I recently re-discovered a game I had picked up ages back. It's a charming little game called "Tales from the Wood".
This game is designed to capture the adventure and splendor of classic books and series of books such as "Watership Down", "Duncton Wood" "Farthing Wood" in all their whimsy and majesty. The players take the role of small woodland creatures commonly found in the woods and surrounding areas of the English countryside as well as classic gnomes.
The adventures center around the animals and gnomes dealing with hostile animals, the environment and exploring the mysteries of a world much larger than they are. In addition to other animals, there is Man to worry about and the "evil" that he brings into the world.
At first the game seems like a very kiddish game, but the more I read it, the more I realised that it had the potential to be every bit as magical and complex as any other RPG. The game is told from the POV of animals and it is assumed that without the right Lore skills, the animals will understand little of the world that is not natural.
The system is simple and character generation is quick if not a little simplistic. There is a bit of an artificial morality designed into the game, with the sides divided into "The Way" and "The Bane". This is a thematic choice to create drama more so than any attempt at realism with animals of "The Bane" being mostly cast into that role along the lines of common human prejudices (rats, crows, weasels, etc).
If you are lookng for a fun game that harkens back to those stories you may have enjoyed as a child or if you are looking for something different for an occasional one-off or even and angoing game, give this little gem a look-see.
"Tales from the Wood" is available through DrivethruRPG & RPGNow in PDF format for $2 and well worth it.
Thanks for reading,
Eli
