As we all enjoy this last week of 2017, here's my presentation of some of the best and brightest of the year. Some are chosen for popularity and sales, while others are selected for the awards and accolades they've received. All are, in my opinion, more than worthy of a look at what 2017 brought to the gaming table. Cheers and have some more eggnog!
GENESYS SYSTEM
Top sellers and award winners – that’s what this week’s theme is all about. It’s Best of 2017 Week as we close out the year here at Sean’s Pick of the Day. We’ll celebrate this Christmas Day with the current hottest seller on DriveThruRPG (at least, Number One as of this writing). It’s also one of the more anticipated titles to come along – Genesys, the core “house rules” of Fantasy Flight Games (the engine powering their Star Wars line).
Just be prepared to buy either a set of funky dice or get the special app for it.
Face down a dragon as a brave knight, hack into a corporate security system as an elite runner, set sail in your airship. Unlimited adventure awaits you in Genesys, a new roleplaying system designed for a variety of settings and limited only by your imagination.
The Genesys experience begins with the Genesys Core Rulebook, which features an explanation of the innovative narrative dice system and core mechanics of the game, an overview of five different settings in which to place campaigns, and advice for Game Masters to craft a myriad of adventures with unparalleled freedom.
STAR TREK ADVENTURES
Another massive hit for the year, Star Trek Adventures is the second selection for this Best of 2017 Week. Fans have waited a long time for another RPG to come along that might effectively bring the specific sci-fi experience of Star Trek to the table, and Modiphius seems to be on a serious role when it comes to grabbing major licenses and doing impressive things with them.
“Star Trek Adventures finally corrects the injustice of not having a Star Trek game around at the same time Star Trek Discovery is ripping through TV sets and data streams…. the gaming experience feels exactly like Star Trek. Sit on the commander’s chair, take a deep breath, and engage. Star Trek is not just back; it is here to stay.” RPG.net review
Starfleet Needs A New Crew!
Welcome to your new assignment, Captain. Your continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before…
Star Trek Adventures takes you to the Final Frontier of the Galaxy, where new discoveries await keen explorers of Starfleet. Your duties may take you to the edges of known space, or to Federation colonies in need, to the borders of neighbouring galactic powers or into the eye of interstellar phenomena. Your ship and your crew epitomise the best Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets has to offer, and you are needed more than ever.
A new threat looms from across the Gamma Quadrant, as it is confirmed by Commander Sisko and his crew that the Dominion, led by the Founders, represent a significant threat to the Alpha Quadrant. Tension is already high in the region of Bajor and Deep Space 9, as the Maquis continue to act against the Cardassian-Federation peace treaty, with Captain Janeway and the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager preparing for their mission in the Badlands. It is a volatile time for the Federation and new crews have never been in higher demand.
• Create your own Star Trek stories of discovery and adventure on the Final Frontier with 368 pages of content in the full colour PDF.
• The Star Trek Adventures Hardcover Colour Book comes in a full colour edition with black text on a white background exclusive to DTRPG!
• Complete 2d20 game system from Modiphius Entertainment adapted for Star Trek Adventures, used in Mutant Chronicles, Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of, John Carter of Mars and the Infinity RPG.
• An extensive exploration of the United Federation of Planets and its galactic neighbours in the Alpha, Beta and Gamma Quadrants.
• Guidelines for Gamemasters old and new, on how to run an adventure of exploration and discovery for the crew of a Federation starship.
• A full catalogue of aliens and antagonists including Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians, the Borg and the Dominion.
• Brought to you by a team of expert Star Trek writers including writers from previous editions of Star Trek roleplaying games and other gaming talent.
• Personal logs and intercepted communications by Starfleet Intelligence provide a new perspective on Star Trek and its events.
7TH SEA
As we make our way through this holiday week, here’s the Golden ENnie Winner for Best Rules (among many other awards). 7th Sea returned in a huge way in 2017, and fans rewarded John Wick and his team with massive support and adulation. There’s many reasons for that – check it out and see for yourself, if you haven’t already.
7th Sea is a tabletop roleplaying game of swashbuckling and intrigue, exploration and adventure, taking place on the continent of Theah, a land of magic and mystery inspired by our own Europe. Players take the roles of heroes thrown into global conspiracies and sinister plots, exploring ancient ruins of a race long vanished and protecting the rightful kings and queens of Theah from murderous villains.
Save the Queen of Avalon from treacherous blackmail!
Thwart a dastardly assassination attempt on the Cardinal of Castille!
