Not sure if this is the right forum for pen and paper stuff, but I thought ingame RPers might be interested as well.
So I got myself the EDRPG, actually almost supported the kickstarter but something went wrong and my contribution wasn't sent and I noticed to late.
Anyway, I tried to not have any expectations on this and just hoped they got it right, and I got to say, they did. There are few things I don't really like, but there isn't one pen and paper RPG I can't say that about. And I'm a roleplayer for 25+ years now.
Artwork is gorgeous, with many pictures also showing the pilot side of Elite and not only ships. I also spotted screenshots from ED, which seem to have been reworked a bit to perfectly fit in. I like.
The rule system is pretty much streamlined and makes use of systems you might recognize if you played other pen and paper games before, but with so many of those out there it's hard not to, and also the smart thing to do. Doing something different only to make it different never worked before, so I like this approach.
The system is based on d10, skills having a percentage value but you only use the first digit and add a d10 for a skill check.
There are no attributes in this game, which is a bold move, but seems to work flawlessly.
Character creation:
You basically pick a few backgrounds from a pretty extensive list which determine your starting skill values but also give your character some story hints right from the start. You might know this procedure if you played Traveller before, but I find the EDRPG variant a bit less... bulky. Later you distribute a few more points on your skills to add a little more personal touch, and if you pick the right background you also get a Enhancement, which gives your character an edge in a specific area of expertise.
There is also a Karma system, which is mainly for getting your character out of harms way, but since you can pick Karma abilities yourself, you can also use them in an offensive way.
I found the whole process pretty fast and easy, but detailed enough. In fact I also had a few ideas about my pilot's story in mind after creating him, and not only skill values and abilities, which is exactly the way it should be, if you ask me.
There are no numeric character levels, but instead you start off as "Harmless" and climb up Elite's Pilot Federation ranking list by gathering ranking points in the game. The higher the rank, the higher your skill caps. Skill values themselves are raised by using them. Use a skill, make a mark, raise that skill after the session.
Systems:
Combat is pretty simple but offers enough options to influence a fight by your actions. Health is handled similar to D&D hitpoints, though you get fixed numbers on ranking up.
Space ship combat is managed by differing between close and far range, which also determines which maneuvers you can use. Maneuvers are used to move, flee, ram, attack, dogfight and so on. Checks made during ship combat almost always use a ship's trait together with one of the pilot's skills. Vehicle combat is handles similar but also includes a system for tracking speed, including penalties from speeding.
When browsing through the shipyard section of the book I felt a bit like back in the outfitting screen of the computer game. It's all there. And you use it very similar to how you use it for your virtual ships. Of course rules are designed for working within the game system, but in my opinion it's pretty well done. The whole mathematical context of mass and jumprange is simplified to fit our human brains, but there is enough detail left for very elaborate ship customization. A good move in my opinion.
In the base game you only find templates for basic ships, including a blast from the past which is not in the computer game (yet).
Gameworld, equipment:
This is the one downside of the core rule book: There is not much information on the Galaxy. There is information about the superpowers, but almost none on the Pilot's Federation for example. There are hints and explanations about how society works and also what kinds of systems there are and what you can expect from being an independent pilot. Lots of detail, which is awesome, but almost no insight on the bigger picture. For me, and any seasoned player of the computer game that's not an issue at all because we already know all these things, but as a new player who didn't play much Elite: Dangerous, there is a big chunk of information missing. Actually the first thing I look for when I got my hands on a new pen and paper system, is the character sheet and a map of the game world. We know it's not possible to print a map of the game world, and we know why, but those who don't, wonder why there is no map and will have problems imagining how the game world works. How far are inhabited systems apart? Are they all gathered together? Where's federal/imperial/alliance space on a simplified top down map? I know, we are centered around Sol, and yes, I could google that, but could you please tell me, where in the galaxy that is? Where are the borders of the bubble? Three pages explaining the basics of such things would have been very helpful. I am pretty sure there will be more information in later source books, but the basic stuff to portrait the gameworld a bit would have been awesome.
Apart from this there is an elaborate system to create your own star systems which I like very much.
The whole equipment part was very fun to read because there is a lot of information about everyday life and little details about society hidden in there, which is awesome because these are the things we don't have in the computer game. Pen and paper roleplaying should always be about characters, and that's exactly what shines through here as well. Taking a quick look over the equipment tables will reveal that there is a distinction between standard stuff and high quality expensive stuff (Quality weapons for example also have cool product names and there is also a little easter egg refering to another classic pen and paper system hidden here. Good luck finding it).
Uh, and there is Cyberware! Starting with the explanation that cyberware is very much frowned on in the galaxy and also a social stigma for various reasons, cybernetics also come on the expense of Karma points, which means, the more augmented your character is, the less human he/she becomes. I like this approach very much because it doesn't introduce cyberware as cool stuff everybody should have, but more like something you only have if you are too poor for genetically engineered replacements or if you really don't care. When I read that section Deus Ex Mankind Divided came to mind, where you are openly persecuted for being a cyborg.
TL;DR: A streamlined and solid pen and paper system simple enough to play casually and detailed enough to fill campaigns. Many details and systems to cover the ship-side we experience in Elite: Dangerous, but focused on actually roleplaying a character and portraying the game world outside of the cockpit. Only thing missing, in my opinion, is a simplified galaxy overview, but that's about it.
