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Did somebody say Esteren? 🙂

More seriously, I understand that feeling whether it’s towards Esteren, Symbaroum or any other RPG with a unique setting. No matter how cool the art looks, it can be daunting to absorb a new world/ruleset that’s similar-yet-slightly-different from another game/genre you’ve already explored (in this case traditional Horror/Dark Fantasy). I feel like the more you’re into this hobby, the more you gravitate towards “broad setting/make shit up as you go” kind of games.

If there is a “French tradition” (besides the great quality books), in my opinion, it’s the “theater of the mind” approach to RPGs. I can’t think of a single French game that uses minis/maps. That might explain why people find Esteren’s system “bland”: it was always the authors’ intention to keep it simple (1d10+skill) to put the emphasis on the evocative setting and character development. Pretty much like the way they used to play Ravenloft back in high school (low power, low magic, extra sanity rules).