From the publisher's website Ruritania: 1844 is a player's set of rules for serial live-action play. Setting Ruritania is set in a fictional country somewhere near southern Germany... Mostly. Readers may recognise a long list of inspirations, including Castle Falkenstein, H.P.Lovecraft, Girl Genius, Clive Barker (most especially Imajica), and much else besides. System Ruritania doesn't use dice, or cards, or any other randomiser. If you pay the time and other costs to employ an ability, it always works. This grants the game the kind of intense speed required for good live-action resolution; it may be altered in variant versions to provide more depth for tabletop or skirmish-style play.