Raid the villainous fleets of Vodacce Merchant Princes!
Free the Prince of the Sarmatian Commonwealth from a mysterious curse!
Make decisions that alter the very course of Thean history!
In 7th Sea, you are a Hero, an icon of Theah ready to live and die for causes that matter. You bravely take on a dozen thugs with swords, knives and guns all on your own. You are the trusted knight, a loyal bodyguard or even an adventuring queen herself.
In other words—you are d’Artagnan, Milady de Winter, the Dread Pirate Roberts, Jack Sparrow, Julie d’Aubigney, and the Scarlet Pimpernel all rolled up in one!
This is a game of high adventure, mystery and action. This is a game of intrigue and romance.
This is 7th Sea.
BLADES IN THE DARK
Another huge seller and another huge title that fans went nuts over this year, Blades in the Dark combines an enticing concept (criminal crew teamed up to do Bad Guy things and make some money) with innovative mechanics designed specifically around the premise of the game.
This is another Best of 2017 Week selection.
Winner: 2015 Golden Geek, RPG of the Year
Winner: 2016 Indie RPG Award, Game of the Year (also Best Production and Best Support)
Blades in the Dark is a tabletop role-playing game about a crew of daring scoundrels seeking their fortunes on the haunted streets of an industrial-fantasy city. There are heists, chases, occult mysteries, dangerous bargains, bloody skirmishes, and, above all, riches to be had — if you’re bold enough to seize them.
You and your fledgling crew must thrive amidst the threats of rival gangs, powerful noble families, vengeful ghosts, the Bluecoats of the city watch, and the siren song of your scoundrel’s own vices. Will you rise to power in the criminal underworld? What are you willing to do to get to the top?
In this stand-alone game, you’ll find:
TALES FROM THE LOOP
I’m closing out Best of 2017 Week (and the entire year of 2017) with one of the absolute best-of-best for this and, well, any year. The ENnie Gold winner for Product of the Year and a massively popular/best-selling title, Tales from the Loop is the first and finest of the games to tap into the “Stranger Things” vibe that’s taken hold across popular culture. Grab your flashlight and your bicycle and explore the 80s That Never Were.
Also, don’t miss out on the recent release for this product line, Our Friends the Machines & Other Mysteries.
Winner of five ENnies in 2017 including Best Game, Best Setting, Best Writing and Product of the Year!
“RPG Tales from the Loop lets you channel Stranger Things and ET.”
The Verge
“Tales From The Loop could very well be the RPG phenomenon of 2017.”
Geek & Sundry
The landscape was full of machines and scrap metal connected to the facility in one way or another. Always present on the horizon were the colossal cooling towers, with their green obstruction lights. If you put your ear to the ground, you could hear the heartbeat of the Loop – the purring of the Gravitron, the central piece of engineering magic that was the focus of the Loop’s experiments. The facility was the largest of its kind in the world, and it was said that its forces could bend space-time itself.
Scifi artist Simon Stålenhag’s paintings of Swedish 1980s suburbia, populated by fantastic machines and strange beasts, have won global acclaim. Now, you can step into the amazing world of the Loop.
In this roleplaying game in the vein of E.T. and Stranger Things, you’ll play teenagers solving mysteries connected to the Loop. The game rules are based on Mutant: Year Zero, which was awarded with a Silver ENnie for Best Rules at Gencon 2015.
Key features:
-----
And there's my last set of Picks for 2017. I'm still in either Tennessee or Georgia as you read this, most likely... or else, I am already on the road, driving back to our home in Denver. I hope your own holidays have been filled with fun, family, and friends!
The Adventure Continues!
Note that I use affiliate links in all my posts as a way to generate additional revenue for my efforts; I make my Picks and other article choices, however, based on the desire to share a wide variety of things with you. Thank you for your support.
Sean Patrick Fannon
Writer & Game Designer: Shaintar, Star Wars, Savage Rifts, much more
Please check out my Patreon and get involved directly with my next projects!
GENESYS SYSTEM
Top sellers and award winners – that’s what this week’s theme is all about. It’s Best of 2017 Week as we close out the year here at Sean’s Pick of the Day. We’ll celebrate this Christmas Day with the current hottest seller on DriveThruRPG (at least, Number One as of this writing). It’s also one of the more anticipated titles to come along – Genesys, the core “house rules” of Fantasy Flight Games (the engine powering their Star Wars line).
Just be prepared to buy either a set of funky dice or get the special app for it.
