Serenissima Obscura: Ready for UK Games Expo with an interview with Vortex Verlag

Serenissima Obscura is a setting and series of adventures from Vortex Verlag.

As with The Straight Way Lost, Vortex Verlag’s 5e fantasy Renaissance Italy, Serenissima Obscura brings the mysterious city of Venice to life for tabletop RPG campaigns. Unlike, The Straight Way Lost, Serenissima Obscura isn’t just 5e, there’s Ars Magica promised and the publisher’s own “shorthand universal stats”. As a result, DMs will be able to convert the setting to pretty much any system they want.

Oh yes, in the following interview, I ask Melina Sedó, the main Author, Artistic Director and Project Manager for Serenissima, Co-Author & Game Developer, Andreas Wichter and their 5e Game Mechanics Specialist, Marc Braden, about that ambition.

The BackerKit prelaunch page, which offers free wallpapers, is live, and the breaking news from UK Games Expo‘s pre-show announcements is that The Straight Way Lost will be available during the event at a discount price at stand 3A-758!

What does “Serenissima Obscura” mean, and why did you decide on a Venice setting?

Melina:

The title “Serenissima Obscura” hints at the inherent contradiction underlying our setting.

“Serenissima” means “the most serene” and is the abbreviation of the old title of Venice, “La Serenissima Repubblica di San Marco”. It refers to the internal peace and stability that the republic’s political structure produced, in contrast to the typically violent and volatile nature of domestic politics elsewhere at the time. This led to a sense of contentment and security – and pride – among the populace.

“Obscura” means dark and nebulous in Latin. The correct Italian expression would be “oscura”, but we chose to use Latin for a better recognition amongst the non-Italian TTRPG community. It refers to the hidden darker aspects of the city, those that contradict the image of serenity: crime and corruption, mundane and supernatural evils, and otherworldly phenomena.

Why Venice? Because I have researched the city and its history in-depth for over 30 years. I have visited Venice repeatedly and ran a Vampire campaign set in 19th century Venice for over 14 years. Andreas, my co-author, was part of that too. Our shelves are filled with books about Venice, the most glorious of all cities. That’s why! Do we sound like complete nerds? We are! 

Beyond the 5e and “shorthand universal stats,” how deeply system-agnostic is the setting guide? Can you provide examples of how different systems, like Savage Worlds or Fate, could easily adapt the setting’s core themes and mechanics?

Andreas:

The world is built with a dose of Fifth Edition assumptions injected into a historical setting. That said, many of the specifics of that can be excised from the setting without much difficulty. Don’t want Tieflings in your Magical Renaissance? Leave them out in general or make them too rare to ever pop up in play, and assume any such characters in the book to be human. A different magic system? Just make sure that, if the assumptions about healing magic in your system are different from 5e, you consider the effects on the standing and prospects of magicians who can heal. And we have a chapter on magicians operating in society, so you get a heads-up on any necessary considerations.

Even if you want to go for a low-magic approach or a purely historical, non-magical game, the setting information and the adventure modules still make for a fantastically rich source of material ready to be adapted for your campaign.

As for using different systems, Savage Worlds and Fate both offer ways to pretty much directly translate feats or background options, so that should pose no problem, and with the Shorthand Universal Notation people who can’t easily decipher 5e stat blocks will have no problem understanding characters. Basically, Shorthand combines common stats with keywords, so you immediately know what basic attributes and skills, feats, advantages/disadvantages, qualities or what have you a character or monster should have in your game. Shorthand keywords will often be directly translatable into a SW edge or skill, or a Fate aspect. Or a PDQ quality, and of course, a Questworlds keyword or ability.

The themes underlying the setting are abstract enough not to be too difficult to depict, and we have guidelines on how to convert the various new mechanics into any system. It should help that we always try to keep these mechanics as simple as possible. If something gives you advantage/disadvantage in 5e, for example, it is quite likely any given system has a comparable mechanic, be that a simple modifier, a bonus die, or a die step up or down, for example. And speaking of Ars Magica, it already has form dealing with favourable and unfavourable conditions – just think of realm effects such as those for dominion or faerie. 

Fate has been shown to do “classic fantasy” with ease, and Savage Worlds even has its Pathfinder variant if you want to stay close in play style.

