So, I chanced across this RPG in the RPG.net Index...

I researched the Ubiquity system, and I'm rather impressed by the goals.

The setting looks just familiar enough to grant nostalgic feelings in those that have been playing D&D since caveman days, but with a twist different enough to make it interesting and relevant to the current direction of games. It's like our favorite, generic fantasy setting put in a blender with Fallout.

The trolls take the place of supermutants. WOO HOO!

And freeform magic? I'm curious to see how this turns out. I'm also a fan of Talislanta, which features freeform magic which tends to bog down the game (the magic of houserules fixes EVERYTHING). I also owned Mage for a while until I was disgusted with the unholy clunkiness of the freeform magic system.

Now, I liked nWoD. It was a decent, playable system (though Morality kind of made my eyebrows twitch). I just hated every splat that came out and put a big, clunky, nasty system on top of what were otherwise simple mechanics. The periphery consumed the simplicity of the core. Too many character options, too many specific rules for each character option, etc.

That's not my kind of game.

To see dice pools handled in a simplified fashion (I believe this is called taking the Average?) is an interesting twist that I'm curious to see in play. I also heard that the system is a little gritty, as in characters can't take a billion arrows and still plow through orcs like the PCs are on PCP (D&D made this famous...). This is too my liking as well!

I'm a fan of Basic Roleplaying (esp. Call of Cthulhu) and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2e because of their ability to tell a story without becoming overly complicated system-wise with a ridiculous number of superfluous character options with their own quirky mechanics (Basic Roleplaying provides excellent options for adding or removing complexity from the system to one's liking).

I am very interested to see how this game turns out. I have very high hopes.

Well, that was an odd, rambling introduction...

Welcome aboard!

I think you'll enjoy the Ubiquity system - it really does simplify the game and let the players (and GM) focus on the story. From character creation, to Style Points (to encourage flaws and motivations), to combat, they system is very straightforward and helps the game flow. I've even GMed games where dice haven't been rolled (thanks to taking the average). The magic system might be considered slightly tricky by some, but for the flexibility of a free-form system, I think you'll find it very usable.

Take a look at the previews and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Hullo, Ars Mysteriorum,

Welcome to the DESOLATION forums, and to the system itself! I think you'll enjoy the forums, as we've got friendly people here (not a lot yet, but this will grow as the game's existence gets out there and all). Now, be careful of that troll over there! He's looking at you...hungrily!



I'm not sure what you mean above by "the goals", but I can tell you from having run the HOLLOW EARTH EXPEDITION rpg, which is the "mother" system for Ubiquity, that it is simple, flexible, offers a set of game mechanics that can be tweaked for any type of genre, and doesn't interefere with the roleplaying element at all (actually, it enhances it).



I wouldn't go that far. From what I know of the game system, I suspect there are a lot worse creatures and beasties in the world of Scondera than we may be aware of. The Deep Horrors come to mind. <shudder>



Having run a DESOLATION campaign on and off now for almost six months (I started with the playtest rules), I can say that magic is superb in DESOLATION. Like all new systems, it take a bit of time to get used to, but once you do, it goes pretty fast and furious. From a GM and playing point of view, you can ask anything on the magic system that you, and I'll try to answer you.



The Ubiquity dice pool mechanics are extremely good, and they play fast and simple. The fact that one can use any type of dice (or can use the Ubiquity dice that one can buy for the game) adds to the speed of the game, and enhances the roleplaying element of it all. Taking the Average is a mechanic that is designed to speed up situations that are not deemed critical by the GM and the players, and make things interesting. Let's say that you are walking down the deserted, ruined streets of a city that was destroyed during the Night of Fire. You can make a Perception roll (let's say you have a Perception of 6, which means you get six dice, and the average is 3 successes), and the GM may decide that the roll isn't important, so says you can Take the Average; this speeds things up nicely. On the other hand, if you're being pursued by stealthy creatures of some sort, the GM might tell you to make the Perception check, to spot the creatures (as it's opposed by their Stealth success). Most GMs who run HOLLOW EARTH EXPEDITION actually never roll dice, Taking the Average for almost everything.

