Wow...where to start? I backed the original City of Mist Kickstarter, and I'm always amazed at how every new product release improves on the gameplay and universe presented in this simple elegant system. Here, you'll see classic pulp noir tropes rubbing shoulders with mythological titans, old gods, fairytale characters brought to often-grim life and a myriad of stories, cases and...read moreWow...where to start? I backed the original City of Mist Kickstarter, and I'm always amazed at how every new product release improves on the gameplay and universe presented in this simple elegant system. Here, you'll see classic pulp noir tropes rubbing shoulders with mythological titans, old gods, fairytale characters brought to often-grim life and a myriad of stories, cases and mysteries waiting to be unravelled. There is no linear plot progression; players solve cases at their own pace, following up on the leads that interest them, meaning that MCs (the GM analog) can recycle unused or untouched ideas back into later stories. As for gameplay, well...anyone familiar with any PbtA game will be on familiar turf here, but City of Mist approaches the system with a fast & loose interpretation that allows for critical thinking and cunning application of abilities. All in all, there should never be a situation where a player feels they have nothing to contribute to events, and the level of personal agency granted to players over their skills is a refreshing twist. This new starter set is a perfect drop-in point for anyone who has been interested in City of Mist but is unsure where to begin. The artwork is gorgeous throughout, evoking the feel of a genuinely mysterious noir setting, and the rules presented offer players a 'learn-as-you-play' experience that unfolds cinematically, while remembering that you're new. Done right, nobody should feel overwhelmed, and everybody should have something to bring to the case. In summary, City of Mist is a game that defies attempts to explain it: The play's the thing, and playing this game should be all the explanation you need as to why I consider it a modern masterpiece of RPG writing. Amit Moshe has created a beautiful, haunting, scary and deep sandbox for players and GMs to sift through, and the Starter Set is the ideal tool to begin your journey. But don't take my word for it. Punish that 'Add to Cart' button and find out why you should be playing this game.

City of Mist is a game that oozes flavor and has the flexibility to satisfy most player palletes. I've found that the starter set does a great job explaining the system mechanics with my appreciattion going to the point-by-point explanation of the character sheet and the sample playthrough to help explain how a typical session might go. I will say it...read moreCity of Mist is a game that oozes flavor and has the flexibility to satisfy most player palletes. I've found that the starter set does a great job explaining the system mechanics with my appreciattion going to the point-by-point explanation of the character sheet and the sample playthrough to help explain how a typical session might go. I will say it is a bit odd that there is one pdf file that has the MC (Master of Ceremonies - this iteration of a Game Master) portion added onto the Player portion, almost as if you had two seperate pdfs which are literally stacked on top of each other. Even so, the MC guide has a wealth of information and tips on how to understand and run the system. One particular ssue has prevented me from giving a full five star review, that unlike the original starter set, there are no print friendly versions of the character sheets provided in the pdf. To print one for player use, printing the full page renders most of the mechanical power tag text quite hard to read, and the amount of pdf manipulating to print the provided sheets into two landscape sheets is currently out of my scope of skill. I would encourage an update where players could have the option to print a more printer friendly copy of the sheets. To players looking to create their own personal Rifts (player characters) you won't find that information here. That is exclusive to the corebooks, and it doesn't like the company plans on releasing that information officially. Personally, I wish character creation was available freely given the setting and mechanics of the core game are enough to justify the core books value on their own, but it is tediously difficult to walk my online players through character creation.

With this set you get the perfect introduction into the system in an easy to read way. All rules for playing the characters(rifts) whose live changed as they become the gateway for a legendary power are included (also the first improvements) - character creation and full character development not included. Those legendary powers are gods, creatures of myth but also...read moreWith this set you get the perfect introduction into the system in an easy to read way. All rules for playing the characters(rifts) whose live changed as they become the gateway for a legendary power are included (also the first improvements) - character creation and full character development not included. Those legendary powers are gods, creatures of myth but also general principles given a personality or protagonists of stories made up. The pre-generated characters are interesting and form a crew - the all seeing eye investigation - and fit perfectly to the first case "shark tank". The character sheets include a nice graphical overview on how to make tests as well as some examples how to apply tags (character aspects). But keep on mind those are only examples to get you started - and far from what you can do with that system. Included characters are: Detective Enkidu - a hard boiled detective struggling with her wild site. Tlaloc - a dealer with the powers of an god of rain and lightening Lilly Chow - a runaway punk with a green magical giant as an unusual big brother Job - a believer on the crusade for justice Baku - martial artist and eater of nightmares The Players Part includes an short introduction to The City that is influenced by Rifts and fully evolved Avatars trying to achieve their goals. The eight core moves (actions) are explained that drive the story always forward and prevent stagnation (known from other games Powered by the Apocalypse). A handy one page summery included. Progress and Influences are tracked with Status Cards (templates for printing included). Played scenes are connected by a Montage(Downtime) move that lets you do something with the time in-between. The most interesting part might be the Stop.Holding.Back move - You express your powers in completely new ways and the sky is the limit and what you are willing to sacrifice. Character development is not linear and expresses the ever changing back and forth of of your mundane life and the myth inside you. Make your hard decisions and see it fade and crack or embrace it by giving attention to it to even further develop it. You also get the case „Shark Tank“ a first introduction adventure with guidance for the MC/GM to guide the group and how to apply the rules - learning it step by step. If you are intimidated by the main books - take a look here first to learn the game. Background Information: I know City of Mist from its first Kickstarter for the Core Book (which now got updated and split into the Players Guide und MC Toolkit [for the GM]). The All-Seeing Eye Investigations Starter Set improved version of the original Starter Set (which than got updated to Quick Start Rules [now containing also the two cases ])