I really had high hopes for Fireborn. I really did. I liked the system, the way combat flows, and the, most importantly, the flashbacks. However, many large balance issues just made the game flat-out not fun to play. I ran the game with your average gaming group, not power gamers, not mondo-RPers. Despite some large imbalances in equipment and damage resolution, I decided to run it verbatim from the book. Everything was alright until I noticed this: A basic gun can do as much damage as a Rank 4 spell. The damage is set in stone. A basic attack with this weapon does X damage. Maybe X+5 if he has extra moves left. Why bother tinkering with magic or social situations when I can kill anything with a beginning character.

I know I'm rambling here, but what I am trying to say is this: If one character can lord over all the others just because of his stat choices, the system needs an overhaul.

P.S. For anyone still wanting to play Fireborn, take my advice. Give your character 6 Fire.