Having never played any of the flavors of Runequest, ever, it's hard for me to critique this core rulebook's rules (though I am a fan of the parent ruleset and was intrigued at the 1st set of Mongoose Runequest ruleset -- but that's another story). However, as a sourcebook and a spark of inspiration I can offer my opinions.

First off, the setting is one that I thought I was familiar with -- a swashbuckling setting with clockwork marvels -- but I was quickly proven wrong. The game is anchored in the time of the struggle of King Charles I and the English Parliament, with all the political and religious turmoil of that explosive era. Mix in alchemy, clockwork machines, and a changing view of the world, and you have an RPG already very different from the archetypal smooth talk and swordplay model of gameplay.

There rules for character creation seem pretty straightforward, with the 30+ professions and descriptions giving a great feel for the era. The Factions section (and their interrelated nature with the Righteousness mechanic) adds both flavor and potential richness to roleplay and gameplay possibilities.

The illustrated sections on Weapons and Armor will lend players and GMs alike passable expertise on the era's implements of war, and the sections on Alchemy and Witchcraft put a different spin on the traditional view of spellweaving in RPGs, while the section on clockwork devices help frame and make playable this particular conceit of the game. And the source material doesn't end there: maps of Britain, Scotland, Ireland, Europe and the New World; Wages and the Cost of Living, History, Important People, etc.

And there are sections on gamemastering this RPG, a couple of adventures to get you started, and a useful index to find all sorts of material in this dense, seemingly complete RPG corebook.

There are some problems with the PDF bookmarking of the my copy, but these can be easily rectified I'm sure in future iterations of the PDF.

All in all, a fine addition to my RPG collection.

A supplement fully compatible with RuneQuest and Legend, Renaissance uses a setting contemporaneous with the Renaissance period in Europe.

This document is the SRD for the game, and contains complete rules to run the game, from character generation to equipment lists, game engine, combat mechanic and two forms of magic - alchemy and witchcraft.

Set in the Age of Black Powder and sail, you create characters who are of their age - drawing from recognisable social backgrounds ranging from peasants through to the middle classes, all the way up to the gentry and nobility. Professions, from Agitator and Alchemist through Journalists (yes, really, you can play a middle class journalist in this game!) to the likes of Watchman and Witch, are covered.

The setting feels familiar - more contemporary than other Basic Roleplaying-style settings, with black powder weapons, recognisable institutions such as Oxford University and things like currencies in Pounds, Shillings and Pence rather than Silver Pieces and Copper Pieces.

In its feel, the setting and game feel strongly like a similar game, White Wolf's old game Mage: the Sorcerer's Crusade, which was set in a similar time of progress and adventure.

You can use the SRD on its own, port the setting whole cloth into Legend or simply poach the Alchemy and black powder rules for your Legend game. Ditto, you can bring in the Divine Magic rules from Legend and have your Renaissance witch characters dedicate POW in literal Pacts with deadly infernal forces. In any case, I highly commend this useful document.

This product looks like a nice homebrew. It presents a complete, albeit bland rules package that works for the period represented, or even in earlier or later times. They might have sold it for money, but this is probably better to reach a bigger audience. The basic rules are a bit clunky and should be more streamlined. I like the selection of skills, though and it covers all the basics. Spells are not so much what I would have been looking for in a renaissance game, but for GMs that do like it, they might run with the system presented, although I would recommend expanding the spells a bit. Overal its pretty much ok, with nice examples and good writing. The system would benefit from a well written campaign guide and source books.

originally posted at: http://diehardgamefan.com/2011/12/23/tabletop-review-ruined-empires/

I raved about Abney Park’s Airship Pirates when I reviewed it a couple months ago, and with good reason. Airship Pirates is a fantastic game and the setting is easily my favorite amongst the myriad steampunk games I have tried out. While they could not be more different in genre, I was strongly reminded of the first time I read Shadowrun, way back in 1991. The setting and the rules suit each other perfectly and there is a pervasive energy, which I always expect from genres with the punk root. Some of the ideas are too crazy to be useful, which is exactly why they must be used.

