Today is your last chance to back Realis, the debut RPG from writer, game designer, and Friend at the Table, Austin Walker.
Realis is a game I’ve been excited about for a while. It’s an RPG with an exhilarating blend of mythic sci-fi, fantastic mysteries, and a game that cannot help but become what you make of it. As you delve into the core of its storytelling and explore any of a thousand mystic moons, the game will change at your tabletop, becoming something that doesn’t exist anywhere else. It is a game that invites you to make it yours – in fact, you can’t avoid it. You will make Realis yours.
A sprawling RPG full of science-fantasy and amazing art? Yeah, sign me up. I’ve been a fan of Friends at the Table for a while now. It’s where I first came across Realis and its unique, diceless gameplay. Don’t be scared. Diceless doesn’t mean ruleless. Especially in a game designed for extended “campaign play,” the way Realis is. So let’s check it out, time is quickly slipping by.
REALIS – Last Chance To Back On Kickstarter
What is Realis, exactly? It is a game, and it is a place. The setting of Realis is a “cursed orbital sphere of 1,000 mystical moons filled with mystery, magic, and impossible technology.” Already, I’m sold. You promise me a thousand moons, and I’m there. But it is also a game. As mentioend it’s a diceless storytelling engine. And here’s where it gets real weird and interesting – because the way you play your character is with broad Sentences that become more and more specific as you play. As you tell your character’s story, you become sharper, clarified, and real(ish).
So how does it work? Well each player character is defined by a set of class Sentences that both define the world of the game and outline what your characters can do. You might have a Sentence to define your abilities or that gives shape to a goal you’re pursuing. Whatever the case, every Sentence has a level.
You start with a “broad but weak” Sentence that reflects your character being full of potential, but not yet realized. As you play, you the player, alongside the character, will hit points of Realization where you decide to define the Sentence and your character a little more sharply, limiting your scope but increasing your power. Here’s an example:
“A +0 Sentence like the Newshound’s ‘I always slip past the perimeter’ could become a +1 Sentence, such as ‘I always slip past the perimeter at night’, ‘I always slip past the perimeter when there’s a distraction’, ‘I always slip past the perimeters of the Imperial Empest’.
Factions and NPCs also have Sentences at their disposal and your success will depend on whether they have a Sentence that can counter yours. A +0 Sentence can be plenty to succeed against narrative uncertainty alone, but all it takes is someone with an equal or higher sentence such as +0 ‘I always block unwanted arrivals’ or +1 ‘I always howl when danger approaches’ to stifle your efforts.”
Advertisement
I can’t get over how fluid that is. Because characters in our minds exist as a sort of limitless potential. When you first dream up a special little guy to play, you’re pulling from infinite possibility, and only by adding restriction do you begin to get at the shape of the statue within the stone block.
This holds true in any game – oh you want to play a swordfighter? Well what kind, what can you do, what can you not do – but that’s the heart of Realis’ storytelling right here. This is a game about discovering who your characters are through the stories you tell.
All that, plus a thousand cursed moons with lore enough to draw you in as deep as you want? This is absolutely a game for me. You should check it out, but hurry, this is the last day to get in on the Kickstarter, so you’ll want to back it while you can!
Realis is soon to be Reality!
Don’t Miss:
Read more at this site