Face down a dragon as a brave knight, hack into a corporate security system as an elite runner, set sail in your airship. Unlimited adventure awaits you in Genesys, a new roleplaying system designed for a variety of settings and limited only by your imagination.
The Genesys experience begins with the Genesys Core Rulebook, which features an explanation of the innovative narrative dice system and core mechanics of the game, an overview of five different settings in which to place campaigns, and advice for Game Masters to craft a myriad of adventures with unparalleled freedom.
STAR TREK ADVENTURES
Another massive hit for the year, Star Trek Adventures is the second selection for this Best of 2017 Week. Fans have waited a long time for another RPG to come along that might effectively bring the specific sci-fi experience of Star Trek to the table, and Modiphius seems to be on a serious role when it comes to grabbing major licenses and doing impressive things with them.
“Star Trek Adventures finally corrects the injustice of not having a Star Trek game around at the same time Star Trek Discovery is ripping through TV sets and data streams…. the gaming experience feels exactly like Star Trek. Sit on the commander’s chair, take a deep breath, and engage. Star Trek is not just back; it is here to stay.” RPG.net review
Starfleet Needs A New Crew!
Welcome to your new assignment, Captain. Your continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before…
Star Trek Adventures takes you to the Final Frontier of the Galaxy, where new discoveries await keen explorers of Starfleet. Your duties may take you to the edges of known space, or to Federation colonies in need, to the borders of neighbouring galactic powers or into the eye of interstellar phenomena. Your ship and your crew epitomise the best Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets has to offer, and you are needed more than ever.
A new threat looms from across the Gamma Quadrant, as it is confirmed by Commander Sisko and his crew that the Dominion, led by the Founders, represent a significant threat to the Alpha Quadrant. Tension is already high in the region of Bajor and Deep Space 9, as the Maquis continue to act against the Cardassian-Federation peace treaty, with Captain Janeway and the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager preparing for their mission in the Badlands. It is a volatile time for the Federation and new crews have never been in higher demand.
• Create your own Star Trek stories of discovery and adventure on the Final Frontier with 368 pages of content in the full colour PDF.
• The Star Trek Adventures Hardcover Colour Book comes in a full colour edition with black text on a white background exclusive to DTRPG!
• Complete 2d20 game system from Modiphius Entertainment adapted for Star Trek Adventures, used in Mutant Chronicles, Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of, John Carter of Mars and the Infinity RPG.
• An extensive exploration of the United Federation of Planets and its galactic neighbours in the Alpha, Beta and Gamma Quadrants.
• Guidelines for Gamemasters old and new, on how to run an adventure of exploration and discovery for the crew of a Federation starship.
• A full catalogue of aliens and antagonists including Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians, the Borg and the Dominion.
• Brought to you by a team of expert Star Trek writers including writers from previous editions of Star Trek roleplaying games and other gaming talent.
• Personal logs and intercepted communications by Starfleet Intelligence provide a new perspective on Star Trek and its events.
7TH SEA
As we make our way through this holiday week, here’s the Golden ENnie Winner for Best Rules (among many other awards). 7th Sea returned in a huge way in 2017, and fans rewarded John Wick and his team with massive support and adulation. There’s many reasons for that – check it out and see for yourself, if you haven’t already.
7th Sea is a tabletop roleplaying game of swashbuckling and intrigue, exploration and adventure, taking place on the continent of Theah, a land of magic and mystery inspired by our own Europe. Players take the roles of heroes thrown into global conspiracies and sinister plots, exploring ancient ruins of a race long vanished and protecting the rightful kings and queens of Theah from murderous villains.
Save the Queen of Avalon from treacherous blackmail!
Thwart a dastardly assassination attempt on the Cardinal of Castille!
Raid the villainous fleets of Vodacce Merchant Princes!
Free the Prince of the Sarmatian Commonwealth from a mysterious curse!
Make decisions that alter the very course of Thean history!
In 7th Sea, you are a Hero, an icon of Theah ready to live and die for causes that matter. You bravely take on a dozen thugs with swords, knives and guns all on your own. You are the trusted knight, a loyal bodyguard or even an adventuring queen herself.
In other words—you are d’Artagnan, Milady de Winter, the Dread Pirate Roberts, Jack Sparrow, Julie d’Aubigney, and the Scarlet Pimpernel all rolled up in one!
This is a game of high adventure, mystery and action. This is a game of intrigue and romance.
This is 7th Sea.
