Project 4: Chronicles of the Future Earth

[Trifletraxor]

From Dustin's blog:

Projects Update

Project 4: Chronicles of the Future Earth by Sarah Newton. Layout of the book is nearly completed. I'll be announcing it to distributors this week. It's a brief introduction to a groovy new setting for BRP. I'll chat much more about this in the near future.

[threedeesix]

Yah Sarah!

[cjbowser]

Good news! I'm guessing this will be a full distribution book and not a monograph; those of you with local stores can actually buy this there!

[Bygoneyrs]

Hey another BRP book is good and as many know me that I need to buy them all for anything I collect! I guess this is a space based theme which is cool for me.

Penn

[Thalaba]

A Gama world type setting would be my guess, based solely on her adventure in BRP Adventures and the title.

[Shaira]

Hi guys,

It's great to see mention of the game on Dustin's blog at last

However - there was a typo in the name. The actual setting name is "The Chronicles of Future Earth". I've asked Dustin to change it, but just wanted to get in there early before everyone gets used to the wrong name!

I'll be v. happy to answer questions etc shortly - I'm just waiting for Dustin's official announcement before piping up

Cheers,

Sarah

[Bygoneyrs]

Ok so what will it be...visions of "Thundar the Barbarian" or "Thunder Cats" or what...lol

Penn

[cjbowser]

And now it's front page news!

[Jarulf]

Sounds very cool indeed! And a series to boot.

[Bygoneyrs]

So can we get a more indept description about this setting from those that know more about it? Is this for BRP or Cthulhu settings? Details please!!!

Penn

[Trifletraxor]

From http://www.chaosium.com/article.php?story_id=445:

A new BRP setting book for Spring 2010.

The Chronicles of Future Earth

A Technofantasy setting for Chaosium's Basic Roleplaying

CHA 2023

ISBN 1-56882-306-1

Price $18.95

96 pages (approx)

Trade paperback, Illustrated.

Written by Sarah Newton

“In the last centuries of the Fifth Cycliad, a great malaise descends upon the lands of humankind. The great civilizations of Urth, which for Aeons had seemed on the verge of slumber, now finally begin to rot from within. From the edges of the world terrible enemies draw close, their hungry claws poised to tear the Venerable Autocracy apart. In this dark hour a cry rises for Heroes, to stand against the dying of the light and save the world from the sins of its past.

“Some say that it is the end of days. Some say that this is only the beginning. These pages tell the history of a time yet to come. These are the Chronicles of Future Earth.”

The Chronicles of Future Earth is volume one of the new techno-fantasy setting for Chaosium’s Basic Roleplaying, and contains: an introduction to Urth, the world of the unimaginably far future, focussing on the vast and ancient city of Korudav; new races, cultures, and occupations; new magic, artifacts, and religions; rules for demons and divine powers; a bestiary of the Urth’s more deadly denizens; and “The Worm Within”, an introductory scenario showcasing this unique and adventure-filled world.

Dustin O'Chaosium

Edited March 3, 2010 by Trifletraxor

[Bygoneyrs]

I have read the above description and was hoping for a little more depth about the product. Sounds interesting, but I'd like to hear more about the setting and etc!

Penn

[Shaira]

Hi guys,

Thanks for everybody's feedback on the ad copy for The Chronicles of Future Earth - we've put together something a little less poetic and hopefully a lot more informative

I think Dustin will be posting it shortly, but it should run something like this:

*****

It is the end of the Fifth Cycliad, the unimaginably far future of planet Earth. A world grown strange with time, where the stars are but a distant memory, and demons, sorcery and ancient technologies hold humankind in thrall.

The Venerable Autocracy of Sakara, oldest and greatest of the Springtide Civilizations, is decaying from within. In its vast and crumbling cities strange races eke out lives unchanged for millennia, while ancient enemies gnaw at the edges of the world, ready to wreak a terrible revenge.

In these dark days a cry goes out for heroes, to stand against the dying of the light and save the world from the sins of its past. Sorcerer, priest, warrior or prince, everyone knows the end of an age is at hand.

