Chaosium is distributing Upwind, the RPG of lost science, elemental magic, and unchartered skies

[MOB]

Chaosium is distributing Upwind, the RPG fable of lost science, elemental magic, and unchartered skies. Originally produced by Nocturnal Media and Biohazard following a successful Kickstarter, Upwind is now available from Chaosium in full color hardcover and PDF, along with the Prophecy of the Grand Amplifier sourcebook.

"Imagine Bakshi’s classic animated film Wizards has a head-on collision with Disney’s Treasure Planet 
and the resulting fire is put out with a whole lot of Studio Ghibli’s Castle in the Sky.
That, in an unexpected, animated mash-up, is Upwind."

Upwind is a narrative style RPG set in a strange alternate world of floating island nations, flying sailing ships, long-lost technology, wild elemental powers, looming war and forgotten legacies.

Upwind is powered by the Q system, an original stakes-based, playing card-driven mechanic that gives every encounter consequences with meaningful, narrative-building outcomes. With its unique bidding rules, Upwind plays as fast as you can tell your story.

UPWIND: available now from Chaosium's US, UK, EU, and AUS warehouses

• Upwind Core Rulebook - 224 page full color hardcover + PDF - $44.99
• The Grand Amplifier Campaign - 120 page full color hardcover + PDF - $29.99

Both titles also available in PDF.

Download the Upwind character sheet here.

[Nick Brooke]

Upwind is a beautifully-produced game: here's a link to the artist's portfolio, including a high-resolution map of the setting and some useful icons.

https://jamesstowe.myportfolio.com/fantasy-illustration-upwind-roleplaying-game

[MOB]

Explore the Skies! UPWIND is a narrative style RPG set in a strange alternate world of floating island nations, flying sailing ships, long-lost technology, wild elemental powers, looming war &forgotten legacies. Curious? Click here for the free Quickstart: https://chaosium.com/upwind

[Videopete]

Any chance  for a quick start or a actual play with creators

[MOB]

7 minutes ago, Videopete said:

Any chance  for a quick start or a actual play with creators

Here you go: http://actualplay.roleplayingpublicradio.com/category/systems/upwind

[g33k]

How "tactical" is ship-to-ship combat?

Is relative speed & maneuverability accounted for?  Is it important?  Gaining altitude for advantage, diving to attack, etc?  Are there "blind spots" to attack from?  Do classic old naval maneuvers work (are they relevant in the mechanics) such as "crossing the enemy's T" ?

Many thanks!

Looks good...

 

[David Scott]

2 hours ago, g33k said:

How "tactical" is ship-to-ship combat?

Is relative speed & maneuverability accounted for?  Is it important?  Gaining altitude for advantage, diving to attack, etc?  Are there "blind spots" to attack from?  Do classic old naval maneuvers work (are they relevant in the mechanics) such as "crossing the enemy's T" ?

It's narrative system driven by playing cards, skyship combat has seven manoeuvres. Have a look at the free quickstart for a feel of it. https://www.chaosium.com/upwind-pdf/

 

[g33k]

4 hours ago, David Scott said:

It's narrative system driven by playing cards, skyship combat has seven manoeuvres. Have a look at the free quickstart for a feel of it. https://www.chaosium.com/upwind-pdf/

TYVM... Looks interesting, indeed!  I'm intrigued by the way the "Q" mechanics work... 

But no, the quickstart has nothing substantive that I could find, regarding skyship maneuvers.  I presume those are in the main rulebook.

I infer that advantages like "superior maneuvering" and "better speed" and "heavier firepower" would be an extra cache-card for any scenes ("plays") where they are relevant, but explicit tactical "wargame-y" maneuvering &c isn't really part of Upwind's "narrative" gamesystem.

( I also note how remarkably close Upwind is to the new Jim Butcher series, "Cinder Spires" (Book 1, Aeronaut's Windlass, already in print; book 2, Olympian Affair, being written now).  It'd be very minor work to reskin the Upwind RPG to fit Cinder Spires... mind you, I *EXPECT* the (inevitable) CS rpg will most-likely be a Fate-engine'd game from Evil Hat (because DFRPG), but I suppose it wouldn't hurt matters any for Nocturnal/Biohazard/Chaosium/Whoever to reach out to Mr. Butcher, maybe even with a free copy of the rules (pdf/hardcopy/both) to ask ... ) .   I do know he's an avid gamer (tabletop, larp, and videogames)).

Edited March 21, 2021 by g33k
inferred cache card