BLADES IN THE DARK
Another huge seller and another huge title that fans went nuts over this year, Blades in the Dark combines an enticing concept (criminal crew teamed up to do Bad Guy things and make some money) with innovative mechanics designed specifically around the premise of the game.
This is another Best of 2017 Week selection.
Winner: 2015 Golden Geek, RPG of the Year
Winner: 2016 Indie RPG Award, Game of the Year (also Best Production and Best Support)
Blades in the Dark is a tabletop role-playing game about a crew of daring scoundrels seeking their fortunes on the haunted streets of an industrial-fantasy city. There are heists, chases, occult mysteries, dangerous bargains, bloody skirmishes, and, above all, riches to be had — if you’re bold enough to seize them.
You and your fledgling crew must thrive amidst the threats of rival gangs, powerful noble families, vengeful ghosts, the Bluecoats of the city watch, and the siren song of your scoundrel’s own vices. Will you rise to power in the criminal underworld? What are you willing to do to get to the top?
In this stand-alone game, you’ll find:
- Rules to create your scoundrel using the following character archetypes: the Cutter, the Hound, the Leech, the Lurk, the Slide, the Spider, or the Whisper.
- Rules to create your crew, built from types like Assassins, Bravos, a Cult, Hawkers, Shadows, or Smugglers.
- A robust core mechanic which puts the fiction first—the strength of a character’s position (desperate, risky, or controlled) matters just as much as the character’s ability scores.
- A lightning-fast mechanic for planning criminal operations to cut through the usual slog of planning at the game table.
- Rules for alchemical experiments, gadget tinkering, and weird occult powers—including rules for playing Ghosts and other strange beings.
- A setting guide to the haunted city of Doskvol, with all the maps, factions, NPCs, schemes, and opportunities you need to run an exciting sandbox game.
TALES FROM THE LOOP
I’m closing out Best of 2017 Week (and the entire year of 2017) with one of the absolute best-of-best for this and, well, any year. The ENnie Gold winner for Product of the Year and a massively popular/best-selling title, Tales from the Loop is the first and finest of the games to tap into the “Stranger Things” vibe that’s taken hold across popular culture. Grab your flashlight and your bicycle and explore the 80s That Never Were.
Also, don’t miss out on the recent release for this product line, Our Friends the Machines & Other Mysteries.
Winner of five ENnies in 2017 including Best Game, Best Setting, Best Writing and Product of the Year!
“RPG Tales from the Loop lets you channel Stranger Things and ET.”
The Verge
“Tales From The Loop could very well be the RPG phenomenon of 2017.”
Geek & Sundry
The landscape was full of machines and scrap metal connected to the facility in one way or another. Always present on the horizon were the colossal cooling towers, with their green obstruction lights. If you put your ear to the ground, you could hear the heartbeat of the Loop – the purring of the Gravitron, the central piece of engineering magic that was the focus of the Loop’s experiments. The facility was the largest of its kind in the world, and it was said that its forces could bend space-time itself.
Scifi artist Simon Stålenhag’s paintings of Swedish 1980s suburbia, populated by fantastic machines and strange beasts, have won global acclaim. Now, you can step into the amazing world of the Loop.
In this roleplaying game in the vein of E.T. and Stranger Things, you’ll play teenagers solving mysteries connected to the Loop. The game rules are based on Mutant: Year Zero, which was awarded with a Silver ENnie for Best Rules at Gencon 2015.
Key features:
- Create your unique player character – including skills, items, prides, problems, and relationships – in mere minutes.
- Explore the secrets of the Loop in two main game settings – one based on the Swedish Mälaren Islands, the other on Boulder City, Nevada.
- Investigate mysteries and overcome trouble using fast and effective rules, based on the Mutant: Year Zero game engine.
- Play the four complete scenarios included, tied together in the campaign named Four Seasons of Mad Science.
-----
And there's my last set of Picks for 2017. I'm still in either Tennessee or Georgia as you read this, most likely... or else, I am already on the road, driving back to our home in Denver. I hope your own holidays have been filled with fun, family, and friends!
The Adventure Continues!
Note that I use affiliate links in all my posts as a way to generate additional revenue for my efforts; I make my Picks and other article choices, however, based on the desire to share a wide variety of things with you. Thank you for your support.
Sean Patrick Fannon
Writer & Game Designer: Shaintar, Star Wars, Savage Rifts, much more
Please check out my Patreon and get involved directly with my next projects!
Blades in the Dark is something I've been eyeing for some time now, but time...
