Earthdawn (IP)
At one of the times when an age, there were...dwarves.
Earthdawn is a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game originally published in 1993 by FASA Corporation which is a seperate legal entity than FASA Games Inc, who currently holds the license[1]. As licensed intellectual property, Earthdawn has changed hands several times since its creation. The game uses a custom dice rolling set of mechanics called the Step System.
Publication History
Earthdawn's publication history is an interesting one. It has had at least four major publishers, sometimes confusing to the player base in its publication history of who exactly owned the property. As of 2025, four major editions have been published with a parallel "rules-lite" version published by Vagrant. Additionally, several fiction books were published in the Earthdawn setting.
1993 - FASA Games
Earthdawn was originally published by FASA in 1993. It introduced a unique step-based dice system, a post-apocalyptic fantasy setting, and a metaplot linking it to Shadowrun. Core books included the Player’s Guide, Gamemaster’s Guide, and regional supplements like Parlainth and Throal.
2001 – Living Room Games (2nd Edition)
After FASA officially closed in 2001[2], Living Room Games licensed the property and published a Second Edition starting in 2001[3]. This version updated mechanics and continued the storyline with new supplements.
2005 – RedBrick (Classic and 3rd Edition)
RedBrick Ltd. also acquired a license and published Earthdawn Classic[4], which largely followed 1st Edition's rules and aesthetics. This was followed by Earthdawn Third Edition in 2009, which revised mechanics and presented new material, including the Nations of Barsaive series and Shards Collections. Redbrick retired from games publishing in 2012[5].
2012 – FASA Games, Inc. (4th Edition)
RedBrick’s successor a publisher of, FASA Games, Inc., launched Earthdawn Fourth Edition in 2015 on Kickstarter[6]. This version advanced the timeline slightly and refined the rules further. Core books were again released alongside new regional and thematic supplements, such as The Adept’s Journey: Mystic Paths.
2016 - Vagrant Games (Age of Legends)
The Vagrant games edition provided an alternative to the complex Step System.
Game Setting
Earthdawn's setting is a rich one, exploring an alternate timeline of the Earth's distant past, with a the core setting focused on the land of Barsaive. Fan analysis of the setting clearly paints the setting as set during Earth's mesolithic era, primarily focused on the world of Europe, the Mediterranean, India, and East Asia. Like many good fantasy settings, there are dragons, evil empires, and horrors a plenty.
Barsaive & The Theran Empire
The initial setting of Barsaive was set in land recovering from a recent epochal disaster called the Scourge, where eldritch creatures known as Horrors stalk the land and lay waste to all they find. Magicians and leaders of the Fourth Age knew of this, and built magically warded settlements, many underground. After centuries of hiding in their walled kaers, as the warded settlements were called, the people's of Barsaive begin emerging to a world changed, and an ancient empire seeking to the province to the fold. The conflict between Barsaive and the Theran Empire drives much of the meta-plot narrative throughout the various editions.
The Cycles of Magic
Earthdawn expands on the cyclical nature of magic that is core to the Shadowrun canon, and is the age of magic that proceeded the Sixth World. In the game's narrative, magic functions as a background factor of the world, rising and falling in potency over millenia. When the world's magic is strong, great spells can be cast, elemental spirits walk the lands, and eventually the Horrors come.
Adepts, Disciplines, Karma, and Threads
Player characters in Earthdawn are Adepts, uniquely powerful heros, and cultivate their magical abilities in Disciplines. Adepts have access to Karma, a magical trait that can be used to power their abilities. Lastly, and generally unique to the game setting, are Threads, powerful arcane connections players can weave into Patterns.
References
- ↑ FASA Games Official Website
- ↑ Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived July 13, 2001)
- ↑ Shannon Appelcline (2011). Designers & Dragons. Mongoose Publishing. ISBN 978-1-907702-58-7.
- ↑ Earthdawn – Living Room Games Product Archive (Noble Knight)
- ↑ RedBrick Retires from Game Publishing – FASA Reborn (BoardGameGeek)
- ↑ "That was a little unexpected!", Earthdawn 4th Edition Kickstarter, 2014
