Sometimes the mists part in the City and you see monsters behind the mundane. Then mythic power infuses your normal reality, striving to turn you from your normal life into a mythic legend. Can you walk a path between the two extremes while trying to see what is hiding in a City of Mist?
Kickstarted in 2016 by Son of Oak Game Studio City of Mist offers 512 full-color pages of superhero noir investigation and conflict also available in PDF. The action takes place in the City, either a real one or one of the GM’s devising. The characters are normal people and legendary mythic figures combined with both sides fighting to come out on top.
The basic mechanic is 2d6 roll high with 6 or less a failure and various levels of success from 7 up. Added to the roll is Power, the number of tags that can help a character. A character trying to jump across a gap might use the tags beastly athletic and thorny tentacles to add two Power using a beast like ability to jump and tentacles to help reach across and pull.
City of Mist also pits the character’s mundane life, Logos, versus her mythic life, Mythos. Each character picks four themes (Logos and Mythos), with no more than three of each. A character with more Logos is more grounded in real life and one with more Mythos has embraced legendary abilities that make her less than human. The PC, called a Rift, can also see a bit past the Mist which hides monsters and super powers from normal humans.
Throughout the game, each character will see her themes change and experience the pull between the mundane and mythical change. If a character ever gains four themes that are all Logos or all Mythos that player character risks being overwhelmed and lost as a PC.
As the PCs yen and yang through their themes, they also fight other Rifts with conflicting goals. Some Rifts have titanic power, given over completely to Mythos, and are called Avatars. PCs also struggle to unravel the mysteries the Mist itself is hiding and may come into conflict with agents of the Mist.
While many of these themes and conflicts sound lofty, PCs stay grounded by working together on cases. The PCs decide on a Crew theme and determines what the group is trying to achieve. This theme gives additional tags to every PC as well as relationships between PCs.
The GM creates the City and any starting Avatars that might come into conflict with the Crew. To keep things organized, the GM creates Dangers: challenges that have predefined ways to hurt the lead characters and ways that danger can be overcome. Having several Dangers on hand allows the GM to react more quickly to the decisions the Crew makes in pursuit of its goal.
GMs also develop Avatars, someone responsible for countless wrongs who must be stopped at any cost, or someone who directly opposes the crew’s agenda. However, Avatars are never just overpowered challenges; they are a mirror of what could become of the lead characters if they are taken over by their Mythos. Avatars are driven to achieve the goal of their Mythos’ agenda which likely directly or indirectly conflicts with the Crew’s goal.
City of Mist contains so many options, tools, and setting detail that one review cannot possibly cover everything. Despite its size, it is tightly focused on superhero noir violence and mystery in a City of Mist. The game is a treasure trove of beautiful art, comic panels, well developed rules, and an evocative make it your own setting.
This article was contributed by Charles Dunwoody as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. Please note that Charles is a participant in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to DriveThruRPG. We are always on the lookout for freelance columnists! If you have a pitch, please contact us!
Kickstarted in 2016 by Son of Oak Game Studio City of Mist offers 512 full-color pages of superhero noir investigation and conflict also available in PDF. The action takes place in the City, either a real one or one of the GM’s devising. The characters are normal people and legendary mythic figures combined with both sides fighting to come out on top.
The basic mechanic is 2d6 roll high with 6 or less a failure and various levels of success from 7 up. Added to the roll is Power, the number of tags that can help a character. A character trying to jump across a gap might use the tags beastly athletic and thorny tentacles to add two Power using a beast like ability to jump and tentacles to help reach across and pull.
City of Mist also pits the character’s mundane life, Logos, versus her mythic life, Mythos. Each character picks four themes (Logos and Mythos), with no more than three of each. A character with more Logos is more grounded in real life and one with more Mythos has embraced legendary abilities that make her less than human. The PC, called a Rift, can also see a bit past the Mist which hides monsters and super powers from normal humans.
Throughout the game, each character will see her themes change and experience the pull between the mundane and mythical change. If a character ever gains four themes that are all Logos or all Mythos that player character risks being overwhelmed and lost as a PC.
As the PCs yen and yang through their themes, they also fight other Rifts with conflicting goals. Some Rifts have titanic power, given over completely to Mythos, and are called Avatars. PCs also struggle to unravel the mysteries the Mist itself is hiding and may come into conflict with agents of the Mist.
While many of these themes and conflicts sound lofty, PCs stay grounded by working together on cases. The PCs decide on a Crew theme and determines what the group is trying to achieve. This theme gives additional tags to every PC as well as relationships between PCs.
The GM creates the City and any starting Avatars that might come into conflict with the Crew. To keep things organized, the GM creates Dangers: challenges that have predefined ways to hurt the lead characters and ways that danger can be overcome. Having several Dangers on hand allows the GM to react more quickly to the decisions the Crew makes in pursuit of its goal.
GMs also develop Avatars, someone responsible for countless wrongs who must be stopped at any cost, or someone who directly opposes the crew’s agenda. However, Avatars are never just overpowered challenges; they are a mirror of what could become of the lead characters if they are taken over by their Mythos. Avatars are driven to achieve the goal of their Mythos’ agenda which likely directly or indirectly conflicts with the Crew’s goal.
City of Mist contains so many options, tools, and setting detail that one review cannot possibly cover everything. Despite its size, it is tightly focused on superhero noir violence and mystery in a City of Mist. The game is a treasure trove of beautiful art, comic panels, well developed rules, and an evocative make it your own setting.
This article was contributed by Charles Dunwoody as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. Please note that Charles is a participant in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to DriveThruRPG. We are always on the lookout for freelance columnists! If you have a pitch, please contact us!
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