So I got myself the EDRPG, actually almost supported the kickstarter but something went wrong and my contribution wasn't sent and I noticed to late.
Anyway, I tried to not have any expectations on this and just hoped they got it right, and I got to say, they did. There are few things I don't really like, but there isn't one pen and paper RPG I can't say that about. And I'm a roleplayer for 25+ years now.
Artwork is gorgeous, with many pictures also showing the pilot side of Elite and not only ships. I also spotted screenshots from ED, which seem to have been reworked a bit to perfectly fit in. I like.
The rule system is pretty much streamlined and makes use of systems you might recognize if you played other pen and paper games before, but with so many of those out there it's hard not to, and also the smart thing to do. Doing something different only to make it different never worked before, so I like this approach.
The system is based on d10, skills having a percentage value but you only use the first digit and add a d10 for a skill check.
There are no attributes in this game, which is a bold move, but seems to work flawlessly.
Character creation:
You basically pick a few backgrounds from a pretty extensive list which determine your starting skill values but also give your character some story hints right from the start. You might know this procedure if you played Traveller before, but I find the EDRPG variant a bit less... bulky. Later you distribute a few more points on your skills to add a little more personal touch, and if you pick the right background you also get a Enhancement, which gives your character an edge in a specific area of expertise.
There is also a Karma system, which is mainly for getting your character out of harms way, but since you can pick Karma abilities yourself, you can also use them in an offensive way.
I found the whole process pretty fast and easy, but detailed enough. In fact I also had a few ideas about my pilot's story in mind after creating him, and not only skill values and abilities, which is exactly the way it should be, if you ask me.
There are no numeric character levels, but instead you start off as "Harmless" and climb up Elite's Pilot Federation ranking list by gathering ranking points in the game. The higher the rank, the higher your skill caps. Skill values themselves are raised by using them. Use a skill, make a mark, raise that skill after the session.
Systems:
Combat is pretty simple but offers enough options to influence a fight by your actions. Health is handled similar to D&D hitpoints, though you get fixed numbers on ranking up.
Space ship combat is managed by differing between close and far range, which also determines which maneuvers you can use. Maneuvers are used to move, flee, ram, attack, dogfight and so on. Checks made during ship combat almost always use a ship's trait together with one of the pilot's skills. Vehicle combat is handles similar but also includes a system for tracking speed, including penalties from speeding.
When browsing through the shipyard section of the book I felt a bit like back in the outfitting screen of the computer game. It's all there. And you use it very similar to how you use it for your virtual ships. Of course rules are designed for working within the game system, but in my opinion it's pretty well done. The whole mathematical context of mass and jumprange is simplified to fit our human brains, but there is enough detail left for very elaborate ship customization. A good move in my opinion.
In the base game you only find templates for basic ships, including a blast from the past which is not in the computer game (yet).
Gameworld, equipment:
This is the one downside of the core rule book: There is not much information on the Galaxy. There is information about the superpowers, but almost none on the Pilot's Federation for example. There are hints and explanations about how society works and also what kinds of systems there are and what you can expect from being an independent pilot. Lots of detail, which is awesome, but almost no insight on the bigger picture. For me, and any seasoned player of the computer game that's not an issue at all because we already know all these things, but as a new player who didn't play much Elite: Dangerous, there is a big chunk of information missing. Actually the first thing I look for when I got my hands on a new pen and paper system, is the character sheet and a map of the game world. We know it's not possible to print a map of the game world, and we know why, but those who don't, wonder why there is no map and will have problems imagining how the game world works. How far are inhabited systems apart? Are they all gathered together? Where's federal/imperial/alliance space on a simplified top down map? I know, we are centered around Sol, and yes, I could google that, but could you please tell me, where in the galaxy that is? Where are the borders of the bubble? Three pages explaining the basics of such things would have been very helpful. I am pretty sure there will be more information in later source books, but the basic stuff to portrait the gameworld a bit would have been awesome.
Apart from this there is an elaborate system to create your own star systems which I like very much.
The whole equipment part was very fun to read because there is a lot of information about everyday life and little details about society hidden in there, which is awesome because these are the things we don't have in the computer game. Pen and paper roleplaying should always be about characters, and that's exactly what shines through here as well. Taking a quick look over the equipment tables will reveal that there is a distinction between standard stuff and high quality expensive stuff (Quality weapons for example also have cool product names and there is also a little easter egg refering to another classic pen and paper system hidden here. Good luck finding it).
Uh, and there is Cyberware! Starting with the explanation that cyberware is very much frowned on in the galaxy and also a social stigma for various reasons, cybernetics also come on the expense of Karma points, which means, the more augmented your character is, the less human he/she becomes. I like this approach very much because it doesn't introduce cyberware as cool stuff everybody should have, but more like something you only have if you are too poor for genetically engineered replacements or if you really don't care. When I read that section Deus Ex Mankind Divided came to mind, where you are openly persecuted for being a cyborg.
TL;DR: A streamlined and solid pen and paper system simple enough to play casually and detailed enough to fill campaigns. Many details and systems to cover the ship-side we experience in Elite: Dangerous, but focused on actually roleplaying a character and portraying the game world outside of the cockpit. Only thing missing, in my opinion, is a simplified galaxy overview, but that's about it.
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