It started off promising at a glance (you can click the preview button and see), but ultimately turned into more of the same - repackaged ideas I have read before. The deal-breaker for me was when I jumped to getting dirty in action. yawn - I can't imagine anyone getting excited by this - nothing new here, and nothing worth reading any more.

At some 90-odd pages, this is more substantial than most Quick Starts, indeed it is more of a preview of the entire game.

It begins with character creation and takes you through the Three Words mechanic in detail, showing how the words you choose to describe the character's controlling trait (the thing he's known for: wise, strong, cunning, etc), his race and his profession to generate his Attributes (there are nine of them) and guide you through the other selections that you need to make. With this, unlike most Quick Starts, you not only know what's on the character sheet and what it means, you can actually create a character from scratch.

Once character creation is done, there is extensive explanation of how task resolution and combat work. This is followed by magic - including the interesting snippet that using magic bleaches your hair and eyes! (I think people might mistake me for a mage in this world if you look at my hair!) In designing spells, again a Three Words system is used - it's wonderful for those of us who like to design our own spells, but there are plenty of examples for those who want them ready-made or need examples to get them going.

There is a chapter of monsters and a whole adventure as well... by the time you have finished reading, never mind playing, you will have a clear idea of what Ingenium 2e has to offer and if its unique and elegant style will suit the games you want to play and the way in which you play them.

Overall, if epic fantasy is your gaming choice, this elegant yet powerful system provides a good mechanic to power your games.