A very impressive looking roleplaying game of urban fantasy and the supernatural has arrived from Game Machinery. Written by Katarzyna Kuczyńska and Marcin Kuczyński, Defiant places the players in the roles of modern day super-naturals who band together in order to protect humanity during an apocalypse. It looks like the RPG is for more mature audiences and the massive 660 page PDF is available right now at DriveThruRPG for $19.90.
From Game Machinery:
Defiant RPG is an urban fantasy game about the mighty, modern-day supernaturals, who rebelled against their destiny and, instead of destroying the world, decided to protect it. By enforcing a demanding set of rules, the Defiant aristocracy empowers protective seals around their cities, making them the only safe-havens in a world ravaged by the Apocalypse.
The Player Characters are the Defiant blue-bloods, leading the supernatural society of fallen angels, demons, ancient gods, and dragons. They are powerful rulers, with their own Holdings (like clubs or luxurious mansions) and faithful subjects.
The rulebook contains:
- Complete game rules that will let you play exciting games in the world of Defiant
- A comprehensive description of the intriguing Defiant universe
- Two robust chapters for the Game Master, focusing on preparing and running the game, with Basic and Advances rules to choose from
- Ready-to-play Province with dozens of NPCs, locations and two Story Arcs
- 4 Origins available to play: Angels, Deava, Infernals, and Leviathans
- 20 Personal Themes for the Characters, with dozens of Traits to choose from, Theme Questions the Players can ask during the game and special powers
- 9 Marital Themes with the rules on how to navigate the chosen marriage
- 9 Court Themes with multiple subjects to govern and problems to deal with
- 12 Great Houses the Characters may come from, with their own Creeds and Sacred Traditions
- 6 Holding Themes, enabling you to choose and customize your Character’s home
Game rules highlights:
- There’s no simple “You succeeded” or “You failed” outcome. There’s always a choice, an obstacle, or some trouble involved, but also bonuses, unexpected benefits, and lucky turns of events.
- Players can influence the story by using different Theme Questions, tailored to playing their chosen Themes. The “Gem” Character can ask, “How am I the center of this event?” or the Guide can ask, “Who approaches me about my teachings?”.
- Instead of Skills or Attributes, the Characters have descriptive Traits the Players can use creatively. The Traits may sound like “Athletic body,” “Thrives during tournaments,” “Knows how to charm,” “Acclaimed style.”