Table-Tested Review of "Avatar Legends"
It was, at the time, the most successful Kickstarter campaign for a tabletop roleplaying game (since then surpassed by the Brandon Sanderson RPG), when they funded for around 9.5 million dollars. The Avatar universe (bending of the elements, not the blue aliens!) has captured hearts since 2005 and it seems like there is quite the overlap between fans and people into this hobby (or enough superfans to buy the game even without prior knowledge of what a tabletop roleplaying game is). As a kid I was completely obsessed with Avatar, so getting the game was an absolute no-brainer to me.
I have since then run a bit over a dozen sessions of Avatar Legends. Some of them were in a mini campaign with friends and a lot of beginners adventures for friends, as well as at conventions and events from the gaming club I’m in.
Some quick facts about the game:
- Core Designers: Brendan G. Conway, James Mendez Hodes, Marissa Kelly, Mark Diaz Truman
- Publisher: Magpie Games
- System: Powered by the Apocalypse, based on Masks
- Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
- Best For: Fans of the Avatar Universe
- Page Count: 304 pages (core book)
Mechanics
Mechanically it’s based on Masks, a superhero roleplaying game about young heroes, so it made sense to base Avatar Legends on it. What it’s not based on is D&D 5e, so I recommend those only familiar with the fantasy giant, to go into this without expectations to play similar to it. Avatar Legends is a Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) game, which means it’s based on the game “Apocalypse World”, however loosely. For Avatar Legends this means that it uses something called “playbooks” and “moves”, common in most PbtA games.
Players choose a playbook for their character, which can loosely be compared to classes as we know them from other games, but inform a lot more about the archetype they are playing into. Each playbook has individual abilities and goals, as well as a “Balance” track. Balance tracks your character’s struggle between principles. These principles are a bit like opposites (e.g. Trust vs. Self-Reliance) but also more than that; they’re different ways to approach the world and to shape your character. Playbooks can be seen as restrictive, but they are also extremely helpful in building a cohesive story together that fits the genre you’re playing in.
Moves provide mechanics for the things characters are expected to do in a particular game. Moves in Avatar Legends are things like “Rely on your skills and training” (often used to resolve things that involve bending), “Assess a Situation”, “Guide and Comfort”, “Trick” and more. Using these moves drives the story forward narratively and also emotionally and they interact with the character’s stats.
Players track quite a few stats for their characters! Along with the previously mentioned Balance track, there’s a relatively straightforward “Fatigue” track and (somewhat) related to that there also are “Conditions”, which are closest to what in more traditional games would be “HP”. Conditions are things like “Angry” or “Insecure” and marking one means you’ll be worse at certain moves. There are narrative prompts to clear them; to stop being Angry you can break something important or lash out to a friend. With the “Guide and Comfort” move you can also clear Conditions without destructive deeds. Will you deal with your emotions yourself or will you let your friends help?
Combat is round-based in three phases: everyone chooses to defend, attack or evade and each approach is handled after the other. Combat is more intricate than in many other PbtA games and introduces yet another thing to track: Statuses. These can be positive (a waterbender at the full moon might be “Empowered”) or negative (someone between stone columns might be “Trapped”). Bending is often narrative and flavour added when describing what your actions look like, unless when it comes to “Techniques”. These define bending (and fighting/tech) moves more narrowly and add some specific mechanics to it. Combat is in no way necessary in every session - actually most of my one-shot sessions play out without a single combat happening.
Summing up, the game might be more mechanically dense to those used to other PbtA games and unusually narrative for people coming from more traditional games like D&D or completely new to the hobby. It’s quite good at emulating the feeling of the Avatarverse though.
Playing the Game
Playing Avatar Legends really feels like playing in an episode of Avatar. Being a PbtA game, it’s able to emulate genres by giving just enough guidance to GM and players to tell stories that just feel right.
Player options include the previously mentioned playbooks, of which there are 10 in the core book and many more in various supplements. Each playbook can bend one element of your choice - or be a weapon fighter or technology expert.
There are some restrictions placed on the game - it’s not intended to support “evil” player characters, as the provided moves wouldn’t really cover that range of actions. There are some morally grey-ish playbooks in there though, so not everyone needs to be a goody two shoes and nuances are encouraged. The game also assumes you’re playing at least somewhat young people, with the exception of the “Elder” playbook, which replaces the default Conditions with more adult emotions.
Last but not least, the game supports many eras to play in! The earliest being the Kyoshi era, going over to Roku, the time of the 100 year war, the Aang era and the Korra era. The books give the GM all the tools they need to create adventures in each era, with a distinct feeling to each.
Adventure: The Vanishing Act
I’ve run this eight times. It’s the perfect intro to the game and part of the core book. It’s extremely open ended and sandboxy and might seem overwhelming at first, especially for new GMs or those used to more traditional games, but the book actually gives you everything you need to run a satisfying game. It’s set in Ba Sing Se after the events of the Aang series, so it’s a setting most people will be familiar with.
There are also a lot of supplements out there if you’re looking for more material to run. And of course you can also run your own games! With the advice provided in the core book along with some story hooks built into the playbooks, it’s easy to start a character backstory driven campaign or one of the GM’s own design.
Conclusion
If you have a group that’s into Avatar and wants to explore this world, this is the game to do it. The mechanics support the kinds of stories told, but I wouldn’t urge anyone to play this game if not they’re into the setting.
