The most basic element of the new edition is in the Roll & Keep system, a system created early in AEG’s history that has been modified to suit the theme of more than one of their individual games, most notably Legend of the Five Rings and 7th Sea. The basic idea is that a character has Traits that cover all of his innate mental and physical abilities. These Traits are frequently paired with Skills, which represent his learned abilities. Various combinations of the two allow the player to roll a number of ten-sided dice equal to his Trait plus his Skill, up to a total of ten dice, and select a number of those dice equal to his Trait to keep. The total of the kept dice is added together and compared to a Target Number determined by the Game Master; the more complex and difficult the task, the higher the Target Number. This very simple idea represents the basis for every mechanic in the entire game. Experienced players will of course recognize it; the game has been through many different iterations, but we have not abandoned the premise of the Roll & Keep system. I lived through the d20 occupation, after all, and while that system has its strengths, I’m a member of the Roll & Keep Posse for life, I think.