All Rolled Up’s Sanction RPG system was funded on Kickstarter in an hour. The campaign wasn’t given the usual 30 days to fund, asking instead for £2,000 and setting the countdown to end sooner.
The game engine offers a simple and hackable system driven by challenges in the style where failure is another way forward, just with complications. The campaign is still open at the time of writing, and you can see the tally on the pitch page.
Geek Native had an early look at Sanction’s settings, and the stretch goals have unlocked The Agency and Thruster Gold. Safety Lies in Fear looks possible, and In the Midst of Shades will need a last-minute surge. If you follow Kickstarters, you’ll know there’s almost always a last-minute surge of some description.
Despite, perhaps because of, the settings that Sanction might offer, the book is designed to flex into the world of your choice. The core principle is that the PCs are at least a little extraordinary and have to overcome challenges to succeed. It suits investigation and storytelling as failure is just another way forward and towards success just via a route the PCs might not want to have taken.
Paul Baldowski (who has written for Geek Native but is better known for the Cthulhu Hack and the Dee Sanction) describes Sanction as a toolbox.
Adapting the game to a setting requires a little work by the Game Moderator— configuring a set of skill-focused tables to generate characters; defining any unique mechanics, like angelic favours, expendable gadgets, or uncanny good luck; and customising unpredictable but determined foes to stand between success and failure.
Backers can support the indie RPG in the usual way, by sharing on social media and offering cash. £1 buys you in for updates and £6 is enough to get the PDF of Sanction with digital stretch goals.
Stepping up to £10 is enough to have the softcover of Sanction added in and unlock The Dee Sanction titles and accessories as add-ons.
The Sanction is, as the name suggests, the rules engine for the Tudor-period supernatural The Dee Sanction.
At £20, backers get the hardcover of Sanction instead of the softcover. Optionally, the book can be signed at £40, and a folding dice tray with an All Rolled Up dice bag (of holding) also added.
There’s a retailer tier, and All Rolled Up estimate for March 2024 for all the physical and digital editions of the game.
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