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Game News Low Magic Age, an OGL-based tactical RPG from China, now on Steam Early Access

Discussion in 'RPG Codex News & Content Comments' started by Infinitron, May 22, 2017.

  1. Infinitron I post news Patron

    Infinitron
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    May 22, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #1
    Tags: Low Magic Age; Low Magic Studios

    Wizards of the Coasts' Open Gaming License, originally published in 2000, allows anybody to freely create commercial games using a D&D 3E-like d20 ruleset. Sadly, only a few CRPG developers have taken advantage of this, the most famous of them being the modern classic Knights of the Chalice. Now a new OGL game has appeared from an unlikely place. Its name is Low Magic Age, by Chinese developer Thomas Lee. Originally released on Steam Early Access in January as a Chinese language title, the game has since been translated to English and continues to be updated on a regular basis. I can't find its current trailer on YouTube, so here's an old one from when it was on Steam Greenlight:



    Low Magic Age is a fantasy RPG that focused on turn-based party-based tactical combat. Field of View, Fog of War, Cover, Zone of Control, Charging and Flanking, various and abundant tactical elements are implemented in the combat system of Low Magic Age.

    The game rules are evolved from the Open Game License (OGL), the set of rules based on the pen-n-paper version of fantasy role-playing games of all time, made by Wizards of the Coast.

    Normally, you'll create and customize a small party of 4~6 characters: choosing from multiple races, classes, dozens of feats and spells, or choosing a character template directly. And then fight with all kinds of monsters!

    Features:
    • Inherited from classic game rules: Evolved from historic pen-and-paper game rules, plus well designed information display UI, clear prompt of hit percent and damage range, help players to learn and immerse in the fantasy world. The innovative combat system, flanking, charging, full-attack, etc., various circumstance bonuses bring more meaningful tactics selections.
    • Classical fantasy monsters: 7 categories, 100+ classical fantasy monsters. Goblins, trolls, giant ants, basilisks and much much more. Different monsters need different strategies and tactics to defeat.
    • Tons of equipment and wondrous items: 60+ common items, 90+ wondrous items, 80+ enchantments. Slashing, piercing and bludgeoning, different weapons against different monsters. Gloves of Dexterity, Counterstrike Bracers, Ring of Regeneration, Belt of Magnificence, Cloak of Thorns, Elemental Gem, collecting powerful magical artifacts to create the hero character in your mind.
    • Well designed skills and spells: Fighters own a variety of martial arts movements, not only basic attacks. All of the arcane spells and divine spells of caster classes are greatly improved, too.
    ​
    Right now Low Magic Age is basically just a combat engine with random arena battles, but it will eventually receive an "Adventure Mode" campaign. According to people who have played it, the game is already quite promising, and it's got a price tag that's hard to beat - just $4. China, man. Who knew?
     
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  2. Dorateen Arcane

    Dorateen
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    May 22, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #2
    Tranquil music while slaughtering enemies in turn-based combat. Beautiful.
     
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  3. luj1 You're all shills

    luj1
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    May 23, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #3
    Looking like incline for reasons previously listed,


    - memorable style
    - sprites
    - BB gameplay
    - simple execution
    - Nwn-like 2D art
    - dirt cheap
    - D&D 3.5E
     
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  4. Humanity has risen! Arcane Patron Repressed Homosexual

    Humanity has risen!
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    May 23, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #4
    I saw this on Steam the other day. Will try it now.
     
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  5. Excidium II Self-Ejected

    Self-Ejected
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    May 23, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #5
    Does anybody know if the sprites in this game are from a free package? They look nice. (The portraits I know are, I've seen them in other games)
     
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  6. Antigoon Scholar

    Antigoon
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    May 23, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #6
     
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  7. Latro Arcane

    Latro
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    May 23, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #7
    Bought this months ago, it's a great steal at the price.

    Who knew the Chinese would be the harbingers of incline?
     
