Brass and Steel is a steampunk RPG with a simple system that lends itself well to both tabletop and LARP play - or even any combination of the two.
The system uses a single D20, and actions are resolved with a simple mechanic - Attribute + Skill +/- modifiers = Target number to be rolled or under on d20. Additionally, a Tarot deck is used for Fate Cards - (and a method for using standard playing cards is also presented). Before a session, players draw a number of cards equal to half their character's Fate attribute, and can use these cards to affect their actions in the game. Minor arcana cards allow up to rerolls of any skill roll, while Major arcana cards can allow the player to change certain elements of the story.
The skill names are fun - "Barking Irons" is the name of the firearms skill, "Devious Devices" is the name of the set/disarm traps skill. These sorts of touches, while completely cosmetic, do a lot for maintaining the mood of an RPG session.
The art is sparse, but good - most of it is classic, vintage-era stock art, with a few original pieces of line art included. This does allow for a lot more text, which the authors definitely took advantage of.
Other items of note include glossaries of RPG terms and world/setting terms (always a bonus in my book, and should be included in every RPG with a lot of unique background) and a slew of sample characters to run as-is or inspire character creation.
It's only natural that as the steampunk genre has grown in popularity, steampunk-themed RPGs have become increasingly more common. Brass and Steel is an excellent choice for roleplayers looking to do some steampunk-themed adventuring - it has a simple system with lots of potential for story-driven games, and is reasonably priced.
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