Wizards of the Coast's Archetype Entertainment to Publish Exodus TTRPG Based on Upcoming Exodus Video Game

In something of a surprise, a video game division of Wizards of the Coast has announced plans to publish EXODUS Traveler’s Handbook, a new tabletop RPG based on their upcoming video game. Archetype Entertainment, a division of Wizards of the Coast, announced plans to publish the new rulebook, with details about the upcoming release found on Archetype's website. The book is being made available to followers of the upcoming game first, starting on December 11th. Details on how to get a copy of the limited quantity book can be found here.

EXODUS Traveler’s Handbook was designed by James Ohlen, who created Exodus and was previously designing tabletop RPG books via his Arcanum Worlds imprint prior to joining Wizards and Archetype Entertainment. Arcanum Worlds had published a 5E third party supplement called Odyssey of the Dragonlords and several D&D 5E supplements on the DMs Guild.

Exodus is a new sci-fi video game that deals with human space colonists fighting against the antagonistic descendants of humanity known as Celestials. The game involves time dilation in space travel, which is why there are both humans and their evolved futuristic descendants in the same game.

Currently, it is unclear whether the TTRPG version of Exodus will use some version of Dungeons & Dragons 5E or if it will be a bespoke new game system. EN World has reached out to Wizards for clarification.

A description of the new RPG can be found below:

• Celebrate with Us – This special FOUNDERS TTRPG edition was created by James Ohlen, the creative visionary behind the highly anticipated EXODUS video game.

• Explore the vast world of EXODUS – Face the challenges of this dark and dangerous futuristic world, set in the expanded universe of the EXODUS video game.

• Become the Traveler – Your destiny is to lead the Travelers, in the hunt to steal alien weapons and technology from the most powerful enemy in this universe – the Celestials.

• Confront Time Dilation – Choices you make create consequences changing the fate of those you love most – and reshaping the future of your entire civilization for generations.

 

[Parmandur]

But the celestial aren't a monolithic faction then this could mean lower advanced civilitations could be used as pawns in some proxy war.

Not to put too fine a point on it...

They could put out a whole novel about that!

 

[Superchunk77]

Meh, between Coriolis, the Savage Worlds Sci-Fi Companion, and the old Alternity books I have, my sci-fi fix is satisfied.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Dang. I lost my bet. I had under 50 posts before someone figured out a way to put a negative spin on a new TTRPG.

Yeah I don't think many people think this is bad.

My only concern is that I was under the impression that we were still 2+ years out from Exodus' release, and the design of the game might change quit a bit in that period, in terms of how combat works, what the mechanics are, even major stuff like do regenerative personal shields exist, so it may be a TTRPG coming out now is a little early and will need to be updated/changed to match the final game?

The setting is written in significant part by Peter F. Hamilton (who is great at settings if not always at convincing characters, there are a few too many obvious 1970s/1980s British stereotypes in his far transhuman futures!), so that should be very cool even if the mechanics are unexciting at least. But if we're very lucky the mechanics will be cool as well.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Yeah I don't think many people think this is bad.

My only concern is that I was under the impression that we were still 2+ years out from Exodus' release, and the design of the game might change quit a bit in that period, in terms of how combat works, what the mechanics are, even major stuff like do regenerative personal shields exist, so it may be a TTRPG coming out now is a little early and will need to be updated/changed to match the final game?

The setting is written in significant part by Peter F. Hamilton (who is great at settings if not always at convincing characters, there are a few too many obvious 1970s/1980s British stereotypes in his far transhuman futures!), so that should be very cool even if the mechanics are unexciting at least. But if we're very lucky the mechanics will be cool as well.

I assumed the setting was largely a group task by all the studio creatives.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I assumed the setting was largely a group task by all the studio creatives.

Apparently not in this case. The initial concept was originated by the two ex-Bioware guys who started Exodus, and then they got Peter F. Hamilton to really "work up" the setting from that concept, and now they have people work from that, and are adding to it.

It's definitely somewhat unusual. The last time I can think of it was with the doomed MMORPG-turned-action-RPG Project Copernicus/Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. In that case studio creatives likewise came up with the initial concept (not really Curt Schilling as I understand it, but he organised the funding etc., and generally wanted to have his own fantasy MMO), then they got in R.A. Salvatore to work up a lot of the game's setting and plot, and Todd MacFarlane (the creator of the Spawn comics etc.) to come up with concept art and ideas. That did not work out well, obviously. It was a scandal even. But this doesn't seem very similar, thankfully.

