The best way to learn a new roleplaying game (or, as in my case, re-learn) is to play with it. Feeling a little low this morning, I decided to double down on learning the Imagine Roleplaying System. Even though I’ve been dabbling for a week or more, the time has come to create a game.

To begin, I picked up 7d4 and rolled up a new character. My intent was to create a simple fantasy scenario and populate it with a small group of adventurers. As luck would have it, I got good enough attribute scores to build a Civilised Human Priest.

Brother Delbyth is an Acolyte of… a Good-aligned Deity. Yeah, I know, but I haven’t worked out any details for the world except to establish (through the oracle of astragalomancy) that he grew up in a Town.

I’m imagining a vaguely European fantasy realm with an extensive wilderland close by so that we can explore. I’m also taken by the idea that we might need a Priest to counter some foul Undead denizens because I love me some Undead.

There are a number of features of Imagine that immediately strike me as exciting and engaging. For one, I enjoy the Divine Magical skills that our erstwhile Brother begins the game with, such as Bless, Detect Evil, and Healing. I also love the way Divine Invocations are prayed for and used a limited number of times.

More than anything, the first impression of the game is one that creates a living and dynamic player character. Each detail you generate builds up an ever-larger and clearer image of your new persona who feels distinct. Imagine has enough detail that the usual eye-rolling boredom I feel about a “D&D Cleric” didn’t happen; instead, I felt drawn in and engaged.

There’s a section of text at the beginning of the Imagine Player’s Guide that strongly encapsulated my experience this morning:

Have you ever looked out of a window and seen something different than you did the day before? It was there but you just didn’t see it. Then by a trick of light or a glimpse of shadow you did. By picking up this book, you can see something different. You may not have looked in a while, and when you first look you may even think, “I know what this is.” Yet if you keep reading, it will hit you–there is something complete about this vision–some way the light strikes or the shadow darkens to pull out the detail that you always wish you could have seen before and suddenly you can.

Imagine Player’s Guide, page iv

I can’t wait to find out who might be going on the journey with Delbyth and where the trail will lead them. But one thing is certain: the window is open and I want to climb through it.

Game on!