Made by Paragon Games.

Some of the art is okay.

The link to this game on DriveThruRPG.com is HERE. The Secret of Zir’An has been around since at least 2005. I have been unable to get the company’s webpage to load so far. Since the game was originally released under White Wolf, I’m not sure if the company is still around. I might dig around and see if I can still find the writers, at least. This game is pretty brilliant.

At first glance, this game is an lovely future fantasy game with an elegant d10 system. There are a lot of nifty unique elements to unpack here. It runs on its own system called The Finesse System. The world is rich in lore and history unique to this game. The Secret of Zir’An reminds me a little of some other games in its terminology and lore.

There are some drawbacks to the game. The most glaringly obvious flaw is the bright silver artwork (calligraphy/writing) in the background behind the text. The core book is almost unreadable in places. The PDF is far more legible for the most part. The art is… mediocre except for the cover and a few select pieces.

The real outstanding parts of The Secret of Zir’An lie in the setting. Originally I had even considered taking the juicier bits of lore and the setting and translating them to a 3.5E D&D game. (Because the book came out toward the tail end of 3.5.) Really, the system isn’t bad. I can’t really say anything bad about any game that uses a 1d10 resolution system. I find the system to be a little crunchier than a rules-lite game, but not the most complicated ever. I like it, but I like other games a little better.

The Secret of Zir’An has a good number of heavy in-game politics. The backgrounds and origins in character creation all the way through the weapons, spells, and maps are heavily entrenched in these political and religious aspects of the setting. If you want a setting steeped in deep lore, this is a game to consider.

The Lexicon, but there is more throughout.

Learning the new language.

Okay, it’s no Skyrealms of Jorune. But, The Secret of Zir’An is a bit complex in terms of the nomenclature and language it uses. I would recommend printing a copy of the game’s lexicon and having it handy. This sorta reminds me of some of the college sociology and anthropology texts. I feel like I need to put sticky notes and highlighting in my book to keep track of the what’s what and who’s who.

That’s not a negative, actually. It just means if you want to play this game, you really have to immerse yourself in the game. That’s actually a good thing. Some TTRPGs are built differently. This is one of those games.

There are plenty of rules-lite systems with little or no settings available indie or otherwise. I like both kinds. Will I be running Secret? Probably not. However, I would recommend reading over it if you are interested in world building or creating a game.

Thank you for being here. I appreciate you, as always. #indiettrpgmonth is winding down. There are so many interesting games; new and old out there. I encourage everyone to take a look around and see if anything jumps out.