Mass Effect's setting creation is pretty similar to what you describe - Casey Hudson had the initial idea, pitched it to colleagues at BioWare in a pretty vague and unsubstantive form, they loved the concept, and then it changed a lot as production went on and ideas got more and more solid. An awful lot of the setting in the end was actually de facto created by one guy (the name of whom sadly escapes me) who just really loved writing codex entries, and had a great sense for SF explanations of things - he wasn't even a writer by trade.

(As an aside, Drew Karpyshyn, who now works at Archetype is often credited with "creating" Mass Effect - this wrong on all levels, as Karpyshyn himself has pointed out - he wasn't even working on Mass Effect at the early stages, and the actual setting ideas were largely from others - what Karpyshyn did a great job with was creating the plot backbone that made ME1's plot so strong, even if it wasn't as good as the later games in terms of characters - ME2 is probably the overall peak writing-wise, but the plot, specifically isn't as strong as ME1.)

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I suspect Douglas Adams was one of the first writers to get involved in computer games, as he wrote a stack of extra material for the Hitchhiker text adventure.

 

[Oofta]

Yeah I don't think many people think this is bad.

My only concern is that I was under the impression that we were still 2+ years out from Exodus' release, and the design of the game might change quit a bit in that period, in terms of how combat works, what the mechanics are, even major stuff like do regenerative personal shields exist, so it may be a TTRPG coming out now is a little early and will need to be updated/changed to match the final game?

The setting is written in significant part by Peter F. Hamilton (who is great at settings if not always at convincing characters, there are a few too many obvious 1970s/1980s British stereotypes in his far transhuman futures!), so that should be very cool even if the mechanics are unexciting at least. But if we're very lucky the mechanics will be cool as well.

The proof will be in the pudding so to speak, but it could be an interesting video game and TTRPG. I always take new products like this with a grain of salt of course, because even some of the most promising ideas end up being the biggest disappointments.

But one can hope! I've always loved sci-fi and speculative fiction that doesn't assume alien life, warp drive and the like could be interesting. Having the Celestials be of human descent is an intriguing way of doing it and a nice fix for other species being different but still fundamentally thinking like humans.

Time will tell. Time will also tell whether or not I can convince any of my players to play anything other than D&D even if it is a good game since we already don't get together as often as we'd like.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I always take new products like this with a grain of salt of course, because even some of the most promising ideas end up being the biggest disappointments.

This is the fear yeah! Exodus has great concepts, a strong website outlining lots of cool stuff about the setting and the things in that setting, and even has a novel out (which I haven't listened to yet despite having on Audible, but that's because I've been ill and WFH - I normally listen whilst travelling), but none of that sort of thing has stopped other "great concept" games from either being so poor as to be instantly forgotten on release or, more often, getting cancelled.

 

[Oofta]

This is the fear yeah! Exodus has great concepts, a strong website outlining lots of cool stuff about the setting and the things in that setting, and even has a novel out (which I haven't listened to yet despite having on Audible, but that's because I've been ill and WFH - I normally listen whilst travelling), but none of that sort of thing has stopped other "great concept" games from either being so poor as to be instantly forgotten on release or, more often, getting cancelled.

Hopefully the "Everything as an MMO" craze has died the deserved death with Concord going down in flames. But an enticing intro video or even a decent novel does not a good game make. That, and the release date is at least a year away, more likely two is a long ways away. There are plenty of games I thought would be interesting only for them to be mediocre.

In the meantime I'll have to add the book to my reading list.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Yeah I don't think many people think this is bad.

My only concern is that I was under the impression that we were still 2+ years out from Exodus' release, and the design of the game might change quit a bit in that period, in terms of how combat works, what the mechanics are, even major stuff like do regenerative personal shields exist, so it may be a TTRPG coming out now is a little early and will need to be updated/changed to match the final game?

The setting is written in significant part by Peter F. Hamilton (who is great at settings if not always at convincing characters, there are a few too many obvious 1970s/1980s British stereotypes in his far transhuman futures!), so that should be very cool even if the mechanics are unexciting at least. But if we're very lucky the mechanics will be cool as well.

I'm not sure we are that far out, I think it's coming next year.