Will you answer the call?

Welcome to The Chronicles of Future Earth.

*****

Hopefully there's a bit more information there. If you'd like any more info, please fire away!

Cheers,

Sarah

[Bygoneyrs]

hello Sarah, so I am guessing then this product setting is a combination of "Gamma World" meets "D&D" in that some great situation or war happened and technology slid backwards and some where in the process we have multiple races living on the Earth and they have discovered and replaced Science with Magic. Also religion has taken a nose dive some how and Demons are released on the world as well too/ Is that kinda of what it is all about?

Penn

PS: I am a big FAN of Gamma World...I started with D&D then went to Traveller, and then Gamma World some 34+yrs ago.

[threedeesix]

PS: I am a big FAN of Gamma World...I started with D&D then went to Traveller, and then Gamma World some 34+yrs ago.

We share a very similar history... I started with Traveller, and then went to Gamma World, and then AD&D some 34+yrs ago.

Anyway, being involved in the playtest, however on a very limited basis, I can say the setting is very interesting with lots of cool background. I eagerly await it's release.

Rod

[Bygoneyrs]

Rod it is nice to see folks with simular gaming backgrounds as myself...I salute you sir. So is my above description close to what it is all about?

BTW I am still GMing Traveller very much and in the process of redesigning my own Traveller campaign after a 25+ yr run I have decided to write a new campaign.

Penn

[Shaira]

so I am guessing then this product setting is a combination of "Gamma World" meets "D&D" in that some great situation or war happened and technology slid backwards and some where in the process we have multiple races living on the Earth and they have discovered and replaced Science with Magic. Also religion has taken a nose dive some how and Demons are released on the world as well too/ Is that kinda of what it is all about?

Hi Penn,

I too am a huge fan of Gamma World, though this isn't what I had in mind with Chronicles. Think more of an extremely far future earth, where ancient technology and demons and sorcery exist side by side. Add in some Byzantium and ancient China, shake and leave to ferment - and you're on the way to what the Chronicles is about.

In play, it *feels* like a fantasy roleplaying game. You can go adventuring; there are monsters, wars, eternal threats, evil chaos nasties, and badlands aplenty. There's also a richly detailed civilization which is millennia old, living on the ruins of other, even older, even longer-lived civilizations, going back to a mythical golden age "when the stars sang with the songs of men". There are gods, and demons, and sorcery; and there are ancient artifacts which no one really understands any more, except maybe the artificers of the Temple of Khosht, and they don't really know *that* much. There are legions armed with "flamelances"; cities tens of thousands of years old which have strange, highly-carved conduits which can mysteriously "recharge" exhausted artifacts; and the Autarch of Korudav is said to have his own personal "flyer", which can cover hundreds of miles in a single day.

The first Chronicles book is very much an introduction; it's a big setting, with a lot of detail, so we've chosen to focus on one part of it, the "great city" of Korudav, which takes several days to walk through end to end. Also known as "The City of Leaden Walls", it has tunnels, undercities, a port district, and its ancient citadel, with its incredibly ornate-looking towers and streets where no sunlight falls, is lit by mysterious globes of "manatine energy". Future books will provide more detail on critters, temples, regions of the "Springtide Civilizations", adventures, and so on - the Chronicles book gives a selection of all those in a single volume.

Hope that helps!

Cheers,

Sarah

Edited March 5, 2010 by Shaira

[cjbowser]

Hi Penn,

In play, it *feels* like a fantasy roleplaying game. You can go adventuring; there are monsters, wars, eternal threats, evil chaos nasties, and badlands aplenty. There's also a richly detailed civilization which is millennia old, living on the ruins of other, even older, even longer-lived civilizations, going back to a mythical golden age "when the stars sang with the songs of men". There are gods, and demons, and sorcery; and there are ancient artifacts which no one really understands any more, except maybe the artificers of the Temple of Khosht, and they don't really know *that* much. There are legions armed with "flamelances"; cities tens of thousands of years old which have strange, highly-carved conduits which can mysteriously "recharge" exhausted artifacts; and the Autarch of Korudav is said to have his own personal "flyer", which can cover hundreds of miles in a single day.

