Are you in the market for a science fantasy role playing game that runs on the 5E engine (SRD)? Well Esper Genesis might be the easy port over from D&D that you and your group are looking for.
Esper Genesis is a science fantasy rpg from Alligator Alley Entertainment, with Rich Lescouflair as the lead designer. Certainly the team assembled to produce EG has experience and plenty to spare. What the team at AAE has created is a visually stunning and mechanically reliable game that would seem tailor made for moving players from fantasy towards more science fiction style of play. EG is not hard science fiction however, and the GM should be aware of the aesthetics presented. I would say EG is more akin to a space fantasy anime and absolutely very heroic. The characters are all espers (as the title suggests) and they live in an area of the galaxy known as the Silrayne Arc. Mysterious moon-sized Crucibles shadow the inhabited worlds and no two Crucibles are the same. Within the Crucibles is the powerful energy source known as Sorium. Exposure to Sorium is what triggers the esper genesis in the player characters, allowing characters to channel energies and affect their environment.
[h=3]A Heroic Universe[/h]Esper Genesis is a beautiful game. The art does a fantastic job of creating a great aesthetic and setting a tone for the kinds of adventures the game presents. The layout is easy to follow and explains how to play the game with a minimum of fuss. Each player is an esper thanks (or not) to the influence of the Crucibles and there is a definite connection to the sorium. This provides motivation and a sense of connection for the characters. The races seem alien though they are all bipeds and most are humanoids. The one that caught my eye was the Ashenforged; a race bio-engineered by another race (the Dendu) for the purpose of war. Although they are free now, their back story is fascinating. All the races are relatable and have some interesting bits that make them playable.
Classes in EG revolve around a character’s use of their esper abilities. All classes are esper classes although they do not work the same way. The esper abilities are a mix of 5E magic, both arcane and divine, and what seems like some AD&D2E psionics or maybe even 3E. At least that is my impression. It is as if psionics has become the normal mainstream power, replacing magic. As you can expect this makes the powers themselves more psion focused, although there is plenty of damage dealing. Several powers are clearly inspired by science fiction, though rooted in the 5E paradigm for what these powers should be used for.
Of course, EG has rules for FTL travel. I think these are actually are a strength of the game and dovetail nicely with starship combat and combat in other environments. I also like the game master screen as the information is very useful and notes some of the likely areas of confusion for new players.
[h=3]A Step Removed[/h]There is a theme that runs through the critique of Esper Genesis that pops up in several parts of the game. In essence, EG is a great use of the 5E rules that adds very little else to those rules. If you know how to play a 5E game already, then you will have zero issue playing EG. The alien species are interesting but they are all bipeds. The classes are excellent riffs off of the base classes, but don’t add much else. Certainly the psion powers are interesting, but space magic is still magic. EG is neither a Spelljammer that just transports fantasy characters into space or an Alternity that acts as a toolkit for various SF adventures. This may not be an issue for your group, but groups looking for a wide ranging SF game will likely not find Esper Genesis to their taste. What the game does, however, it does pretty well.
This article was contributed by Sean Hillman (SMHWorlds) as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. If you enjoy the daily news and articles from EN World, please consider contributing to our Patreon!
Esper Genesis is a science fantasy rpg from Alligator Alley Entertainment, with Rich Lescouflair as the lead designer. Certainly the team assembled to produce EG has experience and plenty to spare. What the team at AAE has created is a visually stunning and mechanically reliable game that would seem tailor made for moving players from fantasy towards more science fiction style of play. EG is not hard science fiction however, and the GM should be aware of the aesthetics presented. I would say EG is more akin to a space fantasy anime and absolutely very heroic. The characters are all espers (as the title suggests) and they live in an area of the galaxy known as the Silrayne Arc. Mysterious moon-sized Crucibles shadow the inhabited worlds and no two Crucibles are the same. Within the Crucibles is the powerful energy source known as Sorium. Exposure to Sorium is what triggers the esper genesis in the player characters, allowing characters to channel energies and affect their environment.
[h=3]A Heroic Universe[/h]Esper Genesis is a beautiful game. The art does a fantastic job of creating a great aesthetic and setting a tone for the kinds of adventures the game presents. The layout is easy to follow and explains how to play the game with a minimum of fuss. Each player is an esper thanks (or not) to the influence of the Crucibles and there is a definite connection to the sorium. This provides motivation and a sense of connection for the characters. The races seem alien though they are all bipeds and most are humanoids. The one that caught my eye was the Ashenforged; a race bio-engineered by another race (the Dendu) for the purpose of war. Although they are free now, their back story is fascinating. All the races are relatable and have some interesting bits that make them playable.
Classes in EG revolve around a character’s use of their esper abilities. All classes are esper classes although they do not work the same way. The esper abilities are a mix of 5E magic, both arcane and divine, and what seems like some AD&D2E psionics or maybe even 3E. At least that is my impression. It is as if psionics has become the normal mainstream power, replacing magic. As you can expect this makes the powers themselves more psion focused, although there is plenty of damage dealing. Several powers are clearly inspired by science fiction, though rooted in the 5E paradigm for what these powers should be used for.
Of course, EG has rules for FTL travel. I think these are actually are a strength of the game and dovetail nicely with starship combat and combat in other environments. I also like the game master screen as the information is very useful and notes some of the likely areas of confusion for new players.
[h=3]A Step Removed[/h]There is a theme that runs through the critique of Esper Genesis that pops up in several parts of the game. In essence, EG is a great use of the 5E rules that adds very little else to those rules. If you know how to play a 5E game already, then you will have zero issue playing EG. The alien species are interesting but they are all bipeds. The classes are excellent riffs off of the base classes, but don’t add much else. Certainly the psion powers are interesting, but space magic is still magic. EG is neither a Spelljammer that just transports fantasy characters into space or an Alternity that acts as a toolkit for various SF adventures. This may not be an issue for your group, but groups looking for a wide ranging SF game will likely not find Esper Genesis to their taste. What the game does, however, it does pretty well.
This article was contributed by Sean Hillman (SMHWorlds) as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. If you enjoy the daily news and articles from EN World, please consider contributing to our Patreon!
