Roleplaying Games – The Veil and Shadowrun
You’ve seen some RPG ads or heard a podcast but want to know more? well we’re here to help.
Today we look at two near future games, both in the Cyberpunk genre.
The Veil (Samjoko Publishing)
Blurb – ‘The fact that it’s the future doesn’t matter. Not much has changed, but there’s still something here you can’t put your finger on, and it’s driving you mad. Everyone is connected through a technology called Neurochips and it has pulled a Veil over everyone’s eyes. Mixing our reality with the digital, we now traverse a new environment. When you wake. When you sleep. When you smell the air, when you taste your food; when you brush your teeth, when you strap your weapon to your hip, and, most of all, when you look into each other’s eyes; you can see it, lingering there. That feeling that something is out there, turning, using you for their own ends. The system that is controlling you and everyone you know has permeated every facet of everyone’s life.’
Genre – Future, Cyberpunk
Notes – In the future you embrace technology and resist oppression in a variety of ways.
The characters emotional state affects how the story progresses, so you need to get into the characters ‘head space’, but the book is rich with flavour and has examples to help the game flow.
Character interaction and evolution of shared stories is strong feature of this game.
Androids, Cybernetics, Assassins, Empaths, they’re all here.
Movie/TV touchstones – The Matrix, Inception, Ghost in the Shell, Altered Carbon.
Where to get it – http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/199467/The-Veil-Cyberpunk-Roleplaying-Powered-by-the-Apocalypse
Hear it discussed – https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/1-forward/id1110623840?mt=2
See it played – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crDOf7huXus&list=PL26DVDSsqVz7Qg5CdZS7e7lsnJ_bhNl_I
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Shadowrun (Catalyst Game Labs)
Blurb – You are a shadowrunner, thriving in the margins, doing the jobs no one else can. You are whatever you make yourself. Will you seek justice? Sow seeds of chaos? Sell out to the highest bidder? It’s up to you, but this much is certain—if you do nothing, the streets will eat you alive. You can survive—even flourish—as long as you do what it takes. Sacrifice part of your soul for bleeding-edge gear. Push the limits of your will learning new and dangerous magic. Wire yourself into the Matrix, making your mind one with screaming streams of data. It’ll cost you something—everything does—but you can make it worth the price.
Genre – Future, Fantasy, Cyberpunk
Notes – You can create soldiers, hackers, magicians, and all sorts in between. Create your own character or grab an archetype and go for it.
Now in it’s 5th edition much has been done to streamline the various elements of play. The corebook has plenty of examples to help you understand how the game fits together and run the game.
Challenges and Conflict is a regular feature in most Shadowrun games, whether you solve the issue with magic, fighting, the matrix or negotiation and the emphasis on each is up to your group.
Movie/TV touchstones – Bright, Judge Dread, Cybercity OEDO, Blade Runner.
Where to get it – http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/115985/Shadowrun-Fifth-Edition-Core-Rulebook-Master-Index-Edition
Hear it discussed – https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/the-arcology-shadowrun-community-podcast/id1241539273?mt=2
See it played – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X-k7x_EiE8&list=PLefFB0SBo4P7sWpGNSiH_8E81GkzDS2iB
