Fantasy Craft Giveaway!

I'm having an interesting time right now. Simultaneously reading and digesting DFRPG and going through FantasyCraft a second time. Pretty radically different philosophies and techniques involved.

FantasyCraft has some really fantastic things going for it. Races are handled fairly well, in that it is possible to play anything from goblin to dragon without mucking about with level adjustments. The classes manage to be evocative and focused without being restrictive. The whole Spycraft line has always excelled at handling both skills and feats, and this is no exception (for those unfamiliar, it actually has robust support for doing things that *aren't* combat-related!).

The magic system is certainly a major leap forward from the d20 system, but it's not to my personal taste. I also feel that, in the interest of maximum portability, they've sucked all the inherent flavor out of it. But, take a lesson from D&D 4e, and reskin it. I will say, though, that the Paths are fantastic (they take D&D's domains to a really radical end, and by doing so make them actually work).

One of the really fantastic elements is Renown. As you advance, you earn reputation. You can spend that reputation for various major benefits. That can include mentors, strongholds, or favors. But, most interestingly, it can include magic items. In essence, the system strongly supports my personal sweet spot for magic items. A character can have a small collection of minor, one-shot items like potions. But then they are likely to only have one or two real Magic Items, and those items are woven into the essence of the character.

Things I don't like about FantasyCraft? It is too complex and interconnected. One of the things I liked about Spycraft 2.0 was that, as huge and dense as it was, it was fairly easy to digest. You didn't have to know all the details about the whole to use any one part. That's not as true in FantasyCraft. I see the barrier to entry being a lot higher. I would never, ever want to introduce someone to RPGs with this system. (That said, the interconnections all make sense, and create a ruleset that very robustly supports itself. Once you get over the initial learning curve, the system works like a dream.)

I'd really like to get a 2nd printing of the PDF, as I still only have the 1st printing. The system is super hackable, and I want to use it for a couple different settings I'm working on.