Campbell
Relaxed Intensity
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I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet, but the kickstarter for Demon: The Descent has been live for a couple days. I won't bore anyone with too much detail since Onyx Path has provided the almost completed text of the game on the Kickstarter page. I'm really excited for this game, even though at first blush I did not expect to be.
Some personal highlights
Demon on anyone else's radar?
I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet, but the kickstarter for Demon: The Descent has been live for a couple days. I won't bore anyone with too much detail since Onyx Path has provided the almost completed text of the game on the Kickstarter page. I'm really excited for this game, even though at first blush I did not expect to be.
Some personal highlights
- Players take the role of the Unchained - former servants of the God Machine, an inhuman intelligence that has manipulated human society for untold time to produce arcane results. They served without question until one day something snapped and they fell.
- I love the fact that Demons use matter of fact language.
- Demons were never human. In fact the initial human cover they use is the result of manipulating the initial cover they had as agents of the God Machine.
- Demons can gain additional cover by making pacts with mortals and other supernatural creatures. All is well and good until one day the demon comes calling and consumes the human to use his form. "My name is Dwell In Shadows. This body's name is Aiden Cross."
- Demons are parasites. Even while they struggle to remain free from the machinations of the God Machine they are utterly dependent on it. Aether, their supernatural fuel comes from the fumes of the reality altering projects of the GM.
- There amount of built in tension is suffocating (in a good way). Can you really trust another demon when all demons are perfect liars? How much are you willing to risk to accomplish your goals when use of your supernatural powers could bring your attention to the God Machine.
- Failing forward is the norm and built into all the abilities. I love the ability to choose from a variety of conditions on a failed cover roll. Most conditions grant beats (xp) when you play them to the tilt and resolving them also gives you a beat. Should drive players towards dramatic needs.
- In general I love the xp system. When you fail at an action you can choose to change it to a dramatic failure for a beat. You also get beats for fufilling player declared aspirations. Also each agenda you can choose comes with an inherent condition to propel interesting choices in play.
- Going loud is one of the best desperate last stand mechanics I've seen in an RPG. You become incredibly powerful for one scene, but gain the hunted condition and must completely burn a cover identity. If you only have one left you are Burned - stuck in your demon form until you can gain a new cover. There's a real feeling of meaningful consequences for every decision.
- From what I've seen the GMing advice actually seems pragmatic and useful.
Demon on anyone else's radar?