In general, SO is character-driven. Even our monsters are people, too. They have motivations, fears and goals, and these are all way more important than their powers to what they do. In fact, we have fallen a little bit in love with our villains and monsters and understand where they are coming from. Which means the GM can understand them and therefore should have no problem knowing how they will act in any given situation.

For those interested in “Ars Magica,” how does the add-on guide integrate with the core “Serenissima Obscura” setting and adventures?

Melina:

So, firstly: Andreas and I are absolute fans of Mythic Europe, have “storytold” long-running Ars Magica campaigns and translated the 2nd and 4th edition of the game into German. We know what we are getting into. ;-)

Our Ars Magica Guide for Serenissima Obscura is a separate conversion booklet to harmonize the Magical Renaissance with Mythic Europe. We really want the Ars Magica fans to be able to use the setting guide and adventure modules with the same ease as a 5e group would. We plan to provide:

• stats for around 80 NPCs, monsters and villains,
• mechanics for our magical items,
• a covenant in or nearby Venice,
• a brief history of the Order of Hermes until 1507,
• ideas, how to use our mythical background and mystical occurrences in an Ars Magica setting,
• mechanics to translate our renaissance character classes into Ars Magica PCs. 

We know that this is a massive feat, but we are committed to it and are currently in exchange with the Ars Magica community to shape our conversion guide in a way that helps them best. 

With 27 modular adventures, how organically do they link for a cohesive campaign? Are there clear “main story” threads, or is the campaign’s structure more sandboxy?

Melina:

This is something that we have thought long about because after “The Straight Way Lost”, which was rather linear, we wanted to do something entirely different. 

So, this is not a voyage into a strange land and back again, modelled after the hero’s journey. In Serenissima Obscura, the adventurers are invited to remain in Venice, to build up connections, to make a home for themselves and to fight for the Serenissima even after the monsters have taken over the city. 

This is why we have three different forms of adventure modules: 

1. The first category of module is connected to an overarching story-line. The characters are asked to find a missing child. On their mission to find Cosimo, they are going to discover a much bigger threat to Venice and – hopefully – will set out to remove it. There is a timeline running in the background, as the opponents actively pursue their goals. But: there is no definite order of the subplots, and we always provide additional ideas about how to use a specific situation, individual, or concept independently of the main story line. There will be clues, items and allies, but the characters have to figure out, how to tackle each situation at hand.
2. The second sort of adventure module leads the characters on the wrong track. These are plots that seem to be related to the main story at first glance, but are in fact not. By that, the characters get to solve mysteries in Venice, get to know the city and – if they act wisely – make a name for themselves. 
3. The third sort of adventure module is unrelated and can be either introduced as a stand-alone plot or used in the times when nothing specific happens in the main story-line. I hesitate to call these modules potential one-shots because in my experience, everything can turn into an extended story, and we offer a wealth of ideas to support this.

I would like to note here, that in general we have two different groups in mind, who could be exposed to the setting: 

The first would be the classical group of adventurers coming from different ways of life and – most likely – from outside of Venice. So, for them, the city would be a strange terrain to explore. 

But we also offer 10+ setlets. These focussed micro-settings and campaign frames are embedded in the background of Venice. The players could, e.g., experience the Venetian world as henchmen of the powerful Council of Ten, talented ladies in a convent or as officers commanding a deadly war galley sent on daring missions. Or – if they use Ars Magica – members of a covenant. All setlets come with story hooks and a set of protagonists, that you can either use as NPCs or inspiration for player characters. So, in fact, we introduce additional adventure options, independent of the 27 adventure modules. 

The Gonneslinger and Merchant classes sound great! How were they balanced against existing 5e classes, and what are their defining gameplay niches?

Andreas:

The Gonneslinger is a direct result of asking ourselves what changes the appearance of magic in the real world would bring. Our setting rests on a few cosmological assumptions. Possibility and Permanence and the age-old magical “technologies” of the fae and the dwarves are there in the background, and thinking about those interacting with renaissance technology, I came up with a gun based on these concepts. So we have the so-called gossamer gun, an “alchemechanical” contraption which can be used by a few specially trained people: the gonneslingers.

