Sorry to disagree with the others. Yes the art is great, layout is good etcetera. And it looks like if I had someone to explain things I would probably like it. But just the quick start alone is not enough to explain how it works and what so many of the terms mean. At least I could not understand a lot of it. No doubt it is better explained in the full book.

I just learned how to play this game over the weekend and after only playing 2 games I'm hooked. It can be played in a small amount of time for a single event, or even made for an entire campaign! There aren't really overbearing rules that say "you can't do that", instead asking "how do you do it?" It's a great game for experienced and beginner tabletop players that want WHAT they do and HOW they do it to be on equal ground.

I found it to be instructive enough to really explain where the creators of this game were going with their original thoughts on the game. Really, the art is well done, although the fact that everything is separated into three different files might have been given over to a single file instead. But that's a personal preference, not a judgment against the authors. It was quick to download, quick to read, and though it had some grammar errors it was easy enough for me to understand all but some of the more vague terms used. All in all, I give it 4 stars.

This is one of the most solid quickstarts I’ve seen. The rules are simple, yet there is an example of play in each one, in case you missed something.

As for Mazaki itself, it’s a very cool game. We playtested it with some friends a couple of weeks ago using the previous version of the quickstart, and we had a blast! It’s a very fun game, where the focus is put in your imagination and how you engage a particular obstacle rather than thinking in abstract numbers. It’s the kind of game you can play with both your kids and a veteran gamer alike, and they both are going to enjoy it.

The content of the quickstart is all you need to experience Mazaki for the first time and have a glimpse of how amazing the final book is going to be. Even if you don’t like JRPGs or anime, you should give it a try, since the system is very adaptable to other settings. I have a few hacks in mind right now that I want to try once the final version of the book comes out next year.

All in all, you are not going to be disappointed by checking it out.

GMs these days have it so easy. Back in my day we were putting in a week's worth of design for a one-night affair, memorizing tables not because it was easy, but because it was the difference between success and "Let's go play quake". We had blood, sweat, and tears invested in those games. What do you know about fitting three core books and three expansions, a box of dice (organized by type), a DM curtain, a box of minis, character sheets, monster sheets, and a legal pad full of notes into a single backpack? What do you know about Dragon magazine? What do you kids know about THAC0?

Look at this game. Freakin motivates (and rewards) the player to actually role-play their character! Everything is so damn versatile, the GM can sit back all lazy-like and just make stuff up on the fly. Easy-mode, that's what it is. No alignments to mess with, just "fates", that are only as strict as you want them to be. No more digging around for the d12 because someone just HAD to pick up a greataxe, it all runs on d10s. No more rolling the legendary d100 to determine a random encounter, just pick a theme and cruise on through. No more cross referencing three different tomes to resolve a single action, just grab a sharpie and some index cards and write up your "conditions" on the fly! This is a travesty I tell you! GMing isn't supposed to be easy, it's supposed to be the miserable job the gods intended it to be! How else am I supposed to convince everyone to come to MY house and feed my martyr complex!

But really, Anthropos had me with Early Dark and this game was too good to pass up. It's a blast to play, easy for a new GM and deep enough for the best of us to enjoy, I'll be kickstarting the shit out of this when that comes around.

I was lucky enough to try this out at the 2013 A-Kon and loved it. I've been demo-ing at my local shop since then and look forward to the Kickstarter. Best thing about the game, in my opinion, is the drama token system and simply how thematic the whole thing is.

I've had the pleasure to check this game out in a few stages of it's evolution. I've enjoyed it every time!

I think the it's mostly due to the fact that it is a lot different than other games of this genre. Mazaki introduces a system which completely replaces the need for large books full of rules. Everything is on the fly, creative and very strategic once you get the hang of it. I played Early Dark a few times, and I can say this to me is way more fun.

Could it be that the casual gamer is also sliding into table top RPG's? Maybe. I think if there is a good system in place, it will foster creativity. This is where Mazaki excels in my book. As the 9th Doctor would put it, I think it's "Fantastic!".

Give it a go. I'll be apart of the kickstarter for sure.

Peace.