Welcome to Roleplaying is Magic!

Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, on one thing we can all agree:

Everything is better with ponies.

It is with this in mind that we set out to make My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic. With many game systems on the market ranging from vampire intrigue, to cyberpunk dystopias, to dragon-slaying and the diving-into of dungeons, we felt that it was time for something bright and colorful to join these noble and distinguished ranks. Something positive. Something friendly. Something uplifting and just plain fun.

Pen and paper roleplaying games occupy a unique place in modern society. For many of us adults, they provide one of the last safe places for our imagination to take flight; indeed, in some ways, they may be the last bastion of our childhood. Unlike video and computer games, a good pen and paper roleplaying game doesn’t just provide you with a choice of A or B and ask you to choose one; instead, it presents you with a situation and asks, ‘What do you want to do?’

We have tried to capture this ideal with My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic. The magical land of Equestria is a wide, wide world of adventure, danger, wonder, and self-discovery. It is a place that, while not safe, is full of imagination; a perfect setting for a pen and paper roleplaying game. We have avoided complex math as much as possible, and have instead substituted narrative concepts and ideals of communal storytelling, to emphasize the unique place pen and paper roleplaying games hold in the world of gaming. This is not a game to be beaten, but rather a method of telling fun stories together.

So, gather some friends and read on, my little ponies; and as you do, ask yourself:

What do you want to do?

What is This?

This is the ‘Season Two Edition’ of My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic, a tabletop pen and paper roleplaying game system based on the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic cartoon created by Lauren Faust and Studio B, and owned by Hasbro Inc. This is provided free for all to use and play, and is a labor of love and friendship for the brony community.

It is called the ‘Season Two Edition,’ or ‘S2E,’ due to the fact that it is based as much as possible upon the canonical information presented by the original cartoon up through its second season. Part of the mission of this game system is to undergo revisions after each season of the cartoon, and release a new edition each season to reflect those revisions, thus staying constant with the information presented by the show. We have done our best to design a game system which, while being as ‘fanon-friendly’ as possible, is centered squarely on the canon of the original show.

This is a system for communal storytelling, designed for two to six players and one Game Master (or ‘GM’). It is played using a single twenty-sided die (or ‘d20’) per person, as well as pencils, this rulebook, and assorted character sheets. Players are given a situation by the GM, describe the actions attempted by their characters, and use the d20 and their character sheets to determine the results of these actions.

Above all, this is a vehicle for telling stories, making friends, and having fun.

Hey, isn't this Just Like [Insert Game System Here]?

Probably.

Experienced pen and paper roleplayers will undoubtedly recognize several aspects of My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic which are similar to other game systems, and that is not unexpected. While much of the game was developed to be as original as possible in concept and execution, as the old saying goes, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ The simple fact of the matter is that good art stands on the shoulders of the giants who came before, and that if someone before you had a good idea, use it—and if possible, improve on it.

We have altered almost every mechanic in the system enough to consider it ‘ours’ rather than ‘copying’ or ‘stealing’ from someone else, and the core system is original work. Having said that, we would like to take a moment now to give proper credit to the giants whose shoulders we stood upon to make this game. These are only the influences we are aware of; the world of gaming is a vast web of influences, and there are likely many we aren’t aware of enough to name. To those, we offer our simple thanks.

First and foremost, like many gaming systems, we owe a thank-you to Gary Gygax for his creation, ‘Dungeons & Dragons.’ Without D&D, not only would this system not be possible, but we may not have gotten into gaming at all.

Secondly, White Wolf’s ‘World of Darkness’ influenced much of how skills are defined and how the core of the game flows in a narrative style, as well as how part of the Dragon racial mechanics and Willpower mechanics were designed.

Third, ‘Giant in the Playground Games’ influenced much of how the attribute and talent systems were designed to afford players flexibility without becoming overly complex.

Fourth, Atlas Games’ ‘Ars Magica’ influenced much of how the magic and spellcasting system was designed to allow great customization, as well as how part of the Unicorn Pony racial mechanics were designed.

Finally, Giftkrieg23’s ‘The Savage World of My Little Pony’ is—to us—the grandfather of all My Little Pony pen and paper game systems. It blazed the trail this game system follows, and we owe him a brohoof for being the pioneer in this area. In particular, his system of ‘Daunts’ influenced much of how the Energy/Courage/Fortitude system functions.

How Do I Read This Book?

This book is separated into four distinct sections.

The first section is this one, the Introduction. It is designed to give you some background on the game, and to ease you into the style and flavor of the book. For the full experience, it is recommended that you read all the way through.

The second section is For Players, and forms half of the core content of the book. In this second section, the mechanics of the game are presented and explained, from character creation, through gameplay, and on into character advancement and the spending of experience points.

The third section is For GMs, and forms the other half of the core content of the book. In this third section, the duties and responsibilities of the GM are outlined and explained, from creating an Episode, through gathering a group of players, and on into running the game itself.

The fourth and final section contains Character Sheets for players to use when creating their characters to play.

New Players: What is My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic?

We have one word for new players:

Relax.

If you’ve played a pen and paper roleplaying game before, you already know how to play My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic. Some of the mechanics may (and likely will) be new and different to you, but you already understand the core logic of how a game system works, and all you’re going to find in this book is, perhaps, a new way to play.

If you’ve played in unmoderated, or ‘freeform,’ roleplaying before, you already know many of the ways in which My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic differs from other pen and paper game systems. You understand the concept of narrative flow in roleplaying, and all you’re going to find in this book is, perhaps, a new way to codify roleplaying.

