Introduction

What is The Ages of Arden?
The Ages of Arden is a table-top Role-playing Game, or RPG. Role-Playing Games are games of imagination where a group of players create fictional stories and characters and enact those stories according to certain rules. In RPG sessions, one player takes the role of the Game Master who describes the settings and challenges that the characters encounter, and facilitates the game.

In RPGs character attributes are usually described by a numerical score. Those scores often represent strong distinctions between a character’s basic physical, mental, and social abilities; The Ages of Arden’s system takes a slightly different approach by systematically combining basic character stats, defining actions and abilities in a manner designed to maximize the versatility of any character build. This 'symmetry' also enables new players to easily develop an understanding of how their stat scores will impact their character's effectiveness in the various aspects of play. That key feature, among others, utilizes familiar RPG elements to create a fun, balanced tabletop game for novices and experienced players! This guide contains all of the information you will need in order to play The Ages of Arden. 

Players

As mentioned above, the players of The Ages of Arden are divided into two categories - the player who guides game sessions is called the Game Master, and the players controlling characters are simply called ‘Players’: 

The Game Master

The GM is responsible for running a game session. The GM creates the setting and adjudicates the rules of the game in order to make sure that everything is handled fairly. Being the Game Master is a lot of responsibility but it can also be a lot of fun! Game Masters should familiarize themselves with the entire guide carefully and have a firm grasp of the rules since they are expected to interpret them for Players and to keep the game running smoothly. Another major role of the GM is to play the part supporting characters and antagonists, also called Non-Player-Characters or NPCs. NPCs are characters who exist in the game setting, but are exclusively controlled by the GM.

Players

Other players will participate in the games scenarios presented by the GM by describing their characters action’s.Characters are typically referred to as ‘Player Characters’ or ‘PCs’to distinguish them from ‘NPCs’. The Character Sheet at the back of this guide features all of the fields needed to describe a character’s appearance, personality, and capabilities. 

This guide will make a distinction between the terms ‘Player’ and ‘Player Character’. ‘PC’ will be used primarily when describing in-story actions of a player’s characters or the character’s stats & abilities, as opposed to the term ‘Player Which refers to the actions or choices made by the players themselves.

The World of Arden

The Ages of Arden (AoA) takes place, as you might have guessed, in the world of Arden – a fantasy world home to numerous peoples,

and creatures, with unique attributes. The recorded history of Arden encompasses a variety of settings taking place over thousands of

years – dark & primitive eras, ages of fantastic advancement through steam powered machinery, and a future with impressive and

frightening technology.  

These various eras of Arden’s history can act as settings for any number of adventures. Though the traits of each era differ, certain constants can be assumed to exist as a part of the legend of Arden. One of these constants is a clandestine organization known as The Arm of Arden - a secretive fighting and diplomatic force that exists in some form or another throughout various ages of Arden’s history. As a group of peacekeepers, The Arm often maintains a great degree of secrecy about its true influence and history. To some people, The Arm is a well-known force for good; to others the power of The Arm makes it feared. Virtually no one knows how far back its history goes. 

Though The Arm is a convenient protagonist group for characters to join as a part of any given game setting, other perspectives can be explored. Game Masters may use the stories and settings provided in this guide which lead PCs on a journey as agents of The Arm, or construct their own scenarios where PCs act as independent agents, members of other adventuring or military groups, or even as enemies of The Arm. 

Many more details about the world of Arden are available in “Chapter 1: The World of Arden”; that chapter will provide a basic history  which GMs may utilize when constructing game scenarios. Exploring the world of Arden is meant to be an intriguing and open-ended experience. Think of Arden as a sort of canvas to create a variety of stories and characters. Like many myths, the history of Arden has no single ‘correct’ telling. Let your imagination guide you as you create your own legends in The Ages of Arden!

Gameplay

In order to progress through any game Players must direct their character's actions through the use of PC abilities and skills. The character will succeed, fail, or meet other consequences as a result of the following mechanic:

• Roll a D20 die, and add the result to the appropriate modifier (usually a PC’s relevant Ability Score); the result is referred to as the Action Score.
  
  

• Compare the Action Score to the ‘Defense/ Difficulty Class’ (DC), which is a static number representing how difficult the action is to perform. If the Action Score is greater than the DC, the action succeeds. If the Action Score is lower than the DC, the action fails.
  
  

• To determine the degree of success or failure of a given action, the same D20 roll will be added to a different modifier (this is usually based on the PC’s equipment score(s)). The result is referred to as the effectiveness Score or Damage Score. An effectiveness Score of ‘10’, ‘15’, ‘20’, or higher, will result in greater degrees of success; a failed action with an effectiveness Score of a ‘5’ or less will result in negative consequences for the PC.  

These simple D20 rolls are used for almost everything in AoA. GMs may choose to insert unique challenges in game sessions that are resolved by other methods such as different kinds of dice, coin tosses, or puzzles, but if the results of such a custom rule are in doubt, GMs may wish to resolve the situation with the standard D20 mechanic described above.

Only a few things are required to play any session of AoA. When preparing to play, you should have the following:

• A group of at least 2 players. One player will act as GM, and one or more other Players will act as Player Characters
  
  

• At least one D20 die
  
  

• AoA Character Sheets. One copy of the PC Character Sheet for every Player Character, and as many NPC Character Sheets as are needed for the GM.
  
  

• Pen/pencils and notepads or scratch paper for all Players for note taking. (Players can even use their laptop/ tablet computer or smartphone to make notes on, if desired)

Since the GM will be responsible for ‘setting the stage’, they are advised to do at least some advanced preparation before starting a game session. The GM should also guide all other Players in the creation of their characters. This can be done as a group in a character building session, if desired. GMs must also ensure that Players have correctly calculated the available stats and abilities on their Character Sheets. More detailed examples of the game mechanics are detailed in “Chapter 2: How to Play”. 

Once characters are created and everyone is ready to play, the GM will begin the session by describing the location and explaining other introductory details about the game setting. The GM will also play the role of any Non-Player Characters that the PCs encounter on their adventures. The GM will use these and any other methods they wish in order to give Players the information they need to act and explore the game setting.

Updated 8/4/2023