One particular aspect of the Airship Pirates book I was impressed be was the introductory scenario. Whenever I am getting into a new RPG, I am much relieved to have a place to start my own adventures. With a setting as specific and particular as Airship Pirates, I knew that I would want a more in-depth example of how an adventure should be structured. Because of this, I was quite excited to read Ruined Empires, the first module for Airship Pirates.

For those considering using Ruined Empires in their own campaigns, particularly players, here is a spoiler-free review. If you are a GM who wants to start an Airship Pirates campaign but don’t know exactly where to start, pick up Ruined Empires. If you are a player, do not buy Ruined Empires, since there is no non-GM information within. I found Ruined Empires to be a very worthy addition to the Airship Pirates line and a solid place to start. There, a spoiler-free review. From here on out, there is a chance of spoilage. You have been warned.

Ruined Empires was written by Cakebread and Walton, the same purveyors of steampunk RPG goodness who wrote the main rulebook. This is good news for two reasons. First of all, the content is very consistent with the rulebook, so there are no worries about out of place shenanigans or the dreaded canon creep. Secondly, Cakebread and Walton are very good writers and I can honestly say that I have not been disappointed by them yet.

The structure of the adventure follows the three act structure of a play. The first act is a play on the traditional RPG tropes of hanging out in a bar and being offered a job by a mysterious envoy. The second act feels like an old school treasure hunt, but it has the potential to go much, much worse or surprisingly well. The finale is a startling, high drama trial and execution tableau that is deeply reminiscent of an old swashbuckling film. Speaking of swashbuckling, the plot quite resembles the latest Three Musketeers film in a few small ways, a bit of parallel development I suspect.

There are a few things I really like about Ruined Empires is the way it flows. There are few plot bottlenecks, meaning that the GM has to do very little railroading. The characters that are introduced are a bit quirky, but don’t slide into the special snowflake trope I hate so much. You know, the only good dark elf or the first dwarf fire mage. The NPCs make solid sense within the Airship Pirates setting. There are no NPCs or plot twists that made me groan, which is rare for a published adventure. Most of all, there is plenty of wiggle room for dealing with players who are too smart or lucky by half. I really don’t think a rogue player could break this adventure without reading it ahead of time.

One real nicety of Ruined Empires is that it could very easily be the root of an entire campaign, if the GM so desires. Isla Aether is easy to flesh out and can either be a base of operations or a dreaded enemy, depending on how the adventure resolves. There are several of the aforementioned NPCs that would be easy to use for later cameos, as well. Who doesn’t need a lesbian pirate captain, a foppish governor, or an aggressive social climber who hates pirates in their campaign? The friendships and feuds triggered by the PCs are definitely interesting enough to use again.

The book itself is a thin 42 page paperback with a glossy cover. The cover image of a Neo-Bedouin and his clockwork horse is of a character in the adventure and is not a major spoiler, something too many adventures get wrong. The interior art is nice, though a bit scant. Since this is a book that will likely only be used once, I can excuse the lack of extraneous illustrations. While not as gorgeous a volume as the main rulebook, Ruined Empire is a lovely bit of paper.

As with the spoiler free review above, I recommend Ruined Empires with a few reservations. If you are a GM starting an Airship Pirates campaign, this is a solid place to start and I recommend it highly. For those who are looking for substantial Airship Pirates content, this is probably not the book for you. Ruined Empires is a fun, madcap, swashbuckling adventure.

Another great addition to the RuneQuest line of d100 products. Clockwork & Chivalry 2e presents a Renaissance- based campaign that combines blackpowder weaponry, alchemy and even witchcraft.

Even if you don't plan on using the fully fleshed-out Clockwork campaign, the other bits in this pdf should fit well as additions in many other fantasy-based settings. Alchemy is given more of a Renaissance- based twist, making it different from other Alchemy mechanics in other games. And as for Witchcraft, any new spell additions to the RuneQuest family is a welcome addition! But make no mistake, witchcraft uses a mechanic of its own to distinguish it from other magic types.

Lastly, a bestiary is included that introduces creatures, both mundane and magical; along with 2 advetures and a selection of pre-made characters to round out a very good product.

