I Kickstarted this project after it appeared on line and here are some of my thoughts. Note that this isn't a review, but just my experiences running this for the Friday night gaming group I'm in and moving from D&D 5E to this.
I did explain before starting that this isn't like D&D. Playbooks aren't character classes but more of how you PC looks at and interacts with the world. You play out what you want to do, not just say it.
Before I started session one, I shared all of the books, playbooks, and associated pdfs with my players, hoping they would read them. Alas, when I got to the table most hadn't. For some it was the format, for others it was the overwhelming number of things I sent.
Then on to session one, as many didn't get through the rules there was a misunderstanding of how the campaign and the choices they had to make. This lead to confusion and detachment from the game as I as GM made choices that the players should of. Next time I will give them the quick start rules, giving a lot less material to go over.
When I came to the choosing and customizing playbooks, everyone had a good time and felt connected with their PCs. This I liked but question section had one drawback that came out later, what happens when a player quits. This happed between session 1 and 2, leading to detachment from the group and the guardian to pick a new ward. This is a my table problem, not something that the rules can nor should account for.
The balance track and combat exchanges are confusing at first, but after a few sessions it made sense. The combat cards, sold separately from the main book, really are a help. Id recommend picking them up if you're running the game.
All in all, its a good RPG with a few quirks. I'd run it again in a heart beat.
Some suggestions for the Magpie Games, put the balance and fatigue tracks on the side of the playbooks. That way players can slide paper clips up and down, much like the bullet and wound tracking in Classic Deadlands.
Here's a link to the publisher's page on the game
https://magpiegames.com/pages/avatarrpg
