The Expanse RPG Kickstarter Is Live

The official tabletop roleplaying game of James S.A. Corey's series of sci-fi novels is coming from Green Ronin, and their Kickstarter is live and already funded in under an hour!

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Using Green Ronin's own Adventure Game Engine (AGE) rules system, you can check out a free 40-page Quickstart for The Expanse already.

Back for $20 for the PDF, or $50 for the hardcover. Or pay a bit more and get the Special Edition.

"The Expanse Roleplaying Game brings James S.A. Corey’s award-winning series of science fiction novels to the tabletop. Using the Adventure Game Engine (AGE) rules found in Fantasy AGE, Blue Rose, and Modern AGE, The Expanse takes players to a far-future solar system where humanity is divided: Martians, Belters, and the people of old Earth struggle for political power and resources, but even older, alien, forces are stirring in the universe, and human history is about to take an unexpected new turn. The Expanse applies the fast-playing and action-based AGE rules to spaceships, solar colonies, and adventure and intrigue in the far-future, where the actions of the characters may change the course of history!"

 

[ajevans]

--DUPLICATE POST DUE TO LAG--

 

[ajevans]

I'm not sure about anybody else, but I find this attitude incredibly offensive. People have different tastes in games, as they do in anything else, but it is a conceit to assert that people are 'mentally' equipped to only deal with only one style of play. Moreover, it's an excuse. If people feel that Fate is not the greatest system in the universe, it is no defense to criticise those people with what are essentially personal attacks. It's not that they are mentally incompatible with the game - it's because they don't like it.

I don't see it as offensive just poorly worded. If you prefer crunchy games, FATE isn't going to suit your mindset, which largely comes down to taste not mental ability.

 

[TrippyHippy]

I don't see it as offensive just poorly worded. If you prefer crunchy games, FATE isn't going to suit your mindset, which largely comes down to taste not mental ability.

That would be fair enough, but it's only one step on from 'mentality' to discussing the infamous 'brain damage' (which is not something we we should want to discuss). People's tastes are always going to be different, but we don't have to attribute this towards anything to do with mental qualities. Indeed, I generally prefer rules light games, but that still doesn't mean I'm predetermined to like particular systems, regardless.

 

[amethal]

It's a shame this was made with the AGE system. Cool setting, but not a fan of the rules engine at all.

Have you looked at the Modern AGE, or are you basing this on Fantasy AGE? Modern AGE has no character classes, for instance (but still has 20 levels).

Modern AGE seems like it should work okay with the Expanse. However (obviously) Green Ronin getting the licence means we won't be seeing a version I'd like better, such as Traveller Expanse or GURPS Expanse. [Whilst that kills my dream of a "hard" Science Fiction box set powered by GURPS using the Expanse as the default setting, realistically it was never likely to happen (and might have killed off GURPS if it had, since there doesn't seem to be much of a market for hard science fiction RPGs).]

However, what is bothering me more is that Green Ronin's track record of extremely slow releases means there won't be much Expanse support in the foreseeable future. I basically backed the kickstarter as a way of ensuring I at least get the book within a reasonable timescale; historically, Green Ronin stuff takes forever to become available in the UK.

 

[MNblockhead]

That would be fair enough, but it's only one step on from 'mentality' to discussing the infamous 'brain damage' (which is not something we-we should want to discuss). People's tastes are always going to be different, but we don't have to attribute this towards anything to do with mental qualities. Indeed, I generally prefer rules light games, but that still doesn't mean I'm predetermined to like particular systems, regardless.

Just because words share the same root doesn't make the concepts the same. Nothing in TheFool1972's post was offensive. The only possible offense that I could tease out of it is that you have been binary in your narrative/simulation games. Sometimes I like one, other times the other. I mean I like tactical miniature war games and I also like InSPECTREs and Dialect. But I realize that isn't the point he was trying to make. He was simply stating that if you really like system X then it make sense that you might not like system Y, and here is why I think that. Personally, I found it a helpful and in no way offensive.

 

[Morrus]

Drop the offensiveness/mentality argument please, people.

 

[Scarlet.Knight]

I like strawberry ice cream and if you like vanilla ice cream well, you are wrong.

If this sounds silly well I got news for ya...

 

[mikelaff]

We just interviewed Steve Kenson, the lead designer on The Expanse RPG, on the BAMF Podcast.

You can check it out below
[video=youtube_share;qK3IQ4yMd2s]https://youtu.be/qK3IQ4yMd2s[/video]

 

[JacktheRabbit]

The game is going to be released at Gen Con right? That is literally next week. So the product has to be done. It has to be printed or in the process of being printed and shipped to Gen Con and game shops.

Why a kickstarter? Green Ronin obviously did not need the money to pay for developing the game. Is this just their way to guarantee some level of profit?

 

[Fildrigar]

The game is going to be released at Gen Con right? That is literally next week. So the product has to be done. It has to be printed or in the process of being printed and shipped to Gen Con and game shops.

Why a kickstarter? Green Ronin obviously did not need the money to pay for developing the game. Is this just their way to guarantee some level of profit?

The game will be released in November for backers, and December for the general release.

Why did Green Ronin Kickstart this? Why does Monte Cook Games use Kickstarter? Why does Steve Jackson Games use Kickstarter? Why does Pinnacle use Kickstarter? Why does every game company but Wizards, FFG, and Games Workshop use Kickstarter?