BREAK!! Review (New Aeon Edition)
What is BREAK!!?
BREAK!! is a Tabletop Role-Playing Game (TTRPG) made for lovers of anime and fantasy videogames who want to explore a great land (Outer World, more on that later) with pals. It was launched on Kickstarter with the funding period starting on April 17th, 2023 and ending on May 17th, 2023 (30 days), raising £492,452 - a grand success!
BREAK!! is well-known for the detailed illustrations inside the book, the high level of detail on characters, and the premium print quality of the book itself. The book won a Gold ENNIE at Gencon 2024 under the category 'Best Family Game'.
BREAK!! review
This BREAK!! review focuses on the New Aeon Edition which is a 470-page, full-colour book that includes the Player Guide, GM's Tools, Adversaries, and Setting. The biggest difference from the standard edition is the cover art, foil printing, and slipcase.
This copy retails for £60 GBP, about $78 USD and $124 AUD. I was a Kickstarter backer.
BREAK!! review: setting / worldbuilding
BREAK!! takes place in Outer World, a place with many ruins of the past, pockets of civilization, and lost treasures. I won't reveal too much but there are some interesting locations like the Buried Kingdom and Wistful Dark.
From a GM perspective, Outer Worlds is specially designed to inspire adventures. One thing that stood out to me was that each unique location in the Outer Worlds includes a list of adventure suggestions for GMs.
BREAK!! review: character creation
Character creation in BREAK!! is extensive and can take a while depending on what you choose. You get to select a calling (magical ability/craft), species (physical appearance), homeland & history (where you come from + starting items), traits (natural abilities), and a quirk (what makes you different from other beings of your calling and species). You can be anything from a human to a gruun, elf, or biomechanoid.
Some meaningful choice is provided during character creation, but it opens up much more as the characters increase in "Rank".
BREAK!! review: game-play
The gameplay in BREAK!! feels familiar to anyone who has played an adventure RPG before. The anime influence is strong on the art front but the game itself is a DnD 3.5e or DnD 5e-like game: a tactical adventure RPG.
There's a big focus on exploration, downtime activities, crafting, and journeying as well as combat. There are dark elements but it's generally fantasy fun.
I noticed that there is a slightly lower chance of succeeding when only using the base aptitudes in checks. I like this because it will softly encourage players to engage with the fictional space to gain an upper hand on any checks they make.
One thing that threw me was how checks and contests are all about rolling under or equal to your aptitude score to succeed, whereas attack rolls are about rolling equal to or over an adversary's defence score. It seems a bit confusing when minor or major bonuses and penalties are involved because they either add or subtract from the value rolled on the d20 depending on the type of roll being made.
BREAK!! review: combat
The "Fight" mechanisms in BREAK!! will feel familiar to anyone who has played a tactical adventure RPG like Dungeons and Dragons before. It involves a similar round structure with each player moving their character and taking an action with them.
The "combat values" like "attack bonuses" or "hearts" are low compared to other systems, which may help prevent fights from taking a long time during a session. Typically, players will have bonuses of around +0 to +1 for attacking, and only have a few hearts. The same goes for adversaries, though they tend to be slightly lower.
The game provides a quick way to create a battlemap by describing it in terms of areas. This is nice because it avoids the need to use grids during play, and helps players to avoid constant measuring or counting to determine where they are in the game world.
BREAK!! review: Game Master-Player Characters (GMPCs)
In BREAK!!, there's a lot of material for GMs to work with when it comes to Game Master Player Characters (GMPCs as opposed to Non-Player Characters (NPCs)). There are lots of types from villains to allies, rivals, service providers, quest givers, and basic folk.
Several tables are provided though I wish there were slightly more in the 'negotiate' mechanisms for things like deception and convincing GMPCs.
BREAK!! review: Game Master's (GM) perspective
In BREAK!!, there's plenty of general advice, examples, and random tables to inspire a GM when creating NPCs, locations, and adventures. I found myself wanting more advice for GM-ing using the different subsystems (which BREAK!! calls "focused rules"). This includes the journey, explore, negotiate, and fight subsystems.
The game is written in a way that would benefit repeated plays. It works well as a reference manual and includes some good one-page summaries of the key rules.
Final thoughts on our BREAK!! review
BREAK!! is a TTRPG that a lot of players and GMs will like between the world and characters. The quality of the book itself is fantastic and there has been a lot of time put into the illustrations and content. This one will have a permanent home in my collection.
Fast facts about BREAK!!
- Writing and rules by: Reynaldo Madriñan
- Editing, design, and art by: Carlo Tartaglia
- Players required: 2+
- Suitable for solo role-playing: No
- Suitable for ages: 12+
- ISBN: 978-1-7384039-1-2