Project 4: Chronicles of the Future Earth

[Bygoneyrs]

For me I always have to build and talor my own campaign setting, but rest assure I will also purchase the product to be used as yet another resource material for my ever growing resource library.

Penn

[TheShadow]

Definitely intrigued.

Any there any substantial tweaks or additions to BRP powers in the setting? I'm particularly interested in how you incorporate the hi-tech stuff into what basically seems a fantasy milieu. I'm thinking of Tekumel more than Eberron so far.

Also, can you tell us more about some of the non-human races? Is it meant to be basically humanocentric?

[Trifletraxor]

Blurb is up!

SGL.

[Shaira]

Definitely intrigued.

Any there any substantial tweaks or additions to BRP powers in the setting? I'm particularly interested in how you incorporate the hi-tech stuff into what basically seems a fantasy milieu. I'm thinking of Tekumel more than Eberron so far.

Also, can you tell us more about some of the non-human races? Is it meant to be basically humanocentric?

Hi Shadow,

Chronicles introduces (or "re-introduces"?) demons and divine powers into BRP. The rules are derived from the Stormbringer demon summoning rules (hence the "re-introduced" ), and can be very powerful. Also, "standard" Chronicles sorcery uses the BRP sorcery rules, with extra spells, many of which are jealously guarded by sorcerous schools, temples, what have you. Volume 1 contains a good selection of new magic, and all being well there's lots more to come.

Chronicles as a setting also uses the psychic powers rules, calling them psionics, and even some mutations and super powers used as special abilities for some creatures and races. Nothing in the BRP core rules power system is explicitly excluded, although the "Magic" powers aren't directly referenced (you could still use them if you wanted to).

Ancient artifacts are very much black box pseudo-magic effects, although there's a cool temple of a god called Khosht the Artificer which has spells to do things like rescue artifacts from hunks of rust, or try to comprehend how a thing works or could be fixed. The artifacts chapter gives you a sizable selection of the key artifacts which are known to the Venerable Autocracy - of course there are lots more ;-) A future full write up of the Temple of Khosht will have a lot more on the ins and outs of artifacts.

Regarding other races, there are basically two types: "Jeniri", also known as the Cousins of Man, which are humanoid races, such as the blue-skinned psionic traders called Virikki or the heat-loving Magigi, the "Red Giants of Hagya"; and the "Esteri", the Not-People of Urth, which are not at all humanoid, and include the Hsun Spider Folk (who grow their own biotech called "Hsuntach") and the Ing Shu octopus-like seafarers. There are also lots of human cultures; the Springtide Civilizations are very large, conservative, and varied.

The core book contains full write-ups of two human cultures and one each of the Jeniri and Esteri races, plus a table summary of others; future volumes will detail others. The setting also allows you to bring in your own (in case you have a favourite race or culture you'd like to include!).

Many of the races keep to themselves, and it's kind of up to you to "dial up" (or down) the non-human element to your own satisfaction; also, each race has an English name, and a corresponding Sakaraic one (the language of the Autocracy). So, the Spider Folk are also called the Hsun, the Blueskins are called Virikki, and so on; that's a theme throughout the game - you can use as much or as little native Sakaraic wording as you like. As I mentioned, Chronicles "feels" very fantasy, and many of the races occupy recognizable fantasy roles (traders, smiths, mercenaries, etc). My own games are dominated by humans and jeniri, with Hsun tinkers selling their hsuntach weapons and Magigi smiths and smelters, but it's really up to you.

Cheers!

Sarah

[Shaira]

Blurb is up!

SGL.

Them's dem fine blurb! Thanks Sverre

[TheShadow]

Thanks for the details Shaira! I can't wait to pick up this product now.

[TheShadow]

Is there a release date yet? Or even better, some previews...

[cjbowser]

Is there a release date yet? Or even better, some previews...

Dustin's blog posts at Chaosium.com have indicated that Chaosium had to source new cover art, pushing the project back.

[Harshax]

it's interesting what people's first take on this setting. My first impression was Vance's Dying Earth.

[Thalaba]

@Harshax: Long time no see. Welcome back!

The connection I see is with M. John Harrison's Viriconium setting, but then I've never read Vance.

[Harshax]

@Harshax: Long time no see. Welcome back!

Thanks!