If you have no experience with roleplaying at all, you have a lot to learn. However, we wrote this book for you, and within its pages, you’ll find everything you need to sit down with a group of friends and play a game of My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic. The best way to learn roleplaying is to sit down and do it, and chances are good that if this game system is your first, you’re playing with the best group of people to learn with: friends.

Regardless of your background or experience, you’re likely to find something new in this book, whether it’s how to play a game which is light on rules but heavy on concept, or how to use rules to tell a story rather than simply play a game.

Returning Players: What’s New in S2E?

We have two words for returning players:

Thank you.

You stuck with us through our rough beginnings, and we hope that you’ll find S2E to be a different, but also much better, experience in every facet of gameplay. We have redesigned almost everything from the ground up to improve on S1E; taking from it many lessons and good ideas, and trimming away or replacing what didn’t work—or didn’t work as well as we thought it would. If you were one of the game groups who kept in touch with us and provided feedback, you’re very likely to find that a considerable portion of that feedback has been incorporated into S2E. This game is for you, and you helped make it better. Thank you; we owe you a cupcake.

Some of the changes you’ll find include new mechanics such as Energy/Courage/Fortitude—a reworked ‘hit point’ type system which focuses more on all aspects of becoming discouraged or damaged, an expanded spellcasting system for greater flexibility, power, and customization for Unicorn Ponies, cool new and expanded flight- and weather-based abilities for Pegasus Ponies, a robust experience reward system for Earth Ponies, new mechanics for utilizing Special Purposes and Talents, new ways to use—and risk—Willpower to push your character to new heights, Dragons as a playable race with their own unique abilities and dangerous weaknesses, and last—but certainly not least—a fully realized system for acquiring and spending experience points to advance your character across multiple Episodes.

You spoke, we listened. We think you’ll like what we came up with.

What Do I Need to Play?

The list of materials you need to play My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic is very short in comparison to other pen and paper roleplaying games.

Each player needs a character sheet (found in the back of this book), a pencil or pen, and one twenty-sided die. Optionally, players may wish to bring paper to take notes on the story to help them remember key points. Players might also wish to bring a copy of this rulebook for themselves, though a game group can get along fine with one copy for the group as a whole.

The GM needs even less; a copy of this rulebook, a pencil or pen, paper, and their notes on the Episode they are running. My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic - S2E seeks to be very GM-friendly, allowing GM’s to focus on the story, not enforcing the rules.

Aside from that, everyone should bring a cooperative, friendly attitude to the table, and the desire to have fun and tell a good story as a group. That’s it—you’re ready to begin!

Who Are You?

The My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic team is composed of five individuals—one woman, four men—and is published under the company header of Roan Arts LLC. Roan Arts LLC is a small company formed to create and publish artistic projects from video games, to hobby games, to books and comics. Apart from My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic, Roan Arts LLC is developing START, a universal framework system for pen and paper game development, Mass Effect: Freelancer, a pen and paper RPG set in the Mass Effect universe, and SILVER, a hybrid freeform RPG system for roleplaying guilds in MMO’s which is being deployed for Guild Wars 2.

James Weimer (Tall Tail) is a co-founder of Roan Arts LLC and the mind (genius or deranged, you decide) behind My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic. He is an avid gamer and passable writer from the southern east coast with lofty aspirations to become a professional game designer. He’s also available for bar mitzvahs and birthday parties.

Samuel Hanson (Know-It-All) is a brony from Florida and a co-founder of Roan Arts LLC. The love of games (and ponies) led to his joining the MLP:RiM team where he applies his (apparently) useful skills in developing game mechanics. When not trying to figure when to use a +1 or a -1, Know-It-All enjoys playing video, computer, and tabletop games, and—of course—watching Friendship is Magic.

Daniel Oakley (Artsy Heartsy) is a geek living in Brisbane, Australia. He does a little of everything, and has a passion for computers and graphic design.

Caytlin Vilbrandt (Pixel) is a comic artist and designer from the Pacific Northwest. She spends her days fighting crime and saving puppies from trees, but when she comes home at night, she draws a lot of comics. And watches a lot of pony. Actually, that's a lie; if you ask any of her friends, they'll tell you she spends 90% of her time drawing her comic, Walking on Broken Glass (http://www.brokenglasscomic.com). But be warned, it's rated R for violence.

Michael Simpson (Sketchbook) is a visual artist who has worked in illustration, graphic design, and 3-D animation. A good portion of his free time is spent doing artistic things for fun (and profit). He also has a passion for all sorts of games, from those on his trusty (well, mostly trusty) Playstation 3, to good old fashioned board games and tabletop games.

Who is Best Pony?

Tall Tail: I have been a fan of Pinkie Pie since day one (okay, maybe episode three). Her quirky humor and out-in-the-open, positive lifestyle helped me learn the value of being upbeat, straightforward, and optimistic in my daily life. I credit Pinkie Pie’s lessons with being the reason I wake up happy in the morning. And also, who doesn’t love Gummy?

Know-It-All: AppleJack is the best pony because she is honest and dedicated to doing the right thing. Where other ponies get by with magic, fantastic natural abilities, and reality-bending luck, Applejack uses willpower and hard work to get things done.

Artsy Heartsy: Fluttershy, because she's a year older than Pinkie Pie. Pipsqueak, Spike, and Pinkie come in a close second, though.

Pixel: Sweetiebot is best pony. That's all there is to it. But if you make me choose a canon pony, I'm sticking with Sweetie Belle. She's my MBTI pony, and I like her lots.

Sketchbook: I would have to say that the best pony is Fluttershy. I feel like she is the one that I can best relate to, as well as being pretty darn cute. Even though she is timid and super-kind, she isn’t afraid of showing some backbone when the situation calls for it. You might even say she ‘kills with kindness;’ and I feel that that’s the best way to be.