ACE!s In Our Sleeves
It's been a few weeks. After a sneak peek at a new Rogue Trooper supplement and something sinister in The Possessed, you may have thought you were safe. This week, however, we return to the Awfully Cheerful Engine! and take a look at all of the progress being made over on the kickstarter campaign. Well, we'll also take a look at the one of the magical components of the extremely lightweight system but mainly we want to mesmerise you with how excellent ACE! really is!
If you have been following our recent blog posts, you'll know that we are extremely excited to be introducing our new lightweight system. In fact, it would be fair to say we are both excited and rather proud of the system and supplemental settings we are bringing to the tabletop. From Spirits of Manhattan to Montana Drones and Strange Science to Beam Me Up, there has always been something a little spectacular and extremely relatable about the issues that build upon the ACE! core rulebook. In fact, the team are so proud of this ruleset that we recently recorded an EN Publishing update which includes a commentary on the supplement we are most looking forward to. Stay tuned for more news on that informative vlog!
But for now, it's time to return to ACE! and look forward to the exciting stretch goals that have been unlocked during the crowdfunding campaign. We've briefly covered them before but it's humbling and amazing for the team to see almost all of the additional planned material become a reality exactly 1 week before the kickstarter ends.
The first of our stretch goals unlocked Orcs & Oubloiettes, which is an unashamed parody of the world's most popular roleplaying game with a Pratchett-esque spin. As a fantasy setting placed in a highly magical world, Orcs & Oubliettes focusses on the magical aspects of the rules introduced within the core rulebook. Exactly what are those aspects? Just like the rest of the ACE! system, they are really straightforward! If you are able to cast magic, use psionics, or employ an ability that could be considered as such, you gain a Power Stat. To quote the core rulebook:
So, what exactly is Power? Well, it’s whatever you want it to be. Magic,
sorcery, faith, prayer, psionics, chi, ki, the Force? You decide!
Driven by Karma Points, Power is the driving force behind the magical effects of Witches and Wizards, which is were it comes into prominence with Orcs & Oubliettes more than any other setting. Small spoiler: there are also constructs, faeries, and trolls, so plenty of options for everyone!
The second stretch goal unlocked, due to be written by our benevolent taskmaster, Russ Morrissey, is something that will appeal to every fan of that ultimate mix of genres: horror and comedy. From Victorian London to the heart of Transylvania, you'll meet werewolves, ghosts, zombies, and worse in your hunt for the legendary vampire himself, Count Dracula!
As each sourcebook introduces flavourful mechanics for their setting, we already know that Orcs & Oubliettes will introduce fantastical new Roles and magic items, but what exactly does Russ have in store for this horror-inspired world? Stay tuned to find out!
Or journey doesn't end there, however, as we are rapidly closing in on our next stretch goal and an all-new... actually, that should be old and tarnished wasteland in the form of Domes of Thunder. Guzzoline wars and weird gangs await! Pledge now to make sure we survive the post-apocalypse!