Looks to be a solid adventure for the game system.

Well laid out. Appears to be a solid system and a great idea. Going to be running a campaign for this soon.

An excellent product that builds on the simple but creative Victoriana system. It has a wealth of source and atmosphere material and presents a well-rounded world that really engages gamers. Thoroughly worth while!

The Basics: Excellent construction, very good interior art, quick and simple system gets you started right away without a lot of pain. The Setting: Well thought out and interesting. The setting is clearly designed to leave room for a series of supplements/chapbooks. Some essential questions are left unanswered, such as "What really happens to someone who is thrown into a Change Cage?" Or, what happened to drop a functioning time machine into a steampunk band's naughty , naughty little hands? Overall: This game is an enjoyable read and should be fun to play. (I haven't yet, but will soon.) There is a very interesting set of creation tables for airships and sky cities that looks to be exactly what I was personally looking for in this system. The section on how to get into trouble with a time machine was well thought out and clever, though it is optional if your table isn't into the time travel aspects of the game.

This is a fantastic setting of a future-past steampunk world. It allows time travel although a seperate book will be produced to handle it thouroughly. By itself, however, it is a journey into a world of villians,heroes and pirates--who may be either or both!

It uses what I call the bucket'o dice gaming system where you are rolling multiple dice looking for successes. If also has a method for altering outcomes, sometimes dramatically! This is best used by game groups who are very mature and ready to accept outcomes that are hard to predict. Game Masters be warned - thinking on your feet will be an absolute must if you use all the aspects of the game!

It has an interesting mass combat system where entire crews are treated as a single NPC with the quality of the crew impacting the results. Used with the system it looks very workable. As with any game system, you should probably try a few games, preferably with someone who has grasped the intracacies, and then decide what you can live with.

It rounds out with some creatures and villians, explaining what is going on. The adventure is reasonable with a decent amount of dering do and political manuevering before the big clash. As these are supposed to be novice characters many of the options may need to be explained to the players if they are unfamiliar with expectations.

Overall a great setting with a good foundation but rules that will need a good read through and testing to ensure they work for your group. Of coures the music that it is based off of would be a plus in any steampunk setting!

Dirigibles. Cannons. Rum and gin. Steam guitars. Clockwork police and prostitutes. Chrononautilii. Awesome, full-color artwork. Gutter punks and hob-nobbing elite. Flying cities and roaming tribes. Abney Park. As would be expected of Captain Robert and crew, there is an amazing story, stringing together the works of Abney Park into an amazing game. The rules are simple enough to encourage role playing rather than roll playing, even when involved in mass combat between ships. The time travel rules are excellent, and cover many of the typical paradoxes (often by stating that those time traveling are protected from said paradoxes as they create a new timeline). Even more fun is the fact that, in the long run, players are encouraged to mess with the timeline, to see how the gamemaster will determine things have changed.

Originally posted at: http://diehardgamefan.com/2011/09/26/tabletop-review-abney-parks-airship-pirates/

With a crew of drunken pilots, We’re the only airship pirates, We’re full of hot air and we’re starting to rise, We’re the terror of the skies but a danger to ourselves. -Abney Park “Airship Pirate”

I used to start all of my ‘A Thumb to the Eye’ columns and some of my video game reviews with song lyrics. Music is a great way to set a mood and the best lyrics read almost as musically as they sound when sung. This is a habit I picked up from the White Wolf World of Darkness books, particularly Mage: the Ascension. Looking back at my old writings, this habit seems a bit silly, a folly my youth and inexperience allowed me to make. In the case of Abney Park’s Airship Pirates, I can think of no better way for the proceeding to be commenced. Using song lyrics to open chapters and even specific entries does a paramount job of getting across the feel of Abney Park’s Airship Pirates, a mischievous, puckish soul wrapped in a steampunk aesthetic.

For the uninitiated, as I was before my preview of this very game, Abney Park is a steampunk influenced rock band. I am not a music critic, but I find their sea chantey meets early 80s Goth musical aesthetic to be quite endearing. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can check them out on iTunes or Spotify to see if you like their brand of steampunk tomfoolery. That said, I feel like Airship Pirates stands up even when divorced from its source of inspiration.

