Take the percentile-based core mechanic of the Basic Roleplaying family of games, merge it with the narrative flexibility of QuestWorlds (formerly HeroQuest), and The Comae Engine will spring forth Athena-like from the brow of Zeus. That narrative flexibility makes social encounters as tension-filled and exciting as combat encounters in other games and systems. What you do in the fiction informs the skill(s) used to resolve the conflict, and the pool which governs that conflict's progress should you escalate. Easy to learn, quick in play, and simple to master.

The art, mythology, and storytelling at the heart of Prism the game derives from Prism the comic. I encourage everyone to check out the latter before continuing on with this review. No no, please. I'll wait (https://www.littlewishproductions.com/comic/). Everyone back? Okay then, on to business. Character creation in Prism consists of six steps in which you choose a Realm, a Template, a Family, a Vocation, a Relationship with another character (PC or NPC), and calculate expertise for your Skills and the Endurance values (Physical and Emotional) based on them. Each of the six Realms and six Vocations confers a favored skill, while each of the four Templates and six Families confers a unique trait.

Example: Chesca is an Nocturnal Plant Folk Diplomat from the Violet Realm, in a relationship with Artegal, a Wraith who was her lover before his death (they have unresolved issues). Her favored skills are Insight and Etiquette, and her traits are Aloof and Composed. She gains 3 expertise in Insight (from Realm), 2 in Etiquette (from Vocation) and Dexterity (from Relationship), 1 in Might and Survival (starting default), and 0 in Aptitude. Her Physical Endurance is 3 (the sum of Aptitude, Dexterity, and Might) and her Emotional Endurance of 6 (the sum of Etiquette, Insight, and Survival).

Success in accomplishing a task or solving a problem depends on the difficulty of that task or problem, as decided by the GM, and the character's expertise in the requisite Skill. A Simple task or problem requires 1 expertise, a Typical task or problem requires 3, a Hard task or problem requires five, and a Tough task or problem requires six. Having more expertise than needed provides a bonus commensurate with the degree by which your expertise exceeds the difficulty. Having less expertise than needed requires that you agree to a complication commensurate with the degree by which the difficulty exceeds your expertise, or else fail at the task or problem. Having exactly the expertise needed means you succeed with neither bonuses nor complications.

There are two states in which a character might find themselves in after suffering pain in excess of their Endurance. If the pain is physical, they become Incapcitated; if emotional, they become Preoccupied. It is not actually stated how one determines the extent to which a character suffers pain, but the bonuses-and-complications mechanism seems the logical choice. Under most circumstances, however, some agreement between player and GM is likely the best option, with the particulars arising from the fiction rather than the mechanics. Resolution is straightforward, so confusion should be minimal. Gamemaster advice is likewise straightforward, focused on creating opportunities for the players.

All in all, an interesting little game that should capture the fancy of those fond of indie-style storygames as well as diceless roleplaying. While I would love to see it expanded with lore from the comic, Prism foremost leaves the setting details to the collective expectations of those playing. The world which Ms. Delaglio has created is as fluid as the aquatic environment which forms its basis.

A singular and impressive work which expands and complements the homeland options and family histories of player-knights in the Early Period of the Great Pendragon Campaign. The Family History Tables now take into account homelands other than Salisbury and regions other than southern Logres, bringing them into line with the broader options elucidated in the Book Of Knights And Ladies. A truly brilliant stroke is the possibility that player-knight's families may be displaced from their homelands by the major events of King Arthur Pendragon's particular pseudo-history: invasions, conquests, civil wars, and so on. A player-knight whose ancestral homeland was that of the Cantii tribe might first follow his family's exile to Brittany in the wake of the Saxon invasion of Kent, and later see them return to Logres with the sons of Constantin to oust the tyrant Vortigern. Book Of Sires provides a vast array of additional detail for players and gamemasters alike, as well as an extensive bibliography for those seeking to delve even further into KAP's Arthurian milieu.