'Tales from Xadia' Dragon Prince RPG Announced

Tales of Xadia is an upcoming RPG powered by the Cortex system, based on the Netflix series The Dragon Prince. It will be published by Fandom, the company which owns D&D Beyond.

The RPG was announced during a Comic Con panel this weekend which announced four more seasons of the TV show. Tales of Xadia will "bridge" seasons 3 and 4 of the show. The game is slated for a 2021 release, with a pubic playtest preceding it.

There's an official website, with a trailer.

The Cortex system is a universal modular tabletop gaming engine. It was originally crated by Margaret Weis Productions for the Serenity roleplaying game, and has been used for various games since. Fandom, the owners of D&D Beyond, acquired the system last year.

 PRESS RELEASE

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Players can explore the ruins of Lux Aurea, try to restore the corrupt sunforge, and fight to stop the evil monstrosities they emanate from spreading. This off-screen story comes alive in both game additions and organized game events prior to the release of Season 4.

“Stories from Xadia is being prepared by Cortex, a rule system previously used in award-winning games in the Universes of wonder, Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, and more. Cortex Prime was developed by Cam Banks and is the latest version of the system. While waiting for the public game test from Stories from Xadiayou can try out the Cortex Prime rules for free with Hammerheads Spotlight game, available now at cortexrpg.com.

‘The Dragon Prince’ Tabletop RPG ‘Tales Of Xadia’ Announced

Wonderstorm and Fandom have teamed up to create a tabletop roleplaying game set in The Dragon Prince universe called 'Tales of Xadia' powered by the Cortex Prime system.

www.forbes.com

 

[BadEye]

scratches head

Spoiler

Burning magical butterflies to fuel (not merely activate) a spell or have black veiny skin as a cost to casting.

... are not things that I've seen Wizard PCs do.

Then again, you can make those particular things have a mechanical/narrative benefit in a bespoke game or say, "meh, window dressing."

Right - the six primal sources of magic plus the dark magic of humans will have an impact and cost, just as it does in the show.

The Dragon Prince is set in a more or less medieval fantasy world, but much of the story focuses on revenge vs. redemption, overcoming self-doubt, breaking free of expectations, searching for belonging, trust vs. naivety, etc. D&D can certainly capture those elements depending on how your group wants to play/roleplay, but Tales of Xadia will have rules and mechanics that bring those elements alive deliberately.

For example, one of the traits characters have at this point in internal playtesting is called Values:

• Devotion: Have you ever been obligated to others? This value is about duty, faith, and friendship. You’re motivated by the bonds of loyalty and your love for others.
• Glory: Have you ever wanted to be celebrated by history? This value is about legacy, fame, and fortune. You’re motivated by praise, acclaim, and your desire to be remembered.
• Justice: Have you ever been compelled to fix what’s wrong? This value is about balance, righteousness, and reward. You’re motivated by adherence to fairness and what you think is right.
• Liberty: Have you ever resisted the control of others? This value is about freedom, independence, and autonomy. You’re motivated by a world without oppression or suppression.
• Mastery: Have you ever needed to rise above your own limits? This value is about control, achievement, and skill. You’re motivated by power, growth, and self-development.
• Truth: Have you ever sought out all the answers? This value is about fidelity, certainty, and authenticity. You’re motivated by finding strength in facts and by the principle and pursuit of knowledge.

Your die rating in a particular value goes into your dice pool if your character is taking action motivated by that value.

Using an example from the show (SEASON 3 SPOILERS, do NOT expand if you don't want to know!):

Spoiler: Season 3 Final Episode SPOILER!

In the Season 3 finale, Callum learns the words to a spell from a wingless Skywing Elf that could turn his arms into wings to allow him to fly.

He tries to cast the spell to no avail - he can't get it to work. It's fair to say at that point in the story that he was motivated perhaps by the Mastery Value, and maybe his Mastery is a lower die rating.

At the end of the episode, his friend/new love Rayla is falling to her death. Callum desperately tries the spell again - perhaps this time adding his Devotion Value with a higher die rating - and he succeeds. His arms transform and he takes flight.

This is just one example of how we are creating the game from the ground up to capture the feel of the world of Xadia and The Dragon Prince as closely as possible - no square pegs and round holes.

Additionally, it's important to mention that the Cortex digital platform will enhance gameplay and provide convenience like D&D Beyond does for D&D. Creating/playing characters, referencing rules, prepping for games - all of that will be there.

Thanks!

 

[Von Ether]

Material components.

Hence why I specifically stated fueled (like spell points) vs. activated (like material components.) I'm open to better names for this discussion.

There's a distinction that provides a different experience at the table. For me, I'd want to explore that difference in Xadia. (I once had a whole table of Mage players discuss the metaphysics of the game for an hour in character. I've NEVER had that happen in D&D and that's because D&D doesn't have metaphysics for magic as it does a justfication for spell slots; see Ars Magica.)

Then again, for various valid reasons, some are more comfortable with window dressing (reskinning material components.)

Either way it's perfectly fine to play Xadia how you want at your table, but either some themes the show tackles will be skipped over or in GM fiat territory than part and parcel of a more customized experience.

 

[TwoSix]

RPG aside, I'm just thrilled that Dragon Prince got such a long renewal. It's not quite Avatar-level, but it's a really solid show.

 

[vpuigdoller]

Oh I am picking this up for sure!

 

[darjr]

OK, now I’m hooked on a series that I think I might accidentally binge. I am not sure if I’m angry at y’all for doing this to me or ecstatic.

 

[Parmandur]

OK, now I’m hooked on a series that I think I might accidentally binge. I am not sure if I’m angry at y’all for doing this to me or ecstatic.

It's worth the time.

 

[vpuigdoller]

OK, now I’m hooked on a series that I think I might accidentally binge. I am not sure if I’m angry at y’all for doing this to me or ecstatic.

Idk what others think but I love the show.

 

[Umbran]

OK, now I’m hooked on a series that I think I might accidentally binge. I am not sure if I’m angry at y’all for doing this to me or ecstatic.

Bwahahahaha!

 

[Umbran]

For example, one of the traits characters have at this point in internal playtesting is called Values:

This is what I was talking about when I said it depended on how the adapt Cortex. It sounds like a great direction!

 

[Aldarc]

The Dragon Prince is set in a more or less medieval fantasy world, but much of the story focuses on revenge vs. redemption, overcoming self-doubt, breaking free of expectations, searching for belonging, trust vs. naivety, etc. D&D can certainly capture those elements depending on how your group wants to play/roleplay, but Tales of Xadia will have rules and mechanics that bring those elements alive deliberately.

For example, one of the traits characters have at this point in internal playtesting is called Values:

Your die rating in a particular value goes into your dice pool if your character is taking action motivated by that value.

This is what I was talking about when I said it depended on how the adapt Cortex. It sounds like a great direction!

This is one of things that I love about the Cortex system. Cortex emphasizes a design principle that forces players to engage the core themes of the settings. Simply assembling a dice pool requires you to think about the drama and themes of the fiction.