There are some role-playing games that aim to strip out complexity wherever possible - in the rules, in character creation, even in the setting itself. And then there are those like the Infinity RPG Core Book which choose to embrace it; to lean into a universe stuffed to the brim with backstory and try to lay down mechanics for everything it throws at you.
You can gather an awful lot about the game, whose setting and tone are drawn directly from the wargame of the same name from Spanish game developers Corvus Belli, simply by glancing at the core rule book. A true slab of paper and cardboard, almost all of its 500-something pages are densely packed with rules, advice and lore-dumps that explore every nook and cranny of the 'Human Sphere' setting.
It's quite clear that this isn't a game for players who want to dip in and out of systems and settings for a session or two. Instead, it's one that rewards everyone at the table for putting effort into learning the rules and exploring the universe around them.
It is hard to imagine that anything simpler than this would be able to do justice to the sprawling fiction of Infinity. The sci-fi setting gleefully embraces virtually every trope and cliché you can imagine, from cyberpunk-esque hacking to anime-inspired mecha suits, and somehow this weird and wonderful mix ends up feeling fresh and bustling with vitality.
Likewise, while the core mechanics shouldn't be particularly shocking to experienced gamers, the system finds its unique flavour in the details. The core is question is built on the foundations of the 2d20 System used in several Modiphius-published RPGs, such as Star Trek Adventures, and manages to find a good middle-ground between flexibility and ease of use.
Basic skill tests requiring very little tweaking or calculating from either GMs or players, and the presence of 'momentum' and 'threat' counters, which are generated by particularly good or bad dice rolls and can be spent on helpful or harmful effects later in the session, feels completely appropriate for the conflict-ridden tone of Infinity RPG.
While these basic interactions aren't too complicated, however, things start getting much, much deeper as you explore the many aspects of life in the Human Sphere. Fighting a battle, for example, is about so much more than simply shooting and stabbing, and both information and psychological warfare are treated with the same importance as the conventional guns-and-swords kind.
This opens up the world in a way that few RPGs manage without a generous amount of handwaved rules or a completely a narrative-driven system. However, this does mean that unless both the GM and the players are extremely comfortable with their characters, gear and all the options open to them, the game can run slower than a decade-old laptop. Expect your copy of the core book to be littered with bookmarks for the first few sessions, as people look up the table for hit locations and the list of psywar techniques.
Infinity RPG is not a game for everyone, and it seems to know that. Even the character creation process, which involved rolling on around 20 random tables that determine everything from your career to the stability of your home life, is a complex and richly detailed process that can be overwhelming if you don't pay attention.
For many players – especially fans of the wargame – however, that's something to be embraced. The sheer weight of lore you need to absorb can make it a little tough to recommend to newcomers to the franchise, but if your gaming group has been looking for something meaty to explore, Infinity RPG may well be worth checking out.
contributed by Richard Jansen-Parkes
You can gather an awful lot about the game, whose setting and tone are drawn directly from the wargame of the same name from Spanish game developers Corvus Belli, simply by glancing at the core rule book. A true slab of paper and cardboard, almost all of its 500-something pages are densely packed with rules, advice and lore-dumps that explore every nook and cranny of the 'Human Sphere' setting.
It's quite clear that this isn't a game for players who want to dip in and out of systems and settings for a session or two. Instead, it's one that rewards everyone at the table for putting effort into learning the rules and exploring the universe around them.
It is hard to imagine that anything simpler than this would be able to do justice to the sprawling fiction of Infinity. The sci-fi setting gleefully embraces virtually every trope and cliché you can imagine, from cyberpunk-esque hacking to anime-inspired mecha suits, and somehow this weird and wonderful mix ends up feeling fresh and bustling with vitality.
Likewise, while the core mechanics shouldn't be particularly shocking to experienced gamers, the system finds its unique flavour in the details. The core is question is built on the foundations of the 2d20 System used in several Modiphius-published RPGs, such as Star Trek Adventures, and manages to find a good middle-ground between flexibility and ease of use.
Basic skill tests requiring very little tweaking or calculating from either GMs or players, and the presence of 'momentum' and 'threat' counters, which are generated by particularly good or bad dice rolls and can be spent on helpful or harmful effects later in the session, feels completely appropriate for the conflict-ridden tone of Infinity RPG.
While these basic interactions aren't too complicated, however, things start getting much, much deeper as you explore the many aspects of life in the Human Sphere. Fighting a battle, for example, is about so much more than simply shooting and stabbing, and both information and psychological warfare are treated with the same importance as the conventional guns-and-swords kind.
This opens up the world in a way that few RPGs manage without a generous amount of handwaved rules or a completely a narrative-driven system. However, this does mean that unless both the GM and the players are extremely comfortable with their characters, gear and all the options open to them, the game can run slower than a decade-old laptop. Expect your copy of the core book to be littered with bookmarks for the first few sessions, as people look up the table for hit locations and the list of psywar techniques.
Infinity RPG is not a game for everyone, and it seems to know that. Even the character creation process, which involved rolling on around 20 random tables that determine everything from your career to the stability of your home life, is a complex and richly detailed process that can be overwhelming if you don't pay attention.
For many players – especially fans of the wargame – however, that's something to be embraced. The sheer weight of lore you need to absorb can make it a little tough to recommend to newcomers to the franchise, but if your gaming group has been looking for something meaty to explore, Infinity RPG may well be worth checking out.
contributed by Richard Jansen-Parkes
