It's surprising how little the Three Musketeers appear in role-playing games - there's really only Flashing Blades from Fantasy Games Unlimited that is actually focussed on them before this one - despite the innumerable films and the odd TV show based on their exploits. So it's good to have the opportunity to swash one's buckle in early 17th century France again.

The Introduction begins with some notes on Alexandre Dumas and the novel The Three Musketeers that began it all, including the interesting point that it actually had some basis in reality! At least, as far as anyone knows, the people on whom Athos, Porthos, Aramis et al. were based are largely undocumented.

Unlike many games, the first part of the book is devoted to setting the scene in considerable detail - the nuts and bolts of the game mechanics (an original system invented by the author) come later. History is all about people so we start with a copious list of Notable Characters, some real and some fictional, but most if not all of them appearing within the pages of the novel itself. Despite the mechanics section coming later, each one is provided with a stat block so if the characters encounter them you have everything you need to bring them to life in the game. The detail is quite extensive, in a game of intrigue the GM might wish to restrict players from reading this section completely.

The next chapter, France in 1625, continues the scene-setting with some historical, political and social information. It also explains the nobility (including how to become one or enter into noble service) and even discusses the French orders of knighthood that were around at the time. Economics and the lower classes are not ignored and a magnificiently-detailed timeline runs in sidebars providing a good overview of recent events. There's also information on religion and justice, and on the provinces of France, complete with some useful maps. Then the vital stuff: duelling and a certain organisation called the King's Musketeers... and their rivals, the Cardinal's Guards, as well as the rest of the French army.

Then comes a look at Paris, likely to be a nodal point in your game irrespective of where individual adventures might take the party. There's an overview, which gives a good general feel to the place, followed by greater details of notable locations, supported by a map - a reproduction of an actual map of 1615, by the way.

For those who want to go further afield, the next chapter Beyond the Borders provides ample details about the lands neighbouring France and their rulers, who were often embroiled in intrigues that might have some impact on our budding Musketeers. There's another useful map that shows the multiplicity of states of the times.

Next we reach the actual rules, beginning with Gallant Heroes, which covers character creation. With a view to at least a measure of historical accuracy, players are enjoined to select skills appropriate to their character's social station and those who wish to play female characters are reminded of the constraints of the time under which ladies operated - and suggests ways in which a female character can operate successfully within them (or circumvent them) so as to have an enjoyable experience and make a worthy contribution to the game without destroying historical accuracy.

So, to the system itself, which as already mentioned is a custom one in which a player need have but one d10 to play. Each character has Attributes (Intelligence, Perception, Charisma, Strength, Agility and Stamina) on a 1-5 scale, derived by an elegant mixture of point-buy and die-roll. There are various derived Attributes as well, which you can work out once you have the main ones sorted. Characters are assumed to start at age 19, by which time they will already have got some training and/or experience under their belts. If they want to be older, they will have more skill points to play with. Things like prosperity rating, social class and even handedness (quite important to a fencer) also have to be determined - either by die roll or by negotiation with the GM. There are no 'character classes' in this system, a character is defined by his skills, from which there is an extensive list to choose using a point-buy system. Modifications can be gained from a system of Qualities and Quirks that is well-designed. Throughout, there are little comments from the author about why he chose to set up the mechanics in particular ways, quite illuminating and evidence of the clear and coherent thought that went into the system.

Now that you have a character, how is he played? The next chapter, Using Skills and Attributes, explains just that. To resolve any action, you roll 1d10 and add to it applicable Skill Ratings (the skill you are using plus the controlling Attribute and any other modifiers) against a Task Difficulty Level appropriate to what you are attempting - if you exceed it, you have succeeded. Sometimes it is appropriate to use the Attribute alone, if no skill is relevant (or you don't happen to have the right skill but are giving it a go anyway). There are plenty of examples and explanations to make it all clear; along with explanations of the various skills available. A separate chapter covers Combat, Injury and Healing, which often loom large in a game. Combat is played out in rounds, with each participant going in initiative order - initiative is an inherent quality of each character, rather than something you roll when a brawl breaks out. Damage depends on the weapon used, each has a base damage value, but you add however many points your attack total exceeded the Task Difficulty Level (a standard 7) to that, so a spectacularly skillful roll does more damage. Neat.

Character built, it's time to go shopping with the next chapter Equipping the Adventuring Hero. Money has been abstracted via the concept of a Prosperity Level, so there's little bookkeeping to do - each item has a Cost Rating and only if that exceeds your Prosperity Level do you need to worry, you can then roll to see if you can actually afford it (or try out your Bargaining skill to bring the price down). Weapons, armour, clothing, horses and the cost of living are all covered, and there's enough information about actual cash money for those who want to get into more detail. This is followed by Common Foes and Allies, a collection of 'generic' NPCs to be used as and when required.

The final chapters turn to adventure, with Thrilling Exploits and Escapades, an entire adventure to get your game off to a flying start. If you are eager to jump right in, some pre-generated characters are included. There's plenty of detail and advice on both role-playing NPCs and applying game mechanics to help you get to grips with the system. This is followed by Further Deeds of Daring and Peril, which provides three follow-up adventures to get the campaign rolling. The book rounds up with a note on further adventures, sources of inspiration, useful charts and tables and a character sheet.

This is a well-considered and elegant game that has caught the whole feel of the Three Musketeers well. If you like this particular genre, add this to your collection.

Return to Crossed Swords Core Rulebook page.

Reviewed: 13 July 2015