Perhaps my biggest purchase (at least in terms of pages - 414 of them) at this year's Gencon is the new English translation of the latest version of Das Schwarze Auge - translated as The Dark Eye. Das Schwarze Auge (DSA) is I believe the first RPG in German and is now in it's 5th edition in Germany. The game is named after it's most powerful or famous artifact, which is pictured above...think Tolkien's palantir. The new American version of the rules seems to represent a partnership between the German publisher, Ulisses Spiele and Paizo. The word at Gencon was that The Dark Eye (TDE) will soon be available everywhere Paizo's Pathfinder is sold.
Other than being a 400+ page tome in beautiful full-color, there isn't really much overlap between Pathfinder and TDE. Obviously they are both FRPGs, but that is where the similarity mostly ends. TDE, having developed along German lines independently of the American game market, is a very different game from Pathfinder or the world's most popular game from which Pathfinder is descended. Pathfinder is the outgrowth of a dungeon crawler heritage and combat therefore takes center stage. TDE is characterized as more role-play and is heavily tied to it's world of Aventuria. PCs are created on a point-buy system from one of the 100+ cultures Aventuria offers. Rather than being homeless adventurers out for fame and fortune, i.e murder hobos, PCs in TDE are expected to be a functioning part of a fictional society where one's relationships may be more important than one's deeds or wealth.
TDE uses professions which are rather like backgrounds and may be quite mundane occupations. Advantages, disadvantages and skills and unique abilities are purchased to customize the PC in just about any manner the player fancies. The PC can therefore grow into someone not originally envisioned. Being gifted with magic ability is about the only trait one must have at the start and which cannot be added later. The "blessed" are wielders of holy magic in TDE and each of the twelve deities have their own brand of cleric. Witches are one form of magic user and play a significant role in Aventuria.
TDE is not a rules light system, nor does it have much in common with d20 or other American systems (I am familiar with) and it has taken careful reading on my part to grasp many of its peculiarities. Combat uses Courage as initiative and is a strike - parry system which remains deadly even at higher levels as hit points don't increase that much. Magic is powerful, but mostly because Aventuria is a low magic setting. There is nothing like an area effect fireball spell, although the basic fire spell can be "super-charged" by increasing the points used to cast it.
The rules in TDE seem somewhat more logical than most games and I can see a deliberate attempt at realism. Verisimilitude is a stated goal of TDE and playing "in character" is emphasized. Aventuria is a world based on the European middle ages with Tolkien-esque races included, but it has 30+ years of in-game history which has been incorporated through changes and upgrades. Since I am coming late to the Aventuria party, I am not sure exactly how this has occurred, but Aventuria is described as a dynamic, living world where the actions of players has affected the history of the world over and again. In Germany there have been many novels, adventures and an ongoing newspaper describing the constant changes and developments within the fictional setting. Following along and playing a part in this evolving setting seems to be a major part of the appeal in German play. It will be interesting to see if Ulisses Speile can translate this into American.
As far as my tastes go, TDE is more rules than I usually prefer, although I admit there are times when I am definitely feeling "in the mood" for digging through a rules heavy game. What appeals to me most about TDE is the more European , "fairy tale land" style world of Aventuria and the emphasis on role-playing low-powered PCs as part of their culture/society. I think with the right group of players there are some interesting stories that could come out of playing TDE. I hope my friend, who also made the purchase agreeing to play TDE because it looks European and therefore different, and who usually goes in for the high-powered play of Pathfinder and 13th Age, finds the game as interesting as I do.
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