Would you have a folder in your RPG library called The Black Orifice? Perhaps Eternus will tempt you.
The publisher of the Newtonium Engine and To End All Wars has a new sci-fi RPG coming. The Eternus Quickstart is out now, not even a Pay What You Want, and entirely free.
It looks good with a dozen artists in the credits and Ben Redmond, the listed author.
Humankind has conquered the stars, made our homes on endless worlds. Then we fell. At the peak of our understanding and mastery of the universe, we have lost our way and forgotten how we got here. Now we live across Myriad Kingdoms that span the universe, unified by our core biology, the oaths and bonds that tie us to our feudal lords, and our Faith in the Goddess.
Now is a time of heroes, a time of brave paladins and powerful sorcerers, of foul despoilers and dangerous alien beasts. There are mysteries to unravel, evil to defeat and a whole universe to explore.
Eternus is a space-fantasy game that uses its own rules-light system – a system inspired by the likes of Forged in the Dark and Apocalypse Engine, yet uniquely its own. A simple system using a single d6 for each play, yet with surprising depth of options, Eternus gives you the fast, narrative focus of games with a similar DNA, yet provides dozens of options, both in game and for character development.
The quickstart introduces the sci-fi tabletop RPG as one that contains light and dark themes. Characters will face evil, and it’ll feel like a grimdark sometimes, but there’s also hope. In Eternus, the most powerful force in the universe is one of goodness and hope. The heroes of the Myriad Kingdoms have the power to save their worlds and protect the weak.
Eternus uses a mechanics system where players choose a Play to represent the actions they are trying to achieve and compare the Play’s target dice value with the value on the dice, plus or minus any modifiers. The catch? You roll the dice first, see what’s possible and then pick the Play to suit.
Characters have ten basic Plays, each linked to one of Authority, Eternus, Focus, Physique or Training.
The Eternus is a power that can be felt and used throughout the universe. Its physical nature and laws are not understood, but its effects and how human minds can manipulate it are, at least to some extent.
The quickstart comes with rules your group will need to get started playing Eternus, with six pre-generated characters and a sample adventure.
Quick Start
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