The connection I see is with M. John Harrison's Viriconium setting, but then I've never read Vance.

Care to share the name of the series' first book?

[NickMiddleton]

My first impression was Lin Carter's Giant of World's End - but that's probably because that was the first such "dying earth" story I ever read. The "cultures of the end times" motif is an old one - in the SF genre alone it goes back to at least Wells - that has frequently been visited by various different authors. Shame about the delay.

Nick

[Thalaba]

Sure: The Pastel City

Here's a couple of links: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/m-john-harrison/pastel-city.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viriconium

The former shows the cover, the latter has a more critical analysis. Turns out he was, himself, inspired by Vance - so there you go.

For the recrord, I didn't especially like the book - certainly not as much as Michael Moorcock did, whose mention of it in Wizardry and Wild Romance (IIR) was the reason I picked it up in the first place.

Edited April 27, 2010 by Thalaba

[Jason D]

For the recrord, I didn't especially like the book - certainly not as much as Michael Moorcock did, whose mention of it in Wizardry and Wild Romance (IIR) was the reason I picked it up in the first place.

I'm in the same boat as you... I liked the first story, and then as I ploughed through the omnibus, I liked the stories less and less, until by the end I decided I was never going to read anything by Harrison again.

[Shaira]

I think everybody's right

Can I throw "Zothique" into the mix too? And maybe a hint of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Hawkmoon, Lovecraft's Dreamlands, Tekumel, Byzantium, and Leigh Brackett? And, in a *very* bizarre way, the original Planet of the Apes movie?

Strangely enough, all of these guys have obviously been a huge influence on Chronicles, but personally the biggest single influence for me has been the *artwork* of Bruce Pennington. Something about his covers for Barsoom, Urth, the Pastel City, Dune, and lots and lots of others is so evocative, I've always wanted to know just *what* was round the corner, what those cities were, who those weirdly dressed priests were, just how far in the future all this weirdness was and what had happened to *our* world to make it so strange? Trying to create a single world which his artwork evoked was probably the spark which kicked it all off for me, a loooong time ago.

BTW Dustin let me know yesterday they're a bit closer on the artwork. All being well we'll all have something by GenCon - it's only the cover art we're waiting on!

Cheers,

Sarah

[GianniVacca]

I think everybody's right

Can I throw "Zothique" into the mix too? And maybe a hint of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Hawkmoon, Lovecraft's Dreamlands, Tekumel, Byzantium, and Leigh Brackett? And, in a *very* bizarre way, the original Planet of the Apes movie?

Strangely enough, all of these guys have obviously been a huge influence on Chronicles, but personally the biggest single influence for me has been the *artwork* of Bruce Pennington.

My, these names are enough to have me drool... What about Lord Dunsany?

[Conrad]

By the edict of the Autarch, anyone who "feels the cries of gulls" or who wishes to go adventuring with their "soul-mate" is to be put to death by gravity cannon, and their remains are to be utterly destroyed by a dragonel.

Also, Sarah Newton is to be brought to the court of the Autarch to face charges of leaving out the stats for the Paladoi, even though our fair and magnificent city of Korudav has an enclave for those hexapedal grazers, so that player characters might bump into them.

Edited February 23, 2011 by Conrad
I managed to read a copy of the supplement.

[Agentorange]

The thing is, this is only the first of several books according to Shaira, I must say I'm looking forward to this........

[Pnick]

Talking of how influential artwork can be, any information about, or previews of, the artwork in the book? I'm really hoping that the artwork is top drawer. In a perfect universe it would be of the caliber of something like the vintage 'Skyrealms Of Jorune' art. Well, one can hope....Nothing can so clearly evoke the atmosphere of a setting, or indeed sell a book, as much as great artwork.

[TheShadow]

So Gencon has come and gone, and still no sign of Chronicles...

[rust]

So Gencon has come and gone, and still no sign of Chronicles...

Not yet, Chaosium has announced it for the fall.

[NickMiddleton]

Looks like the cover art is in for this and I rather like it. Dustin's tweet was speculating that it might make it out before the end of the year.

Cheers,

Nick

[Thalaba]

I like that - though I prefer the picture on the web site

Either way, it'll be nice to see this out - look very promising.

[Puck]

Whoahh. Both bits of art really make this setting look cool. I am chomping at the bit.

[GianniVacca]

drool...