The Sorcerer RPG goes along the lines of this: “You are a Sorcerer, but you do not ‘cast spells.’ Instead, you breaks the laws of what we humans call Reality to summon, bind, and command beings that are Not Supposed to Be Here. You are an outlaw – the ultimate in arrogance.”

There are two versions of the Sorcerer RPG: The Apprentice and the Master Versions. Think of the Apprentice as the “Player’s Guide” and the Master as the “Gamemaster’s Guide”. Both have the same set of rules, but the latter version has more details which is what we’ll be getting into right now.

The System

Sorcerer RPG uses dice, but the neat thing about it is it doesn’t matter what sort of dice you use! The only stipulation is that the dice all have the same number of sides. You aren’t aiming for a Target Value when you roll to accomplish something. Instead, you match the highest single value rolled by each party and see whose is highest. This is the basic die roll of Sorcerer – there is nothing else!

To see how great your success or failure is, you count the number of Victories (the dice that show higher values than the highest of the loser’s dice) the winner has. Sounds easy, right? It get’s better. You can roll more dice through the magic of roleplaying. The better your roleplaying during an action, the more dice you might get to roll.

There are three actions useable by player characters in Sorcerer: Sorcery, combat, and everything else. The mechanics use the dice system mentioned above, making this game easy to learn.

Creating Your Sorcerer

In the Apprentice Version of Sorcerer, you choose from a list. In the Master Version, you divide 10 points between Stamina (the general physique, strength, constitution, etc), Will (force of personality, charisma, etc), and Lore (sorcerous training). Then, you choose a description of your stats (how you developed them in your life). In the Apprentice Version, you start out as an Apprentice (naturally!), but in the Master Version, you can decide to go from a kid who has an “imaginary friend” to stark raving mad!

The fleshing out of the character is furthered by picking a Cover (after all, listing “sorcerer” on an application just doesn’t sit well with the mundane world) that the character does well in the workday world. Then you have to pay a Price (something that gives your character a -1 die penalty in a particular situation), because Sorcery ain’t cheap.

In the Master Version, there is a Telltale – something that gives the character away as a sorcerer. It can be anything from physical appearance to a speech pattern, as long as it’s precise.

And now, the part we’ve all been waiting for (or dreading): the Demon. In the Apprentice Version, you get to pick from a list for a demon. In the Master Version, however, you get to create your very own demon. Be careful, though – the demons don’t always play nice…

Finally, you choose the Kicker – the event or realization that pushes your character into action. It can be finding a suitcase full of money or a mysterious stranger that only appears when no one else can see him. The Kickers are very important to Sorcerer; they make the PCs worth playing.

Sorcery

In Sorcerer, you may only start out with one demon, but that doesn’t stop you from getting more…

Demons come in different varieties. Inconspicuous demons are hard to perceive, Object demons are “invested” in physical items, Parasite demons live inside a host, Passing demons look almost perfectly human or animal and can mingle with society, and Possessor demons take control of a body. All demons have a Telltale that can give them away to a person “in the know.” They have a Need that must be met, or the demon suffers badly. They also have a special interest (a Desire) that they try to indulge themselves with (which may cause trouble for the sorcerer it’s bound to), and might get cranky if it doesn’t get to indulge…

Another point about Sorcery is that the demon has all the power – not the sorcerer. The demon can refuse to use its power if treated badly, and can rebel. Having more than one demon can be a problem as well. And Heaven help the sorcerer if he fails to properly Bind his demon…

The Verdict

Both versions are good. The art is sparse, but good. Downloading the versions and printing them doesn’t hurt the printer too much, as it’s all black and white. Besides, the Master Version is only ten dollars. Not too shabby.

However, this is not a roleplaying game for beginners. The author assumes that the players and GMs are experienced (and mature) enough to run through a Sorcerer game. This game also has some mature themes (it deals with demons for crying out loud!), so don’t let the kids see this one.

Overall, Sorcerer RPG is highly recommended. Try the Apprentice version, and judge for yourself.