The setting is intriguing, but a role playing game isn't its setting. The rules are confusing, sometimes inconsistent and generally speaking quite useless. The characters don't really make any sense and trying to understand and play the game is an excruciantingly pointless endeavor. It is, in brief, an unplayable game with a cute setting and a horribly sad handbook.

This is very well written, and I love the setting. I can't wait to get into it more and play/run a game.

This book was an absolute joy to read. The authors provide a setting that hits all the high-points you want in a setting: fleshed-out details that make the world come alive, mysteries with competing theories that the GM can make her own, and no mechanical details so that one could run Arduise in a multitude of systems. Part of the charm is that the writers chose to have multiple, in-setting characters speaking and interacting with the material and each other.

The theme of the game is progressive post-fantasy, and this theme emanates from every page. I would describe it as a fantasy game with modern sensibilities when it comes to cultural issues. In fact, it's one of a few games that tackles these concepts head-on.

The system itself shines in the second part of the book. The mechanics are innovative and intuitive, revolving around creative problem-solving based on how your character views the world and what's important to her. The thrust of the game is that the characters are seeking to make the world a better place in some way.

I have been unable to play as of the writing of this review, but I'm looking forward to the opportunity.

The book did have some minor typos and a few editorial fixes that needed to be made, but these detract very little from the overall experience of reading the book.