The concept is simple: Abney Park’s airplane crashed into a zeppelin, some wibbley wobbley timey wimey stuff happened, and now the future is a steampunk dystopia. Upon hearing this high concept, I imagined a mash-up of Kidd Video and Final Fantasy VI. If you are going to make me fall in love with a role playing game, there are worse places to start.

When the book arrived, the first thing that struck me was the size of the thing. Next to my Ambush Alley Games hardcovers, which I thought were fairly huge, Abney Park’s Airship Pirates is simply gigantic. Like Necronomicon big. The cover is thick and weighty, and the whole book has a heft to it. Cracked open, the pages lie flat, a sure sign of quality construction. The cover is glossy and the dark brown with gold lettering makes it look classic. The paper is thick and matte, with a tasteful border. While this is not the first Cubicle 7 product I have reviewed, it is the first physical copy I have held in hand and I must say it is an impressive thing to behold.

Opening a book with flavor text is a gambit. When done poorly, there is nothing more likely to make readers lose interest in a game. Done correctly, and Airship Pirates does it correctly, flavor text is the best way to draw a reader into the game world. The Trials of Admiral Villiers does a capitol job of introducing the world and giving an example of what sort of trouble the players will likely be causing. That Airship Pirates wants to put the “punk” back into “steampunk” is very apparent from this first chapter.

With one potential bomb diffused, Airship Pirates merrily juggles a second with the Introduction chapter. These sorts of things are, by definition, a bore for anyone who is not playing an RPG for the first time. I was prepared to give Airship Pirates a pass on having a pedantic Introduction chapter, since the connection to Abney Park could conceivably bring in new readers who are completely new to the concept of RPGs. Then I read it. What Cakebread and Walton, who have the perfect names for mad scientists, have done with the Introduction, is quite an accomplishment. The sidebar introducing the concept of a role playing game to non-believers is the best I have yet encountered and does a great job spelling out the design philosophy behind the game. Another sidebar introduces the band, to those who have wandered in from the other direction, and points them in the right direction. A third sidebar answers a couple of questions I had about the compatibility of Airship Pirates with Victoriana and Dark Harvest. Short answer: they are completely compatible, which adds extra value to all three.

Character Creation is where the majority of players will spend their time with a book. Airship Pirates, being a very modern RPG, starts at the top of the character sheet and works its way down. Instead of starting with die rolls, the players are encouraged to come up with a concept for their character and, in a twist, the concept for the crew as a whole. This is the second time, the first being in the introduction, that the idea of Airship Pirates being run like a weekly TV show is floated. Giving the party a reason to be, well, a party from the very beginning is both a novel and completely obvious idea. For the sake of honesty, I have to admit that I will be stealing this from now on.

As Matt detailed some of this in his Victoriana review, which was a big help as I tried to get a grasp on the Heresy Engine rules these games share. Character creation is a delight. Airship Pirates has fewer character races, err Cultures, than Victoriana, though compatibility means you can always move things from one game to the other. The Cultures in Airship Pirates are more evocative than most RPGs. The Neobedouins are, as you would imagine, nomads and vagabonds who wander the wilderness. Neovictorians inhabit the land cities of a mad emperor. Automatons are humanoid robots built by the Neovictorians. The Misbegotten are the unfortunates who are mutated by the spill-off from Neovictorian factories. The Skyfolk live in massive floating cities that drift across America.

Culture in hand, the next step is determining character statistics. The six attributes, Strength, Dexterity, Fortitude, Presence, Wits, and Resolve are largely self-explanatory. The range is -3 to 9, with 0 being average. Characters start with 1 in each, modified by their Culture. The player gets 3 points to distribute as they will, with the limitation being that they cannot add all 3 to one attribute. As well, up to two points may be subtracted from attributes, either 1 point from 2 attributes or 2 points from 1 attribute, and added to others. This is a pretty elegant way to generate attributes and it makes balancing a party fairly easy.

