Book picks similar to
AEon by Andrew Bates


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Ten Candles


Stephen Dewey - 2015
    It is played by the light of ten tea light candles which provide atmosphere, act as a countdown timer for the game, and allow you to literally burn your character sheet away as you play. Ten Candles is described as a "tragic horror" game rather than survival horror for one main reason: in Ten Candles there are no survivors. In the final scene of the game, when only one candle remains, all of the characters will die. In this, Ten Candles is not a game about "winning" or beating the monsters. Instead, it is a game about what happens in the dark, and about those who try to survive within it. It is a game about being pushed to the brink of madness and despair, searching for hope in a hopeless world, and trying to do something meaningful with your final few hours left. Ten Candles may be played with any number of players and one gamemaster. It takes between 2-4 hours for an average session. While there are some components that need to be gathered to run a game (such as ten tea light candles), the game requires no addition preparation by the gamemaster. The setting of Ten Candles will change game to game as the gamemaster selects different "modules" to run for an ever-changing lineup of doomed characters and scenarios for them to play within. The antagonists of the game also change, leaving you to fight nightmares in one session only to fight sentient shadows, bloodthirsty clowns, or the gods themselves in the next. Every session of Ten Candles is unique and will present an entirely new tragic story for you to tell.The standard setting of Ten Candles is this: Ten days ago the world went dark. The sky betrayed you. The sun vanished. The fall into chaos was sudden and predictable. The world was filled with riots and fear. You were told that the sun was not gone, and that it was still out there beyond that black sky. Order returned. Five days ago, They came. Now the lights flicker low and the dark is where They hunt. Now you can hear the screams. Now They're coming for you. Keep moving. Don't lose hope. And stay in the light.

Call of Cthulhu: 7th Edition Quick-Start Rules


Sandy Petersen - 2013
    — one of the original publishers of paper roleplaying games and has been in business for over 30 years. Chaosium is famous for the excellence of its game designs, and has won many Adventure Gaming Industry awards.All you need to play Call of Cthulhu for the first time is this Quick-Start guide, some polyhedral dice, plenty of imagination and your friends.Welcome to the worlds of Call of Cthulhu!

Agent of the Imperium: A Story of the Traveller Universe


Marc W. Miller - 2015
    In the service of the Empire, he has killed more people than anyone in the history of Humanity, to save a hundred times as many. He died centuries ago, but they re-activate his recorded personality whenever a new threat appears. When the crisis is over, they expect he will meekly return to oblivion. He has other ideas. The chronicle of Bland reveals secrets of the history of the star-spanning Third Imperium and spans 400 years from early Imperium (about year 300) through the mid-post Civil War period (about year 700) touching known and unknown events you may have encountered in your own reading of the Imperium: everyday events, political intrigue, deadly dangers, Arbellatra, Capital, Encyclopediopolis, the Karand's Palace, and a Tigress-class Dreadnought. If you know the Traveller science-fiction role-playing game, then some of this is already familiar; if not, no matter; this story introduces the vast human-dominated interstellar empire of the far future in ways only the designer and chronicler of this particular universe can.

Arbiter of Worlds: A Primer for Gamemasters


Alexander Macris - 2019
    This primer will teach you how to build living, breathing worlds for your players to explore; how to host game and manage game sessions; and how to create powerful experiences of adventure that your players will talk about for years to come. Learn the secret to becoming a judge, an adversary, a worldbuilder, and a storyteller and become an arbiter of worlds! “Every Macris campaign starts with a rich, open world; the edge of a massive map; and the ability to find adventure in any direction. After playing in a dozen of his campaigns, I can assure you that Macris is the best prepared, most thorough GM on the prime material plane. He balances “deadly adversary” and “the party’s greatest supporter” perfectly. I’ve been lucky to contribute to some renowned video game worlds, and to discus world design with some of the most accomplished writers alive. And I’m honestly not sure there’s been someone more thorough at and passionate for world building than Macris since ... maybe Tolkien? (Okay, maybe G.R.R. Martin, but he’s not as organized or efficient.) It takes organization, creativity, and careful technique to build a massive world efficiently and deliver it effectively, and Macris can show you how he does it.” - Dr. Michael Capps, award-winning videogame executive, writer, designer (*Gears of War*, *Fortnite*, *Unreal Tournament, Unreal Championship*) “Armed with decades of experience as both a player and a designer, Macris cuts to the marrow with razor sharp insights in an unapologetic and often painfully insightful analysis of every imaginable facet of being a Game Master. From implication of play inherent in a game’s design, to world building, to the often delicate nature of unspoken social contracts inherent in the hobby, the guidance found in Arbiter of Worlds is a much-needed breath of fresh air to veterans of the hobby and a forged-in-the-fire bootcamp for those taking their first steps behind the screen.” - James M. Spahn, Ennie and Origins Award Winning RPG designer “A superb read. He makes his points the way you would expect a Harvard-trained lawyer to do. If you read this book, you are going to come out knowing real things you did not know before that will help you run games at the table…” - Courtney Campbell, Hack & Slash

Battletech Technical Readout: 3060


Herbert A. Beas IIBryan Nystul - 1997
    But the Clan forces they face also have new BattleMechs, as well as vehicles constructed with the Clans' vastly superior technology, and some other surprises. Technical Readout: 3060 contains illustrations and complete game statistics for the latest Inner Sphere and Clan BattleMechs, tanks, hovercraft, VTOLS, and more.

GURPS Cyperpunk: High-Tech Low-Life Roleplaying


Lloyd Blankenship - 1990
    -- The book that was confiscated by the Secret Service because they thought it contained hacking secrets (It doesn't)-- Nominated for the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Supplement.

