Eclipse Phase RPG

[nikharwood]

While I'm on a bit of a futuristic RPG buzz, thought I'd share this with anyone that's interested - the game has gained some good following & it's definitely worth a look-through if you ask me. The printed books are *top* quality - but you can get the majority of the books for free from the author's own website - along the lines of, "have a good look at these - and if you like 'em, buy them & support further development of this system" - a very modern (& I think effective) approach to marketing...

Eclipse Phase website: http://eclipsephase.com/

PDF material: http://robboyle.wordpress.com/eclipse-phase-pdfs/

Lovely stuff - most easily described (by the authors) as: "Eclipse Phase is a pen & paper roleplaying game of post-apocalyptic transhuman conspiracy and horror."

[kustenjaeger]

Greetings

I must admit to being impressed by the approach, checking out the pdf free and then buying the hardback core rulebook.

Regards

Edward

[ronan]

hello
I'm waiting for the french translation ( I'm lazy !) of the printed book.
I read the Quick Start, but didn't play it.
What about the rules ? I found them a bit too complex.. but may be I'm wrong.
(I think i will love this universe)

Thanks for sharing nik !

[nikharwood]

I know what you mean ronan - it does, on first look, seem very dense and complex. I think it will prove fluid enough to cut through some of the detail though and be playable quite simply...

You've seen this French translation of the core rules, right?: https://ep.okhin.fr/wiki/eclipsephase/ and the thread here: http://www.eclipsephase.com/ep-translation-projects

Those links from here: http://eclipsephase.com/resources

I do like the 'feel' of this...brings me very close to The Player of Games by Iain M.Banks which I love.

[ronan]

Thank you Nik !
I will read this, it'll help me wait for the printed book in french (beautilful, and I want it     )

Have a nice day !

[nikharwood]

  I've been reading some more of the EP material to relax (?!) the last couple of days - in places it is almost overwhelmingly complex (rather than complicated) and devastatingly detailed - which I can see being a distraction to some of the beautiful concepts in this game. The mechanics of gameplay though are really streamlined which should make for fluid gaming 

I'm getting more & more immersed in this - some of the fan-produced stuff is great too - the scenario stuff from Anders Sandberg [again, from the resources page] is great - really evocative & with some great plot hooks...

Yep - this is definitely helping pass the time between now & the release of Numenera in July 2013 

I also found a narrative Play By Post campaign using EP on the Paizo forum which is worth a read - it looks like it fizzled out (kind of before it 'properly' got going - as these things do sometimes; I think the players got frustrated in the narrative which was working towards bringing them together for their target task and it fell apart just at the wrong point!) - gives a good insight into some of the narrative potential though: http://paizo.com/campaigns/EllipsisEclipsePhaseIC/gameplay#0

This thread is useful too: http://paizo.com/forums/dmtz2032?Eclipse-Phase-RPG#0 

[dicehead]

The only thing I really dislike about it is the way different speed characters work. You're speed 3 and I'm speed 1 so I act on round 1 of turn 1 and you act on round 1, 2 and 3 of turn 1...ok now roll for initiative. It's a cool concept to have fast characters get extra actions but really, for practical purposes, those actions should happen all at once not spread over several sub-rounds.

Not rubbishing the game or anything, it does look interesting but I just don't think that will work very well. Get half a dozen eager players together all asking you questions and talking and try tracking that initiative system, nightmare.

[ronan]

I used to play like this with the good old traveller rpg (and house rules, many years ago.). Sometimes I eventually asked the player to describe all  his actions first. Sometimes.
I didn't play EP yet, but I'm not sure you'll be ok with "half a dozen players".  May be only 4 players ? You already know you're the GM and can do what you want with the rules ! 

By the way, I may be using the light rules "projet moonlight" for EP. 

[dicehead]

That's true! Oh was it traveller that was like that? I knew I'd played something that was like that but I couldn't remember what. I think the judge dredd rpg had it too. Might have to get a copy, its a great setting.

[ronan]

(...)Oh was it traveller that was like that? I knew I'd played something that was like that but I couldn't remember what. I think the judge dredd rpg had it too.(...)

This was a house rule we used to play with "enhanced" characters. (Traveller 1st edition, my campaign last for 6 years    Players had to deal with Hari Seldon's Foundation ! )
I only played once Judge Dredd rpg. I can recall there was something like that.

( "6 years"... while we also played a Chivalry & Sorcery campaign. Then we played one of my game for several years..   How could we find time to play all these games ?  )

[nikharwood]

Watching Aeon Flux tonight (Charlize Theron) and now likely to dig out my MTV animated series on DVD too to watch afterwards...can't help thinking how this 'fits' really well into the EP framework....

I've also just downloaded the (freebie) 4th Edition quickstart rules for Shadowrun - that looks good too...

Bizarre really, this continued sci-fi buzz I'm on: when I'm painting 18th century French 

[Luddite]

Aeon Flux (animated and live action) were both excellent.

Very interesting RP setting too.  Self contained.  Limited.  Strong protagonisms etc. 

Wierd as anything too...

[ronan]

Aeon Flux

Is it a good movie ?
I've been told it was... poor.. ? 

Thanks

[fred.]

I enjoyed the film. Then read the reviews which said it was supposed to be poor...

[ronan]

I enjoyed the film. Then read the reviews which said it was supposed to be poor...

Thank you. I'll give it a try. ( I don't have enough free time to watch bad movies. Or, VERY bad movies !... I'll have to watch Zombie Ass in a few days...       )