The pages are loaded with many illustrations and less text, to make them more pleasant, so the actual content is not as great as the 110 page count would otherwise indicate.Īfter an extremely good prologue, the first part of the quickstart introduces the game, starting with the world and society but, more importantly, with some elements that directly affect game play.
FRAGMENTS OF THE PAST PDF
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FRAGMENTS OF THE PAST MANUAL
The quickstart is almost a manual in itself, both for the length (110 pages) and, above all, for the quality. Fragments of the Past : a Preview of the Quickstart
The only item I would have made a little less artistic and a little more practical is the character sheet, but it is very beautiful, too. It is a pleasure to browse and read the pages. On one hand there are splendid illustrations depicting landscapes, settlements and buildings, on the other hand there are accurate reproductions of objects and drawings with the style typical of classical cultures.Įven the layout, which initially is the classic two-column, is enhanced by an excellent aesthetic sense that streamlines the text and surrounds it with beautiful colors and evocative illustrations. The images in this preview and his Artstation profile speak for themselves. I very much envy his ability, not only innate but I think diligently trained, to transform what he has in his mind and heart into visual art. He is very talented and you feel how much he loves the world he created. The author is an artist and you can see it. Massimiliano Nigro, author of Fragments of the Past To your left – the roar of the deep blue sea furrowed by distant ships. There is a smell of resin, algae, hot limestone, blood, sweat and animal fat from the sacrificial pyres. Feel the clash of bronze weapons and shields, your hand exhausted by the heavy spear. You will live in a world marked by centuries-old maledictions, merciless duels and intricate rituals. You will be the protagonist of an epic poem sung among the red fires of a banquet and you will play the role of awe-inspiring characters whose divine nature is manifested in the breadth of their passions, in the wildness of their instincts or greed of their ambitions.
FRAGMENTS OF THE PAST SERIES
So, as the lazy man I am, what better words to describe the setting than the same ones used by the author himself?įragments of the Past’ is a narrative role-playing game based on a homonymous series of tales and legends that evoke the style and themes of the Homeric epics, ancient tragedies and more generally of the great cultural world of the Mediterranean. Not only the manual is well written, but the text effectively conveys the author’s thoughts in fewer, spare sentences. The World of Fragments of the PastĪmong the many positive aspects of the Fragments of the Past quickstart (which I will talk about further) there is certainly talented and evocative writing. So I admit that I’m taking sides in favor of a new world inspiring a new fantasy canon based on classical Mediterranean culture – a new Middle Earth, daring the comparison. The places revived by the penultimate chapter of Assassin’s Creed, Odyssey, made me fall in love and I don’t think I was the only one who was fascinated. Yet incredible places overlook the Mediterranean Sea, and fascinating and incredibly rich cultures have emerged by its lands throughout history. There will certainly be others too, but they can’t be compared with all the material published for knights, dragons, elves and castles. The two editions of Agon and Lex Arcana come to my mind, then Mythos, Runequest and the Mythic Odysseys of Theros setting for D&D5e. In roleplaying, as well as in cinema or television, the classical Mediterranean setting never had a tradition strong as the medieval fantasy of Tolkien & co.
Since I was a child, I have always been a great lover of classical mythology and of ancient Greece and its immense and fabulous culture. He defines himself first as a “world-builder”. Its author is, indeed, a concept artist with collaborations ranging from cinema to books. It wants to be a fantasy rewriting of the ancient Mediterranean, takings its cues from the history and cultures that have followed one another on the coasts of that sea but recreating a new world to admire, to read and to play. It is a varied and articulated project that also includes a tabletop role-playing game to complete a series of illustrated books.įragments of the Past was born with a very ambitious goal. We can present Fragments of the Past in preview because its author and illustrator, Massimiliano Haematinon Nigro, made us discover it directly.
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