[Eclipse Phase]Extinction Is Coming

Bobby Derie

I like the conception of Eclipse Phase as a setting, I think it works well for exploring both big and small ideas of science fiction, and is a good background for some really interesting games and conflicts at the table for many different styles of play, from the gleaming Apple-styled future of slick touchscreens and spotless white jumpsuits to dirty engineers banging away in the depths of the ship, riding on the ragged edge of existence, the kind of gritty lifestyle reminiscent of Alien, Outland and parts of Firefly. I really really like the promotion and approach to the game from a business standpoint, which I think is both ambitious, generous, and admirably open compared to larger and more traditional companies - and both the .pdfs and the physical books are just a joy to behold, really beautiful work, and I appreciate how open they are to fan-created material.

That said, I know it isn't a perfect game. The mechanics are often a bit clunky and I really wish the timeline was set farther after the Fall, and I know other people have some difficulties with the presentation of particular groups and religions in the setting. That said, I'm interested in what y'all on this forum think of the game, the things you like and don't like about it, and maybe the things you'd like to see in the setting.

(Yes, this is a bit of a fishing expedition, I'm planning out the last couple of months on my blog and I'd like to see what people want to see.)

Void Slayer

The system gives a lot of neat toys and things to do, but it seems like the construction of exciting play time within a larger story is not really thought through (or put in the book if they did think/play test it through). It has been a while since I did a full read through, but there was basically half a chapter on actually running a campaign from the GM side, it felt like the AD&D 2nd edition DM book, which was the first RPG I invested in. That part of the presentation felt very old.

You need to see it in action, use already constructed modules or already have a style of GM that can be worked in. Otherwise the first couple times out will be slow and disjointed, with some characters sitting out for long stretches of time.

I guess this can be a common complaint with a lot of games, but Eclipse Phase is so open ended and has so many systems it just complicates things.

That said, the setting is excellent and the rules are well designed to mirror and fit with the setting. One of the great things with the 5 year out is that you can have both rebuilding and the already built, with the level of technology and possible near singularity intelligences you can build anything you want for the players to encounter. Also all the trauma of the fall is still relatively fresh even if things have been rebuilt, in 20 years there will be time for fresh "real" babies to grow up as trans-humans and people will have found ways to cope. What we get 5 years out are people experimenting with new and dangerous distractions and horrible "reproduction" like the Lost.

Bobby Derie

I know what you're saying, it's just that the setting also hasn't had enough time to really push into the outer planets yet, and that's sad. You kind of want to have far-off hives of scum and villainy out rimwards.

I'm not sure I agree on the gamemastering end of things though; too many GMs I've met have been a little too stick-in-the-muddish, wanting a script to follow for their games. I prefer something a little more sandbox myself, so it's a weird mentality for me.