This is an excellent and clear variation of the Advanced Fighting Fantasy system. In 29 pages, including cover and a nice clear character sheet, it presents a complete and elegant system for Old School Fantasy Roleplaying games.

There are many rules-lite systems available these days but Spellzard is based on the tried and trusted mechanics first developed in the solo Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks.

The author has judiciously added elements from more modern games, such as a slot based inventory system, but has woven them seamlessly into the basic fabric of his game.

With only 3 main Stats; Skill, Stamina and Luck, character creation is quick and gameplay likewise so you can get on with the adventure.

All the usual things are covered; weapons, armour, initiative, movement, fumbles and criticals, spells, monsters; but all clearly and in only a few pages.

The rules retain a high level of compatibility with adventures designed for the Fighting Fantasy family of games, so adventures for Troika, AFF, Dungeoneer, AFF2 or even the oroginal solo gamebooks would be a piece of cake.

This is an great choice for the GM who wants a quick playing game without the need to be forever looking in rulebooks and for players who want their characters to develop through play rather than through a lengthy character creation process.

This is a very appealing rules-lite RPG, that could be used for any conceivable setting. I like the dice pool mechanic, which combines attributes, traits, items, relationships and goals. There's also a nifty little "push your luck" mechanic.

Unfortunately, the website no longer exists, so there is no support for the game. This is a pity as I'd be quite tempted to create some magic rules, and perhaps other stuff for the game.

Nevertheless, It's still a worthwhile purchase as is.