Tails of Equestria is the role-playing game based on the My Little Pony franchise, written by Alessio Cavatore, Dylan Owen and Jack Caesar. Need Games, which has made the variety of its products a strong point, will publish this manual on April 5 of this year. On the occasion of Modena Play, it will be possible to play and buy this 152 page pearl for just over thirty euros. Whoever writes this review has never seen anything but the advertising of My Little Pony, so take what you will read cum grano salis.
Atmosphere Tails of Equestria
As the name of the game suggests, the setting is Equestria, where land ponies, unicorns and pegases move. The purpose of adventures in this world is to solve problems and make friendship triumph. Equestria is the place where the villain on duty can perhaps be convinced by comparison and dialogue, rather than by force.
The accessibility of Tails of Equestria
Being a product conceived and designed for children and for fans of the show, it is amazing how it managed to enclose the complexity of the role-playing game using a few simple words. Since there are no calculations or particularly high knowledge to have, if desired, the party could be composed of children of 7 or 8 years (GM included). The educational value of an experience of this type can be truly decisive for the positive growth of a child. The game focuses heavily on the group, on dialogue as a form of conflict resolution and on collaboration. Needless to say, some more experienced players could benefit from a game that does not aim to create the strongest pg of the others.
Given the high quantity of dice to be used (one for each type from d4 to d20), the game allows, by using tables, to make up for the lack of the same. While it's not the same for a child, it also increases accessibility for those who don't have all kinds of dice.
The creation of the Pony
In Tails of Equestria we find a character primacy over statistics. The player will first have to think about what kind of pony he wants to create. Only later, after answering the questions, will automatically draw the statistics. In this case, the higher a character trait, the higher the roll dice value. Added to this are traits and abilities, also these choices based on the type of pony you want to play.
The Tails of Equestria system
The game system is as simple as it is functional. It brings to mind Savage Worlds a little, stripped of all the complex mechanics. Each characteristic of the character corresponds to a die that can go from d4 to rise. To pass the tests, the die of that characteristic is rolled and the difficulty of the master is confronted. The Benny are replaced by the interesting Mechanics of Friendship that allows you to do much more. Thanks to the power of friendship, a pony can help a companion, withdraw the test with a d20 or even achieve automatic success. The clash, although highly discouraged, is based on the simple opposite throw.
Why start kids playing role-playing games with Tails of Equestria?
Setting aside the setting discourse, which may or may not like it, I think it is very important to stop and think about what kind of game Tails of Equestria is. Players are not driven to attack and destroy anything that happens to them within range. They have no incentive to be greedy or great executioners. On the contrary, the game pushes the characters to collaborate, have fun together and be friends. The opponent is not defeated but helped to understand where he is wrong. Why is all this important? Because it introduces role-playing games with a very different experience from dungeon crawling. Because the character is not seen as a mannequin capable of throwing fireballs and holding a two-handed sword. The character is defined on the basis of what he likes, his character, his defects and his traits. There is a primacy of narrative over statistics.
You can buy Tails of Equestria, the storytelling game, on Need Games site or at their stand at Modena Play.
