Product– Academia Arcana RPG
System– DCC RPG
Producer– Dragon Peak Publishing
Price– Free Quick Start here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/445345/academia-arcana-rpg-quickstart-dungeon-crawl-classics-dcc
TL; DR– A good game with a strange system. 97%
Basics: You’re a wizard, Harry! Academia Arcana RPG is a DCC expansion where the characters are students at a wizard school. What problems can you solve as you attempt to get a passing grade?
Mechanics or Crunch: This book expands the DCC world, but only up to level 5. The classes are basic wizard, wizard thief, familiar, and even a magical girl. Characters get backgrounds, build covens, and all the basic parts of the Harry Potter books. It works well. You do not get a funnel in this game, but the crunch of every Harry Potter book is here. 5/5
Theme or Fluff– DCC is a solid choice and a misstep for this book. The DCC mechanics are executed well, and all the pieces are here. I love what’s in this book in terms of theme. But you don’t have Dumbledore throw 4d4 students into the forbidden forest and have 2d3 return. The game is missing some of the strangeness that makes DCC DCC. What’s here is solid, but it misses the funk that makes DCC DCC. 4.5/5
Execution: This is pure DCC 3rd party in the best way. You have spells, abilities, a world, and more all built into this book. The book is modern RPG-ready with hyperlinks, art, and an easy-to-read flow. This book is well put together. 5/5
Summary: I liked Harry Potter when I was a kid, and I love DCC. This is a good combination of the two. I do miss the gonzo of standard DCC. That is the one part I don’t love about this system. But if you want a rules-light RPG, then DCC is the thing to choose. I do like all the other pieces here, and the fact that magical girl transformation enters the RPG is a solid, fun addition. Academia Arcana RPG is a good, semi-strange addition to the DCC line-up that I am glad I kickstarted. 97%
