 To accuse Pantheon Press and Jay Stratton, creators of Fortune’s Fool, of simply dropping a few demi-humans into the Renaissance and calling
it an alternate history setting is to ignore the restrained design
execution of a product that places inspiration over delineation and
respect for the creativity of players over what-is and what-must-be.
With a span of centuries and a tumultuous political, mercantile, and
artistic landscape, the real Renaissance itself would be too wild to
tame in a single RPG product; to expect this version to meticulously
capture the scope of the historical events which actually occurred from
the 14th to the 17th century while spicing it up with fantasy elements
is utterly unreasonable. Wisely, Stratton and the folks at Pantheon
Press unveil the world of Fortune’s Fool to readers in broad
geographic strokes, imparting important social and cultural information
in brief for inspiration rather than crushing them beneath the mass of
information a Renaissance scholar is capable of dropping on an
unsuspecting victim. European kingdoms and important regions are presented in succinct passages that convey the essence of the land and how each place may differ in this reality. Strung together, the passages create the outline of the story of Fortune’s Fool. Players are encouraged to tinker with it as they will. Before doing so, however, they must come to terms with a bit of ancient history of the Hellenic sort, re-imagined with a fantasy flourish. It’s the “classical” world – the Athenians are elves, the Spartans are dwarves, and (I think) the Corinthians are humans (and probably still as decadent). Their Persian aggressors are orcs, and the end result of their conflict is a tragic loss to all civilization. That event inevitably leads to yet another series of tragedies hundreds of years later, the ramifications of which change elf society and the rest of the world forever. Is this back story a bit gratuitous for a game set in the Renaissance? Hardly. The Renaissance’s preeminent scholastic mode of thought – humanism – was wholly dependent on the works of classical antiquity. By the 1600’s, Church officials, statesmen, and the wealthy were educated in the “studia humanitatis,” and this academic movement, with its acceptance of diversity, individuality, and artistic expression, would spread across all of Europe, shaping the social and civic evolution of every major city. By altering the ancient world, Stratton invites possibilities for revising humanism, re-shaping Renaissance society, and, thus, creating revelations and adventures that would not be possible in a game-story set in the real Renaissance. Did Athenian elves have a different sense of democracy? What defined the culture of Spartan dwarves? What was lost when the Persian orc vengeance fell upon Greece? Those answers could have a profound effect on this “new” Renaissance via its adoration of antique manuscripts, poetry, and histories. The prospects for fiddling with history almost immediately fire up the imagination! Stratton succeeds in fueling a reader’s desire to create rather than burdening his or her brain with a need to study an overabundance of information that would inevitably feel more like reading a Global Studies 101 textbook than an adventure game.  However, in no way does Fortune’s Fool lack an edge. Linked intrinsically to humanism was religion, and, boldly, Stratton does not ignore the crucial role that the many religions of the Renaissance played in the lives of its citizenry. Though some players may feel that religion in RPGs is a risky proposition, beliefs in the divine can be incredibly rich sources of storytelling energy, and I have personally always enjoyed exploring the power of faith through characterization. Fortune’s Fool keeps one foot set firmly in the real world at all times, treating the subject in an even-handed and delicate manner while still giving religions some fantasy flavor. A character’s religion grants access to particular skills, gives more chances to “twist fate,” and even allows for abilities not unlike spell casting. From the Jewish mysticism of the Kabbalah to the power words of ancient Latin, Stratton has tapped an imaginative well by merging the real with the fantastic. Still, he always reminds us that the Renaissance was an “age of reason;” magic is rare, and science was quickly winning out over superstition throughout Europe. For a storytelling game like World vs. Hero, Fortune’s Fool is an absolute gem! This is owed in no small part to Pantheon Press’s commitment to what they call “immersive game play.” According to their website, “We prefer deep and involved character development, storylines and player/NPC interaction. This typically means we focus more on plotlines in individual sessions and broad story arcs in campaigns more so than tactical development and combat.” I can really appreciate this philosophy, and, from its character creation system to its elegant design mechanics, Fortune’s Fool succeeds in championing Pantheon Press’s goals. As for those mechanics, I would be remiss to not mention the central design element of Fortune’s Fool – the application of a Tarot deck for everything from skill checks to fate tests to combat resolution. Though with World vs. Hero
I’m more concerned with extracting the fluff of the world from a gaming
product and getting right into a story, this time I’m completely
impressed with the layers of emerging strategies created by the way the
Major and Minor Arcana are keyed to an individual character. I get a
very strong sense that Fortune’s Fool is a lot of fun to play in a group! The game’s first published adventure, the introductory Pinocchio, Wood Golem Gone Wild, reinforces that feeling. With its flavorful concepts and Tarot-inspired art, Fortune’s Fool is an excellent game for storytelling that reaches into our prior knowledge of history and gives it a wicked twist! |