There are numerous reasons that this book won the Origins Award for the "Best RPG of 2005".

Here are a few quick thoughts about that:

1. A deep and interesting world that rivals anything on the market today.

2. A system of play that rewards the characters behaviours rather than actions that further the story-line. Experience is based on the actions the characters take. Instead of expirence points characters recieve Arcana points that can be used to spend on the character. To quote the book: "In order for the action to qualify for an Arcana Points reward, it must occur as part of the game?s narrative, as a reaction or contribution to the events, goals, and activities put forward by the Guide or generated by the Players themselves. The Known World rewards activity with purpose, actions taken towards a goal, rather than mere activity itself."

3. The best character generation system I've seen in an RPG. New characters immediately have a large number of role-playing hooks that the GM can use.

<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>