remember!) and have significant impact on the game. Contending with things like overland travel or maintaining your equipment is mechanically simple to incorporate but offers unique challenges and complications to drive the story forward.

On my first read through the rules I was expecting the game to be more difficult to grasp then it turned out. In fact, after just a brief explanation and an hour or two of play, we were having no troubles at all. The system is easy to use and intuitive. If you have any experience with the other Year Zero Engine games form Free League, it will be even easier. One of my favorite concepts in Forbidden Lands is the ability to "push" a roll. Pushing a roll increases the odds of success, or improves an already successful roll, but at the cost of degrading your attributes or equipment. However, pushing also has the potential to reward you with Willpower points that fuel some of your best abilities. As a GM I love a mechanic that tempts the players to take risks!

If you are looking for a solid fantasy game with a brutal feel, then look no further. Forbidden Lands delivers. And a little advice for players; if the GM says you are facing a Monster (monster is a specific term in this game), think twice before charging in!