Free League Announces Coriolis: The Great Dark

Coming to Kickstarter next month is a new science fiction TTRPG from Free League. A sequel to Coriolis-The Third Horizon, the new game features "exploration, mysteries, and intrigue at the far edge of space".

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We are incredibly excited and proud to announce Coriolis: The Great Dark, our brand-new science fiction roleplaying game about exploration, mysteries, and intrigue at the far edge of space. Venture out into the unknown on mighty Greatships, delve deep into ancient ruins and partake in the Byzantine schemes of powerful guilds.

Coriolis: The Great Dark will be launched on Kickstarter March 19. Inspired by 19th century polar expeditions, deep sea diving and pulp archeology, Coriolis: The Great Darkoffers a new take on sci-fi roleplaying that emphasizes mystery, a sense of wonder and breathtaking visuals.

Sign up for Coriolis: The Great Dark RPG on Kickstarter!

Visit the Kickstarter pre-launch page and sign up to be notified the moment the campaign goes live! All backers who pledge levels with physical rewards within the first 24 hours will receive a bonus item soon to be revealed. If successfully funded, all backers will get the PDF version of the game months ahead of the official release.

Coriolis: The Great Dark is fully standalone game, but is also the spiritual sequel to our critically acclaimed Coriolis – The Third Horizon, Free League’s very first science fiction RPG. Coriolis – The Third Horizon was granted the Judges Spotlight Award in the ENNIE Awards 2017 and was one of the first international releases from Free League.

 

[Swanosaurus]

Spoiler

From what I recall, and it has been awhile seen I explored this in depth, is that one of the mysteries is about the "gods" of the setting: i.e., the Icons. Playing/reading the main adventure reveals that they are actually something akin to ascended humans from one of the other Horizons who are trying to pull strings in the Third Horizon (where the game is set), which IMHO pulls the rug out from the theme of "faith" in the setting.

Wow, had I known this from the beginning, it would probably have sold me on the setting.

Spoiler: Coriolis

I was not a big fan of the whole faith theme to begin with, so playing havoc with it would be pretty welcome for me!

 

[Aldarc]

Wow, had I known this from the beginning, it would probably have sold me on the setting.

Spoiler: Coriolis

I was not a big fan of the whole faith theme to begin with, so playing havoc with it would be pretty welcome for me!

I would not mind if it had been forthright about it from the start, but I didn't like the feeling of having the game pull the rug out from under me.

 

[Swanosaurus]

I would not mind if it had been forthright about it from the start, but I didn't like the feeling of having the game pull the rug out from under me.

That I can understand ... I even hate that if it only happens within the space of one scenario (when the authors tries to save the big reveal to last not only for the players, but also for the GM reading it beforehand).

 

[Superchunk77]

I will likely back this. I was on the fence with the original Coriolis books but this looks like a good starting point with a refreshed set of rules. And I love Forbidden Lands as well, so if this is anything like that, then I'm all in.

 

[aramis erak]

I agree with your assessment about the campaign and will probably treat it the same way.
Mechanics-wise, though, I would hope that they stick with the classical d6 pool. I get a bit of an "Forbidden Lands in space" vibe from the announcement, so maybe they could take more inspiration from there (coincidentally, Forbidden Lands is my favourite YZ game ).

I, also, would prefer d6 only.
I've held off on running the 1st Free League edition -- which I got the bundle for a few years ago -- because my players at the time weren't interested.

edit: clarifcation of FL. For reference, I disliked the setup of Forbidden Lands. TO the point that I won't run it.

 

[Superchunk77]

I, also, would prefer d6 only.
I've held off on running the 1st FL edition -- which I got the bundle for a few years ago -- because my players at the time weren't interested.

I'm hoping to run FL soon as well. My players just need to become more open to new games, so I'll have to wow them with a one shot or something.

 

[aramis erak]

I'm hoping to run FL soon as well. My players just need to become more open to new games, so I'll have to wow them with a one shot or something.

Have fun with that - I dislike Forbidden Lands.
I was referring to the first Free League edition of Coriolis. Which notes there was a pre-Free League version...

Coriolis was the reason I got back into roleplaying games, and the key to the
foundation of Free League Publishing. In 2008, when the first edition of the
game was released, I hadn’t played a pen and paper RPG in years. Coriolis
had everything I had longed for in a sci-fi game: vast space, exciting cultures,
lost wonders, and mysteries in abundance. I started playing the game with
some new friends right away. We had tremendous fun, but soon realized
that there wasn’t enough material about the game universe. So a few of us,
enthusiasts, decided to create more material for the game. Thus, the Free
League game studio was born, taking its name from one of the factions in
the Third Horizon.
The Third Horizon is a truly unique RPG setting – a marriage of old oriental
tales and modern science fiction. Storytellers, djinni, wide deserts,
magnificent palaces, thieves, and scoundrels mingle with starships, portals
between the stars, and beam weapons. The opportunity to weave one’s own
stories from the rich tapestry of Middle Eastern culture fused with concepts
from my favourite modern sci-fi by authors such as Iain M. Banks, Alastair
Reynolds, and Michael Flynn, just to mention a few - this was enough to get
me hooked straight away.
When we in the Free League got the opportunity to develop a completely
new edition of the game, the main thing missing was a rules system that
truly fit the setting of Coriolis. The game engine from Mutant: Year Zero,
modified to bring the themes of Coriolis to the forefront, made the difference.
Now, you have a game that incorporates a vivid world and setting with easy-
to-grasp rules that let you dive into the universe without any hindrance. The
Third Horizon, with its space nomads, rival factions, distant star systems,
mischievous djinni, and much, much more, is waiting for you. So don your
exo shells, spit on your sugar globes, and venture out into the Dark between
the Stars.
Kosta Kostulas and the Free League

Note that the Free League version is second, and what we're looking at coming out is third edition.

 

[mdosantos]

I would not mind if it had been forthright about it from the start, but I didn't like the feeling of having the game pull the rug out from under me.

I'll have to be "that guy" but you've got it completely wrong. The mystery of the Icons is never revealed in the adventure and they remain very ambiguous as a concept.

Spoiler: Spoiler

What the adventure reveals is that The Emissaries, which claim to be the Icons incarnated, are those ascended humans from the 2nd Horizon which are in a secret war with the 1st Horizon for control of the 3rd

 

[Staffan]

Have fun with that - I dislike Forbidden Lands.
I was referring to the first Free League edition of Coriolis. Which notes there was a pre-Free League version...

Yeah, the first version of Coriolis was not particularly well-designed. I remember that there were lots of things that double-dipped on increasing costs, and a hit location table that used the damage roll as a hit location roll, and things like that. Not sure if I still have the book or if I threw it out in a purge I did a few years ago.

 

[TheSword]

I’m getting grimdark 40k vibes with this? Is it fair? I like the tone of a lot of free league stuff so would be interested in campaigns, maps and art I can use for Imperium Maledictum.