Nova Aetas Renaissance

Nova Aetas Renaissance arrives on the table like a loud, oversized promise: miniatures, a storybook, heaps of cards for gear, loot and craftables—the full spread a dungeon crawler wants in front of you. It is a handsomely finished thing, with Ludus Magnus quality apparent in every piece you pick up, and, mercifully, it does not require an entire Tuesday after work just to get on the table. It occupies familiar territory with Sword & Sorcery, but the differences land firmly in its favour for me.

The campaign unfolds through scenarios and a shared story that the group genuinely wants to pursue. Players shape their choices around equipment, loot and craftables, while the rules system avoids an excessive dependence on dice; in that respect, it brought Jagged Alliance to mind. The interesting decision is how to make use of what you gather without letting the mission’s momentum disappear beneath a pile of procedure.

A fairly simple AI runs the opposition. It is not the “advanced” system the marketing claims, but it has not been poor or bothersome in our plays: it does its job, leaving the focus where it belongs, on the group and the scenario’s progress. The rulebook—B-minus, if we are grading it—makes an awkward attempt at FFG’s playbook-and-glossary style without matching its clarity. A minor nuisance, not an obstacle.

The shorter campaign, which others may see as a drawback, is precisely the right size for a group without the stamina to carry a Gloomhaven or a The Hunters for months on end. So far, nothing has put us off, and the next mission stays in your thoughts after the components are packed away. For anyone wanting dungeon crawling with plenty of sauce, Nova Aetas Renaissance is quietly excellent, and I recommend it without reservation.

Updated session

Later plays confirmed rather than altered the first impression. We went from two scenarios to five sessions without encountering an irritating problem, while the campaign’s shorter length looked even more like a virtue for this particular group.