Iron Dynasty - Kesshi Tales 10

Kesshi Tales #10 is the newest Reality Blurs release for their excellent Iron Dynasty setting. Up until now each Kesshi Tales release has had a corresponding guidebook that further detailed the region where the adventure took place. This book is different in a couple of ways in that it both breaks from that symbiotic release schedule and also focuses on the introduction of some new mechanics.

Structurally, this 39 page book stays true to the aesthetics of the previous releases. It opens with an overview and synopsis of the adventure which has the players getting wrapped up in the affairs of a Dueling Academy in the capital city of Kara, in Sorimizu. After the initial introduction the book has a section that introduces a couple of new Edges for dueling. There is also a brief discussion on reputation which expands on what is presented in the core rules. Specifically,  it discusses how the outcome of a duel affects a characters reputation and also introduces a card based system for randomizing an opponent’s rank and reputation.

The rest of the book details the cast and outlines the eight scenes that make up the adventure proper. The main story, as I mentioned above, has the character’s investigating recent attacks on student’s from the Kiyohara Dueling Academy. The adventure is set up to showcase the new dueling mechanics and, as one might expect, is very combat oriented.

This book is a fine addition to the already impressive line of Iron Dynasty books. Like the other titles in the series, layout is super clean and tablet friendly. The other thing I love about these books is that they are so well organized that you really need very little prep time to use them. They are even great for those who aren’t interested in pre packaged adventures. You can just grab npc’s, stat blocks and set pieces and throw them into your own sandbox to play with as you see fit.

As a side note, you can get the pdf of the Iron Dynasty core rules from RPGNow for $7.50 right now! That’s a steal!

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