I’m sold on the biopunk RPG pitch from Veronica Ripley and their pitch for Issliss.
A thousand years ago, humans tried to invade a land of monsters. They failed… (… and lo there was a Kickstarter.)
Issliss is a dark, gritty roleplaying setting with a vast and varied world. Its locales are stunning and treacherous, and its inhabitants are equally dangerous. The gameplay is fast-paced and scary, requiring players to use their creativity and teamwork to solve problems. The technology and culture of Issliss are roughly analogous to a steampunk setting, and the worst of human behaviour is assumed to be a thing of the past.
The tech in the setting, collectively known as the Cell, is a mix of biomechanical prosthesis and more ‘usual’ mechanical devices, except even those might be powered by exotic insects or volatile plants just as they might be by compressed gas.
The system is a custom 3d6 engine called VECTORs, and that’s been designed to amp up the desperate and teamwork-centric gameplay.
There’s a free quickplay if you’re willing to sign up for the newsletter.
Ripley, who owns the publisher Fablescrapes, noted;
We here at Fablescraps have been hard at work developing a completely original roleplay setting and system for players who want a dire new-weird experience. That’s why we’ve created Issliss – a world primed and ready for explosive stories of overcoming overwhelming odds, defeating tyrannical oppressors, uncovering dangerous and terrifying plots, and surviving in a fantastic time.
Backers at the $5 tier get the PDF of the quickplay guide, VECTORs character sheet and thanks in a Twitch stream and the core rules. You don’t get the core rules at $5; you’re just thanked in them, and at $20, you get a limited edition physical map as well – but still no core rules.
The core rules, in digital, unlock at $22. There’s a limited $30 tier for backers to get the PDF rules, a physical map, plus a launch poster.
Backers at $50 get a Kickstarter exclusive, a physical core rulebook, plus the VECTORs character sheet and digital assets.
The top tier, limited to only 100, is a signed edition of Issliss 1e, five printed character sheets, and the map and launch poster are signed.
The quickplay guide is slated for a December 2023 release, the first printed goodies in January 2024 and the Kickstarter exclusives in June 2024.
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