Experiences with 7th Sea?

[Miz_Liz]

Hi All,

I have a group that's been bouncing around systems, doing shorter campaigns to get the feel and have some fun with variety. Coming up in a few weeks it's going to be my turn to run a game, and I'm thinking of giving 7th Sea a shot. It looks amazing, and I've always wanted to play a slightly more grounded medieval fantasy game. My question is a broad one, what are some experiences you've had with the system? Did you enjoy it? What should I watch out for as a GM? I'm wondering if I should restrict countries of origin, as it might be difficult to find a way to bring together people from opposite sides of the continent and warring homelands.

Really, I would just love any and all comments playgrounders might have on the 7th Sea system.

[Tyrrell]

I played first edition years ago. We had fun time.

I do remember two rules things that bugged me, but don't let that scare you, (especially if you're using a different edition of the game).


First, the game touts itself as having a combat system that can do the chatty duelists scene from the Princess Bride movie. It can not do this well. Unlike that scene where the characters adjust their styles and maneuvers in response to one another, 7th sea more or less restricts any character to a single fighting style.

Second, characters get "drama points" (I may have the name wrong it has been decades) to use for character advancement or to use for pulling off amazing stunts. Because you need to spend the points to get either benefit, the game sets up a perverse incentive where characters are effectively punished for spending points to do cool stuff by not getting as many points to use for character advancement.

[Particle_Man]

Which edition are you going for? They have different rulesets.

[Kardwill]

Second, characters get "drama points" (I may have the name wrong it has been decades) to use for character advancement or to use for pulling off amazing stunts. Because you need to spend the points to get either benefit, the game sets up a perverse incentive where characters are effectively punished for spending points to do cool stuff by not getting as many points to use for character advancement.

Yeah, I love 7th Sea but that rule was the first thing we trashed. A swashbuckling game that punish you when you attempt flashy stuff felt... not optimal.

and I've always wanted to play a slightly more grounded medieval fantasy game.

Err, 7th sea is not what I would call a medieval fantasy game. It's more a fantasy Renaissance/Swashbuckling/Age of Exploration game. Think "3 Musketeers with low magic", or "supernatural Captain Blood"

[Particle_Man]

One rules modification I heard of was chaning the bennies so that you get the XP only when you spend them (instead of save them), thus encouraging more deeds of daring do.

[Kardwill]

One rules modification I heard of was chaning the bennies so that you get the XP only when you spend them (instead of save them), thus encouraging more deeds of daring do.

Could still result in silly stuff, but it's certainly better than the original rule.

At our table, we decided that bennies would not influence XP. Drama points that are unspent at the end of the session go into a common pool that can be used by any player in the next game. That results in a pool that grows during slow games, and then gets burned through extravagantly when things get lively.

But simply saying that unspent points are lost without negative consequences, and are replenished at the start of every game, would be okay too. Encourage players to dare things at every game, since unspent points are useless.

[Kardwill]

Which edition are you going for? They have different rulesets.

Yes, that's an important point if we have to give feedback on the game. The 2 rulesets are VERY different.

[warmachine]

I would call 7th Sea 2e goofy improv RPG set in the Age of Sail. It is improv as the system rewards you with a bonus for using a skill you haven't used before in the scene. I played the bastard son of a nobleman, good at acting and swordsmanship, and used performance to charm a snake as we were fighting it. Because why not do goofy things.

[NomGarret]

Edition matters quite a lot. 1st edition has a lot, and a lot of it included growing pains. 2nd edition is certainly slimmer mechanically, but in order to do so leads to some very different things to watch out for. A couple examples: in 1e, the starting costs vs advancement costs for things were really inconsistent. It’s significantly more cost effective to just buy traits and skills at character generation, which grant a lot of widely applicable raw ability, and then buy up knacks, both basic and advanced, once play begins.

Another difference is language. In 1e, you typically only know your home language plus a couple related ones. Someone from Vodacce might learn Montaigne and Castilian easily, for example. This often turns mixed groups into a game of telephone, where everyone can usually speak with someone else, and there might be that one character that can speak with everyone, but there’s no one common language. In 2e, everyone knows a number of languages equal to Wits, and those are presumed to include home language and Old Thean. Plus the cost of knowing all languages is a lot lower. So, would you rather have a game where players need to figure out how to fill in the Ussuran on the plan, or one where everyone converses in the equivalent of Latin?

As far as limiting nations is concerned, I wouldn’t worry too much. I’ve played and run plenty of games, and this kind of question is usually answered pretty easily. Unless you’re specifically running a game of Musketeers, a game that takes place in Montaigne usually just needs a “this game will take place in Montaigne with a focus on the court. Make a character that could plausibly be there.”