Pyramid Review
Core (for Shards of the Stone RPG)
Published by Obsidian Studios
Written by Sean Patrick Fannon
382 pages; $25.00
With all of the attention this summer on D&D 3rd Edition it would be hard to imagine that another game company would have the nerve to release another fantasy game in the same genre at the same time. Yet, this is exactly what Obsidian Studios has done with its new flagship release,Shards of the Stone. The game is a bold new take on the traditional fantasy setting, and the timing of its release says a lot about the confidence of its publishers.
The first book to be released is Core, which serves as an introduction to the game world and a primary source book for all the major rules and common material of the game. It contains the basic rules, an introduction to Core (the main game world) and how it came to be, character creation rules and material, a bestiary, and general material for the GM.
One of the most interesting aspects of Shards that will be most immediately apparent is the unique setting in which the game takes place. The basic premise of the game is as follows: Long ago, all that existed in the world of Core was the Stone. This mythical stone contained all that was life, and everything within it existed in a more or less utopian state. Then along come the Progeny, the god-like manifestations of the twenty-five prime elements, who are given the Stone to do with it what they will.
Before long, they start bickering and fighting, and the Stone is sundered . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: September 22, 2000
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