Hope that helps!

Cheers,

Sarah

Well, you've sold me! This sounds like a really great setting for some science-fantasy gaming.

I do have a question, though. The product page lists it as a trade paperback. Is it really going to be that size, or is that a miskey?

[Bygoneyrs]

Wow Sarah,

Sounds great, can't wait till it is a "printed" format so I can add it to my library<g>!

Thank you very much,

Penn

[Jarulf]

I agree, this sounds absolutely amazingly cool. I'm now looking forward to this very, very impatiently.

[JonHook]

Awesome. I'm really looking forward to this.

[frogspawner]

Yes, this is very good news. An official setting for BRP! It deserves our wholehearted support.

I wonder what already-published stuff might be compatible with Future Earth...for example, how easily would it accommodate The Realm of Classic Fantasy? Could/should any of SharedWorld be transplanted (even unofficially) to Urth?

PS: Is there anything more than coincidental similarity to the Urth found in the 'Book of the New Sun' books?

Edited March 5, 2010 by frogspawner
PS

[Shaira]

PS: Is there anything more than coincidental similarity to the Urth found in the 'Book of the New Sun' books?

Hi Steve,

Well, to be honest, no there isn't They share the same name, of course: the word "Urth" is the name of the goddess (norn) of fate and the deep past, and also a coinage playing on the prefix "Ur-" (meaning extremely ancient, original, primeval, as in "Urfaust" by Goethe): so "Urth", the extremely ancient Earth, and also the norn of fate ("Wyrd" in Old English). The "extremely old far future Earth" connection is there, but I wouldn't take it further than that - Chronicles is quite definitely a unique "fantasy" setting, with sorcery, demons, monstrous critters, and so on.

Of course it exists in a grand tradition of "far future techno-fantasy" with "dying earth" elements - there are a lot of other works in the same space - but it's important that Chronicles *isn't* a dying earth setting - the sun in Chronicles is perfectly healthy . It's no more "new sun" than, say, D&D or BRP are Tolkien - but you'll see many refractions of the "far future fantasy earth" theme throughout the setting

Pardon for going on at length - but it's important to be clear about this sort of thing, for obvious reasons.

Cheers,

Sarah

Edited March 5, 2010 by Shaira

[Shaira]

I wonder what already-published stuff might be compatible with Future Earth...for example, how easily would it accommodate The Realm of Classic Fantasy? Could/should any of SharedWorld be transplanted (even unofficially) to Urth?

IMHO you should be able to port most any fantasy or technofantasy setting material to Chronicles - it's a big world, and there are a *lot* of ways to play. It's not a "questworld" type environment by any stretch of the imagination, but there is a lot of "give" in the background if you want it. For example, the Venerable Autocracy is a bit like Mediaeval China meets technofantasy Byzantium, or some such - very baroque, tradition-bound, even decadent - but there are parts of the Springtide Civilizations which are much younger, with feudal kingdoms, tribal lands, the whole gamut. I think the only thing that would be difficult to transplant wholesale would be elves, dwarves, halflings, etc: there are *analogues* of these guys on Urth, but they have their pseudo-scientific antecedents - the wormlike troglodytes of the Wastes of Kastalon can probably fill the roles of orcs or trolls, but they're Jeniri - "cousins of man" - and ultimately related to human stock.

Apart from that, I should imagine you can include a very wide range of material. There's even room for a very "techno-heavy" approach, if that's what you favour.

Cheers,

Sarah

Edited March 5, 2010 by Shaira

[frogspawner]

IMHO you should be able to port most any fantasy or technofantasy setting material to Chronicles - it's a big world, and there are a *lot* of ways to play.

Well that's good. It's nice to have permission from the author herself for some such crossover, even if it doesn't become canon. But no bog-standard elves/dwarves/hobbits/orcs/trolls - well, I guess that's a good thing too! Thanks for the guidance...