Apart from directly coming out of the lore, the design process of the Gonneslinger class keeps an eye on the rule of cool, but with both feet firmly on the ground of our setting. I initially had this mental image of a tough-as-nails gnome nutter kicking in a door, wielding a big-ass rune-engraved gun-thing. From there, I imagined this guy in various possible game-play situations and decided what he might be able to do, and how. Currently I am still busy translating this all into mechanics and making sure everything fits the setting lore. Only then comes the final balancing against the other classes, and for that we do have plenty of dials and levers, as we have hardware and character abilities to work with. And luckily we have Marc and his crew making sure we don’t break the game…

As for niche, the slinger is made for the offensive combat role, ranged and less so, and with a few tricks up his sleeve.

Marc:

The merchants pursue the original concept of introducing a Renaissance flair into the game, like in The Straight Way Lost. A ranger is not someone whom you would likely meet in 16th century Venice. Artists, philosophers, and merchants are, and in our world, some of they are special. 

Let’s have a closer look: The merchants are half casters and provide many opportunities to act as a support for front-line classes. They can benefit other party members by providing boosts to combat skills, item enhancement and even healing. Of course, there is always a price to pay! ;-) As for themselves, they fill a niche between a bard and a rogue, depending on the subclass selected. They see the flaws and benefits of any situation and are skilful negotiators with useful contacts in all walks of life. 

Like the Philosopher and the Artist, their powers are based on our magical concept of “Permanence & Possibility” and the use of Weave Points, which makes their abilities very flexible. One of their powers, e.g., is called “In Pursuit of Riches” and allows them to find treasures or things that wish to stay hidden. 

We have fleshed out two subclasses – the Bright League and the Shadow Syndicate – that highlight the duality of our setting. 

The Putèi are intriguing. For readers who don’t know, can you please tell us what they are and how they interact with the human population of Venice?

Melina:

First allow me to explain that in our setting – the Magical Renaissance – magic and some non-human species have been revealed to human society only a few years ago. Quite a few species are careful and still in hiding. The Putèi are amongst them. 

The Children of the Lagoon are a small race of humanoids who live on the islets in the lagoon. Their tribe consists of a few hundred individuals who rarely leave this area. The putèi come with super neat abilities for an adventure in this city in the lagoon and have their family nearby to support them in times of need. 

The majority of Putèi work as fishermen or net-makers. Some venture into the city to work in the Arsenale or are engaged on merchant ships. Although the Putèi learn to read and write at an early age, they rarely pursue an intellectual activity. This is simply because they would rather not reveal themselves in the human world. Yet if a child has special talents, the tribe will do everything possible to nurture them, even if this means separation from the family.

As the Putèi have gills and webs, they will usually wear clothes or accessories that cover these features. But they share this secretiveness with the Profondi, Nephilim, the Gnomes and most of the Elves. 

With 60+ monsters and villains, what’s the spread? Are they primarily horror-focused, or is there a variety of challenges?

Melina:

Andreas already mentioned that motivation and personality always come first, when we create a new villain or monster. And, of course, their function in the game. This is why we have three categories of opponents:

• The first one is horror-based, with a very eerie touch of “things that crawl out of the lagoon” or “creatures who wait in the shadows”. These will pose terrifying dangers to be avoided, outrun or fought. 
• The second (smaller) group are entities that pose a threat, but might not be evil per se. These forces have the potential of becoming allies in the fight for the integrity of the city.
• Finally, there is also a good portion of nasty criminals and conspirators in this city, torn between different factions arising after the emergence of magic and non-humans in the world. Their misdeeds will call for investigation and – hopefully – cooperation with the Serenissima’s authorities. Don’t get me wrong, some of these villains are meaner than any monster with tentacles, but their darkness lies on the inside.

By the way: Our setting is also filled with interesting NPCs, and many of them come with 5e stats as well. We want to encourage social interaction, not just fight and flight. So, depending on the group’s preferences, they can just enjoy the wonders of the Serenissima, focus on investigation in the mundane world or descend into the darkest regions of the city. If they like, they can even explore a dungeon. Or they combine everything into one long campaign of glamour, mystery, and terror. Serenissima Obscura has it all!

Quick Links

• Backerkit: Serenissima Obscura.