Picking a Background comes next. Backgrounds are as close as Airship Pirates comes to character classes, though they are much less restrictive. A Background represents what a character did before being a Pirate. These past lives range from decidedly violent and adventurous careers like being a Mercenary to intriguingly non-martial vocations like Musician to the hilariously inept Dilettante. When coupled with the character’s culture, Background spells out where a character comes from. When you say your character was an Automaton Factory Worker or a Misbegotten Prostitute, I am instantly transported to the world of Airship Pirates and I can picture your character vividly. Beyond adding character to the player characters, Backgrounds provide the Skills for each character. This leads to Character Points.

Character Points are the currency of Skill and Talent acquisition. The recommendation is that each character start with 30 and spend 20 of those on Skills, though it is explicitly stated that these numbers are at the Game Master’s discretion. Additional Character Points can be acquired by taking Complications, which are a boon for GMs since Complications make great story hooks. Since characters are expected to be functional members of an airship crew, being Airship Pirates and all, it is suggested that they take three Airship Skills. Once again, fun character quirks are easily added from this little suggestion. A character who is useless when aboard the ship makes for great comic relief. A character who is otherwise a putz but has deadeye aim with the deck guns can become a hero in a boarding attempt.

Just as much personality is present in the Shticks. Each pirate crew is encouraged to have a shtick, a cover persona for when they come to port or encounter the authorities. This ties into the Crew Concept and is a pretty fun way to create esprit de corps amongst the crew. A ship full of pirates is one thing, a ship full of pirates who pretend to be traveling mummers is another. Between Background, Airship, and Shtick Skills, characters should be pretty much fully formed by this point.

The remaining Character Points can be spent on Talents. Skills are like basic football plays and Talents are more like gadget plays. Less useful in general, Talents are valuable in very specific circumstances. The last major element of character creation is selecting Complications, which are largely optional. Complications are one of my favorite parts of character creation, as it makes characters much more interesting. I do appreciate the dedication to the game’s piratical theme, as many Complications are of a decidedly pirate bent.

There is a full crew of pre-generated Airship Pirates, which is fantastic. This kills a couple of birds with one big stone. Pre-created characters provide players with a solid template to work from, and these characters are good enough to inspire new characters. Additionally, they make it easier for the GM to tweak the power levels of early adventures, since this crew is a good example of what a starting party might look like. I guess you could even use them as player characters if you are in a rush to get right to it.

Combat is the first of three chapters which spell out the rules that Airship Pirates runs on. Battles are intended to play in a very wild, swashbuckling manner and the rules provide for it. I am a big fan of dice pool systems, being raised on a steady diet of Shadowrun and World of Darkness games. The basic mechanic is an opposed die roll. The player and GM both roll a number of d6s equal to the characters’ Dexterity combined with their weapon skill. 1s and 6s are successes, and 6s can be rerolled for additional successes. The winning side lands their blow. The margin of successes over the losing character determines the damage dealt. It is as easy as that.

The second chapter in the trilogy covers Dramatic Systems, aka the stuff besides swinging a sword and shooting a gun. Rules covering things as diverse as Drinking and Feats of Strength cover all the bases and leave the GM with a go to chapter. That these rules are as logical as they are, while still being thrilling and fun in practice, is a small feat. Not as much of a feat as not wrecking your liver in Tortuga, but a notable one nonetheless.

The final chapter of the core rules section is the Airships, Vehicles, and Beasts chapter. The rules for customizing airships are quite spectacular. Creating custom airships means that parties never have to run into the same dirigible twice. I was so taken with it that I took it for a test drive and made a Final Fantasy IV style airship. It took about five minutes and the ship was exactly what I wanted. Ship to ship combat works enough like person to person combat that it is easy to pick up and run with.

The Equipment chapter is pretty self-explanatory, but thoroughly enjoyable. Any equipment list that includes Heliotropes and Difference Engines is a winner in my book. There is a certain verve to the items included that I find quite charming. Just make sure you don’t use the Heat Ray and Wheel-Skates at the same time.

The setting is laid out in the next three chapters. Chapters on the History, Geography, and Cultures of Airship Pirates are a real boon. Rare is the licensed game that doesn’t have any other book sources for the setting, so it was essential that this book included enough of the world to enable play with a minimum of GM work. While the scope is limited to North America, the breadth and depth of the content here is enormous. While it is not labeled as GM only, I am of the mind that the players should know as little as possible. I can count on one hand the settings that are as evocative as this.

