From: proberts@castle.ed.ac.uk (P Roberts)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Skyrealms of Jorune
Keywords: review
Date: 2 Oct 92 11:11:28 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: Edinburgh University


  Well, here's the article you've all been waiting for: a review of the
new edition of Skyrealms of Jorune.   In fact, it's here even if you
haven't been waiting for it.  Firstly, a brief introduction and glossary
for those who haven't come across this RPG before.
  Skyrealms of Jorune is an FRPG set, as the name implies, on the world
of Jorune.  The player characters all come from the human realm of
Burdoth, capital Ardoth, and are tauther (i.e. residents who are trying
to earn full citizenship).  The world has a large number of intelligent
races and, to my mind, has a lovely feel to it.  The magical force in
this world is called Isho and comes in seven different colours.  Certain
races can manipulate the isho sufficiently well to weave it into dyshas
(read spells).  The world/society is stuck at a relatively low
technological level although there are high technological artefacts
knocking around (evidence of a now forgotten past).  Right, I think
that's sufficient background.  Oh yes ... the GM is called a sholari. 
On with the review.

  The presentation has changed a bit.  It is all in one paperback book
(approx.250 pages) now rather than the separate booklets that comprised
the previous edition.  The chapters in the book, however, show some
correspondence to the earlier books (i.e. chapter one is the Tauther
guide, chapter 2 is character generation, chapter 3 is isho, chapter 4
is combat and chapter 5 onwards is sholari background [creature stats,
earth-tec details and source material about Burdoth and Ardoth]).  The
artwork is still by Miles Teves and seems to incorporate most of the
original pictures plus a few more, which are just as good as the
original stuff; the artwork contributes quite a lot to the "feel" of the
setting, enabling you to visualise the world.  I prefered the old layout
(separate books etc.) but the new one isn't bad, although they seem to have
skimped a bit on the proofreading: several typos, a mistake in one
of the tables and a duplication of another table.  Nothing too major
though.
  The background is still the Jorune we know and love.  In fact, it's
even more of it.  There is a whole lot more background material covering
Burdoth as a whole, Ardoth on it's own and earth/bio-tec.  From the
brief glance I have had at one of the 2nd edition supplements I would
guess that they have included most of the information that was
previously in Companions Burdoth, Ardoth and Earth-tec.  This makes it
worth the purchase price just as source material for the old second
edition.
  I don't know whether it is just me but they seem to have shifted
towards a more high tec flavour in places (i.e. earth-tec and bio-tec is
more readily available).  This may just be a reflection of the fact that
I never saw the 2nd edition Earth-tec supplement.  Another new feature
along these lines is the introduction of bio-tec.  This is the
technology which Iscin used to create the shanthic plague and all his
"children".  Again, this may have been in a supplement of the old
edition that I never saw.  Personally, while it's nice to have the
option, I intend to keep earth/bio-tec as very rare and heavily
state-controlled; I don't want my players wandering around with
blasters.
  They also include some information about Tollogra (the last of the
Iscin races).  Nice to have it there but, again, I intend to ration the
rate at which this information reaches any of my players.  Information,
after all, is the prime commodity in a lot of societies and ignorance is
a great way to keep the bulk of the populace happy and your players from
getting too out of control.  Also it adds an element of mystery and the
unknown; as a player I always had most accumulating information about
the world I was playing in (by role-playing rather than by reading the
source material.
  The major difference between the two editions is in the mechanics. 
The skills system and combat have been switched to a 1-20+ rank system
with a straight d20 roll for resolution but they still retain the 4 level
system (i.e. unfamiliar, familiar, experienced and seasoned) within
this.  Each skill is rated as being easy, moderate, hard or very hard to
learn which affects how easy it is to learn and where the boundaries
between familiar, experienced etc. fall.  It also introduces a "focus"
system for improving skills during play.  Obviously I haven't had chance
to play test this yet but it looks very good in theory.  In fact I think
I will probably adopt it in preference to the old system.
  The old combat system has been retained (with inversion of the dice roll to
fit in with the new skill resolution system -- i.e. you roll =< your skill
rank rather than >= like you used to).  Apart from this, however, it
hasn't changed and should still operate just as well.  I am glad about this
because it was one of my favourite RPG combat systems.  Lethal and weapon
specific without going to rolemaster complexity; it had a nice feel to
it.  The only slight disadvantage is that combats with large numbers of
participants can take a long time to resolve.  That's not necessarily a
bad thing though; it can help persuade players not to rely too heavily
on combat.
  Now for the biggest change/improvement: the isho system.  This was one
of the weaknesses of the previous edition.  They came up with a lovely
background but then they seemed to run out of either time or enthusiasm
and just stuck a load of dyshas on the top of it.  This has been amply
corrected in the new edition with some relatively simple, but profound,
alterations and the addition of a whole load of intervening stuff
between the background and the end-user.
  Rather than either having or not having each colour (a la old system)
characters now have different skills with each colour (on a 1-20 system
like all of the other skills).  It is these "Moon skills" that are used
to unweave or interfere with dyshas.  The various isho sensitivities
(tra sense, signature skills and the like) are now handled in a similar
fashion to the normal skills rather than being a straight dependence on
Colour rating.  All the old dyshas have been retained with a few new
ones added.  However, each dysha now has a list of prerequisite moon
skills linking the different colours of dysha better.  i.e. a dysha may
be primarily Ebba but may have some Launtra and Tra in it to keep it
close to the body and control the interaction with the world around it
respectively.  It also goes into more detail about how you go about
learning new dyshas.  Finally it has found a plausible (in fact
blatantly obvious, with hind sight) use for colour points.  All in all I
think it provides some much needed filling out of the old dysha system,
making it hang together as a coherent whole better without losing any of
the flavour.
  All in all well worth the money.  Maybe if it takes off this time
round Andy Leker and co. will bring out some more support material for
it.  We can but hope.

                           Paul
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc