Aria: Canticle
of the Monomyth RPG

Closer Look Reviews

Reviewed by Dirk Dejong

Last Unicorn Games

Those of you who've been reading SHADIS for a while may recall that the first ads for this game appeared right here. The fantastic color ads told of Aria: Canticle of the Monomyth, a world-building fantasy RPG by a new company called Last Unicorn Games. I remember when I saw those ads, I said, "...if this game's only half as good as the PR, it'll be a winner."

Well, now that I've had some months to sit and chew on sandwiches at two in the morning, going through Aria, I've come to the conclusion that I'm not going to be able to stick it in some good or bad, simple or comPlex, must-have or leave-alone category.

As evidenced by the sheer size of the first two books in the system, about 800 pages, this isn't some "sit down, throw something together, and let's play" game. If that's all you want, quit reading now, and turn to Knights of the Dinner Table. You'd be wasting your time reading a review on something you'll never want or use.

If, on the other hand, you want something that can enhance your role-playing, make your game world a better and more realized place to play in, and create characters you really feet you've met, read on; this is your lucky day.

Aria isn't a FRPG in the traditional sense of the word. I admit it has a simple, but effective, system for resolving conflicts or other situations where success isn't a certainty (You even have varying levels of success, which means that some very lucky die rolling just might allow you to slay yon dragon with one mighty blow, reminiscent of various myths).

I admit it has character creation, monster creation, combat systems, etc.; in short, all the panoply you expect from an FRPG.

I still say it isn't really an FRPG. It's hard to say just what it is, the closest I can come is that it's the best GM's aid on the market today, one that happens to have an attached system. If I were going out to buy Aria today, I wouldn't be looking at it so much for its gaming system as for its world and character creation capacities, ones which far outstrip those of any competitors.

An added bonus is the ability to take your favorite fantasy world - you know, the one the designers just never got around to turning into a game - and bringing it to full vibrant life at the gaming table. The customizable subsystems for magic and miracles help bypass an area where most other products attempting this have fallen flat on their faces.

Last Unicorn has created a product that effectively precludes the old "sit down, roll some dice, scribble on a sheet of paper for a few minutes and jump in" type of adventure. The societies it allows you to create are so complete that a full description of one can take up 18 pages. While you don't need to fill in all 18 pages for every society, and you definitely don't need to do it all before you start playing, this level of detail allows you to bypass the problems a swiftly thrown together society can create, those "Who's in charge of the local temple?" or "What do the city guards do when they catch you robbing the local Thieves' Guild headquarters?" type questions.

Aria allows for everything from how old a society is to what form of government it has to how it's divided along cultural lines to what type of materials it uses in housing and weaponry. You've the potential for major overkill here but, somehow, once you've got it all down, you want more. And more. And more.

A fully fleshed-out magic-using character can take over 10 pages to describe - I counted. This has to be a new record. But that character has everything - from a personalized magic system, to what weapons he uses, how well, and why, his family background, inherited traits, his standing in the community, etc. You feel you know your characters personally.

One of the problems is that many of the rules have mini- (and not so mini-) essays explaining the background for that rule. Not a bad idea but, guys, let's make sure you can separate the rule from the essay. Sometimes, I had to read something two or three times to find the rule in the haystack. Another problem, not unique to this system, is the recent trend towards NEW and IMPROVED gaming terms. Designers usually defend this by saying, "We used these terms to differentiate our product from all those others, because we're not doing the same things."

Wake up and smell the coffee, fellows - most gamers (especially those who've been playing for a long time) have gotten used to calling the game ref a DM or GM not a Mythguide, a series of adventures a campaign not an Aria, and referee-controlled personas NPCs not MPCs (Mythguide Persona Characters). The use of these unusual terms might not affect new players (they probably wouldn't care if you called NPCs "sword fodder" or some equally non-sensical term) but any person who's been playing for a long time is used to the standard terminology. Not to single out the guys at Last Unicorn, this is a pet peeve of mine. You should also be aware that Last Unicorn is considering a number of supplements for Aria, including various world settings. Remember though, this is a system for creating your own world, not playing in theirs. A minor detail for myself, but for those who don't have the time and/or desire to make your own world, an important consideration.

Even though the various game systems are well thought out, not too complex, and easily playable, you'd be fighting through what really makes Aria different and special, the background rules. If you're into backgrounds or even just looking for something to supplement your current game, whose system you enjoy, but which doesn't have any real background material or rules - I'd probably say Yes.

It depends on just how serious you are about wanting background material. The system isn't cheap, but gives everything you could want. And with new books coming out soon, which will increase the background material to include bestiary creation, advanced societal role-playing, geography, etc, this is one system that's going to get bigger and better. If you're like me, hold onto your hats, it's gonna be fun.

More Closer Looks edited by Jolly Blackburn

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