Before the Kickstarter launched, Magpie Games put out for the public a Quickstart Manual to help introduce this new ttrpg. The version that I am reviewing is version 2.0. As a DM I appreciate that there was already an update to fix errors and that the company sent an email to let us know that there was an updated version on DriveThruRPG. There is even a change log to track what changes have been made. As a future Avatar ttrpg player and GM I love that they are listening to the feedback of fans and staying on top of making this the best ttrpg they possibly can. Right in the first paragraph they make the reader aware that these are not the final rules as they will keep being adjusted and worked on before the final version of the game comes out.

This 55 page document has a lot of great content and looks very professionally put together. The cover features both Aang and Korra in their avatar state and more familiar people, creatures and images make appearances throughout the whole Quickstart manual.

This booklet works as a guide to the basic mechanics of the game, how to create and fill in a character play book and a basic intro to the world of Avatar legends. There is everything from character creation, playing and running the game. There is also a 10 page adventure called “The Forbidden Scroll” for an introductory play through. There are also some regenerated characters and a blank character playbook for players to choose from.

In this game you play a hero from one of the Four nations (Earth, Air, Fire or Water). The quick start guide sells the game as a game “about bravery, friendship, and doing what is right in the face of often insurmountable odds.” This TTRPG is based in the world that many know from Avatar the Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra series. Those who are unfamiliar with Avatar and just getting introduced, the world is a fantasy setting “inspired by Asian and North American Indigenous cultures.” Page Four gives a great introduction to who/what is the Avatar and what you may expect from this world.

In this game you are choosing to play a character from one of the Four Nations (or The United Republic) with the goal to bring peace and balance to all things. Your game master and table will decide which era you will be playing in as the game time frame will unlock different places and conflicts to explore. Avatar Legends: Thr RPG has 5 different Era’s to pick from currently starting from Kyoshi and going all the way to Korra.

The “Starting Play” section of the book lets you get started on your adventure for creating a campaign of your own. We start with a Scope of your game and then the group’s focus. Something I appreciate as a DM is the Quick start guide has lots of fill in the blank options to help the Gm create a compelling story from the main reason your party will getting together and providing an outline to help you create your own “Series” and the different acts and episodes to bring your Avatar story to life. I will be using the information on page 8 as a reference for building campaigns for other ttrpgs as well.

There are a lot of different pieces to fill into your character playbook but the Quickstart Guide walks you through things pretty well. First you can decide if you want to use a pre-generated character (pg26) or get a blank playbook to fill in yourself (pg 45). There are Six play books or archetypes (bold, guardian, hammer, icon, idealist, successor) to pick from. When coming up with names, the Quickstart Guide has a variety of pre-generated names to select from each of the different elemental kingdoms to pick from or inspire you.

Training and skills are important and you get to choose whether your character is a bender or a non-bender with skills (such as fighting or technology). A list of backgrounds can be found on pg 10 and 11 and you can select up to two. Demeanor is another thing that you will have to select one or two on your playbook to describe how your character behaves.

I love creating character backstories and as a DM I enjoy using aspects from back stories into my games. In the Avatar Legends Playbook there are five “history” questions that players will answer to flesh out backstory and help tell a story of why their character is there.

Unlike D&D and Pathfinder, Avatar Legends only have 4 stats. These are creativity, focus, harmony and passion; four words that fit well with the Avatar theme. You do not roll for these stats. You will write +1 next to two stats, +0 next to one and a -1 next to the last.

Fatigue and Conditions are another piece on the playbook that you will need to mark and how it affects your character based on the stress and fatigue your character is going through.

One of the more beautiful parts of the play book is the Balance tracker with the two koi fish (Tui and La). You start with your balance in your center and will shift regularly through play in the game. The numbers on each side of the line will determine how your character feels about one of the central conflicts in their identity. Balance is explained in great detail on page 17 from resisting shifts, to all the things that could shift your balance. Balance is also important in the fact that there is a “Moment of Balance” move that your character can unlock through advancement as long as your character’s balance is at its center. Basic and balance moves are on pg. 42 followed by combat moves and approaches on 43.

As a DM I like the idea that there is a “Growth Question” where players discuss what their characters learned at the end of every game session (also called an “episode”). The questions are listed on page 22, but each play book also has a question which only that character answers that allows for a growth box to be checked. Once four growth boxes have been checked an advancement can be made.

Campaign Creation Worksheets can be found on pg 44 and goes bit by bit on each piece needed for a successful campaign outline (era, scope, focus, inciting incident for Act 1-3) and a place to write allies/enemies.

The way the Quickstart Guide explains the game is everyone at the table is having a conversation while playing pretend with their friends. There are the Four Nations and their history and your GM and players are navigating different conflicts and going against different “villains.”

Your character does “moves” which rely on d6’s that rely on your skills and training to see if what you want your character to do can be made possible. You will roll 2d6 and add the results together, then you will add or subtract the stat named in that move to see if the grand total is equal or greater than a 7. A 6 or below will result in a “miss.”

Fatigue and conditions are given in greater detail on pages 15 &16. These can have an affect on your character's choices and success in game. I find it important to be familiar with the rules of these two things to make sure that you are not at a disadvantage and are able to clear up any fatigue and conditions your character might suffer. These conditions are also quite different from the conditions that one might find in Pathfinder or Dungeons & Dragons. The conditions of Avatar RPG include: afraid, angry, foolish, guilty and insecure. The game of Avatar has a high focus on emotions.

As stated earlier, Basic and Combat moves can be found in the Quickstart Guide on pages 18 & 19. There are also a list of basic techniques that every player character and NPC alike have access to, these are featured on page 21.

The help action in Avatar will give you 1 fatigue in order to give another player a +1 on their roll and is your entire action. There is also the ability to help as a group and separate rules for helping in combat exchanges.

At the end of game sessions the players answer three important questions (pg 22) and the answers to these show whether or not the character had any growth advancement rather than earning experience points like many other ttrpgs.

On pages 23 - 25 there is a very brief helping guide to running a game of Avatar Legends: The RPG. As a GM, I appreciate that it gives you the written reminder that guidelines are the rules to help you make the Avatarverse come alive and gives some tools to help. Some of the things in their guidelines list I personally already do at my ttrpg tables, such as addressing characters instead of players. There are some good things to help brand new GMs such as a list of basic GM moves and some tips under the “If you get stuck” column as well. The last page of this section is all about NPCs.

When learning to play a new TTRPG I very much like

• Teek, The Bold (water bender with creativity and focus)

• Aniki, The Guardian (weapon training with creativity, focus and passion)

• Wenli, The Hammer (fire bender with creativity passion and a -1 to focus)

• Xaipan, The Icon (earth bender with focus and harmony)

• Sunlin, The Idealist (uses dual throwing clubs with focus and creativity)

• Yinzin, The Successor (Technology training with bonuses in creatity and focus. Has a -1 to Harmony)

Want to make your own? At the end of the Quickstart Guide are blank play books for each: The Bold (45), The Guardian (47), The Hammer (49), The Icon (51), The Idealist (53) and The Successor (55).