From the publisher's website: 13th Age is a new fantasy roleplaying game, designed by Jonathan Tweet – lead designer of Dungeons & Dragons® third edition – and Rob Heinsoo, the lead designer of the fourth edition of D&D®. “[13th Age] has just enough of the freedom I want from a tabletop game while also being able to balance the crunchy aspects. I was just about to swear off D20 games, too. So I’m glad I found this.” – Kirby Smith, playtester In the 13th Age of the world, adventurers seek their fortunes in the Dragon Empire while powerful individuals known as icons pursue goals that may preserve the empire from chaos, or send it over the edge. Players decide which icons their characters ally with, and which ones they oppose. These relationships, along with a personal history and a unique trait chosen during character creation, help define an adventurer’s place in the world of 13th Age and lay the groundwork for epic stories that emerge through play. There are also fun new rules for hitting orcs and making them go splat. An early draft of 13th Age was playtested by more than 200 gaming groups around the world. The game will be published by Pelgrane Press in September 2012 when it is ready; which may be in September 2012, or a bit later. The Escalation Edition is an advanced pre-order of 13th Age.