Leagues of Adventure

This weekend we continued to write and edit the scenario chapter for Modiphius Entertainment's FATE-based generation ship publication, Project Generations, as well as starting prep for two Con of the North convention scenarios happening next weekend: one for Tekumel using FATE Core, and a steampunk adventure using the Ubiquity System-based Leagues of Adventure RPG.

Our prep for Leagues of Adventure of course starts with reading the book, followed (on Thursday) by a marathon session of statting up the PCs, NPCs, and locations for the two-part Leagues of Adventure game I am running for 6 hours this Friday afternoon. I have not encountered huge surprises in my read-through, as I have run another Ubiquity game, All for One: Regime Diabolique several times. Most of the changes in the game anchor the system in a 19th century alternate history steampunk setting: skills such as the Anthropology and Expeditions skills, and the Weird Science talent (which helps you invent things).

The newest wrinkle for Ubiquity is the introduction of Leagues, which are essentially 19th Century social clubs that provide PCs with access to specific skills and eventually to League resources. These clubs or Leagues run the gamut from things like the Alpine and Automobile Clubs for enthusiasts of mountain climbing and the new invention of automobiles, respectively, to more esoteric societies such as the Osiris Club (Egyptian antiquities enthusiasts), the Hollow Earth Society (a bridge to the Hollow Earth Expeditions RPG), and The Gun Club (inspired by Jules Verne's creation in his novel From the Earth to the Moon).

The social class set point for PCs is upper and middle-class individuals who can afford to belong to clubs. This is the only aspect of the game that I dislike. I prefer the approach that Victoriana took with PC generation mechanics that actually make playing middle class and poor characters more interesting.

Ubiquity has Style Points which can do similar things to Fate Points, but its core system is more similar to White Wolf's New WOD Storyteller System. In my experience it is a great gateway drug for gamers who have played traditional RPGs, and who are open to exploring more indie-flavored RPGs.