Spend Some Adventure Time In The Land Of Eem
The “CalArts” style of animation is something of a generational divide amongst cartoon fans. The bulging eyes and bright colors are hallmarks of shows like Steven Universe and Adventure Time which are adored by younger fans. But many older fans think that the artwork is too silly and distracting. Land of Eem, from Exalted Funeral, embraces this style of artwork. Designers Ben Costa and James Parks pitch the game as “Muppets meet Lord of the Rings” and the first glimpse sells the game as full of silly jokes and serious adventure. I received a review copy of the deluxe boxed set for this review. Is it worth seeking out quests from the fine folks at Wally’s Waffles and Weorgs? Let’s play to find out.
Land of Eem uses a class and level system to build characters with a d12+ skill resolution mechanic. The game uses a tiered level of success that offers a lot of “yes and” or “no but” style that keeps the story moving forward even when the players roll poorly. Players gain character abilities as they level up as well as when they accomplish certain missions and earn a title. These titles feel a bit like achievements in video games. Players gain two abilities at a new level. In an interesting bit of “try before you buy”, players can use both of these abilities until they hit the next level, then they must either choose one to keep or one they left behind at a previous level. It’s a clever way to handle that hard decision of a new ability at a new level.
Combat focuses on non-violent solutions over bloodshed. Instead of hit points and damage, the concepts are courage vs dread with both sides inflicting fear on each other until one side is too scared to continue. Conflict rounds are also structured in a way where fighting is a last resort. Talking (or taming in the case of animal antagonists) comes first, then actions to diffuse the conflict like causing a distraction or locking a door, then running, then fighting. Antagonists come with a score that says how many tries the players get to talk them down which helps pace this aspect of the game. I can see parents who want to play an RPG with their kids without the uncomfortable idea of constant goblin murder enjoying this system very much.
Inventory is abstract but the game goes into a detailed crafting system to cover the game of minor magical items. It’s up to players to craft their own health potions and find the ingredients for their meals at camp. Sure, they can eat a Mr. Iron Rations bar, but a well cooked meal allows for more roleplaying and buffs coming out of the camping scenes. These aspects reflect games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing while also driving play. Yes, there are some players who only think of gold, but tell a player hooked on the crafting aspect of play that there’s a rare ingredient in a dangerous location and they’ll head out to find it.
The Mucklands setting is detailed in a Sandbox book that is absolutely crammed with characters, hooks, adventure ideas and random charts to inspire stories about where players travel. While the elevator pitch mentions the Muppets, I can also see some elements of Jim Henson’s darker work here like Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Bright art and silly names sometimes helps darker concepts sink in. The full adventures are classified into three major categories: silly adventures that are more like the Muppets, derring-do adventures that are more like Lord of the Rings and Doom and gloom adventures that are more like The Dark Crystal. The core books have one full adventure included with them which slots into the middle category. I received a collection of adventures on PDF, which I loved but I wish it could have been slotted in with the main books. For that matter, there’s a campaign structure where the players chase down magical artifacts around the Mucklands to keep them out of some evil snake people’s possession that I would have loved to see get some more detail. There’s a lot of stuff to do in the campaign guide but I always enjoy the option for more bits with structure.
The last book in the collection is the bestiary which expands on the monsters included in the corebook. The designers offer a lot of monsters that are mashups of real world ones or modifying words such as cattypillars or kaliedoscorpions. I really enjoyed the monster entries not just because they were flavorful with goo art but the designers provided useful information beyond their abilities and what they do in combat. Each monster has weaknesses that clever players can exploit, the social cues they respond well to if they are open to parley, what they do with the heroes if they win a fight and what they might do after a fight, such as swear revenge or consider giving up this whole villainy business. Character death isn’t a baseline component of combat which encourages players to do unexpected, entertaining stuff. But it’s still a possibility with some creatures which works great as an escalation of tension. It’s all fun and games until you throw down with a Sargog and it swallows your party whole to be slowly digested over the next year.
Land of Eem fulfills its initial pitch by being a game that could be played by kids, adults or some combination between. The wild nature of the settings and characters appeal to kids but there’s mechanical support for travel, crafting and all the things that veteran gamers seek out for a full fantasy campaign experience. There’s also a ton of charts to roll on for inspiration from everything like curses to random puzzles and riddles to solve in the dungeon.
Bottom Line: Land of Eem is an excellent game where kids and adults can have great adventures together or tell tall tales on their own.
