Upcoming New Arcanis System

[Sutekh]

Hi,

Just thought I'd state that the new Shattered Empires rpg (ie Arcanis) is due out in time for Origins. The guys at Paradigm Concepts have gone away and developed their own mechanics (not d20 and classless!) and are bringing back Arcanis to the people.

If you want more information, take a look at their website.

Matt

 

[darjr]

Paradigm Concepts News: Arcanis Archives

I've been wondering about this. Lots of arcanis and whichhunter players around here.

 

[MortonStromgal]

I heard a rumor it was going to be loosely based on Ubiquity... No real evidence just rumor.

 

[Argyle King]

It will be interesting to see what mechanics they use if they go with something other than d20. D20 is very popular, but there are plenty of other (and some better) mechanical setups out there.

 

[Paradigm]

I heard a rumor it was going to be loosely based on Ubiquity... No real evidence just rumor.

It is not based upon Ubiquity at all. Which is nothing against Ubiquity, I like that system just fine.

The Shattered Empires system draw inspirations from several sources, but its biggest influences are our favorite games from the mid to late 90s. IMO, the best design time for RPGs was the last few years before d20, when game systems drew upon their genre for their mechanics, and story came first. It is that RPG heritage that shaped our maturity as role players.

The core mechanic for Shattered Empires is based upon a tick system, time flows organically and the game moves along at a brisk pace. By keeping character actions short and sweet, the player remains focused upon the game instead of wandering off into distraction during extensive downtime.

Character creation is built upon options, every step moves the character further along the path to individuality. Advancement follows the same principle. There is no straight-jacket derived from the limitations of class-based construction. As a result, even if two players provide the same answer to the question: "What are you playing?" the actual characters should not have the same form.

 

[Thyrkill]

I've always been interested in Arcanis but never found the time to read it. Are the new rules a good starting off point for someone completely new to Arcanis? Or is it recommended that I read previous materials first? I am very interested to find out about the world itself.

Thanks,
Matt