Reflecting on Monday’s decision to run our new game on Griffin Island using the Mythras rules, I was struck by how much this set of mechanisms fits with my preferences as a GM. Mythras is a solid set of simulationist rules with many options which allow it to support varied fantasy worlds.

Of particular interest to me is the way in which Mythras provides a prescriptive approach to character creation while maintaining an open range of choices for the GM. Cracking open the book once again, I noticed that the choices on offer are limited but also very loosely defined in terms of setting.

There are, for example, four Cultures – Primitive, Barbarian, Nomad, and Civilised. This covers a broad range of cultural and technological stages for your fantasy world but doesn’t nail anything down too firmly. Barbarians could be seen as Viking-style raiders but this is not the only way of thinking about that culture.

With multiple magic systems – each of which can interact well with the others in the book – the GM is free to choose any, some, all, or none of them. Thus the prescription is to pick one of these approaches but it’s far less limiting than (say) D&D magic. The way in which they all work together is also gratifying.

This is elegant design which thinks about the needs of both players and GMs. For players, there is clear structure for building a character and a range of cool toys to play with, depending on the GM’s choices. For the GM, however, there is the freedom to lean on the mechanisms to bring to life the kind of fantasy you imagine.

Of course, for those who like D&D-style magic and the more limited prescription of Gygaxian fantasy, Mythras offers the Classic Fantasy supplement too. Thus, if you like the strong simulationist feel of Mythras but prefer d100 to d20 mechanisms, well you have Mythras Classic Fantasy ready to go.

All in all, it’s a solid framework for fantasy roleplaying in any world.

Game on!