SAGE 2024 - Demo Final Fantasy TRPG: Legend Edition

This is a review of the full "Demo" version that is available here at the Sonic Amateur Games Expo (SAGE) event as of writing. It is without a portion of the bestiary and the advanced rules section but is otherwise comprehensive and fully playable.

TL;DR 5/5 stars, easily.

This is the definitive, customizable Final Fantasy tabletop game that we all have been waiting for. Whether you're an oldschool curmudgeon or a wide-eyed FF babe who bought that funny roman numeral game that just came out on steam- *your* Final Fantasy awaits in this book. A few kinks are being noted and worked on by the devs.

I will briefly go over a short list of cons before I list out my personal pros as I like to get the negatives out of the way first. I have faith that most of these will be addressed in some way.

Cons:
-As stated above; there are a few kinks and 'holes' in the system that are mainly typo or layout related. Things like Extra Effort Dice not given a full definition and some information that is dissected in several parts and placed in different chapters. The devs are receiving feedback for this and state that they are working on it.
-GM guidance is somewhat lacking and there are elements, like how to handle treasure distribution, that it feels like GM's are sort of "thrown to the wolves" for.
-Some examples of how certain mechanics function in-play wouldn't go amiss. Even if it was just a "hey you could treat it like this" for the more open-ended systems.

Pros:
-An absolutely massive amount of character customization. There's roughly 55~ jobs that are all very unique and interesting. On top of your class, your equipment, your feats; you have not 1, not 2, but 3 (or 4 with a sacrifice to your magic item gain) jobs to create your definitive character.
-The design of the book is simply stunning. I cannot wait for the full release to print this off and flip through it.
-Skill games are very unique and interesting twist to handle complex interactions in a gamified way. It encourages roleplay while retaining the depth that the 'G' in RPG deserves.
-The equipment and magic items system is just as comprehensive and customizable as creating a character and the examples they have for them go a long way to get your imagination going.
-The spellcasting system is elegant and allows for all spells to have their place no matter what level the challenges are at.
-Monk and Samurai :prayinghands:
-NPC creation is quick and easy. Along with FF:LE's notable customization tools for them, there is a large gallery of example enemies with much more promised in the full release.

The book simply oozes passion and it's clear that all the designers love Final Fantasy just as much as you or I. I will be using this system to run the campaign of my dreams.

Man alive, this game is fantastic on an initial read! Work is being done on the typos, and while I do wish there was some clarity on certain things, I’m sure the parts of the book we’re missing will clarify all of it. Looking forward to the full release!

Hello, as someone who is in the Discord server of your game developer/ writer I know a few things about the guy, but as someone who's never tuch a ttrpg or a final fantasy game in her life I'm really liking whut you guys are doing please keep up the good work. From jivaxoverdress.