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  8. thesheeep Arcane

    thesheeep
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    May 23, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #8
    Does that title sound better in Mandarin (or whatever Chinese variant)?

    It just sounds like a literal translation that shouldn't have been done. Also wrong, since OGL isn't exactly low magic...
     
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  9. catfood AGAIN

    catfood
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    May 23, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #9
    Looks good lah. And at 4 bucks it's a steal lah.
     
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  10. Country_Gravy Arcane Patron

    Country_Gravy
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    May 23, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #10
    Reminds me of the Gold Box games combat or a simplified version of Wizard's Crown or The Eternal Dagger.

    It's just combat, though.
     
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  11. Jedi Master Radek Arcane

    Jedi Master Radek
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    May 23, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #11
    It looks like monocled gentlemen can suddenly appear at any place. Good. Keep the incline going!
    Is D&D a thing in China?
     
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  12. Infinitron I post news Patron

    Infinitron
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    Grab the Codex by the pussy Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker
    May 23, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #12
    Doubt it, but there are one billion of them. Even if only a tiny fraction become interested in Western games...I said years ago that China was a potential source of future incline.
     
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  13. Davaris Australian Game Developers Developer

    Davaris
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    May 23, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #13
    They pared it down to the bare essentials, didn't waste time on iso, 3D, or creature animations. No art, just game.
     
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  14. tiagocc0 Arcane

    tiagocc0
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    May 23, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #14
    Welp, don't show it to Darth Roxor.
     
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  15. Excidium II Self-Ejected

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    May 23, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #15
    There must be a lot of chink CRPGs that never saw the light of day outside china and are impossible to find via english google search.
     
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  16. FeelTheRads Arcane Patron

    FeelTheRads
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    May 23, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #16
    Yeah, and they're probably called Dialobo, Fullout and Planetscape: Tournament.

    I doubt they produce much quality stuff when their business is in shitty clones.
     
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  17. Excidium II Self-Ejected

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    #17
    Shitty clones is like the definition of the CRPG genre.
     
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  18. Riddler Prophet Patron

    Riddler
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    May 23, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #18
    Looks fun, got it and will try tomorrow. Thanks for the tip!
     
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  19. Au Ellai Educated

    Au Ellai
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    May 24, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #19
    Did China just discover the Gold Box games? Might wait on it until it has a meta-game tying all the battles together, but then again, a shit meta-game with an amazing battle system is just wasteful fluff and a drain on development resources. Either way, at that price, hard to argue against checking it out. Don't really like the 3/3.5 D&D ruleset though.
     
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  20. Davaris Australian Game Developers Developer

    Davaris
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    May 24, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #20
    Good clones would be nice.
     
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  21. almondblight Arcane

    almondblight
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    May 24, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #21
    Yeah, potential at least. Here's a group of Chinese Black Isle fans (AoD seems to have gotten a good reception as well).
     
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  22. FeelTheRads Arcane Patron

    FeelTheRads
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  23. Davaris Australian Game Developers Developer

    Davaris
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    #23
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  24. Name Arbiter

    Name
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    May 25, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #24
    It was a nerd thing in China. You should be able to find many boardgame communities in the big cities (Beijing, Shanghai etc) especially ones with many universities. Nowadays they prolly moved onto Pathfinders LOL.

    Remember, they had official release of Baldur's Gate back in the good old days (before the Internet Great Wall & Cultural Bureau crackdown on computer stuff). Such official support died with Neverwinter Nights 2. Some of the other stuff like Fallout and Arcanum, they did fan translation patches.
     
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  25. MicoSelva Prestigious Gentleman Don't call Abigail Patron

    MicoSelva
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    Codex 2012 Codex 2013 Codex 2014 PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy Serpent in the Staglands Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Divinity: Original Sin 2 Bubbles In Memoria A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker
    May 30, 2017 Stats Ignoring
    #25
    Is the "low magic" setting an excuse not to implement all the classic spells?
    Still, looks interesting, I will keep my eye on this.
     
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