Mazes, the role-playing game we are talking about today in review, has been defined as “a love letter to 70s fantasy”, and in our opinion it is the perfect definition to describe it. Developed by Chris O’Neill and published by Grumpy Bear, Mazes recalls the fantasy of Sword & Sorcery, with short stories that do not describe the growth of a group of heroes, but iconic characters intent on facing an epic adventure within the maze (Dungeon). The world of Mazes is not facing a looming crisis or apocalypse, but is in limbo: on the one hand the wounded world is flourishing again, on the other the agents of chaos still rage, while ancient evils awaken in the depths of the earth due to the breaking of the seals created by the ancients.
Hope in the past
After the last cataclysm, the cultures and peoples of Mazes are now a shadow of their radiant past. The few surviving humans face social and cultural regression, while most magical peoples, such as elves, retreat to their fairy realms, leaving mixed bloodlines, characterized by fiery eyes and colorful hair, as evidence of their heritage.
The dwarves have worked themselves into extinction and, unfortunately, what remains of them are only cyclopean sprawling tunnels. In this decadent world, threats and ignorance are rampant, while resources and technologies are increasingly rare and valuable commodities. However, hope has not yet abandoned the people of Mazes, kept in the depths of the earth and in the most remote places there are the remains of ancient civilizations. The ruins of what once was are rich in resources and knowledge, useful for making culture and civilizations flourish again. Unfortunately the ruins are real labyrinths full of dangers, only the bold and desperate decide to cross their doors.
Mazes, son of the Polymorph
Mazes is a game defined by the Polymorph system, the aim of which is to simplify the execution of actions and make access to otherwise complex role-playing games more accessible, all by exploiting the roll of a single dice and ranges of values. Specifically, Mazes requires players to choose one of the four available roles associated with a type of die: the Emblem (D4), the Vanguard (D6), the Fighter (D8) and the Sentinel (D10).
Roles do not represent character classes, but define their strengths and weaknesses in solving trials. Each test, based on the action, can belong – with some exceptions – to one of the four main ranges:
Tomes (trying to get a 2 or 3): This is called into question if you are testing your knowledge or your senses; Tacchi (trying to get 3, 4 or 5): is called into question when mastery of movement or pure dexterity is required; Cuts (trying to get 4, 5, 6 or 7): it is used during real action, magical or melee combat but also to defend oneself from traps and attacks; Skulls (trying to get 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9): Defines willpower and physical resilience to adverse situations, such as poisons and wounds.
A resource in the dark
Not all roles are suitable for solving certain tests, in this case the Keys, Crowns, Stars and Chaos come into play. The Keys are represented by the smallest value on the dice (one), and allow you to highlight your character’s talents and descriptors: in fact in every test in which a talent or a descriptor is reasonably usable, obtaining the key on the roll of the dice it will always be a success. Stars are a resource attributed based on the role chosen, using a star allows you to always pass a test or perform special actions that enrich the narrative, such as flashbacks or magic.
Chaos is a special range of values that associates even numbers with successes and odd numbers with failures. It is used when a test describes an event that is random or independent of a character’s abilities, such as a trap with random targets. The Crowns are the maximum value that can be reached by rolling a die, often associated with the critical hit (or explosion of the die) during the damage calculation, however in the resolution of the tests the crowns are linked to the brightness and darkness parameter of the labyrinth, indicating success in presence of light, and failure in darkness.
The voice of the labyrinths challenges the brave
Within Mazes the game master takes on the role of voice of the labyrinths, a narrator who uses darkness as a resource to change the cards on the table during the session. The narrative is dependent on the players, every action or event can generate darkness, giving precious resources to the voice. Spending darkness allows you to restore the Hearts (life points) of dangers (monsters and traps) or create new ones, while if accumulated it alters the outcome of crowns in throws.
The role of the voice is to involve players in the adventure by balancing challenges with treasures and desperate moments with triumphs. Players challenge the labyrinths of the voice by giving life to iconic characters, each character is described by a class and by talents (or descriptors), not necessarily chosen from those present in the pages of the manual, whose role is to be an example. Classes and talents can be represented by adjectives or short phrases, such as “The Knight armed to the teeth”, to indicate a character skilled in the use of different weapons and therefore guarantee an advantage or a key in certain situations. Advantage and disadvantage can be applied once per test and cancel each other out. When rolling dice, having an advantage or a disadvantage consists of adding a further die to the roll (or rolling the same die again) and respectively taking the best result in the first case and the worst in the second.
Sword and tome in hand
Grumpy Bear’s Mazes is an excellent return to fantasy past, characterized by the creation of one-shots and short sessions campaigns. The manual features epic and evocative illustrations in Sword & Sorcery style, which also give character to the drawings of the character sheets and the quickstart that accompanies the manual. The game system aims to be as simple and approachable as possible, Mazes’ Polymorph reduces event resolutions by choosing a role and rolling a single die. The adventures are often self-contained and short-lived, while the progression of the characters is not made up of the classic increase in level, but by the change or addition of a talent. The darkness system allows you to limit the actions of the Voice of the Labyrinths (game master) and create reactive twists to the group’s actions, innovating the classic mechanics. Mazes is an extremely recommended product for lovers of 70s fantasy, who will delve into the labyrinth by engaging in exciting campaigns with iconic characters. The game system is also perfect for beginners who will be able to approach an engaging RPG with quick and intuitive mechanics. In conclusion, adventurers, it’s time to leave, the dungeon awaits you!