Then there is the GM section. The same thoughtfulness and care that has gone into the rest of the book carries on here. Twenty or so pre-generated NPCs, stats only, are the sort of thing a GM wants but is seldom given by RPG authors. The GM material here is top-notch. Even better, it feels like the designers are taking you aside and telling how to recreate their vision on the tabletop. This sort of material being as good as it is does the setting of Airship Pirates quite a service. For a setting pieced together from songs and bits and pieces of lore, Airship Pirates feels quite rich.

Time Travel is the next chapter and it is a doozy. I have covered games with Time Travel before (I’m looking at you Doctor Who), but this is the best system for traversing time and space I have ever seen. With six Golden Rules (Time Travel is Uncommon, Time Travel is Difficult, Time Travel is Infrequent, Screwing Up the Timeline is Difficult, There’s Only One Timeline So Look After It, and a Time Traveller’s Personal Past Cannot Be Changed), Time Travel in Airship Pirates is equal parts mysterious and exhilarating, which suits the setting quite well. I love the idea of taking Pirates in a blimp and sending them to some random point in time. I might be strange, though.

A Bestiary follows. At first glance, there is not much to look at. I mean, there is an entry for Alligators and an entry for Giant Alligators. A little scrutiny reveals that mammoths and sabre-toothed cats have returned and there are strange giant condors called teratorns. While it might not be the Monster Manual, I suspect that was never the intention. Airship Pirates, being a bit grittier than most steampunk, doesn’t have room for goofy beasts, though there are some solid critters here.

The Tribulations of Scabby Jack is the included adventure for beginning parties and I think it serves its purpose quite well. The hardest part of a first adventure is getting a party together without the stereotypical, “Everyone meets at a bar” scene. Since the character creation system eschews that, things can kick off with a bang. It is nice to see so much care given to an introductory adventure.

The two page Artists of Airship Pirates spread is a nice touch, one I would love to see other RPG books adapt. Under each artist’s name is a list of pages on which their art appears and an email address at which to contact them. Giving the artists who make this book so gorgeous to flip through in such a manner is quite nice. The remainder of the appendixes are equally keen, providing character sheets, though those are better printed from the Internet than scanned from here, maps, and a one page discography for Abney Park. Once again, the authors have gone out of their way to make Airship Pirates a complete experience.

Abney Park’s Airship Pirates is a couple of things. It is a big, impressive, beautiful book. It is a vivid, fun, solid role playing game. It is also a challenge. If you are a fan of the band Abney Park, you have likely already purchased this. For those on the fence, I can only say that, as an outsider to their milieu, I cannot imagine this book being a more perfect representation of their world. If you are a steampunk fan looking for an RPG to run, this is a pretty good one. If you are a fan of Victoriana or Dark Harvest, this is a fantastic alternative setting and sourcebook. More than anything, though, Airship Pirates is a labor of love. “Captain” Robert Brown, lead singer of Abney Park, provided art for the book, including the cover, and is credited with the layout, design, and typography of the book. Such passion is evident throughout Abney Park’s Airship Pirates. Yes, $50 is a lot of money, but I honestly feel like Abney Park’s Airship Pirates is worth it.

You can read my full review here: http://www.stargazersworld.com/2011/09/21/review-abney-parks-airship-pirates/

Abney Park’s Airship Pirates is not your regular Steampunk game. The setting is original and full of fun ideas. And even if you don’t want to use the post-apocalyptic world of 2150 you will still get your money’s worth out of that game. Especially the time travel rules set the game apart from the majority of its competition. The Heresy Engine – especially in the streamlined version – used in Airship Pirates is easy to learn and the compatibility with Victoriana 2nd Edition and Dark Harvest opens up a lot of additional possibilities. You can easily use material from those games in Airship Pirates or vice versa. If you are even remotely interested in the genre and if you want to pick up just one steampunk game, make sure it’s Abney Park’s Airship Pirates.