This weekend I was able to play a Land of Eem one-shot. I like this system a lot! It reminds me of some of my favorite action-adventure media.
If you’re looking for a ttrpg that evokes the same mood or vibes as ATLA, Star vs. the Forces of Evil, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, or The Owl House (just to name a few) then I couldn’t recommend this system enough.
I was flipping through the rulebook and I was honestly very pleasantly surprised at every turn at how the game’s creators balanced lighthearted, fluffier elements of the game and setting with grittier, crunchier elements that give the setting realism and depth. So far it seems to be everything I would want in a ttrpg (including a really detailed, already-keyed hexmap full of rumors and plot hooks!!!) It manages to evoke whimsy and wonder while remaining a dramatic, grounded low-fantasy game with real stakes. And it seems to have a really awesome crafting system too!
I’ll have to see how it feels to run but so far it seems absolutely perfect.
i’ve never played it; How does the system work? is it a traditional d20-like system or something else?
I’d say it’s probably closest to Dungeon World? It is a d12 system, and the design of the character classes is pretty clearly inspired by Apocalypse World and the like, but it drops some of the quirkier, fluffier aspects of those systems for a more d20-like approach.
For example, combat is a little crunchier and a little closer to d20 systems - it’s still theater of the mind but there are turns and initiative. Your character has an attack modifier, damage die, and a defense score that determines how hard you are to hit - which work in ways familiar to d20 players. Some characters also have Block, which is damage reducton. If you roll poorly on your attack, though, you can be counterattacked - but the players can do that to enemies on their turn, too, so it balances out.
You also make skill checks like you would in a d20 system, though it does still use the degrees of success that PtbA is known for. But you don’t have that little quirk of the NPCs only acting when the PCs make a move. NPCs don’t have stats for things like skill checks, but there’s nothing stopping the GM from assigning an appropriate modifier and rolling for NPCs if needed - although the players should still be using their skills whenever possible. And when the PCs are elsewhere on the map, the GM is encouraged to keep NPCs and factions proactive and advancing their own plans.