Dungeon Master's Screen: A 4th Edition D&D Accessory


Wizards of the Coast - 2008
    Easy-to-reference rules and tables appear on the inside panels of the screen; these are designed for the Dungeon Master's eyes only and comply with the rules in the 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons core rulebooks.

Rifts Ultimate Edition


David MartinFreddie E. Williams II - 2005
    There will be more world information, tips on how to use the time-line and World Books, rewrites on O.C.C.s, and in some cases, expansions of and more details on O.C.C.s such as the Headhunter, Mercenaries, the Techno-Wizard and Shifter, as well as a few new O.C.C.s. Our goal is to make Rifts® more exciting and compelling than ever, while at the same time making the rules better organized, clearer and easier to use. The wonder and infinite possibilities of Rifts® all brought to pulse-pounding life like never before. Of course, there will be a few fun changes and additions, but nothing so dramatic as to make the 40+ available sourcebooks obsolete. Approximately 30 unique Occupational and Racial Character Classes, including Cyber-Knights, cyborgs, Glitter Boys, Psi-Stalkers, Dog Boys (mutant humanoid dogs), Juicers, Crazies, Techno-Wizards, Ley Line Walkers, Mystics, Shifters, Elemental Fusionists, Mind Melters, and many others. Supernatural and magical creatures, like dragons, available as player characters, others are horrifying menaces from the Rifts. Bionics and cybernetics offer a vast range of mechanical augmentation, meanwhile chemical enhancement (Juicers) and brain implants (Crazies) can turn a human into a superman, though with tragic results. Psychic powers are the source of the Burster, Mind Melter and Mystics abilities. Strange forms of magic are at the command of characters like the Ley Line Walker, Shifter, Elemental Fusionist, Rifter and Techno-Wizard (who combine magic and technology). Super-technology with Mega-DamageTM body armor, energy weapons, rail guns, power armor, and human augmentation. The Coalition States. Humankind's salvation, or its own worst nightmare? Character sheets. Color end sheets by John Zeleznik. New artwork and color pages throughout. Written and created by Kevin Siembieda.

Sunward: The Inner System


Rob BoyleBrian Cross - 2009
    Stations and plot seeds are provided for each of the inner worlds and the factions that occupy them. Background and information on the Planetary Consortium, the most powerful political and economic force in the solar system, is also provided.

Edge of the Empire Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook


Jay Little - 2013
    The Empire struggles to maintain its grip on the galaxy in the midst of civil war. On the edge of the Empire, scoundrels and smugglers, bounty hunters and bandits, explorers and exiles all scramble for a living.Embark on your own adventures in the Star Wars galaxy with the Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Roleplaying Game. This complete tabletop roleplaying game explores the lawless fringes of the Empire. Flee from Imperial entanglements, double-deal with Hutts and gangsters, and jump to lightspeed in the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.This core rulebook includes:• A dynamic dice mechanic that goes beyond success and failure to enhancenarrative gameplay.• Full playable rules for six careers, nineteen specializations, and eightspecies, enabling flexible character creation and development.• Obligation rules to invest player characters in the story of Edge of the Empire.• Starship combat, customizable equipment. Force powers, dangerousadversaries, and much, much more!

13th Age Core Book


Rob Heinsoo - 2013
    The core rules for the 13th Age roleplaying game.

Marvel Heroic Roleplaying Basic Game


Cam Banks - 2012
    It's one thing to stop an alien invasion or throw down with the Juggernaut, but sometimes you have to make the hard choices when you're saving the world. With the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying Game books, that great power and great responsibility is yours! Based on the Cortex Plus system, Marvel Heroic Roleplaying takes the award-winning events in the history of the Marvel Universe and gives you all of the heroes, villains, key decision points, and rich background you need to fight your own battles and forge a new destiny!

Arcana Unearthed: A Variant Player's Handbook


Monte Cook - 2003
    IntroductionChapter 1 - AbilitiesChapter 2 - RacesChapter 3 - ClassesChapter 4 - SkillsChapter 5 - Feats and TalentsChapter 6 - EquipmentChapter 7 - Playing the GameChapter 8 - MagicChapter 9 - SpellsAppendix (Index)Intended as a full (drop-in) replacement for D&D 3.x PHB; published under the Open Game License.

Delta Green: Agent's Handbook


Dennis Detwiller - 2016
    government’s 1928 raid on the degenerate coastal town of Innsmouth, Massachusetts, the covert agency known as Delta Green opposes the forces of darkness with honor, but without glory. Delta Green agents fight to save humanity from unnatural horrors — often at a shattering personal cost.

GURPS Ultra-Tech


David L. Pulver - 2007
    It's a valuable companion to GURPS Space, GURPS Bio-Tech, and GURPS Infinite Worlds, and an exceptional resource for any character or campaign that needs technology from tomorrow . . . and beyond. GURPS Ultra-Tech is full of personal equipment for heroes and superheroes from TL9 to TL12, including: Weapons - from caseless assault carbines and monomolecular swords to antimatter warheads and disassembler nano. Protection - How do you stop a nanomorph assassin with a field-jacketed X-ray laser rifle? Try a dreadnought battlesuit and a personal force screen . . . . Medicine - Superscience can heal, rebuild, and improve on nature. Death itself can become a temporary inconvenience. With cybernetics and neural interfaces, ultra-tech medical equipment and mind uploading, "medical miracles" become everyday occurrences. Transport - Air cars, hovertanks, tilt rotors, grav belts, supercavitating minisubs, matter-transport booths - lots of ways to get where the action is, for the adventurer on the go! As technology advances, the line between man and machine may become increasingly blurred. GURPS Ultra-Tech provides rules for establishing the capabilities and limitations of artificial intelligence, as well as templates for robotic or total cyborg bodies, from handy technical 'bots to shapeshifting nanomorphs.