What may turn you off, is that combat requires only one roll, as damage is combined with the attack roll. But that's another matter entirely, and up to player and GM preference. That said, it allows combat to go very fast. And there are all kinds of House Rules out there to cover this in HEX, so hopefully they will work in DESOLATION as well.

[quote="Ars Mysteriorum"]
I'm a fan of Basic Roleplaying (esp. Call of Cthulhu) and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2e because of their ability to tell a story without becoming overly complicated system-wise with a ridiculous number of superfluous character options with their own quirky mechanics (Basic Roleplaying provides excellent options for adding or removing complexity from the system to one's liking).

Ooh, then you are going to love the game world of DESOLATION, and the game system that has been used with it.

Look forward to chatting with you here in the forums.

Thanks for the welcome! And blech... nothing worse than reading your own typos



You pretty much aced what I was vaguely referring to!



Deep Horrors? I saw some art of a nasty big insect-thing (god, I hate bugs...). Are those the deep horrors? Or are we talking Lovecraftian nightmare thingies?

Do tell!



Just as long as it's not the monstrocity in Mage, I think I can make do. I'm also a fan of patiently putting together reference sheets for my players to speed things along and help them remember how the crunch works without slowing down the game overmuch.

Are you familiar with Talislanta and its Modes (Attack, Defend, etc.)? Is the system similar to that?



My interest is piqued. I'm glad I found out about this so close to release, as this way I won't have to wait so logn to get my hands on the rules!



Actually, that's what drew me! I liked the one roll resolution because it resolved what I considered to be many unnecessary and tedious steps.



Likewise! Are there some similarities in mechanics between BRP/WFRP and Ubiquity?

Hullo, Ars Mysteriorum.



Ah, don't worry about typos, happens all the time... Just use a spellchecker, and be thankful that the text when you're entering a message is readable on the background (unlike other forums I could name).



Figured as much. Just can't help hyping the Ubiquity system, and both HEX and DESOLATION, in particular. And there's a third game on the way.



I suspect that the Deep Horrors were inspired by the Lovecraft stuff to some extent, and giant mutant insects from counltess post-apocalyptic films and all. Those nasty, big insect things sound like the Deep Horrors to me, but I could be mistaken.



DESOLATION's free-form magic system is not all that crunchy, and definitely unlike Mage. The basic guidelines for GMs setitng up spells with players and assigning Difficulty values is pretty good in this game, but I'll let the guys who created the game explain more. (I suspect there should be a separate forum section here for magic, since it's going to lead to all sorts of new spells being created for the magic Traditions, and it would be nice to have a dedicated section of the forum for that. (Anyway, we'll see what the GMD honchos say. )



I loved the early versions of [i]Talislanta[/i, and have the massive hardcover of the 4th (or 5th) edition of the book, but I wouldn't say magic is all that similar to that in DESOLATION, although the GMD honchos might disagree with me on this.



Glad I could pique your interest, more than it was.



There are some people who didn't like the one roll for both attack and damage for HEX, let alone DESOLATION, but the guys over at Exile Games (where the Ubiquity system and HEX originated) have plans to add an optional set of rules for those who want to separate the rolls out. I believe there was a thread about this in the HEX forums over there, and I see no reason why the ruile couldn't be ported to DESOLATION for those that want that option. Like you, however, the one roll for attack and damage is one of the main factors that drew me to the system as well.



Ach, don't get me started on those two systems. That said, not having enough experience with the current incarnations of either system, I really wouldn't want to comment on this. One big difference that I see is the dice pool mechanic that Ubiquity uses. Clean, simple, no muss no fuss. I have a Perception of 5. The GM sets the DIF of seeing the goblins in the forest at 3. I roll 3 or more successes, I see them; I don't, they have the advantage. Nothing could be easier than this, other than flipping a coin or three.