Torg Eternity Kickstarter

[vodokar]

Torg Eternity Kickstarter is going on now. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...ty/description .

For those that may not have heard of Torg, let me tell you that it is an extremely cool game. The original version came out in 1990. This new modern 2nd edition should be even better. Torg is the immediate father of the Savage Worlds RPG, as that is where Shane Hensley of PEG INC., got his start in the RPG world; and indeed is taking a lead role in development of this new version.

Mechanically, you will see a lot of similarities between Torg and Savage Worlds, but one of the main things that really sets Torg apart from any other game is that it's main mechanic uses exploding d20's. Comon' ! That's like sharks with friggin' laser beams on their heads! It also uses a couple of customized decks of cards to add cinematic flavor to the action of the game. This is somewhat similar to the Savage Worlds Adventure Cards, but goes a whole lot further.

This is an RPG that was almost a completely lost gem due to the upheavals of the mid 90's that took out it's parent company, West End Games, but was extremely innovative and influential on games to follow. I highly recommend this for anyone who is looking for an RPG experience off the beaten path of D&D/Pathfinder that will allow them to explore several different genres all in the same game and especially for Savage Worlds folks that love that fast paced cinematic action.

Lastly, I have already been working on an extension and theme in MoreCore for Torg. I will be making it to support both 1st and the new 2nd edition of the game.

[Jarvin]

I second the recommendation for TORG. It was an amazing game, way ahead of its time and I'm eagerly looking forward to what they've done for the second edition. On the Kickstarter the developers have been hinting at VTT support. Of course, most backers are wanting Roll20 support, only a few of us are clamoring for FG.

[vodokar]

You will already have support with regards to being able to play the game via MoreCore. As I indicated, I had already been working on an extension. Already significant work has been done. I will need to see the new stuff before I can add functionality for that, however.

Trying to obtain official support for a game such as this wouldn't make much sense, because it is a bit too quirky in it's mechanics to attempt to do a full ruleset for. I've already been able to automate about as much of the mechanics as would be feasible, just thru the extension to MoreCore. Of course, it might be nice to get permission to use some art assets, but I wouldn't hold my breath on something like that. At any rate, I'm not really a big believer in holding out release of something, that could get into the users hands much sooner, just to try to jump thru all those legal hoops. Ultimately, I don't think it truly adds that much to the experience.

[vodokar]

Only 5 days in and the kickstarter has raised $199,000 on an $8,000 goal. People need to check into this. There is really nothing else out there on the market that covers the territory that this game does.

[Trenloe]

There is really nothing else out there on the market that covers the territory that this game does.

That's a pretty sweeping statement. Can you expand on what you mean by that please? I'm interested in the Kickstarter, but can see this just being another game in my library that gets flicked through but not used. What makes it so unique in a RPG market that has 100s of other games?

[vodokar]

Well, name another game out there right now that:

1) Has a very rich central overarching story that directly effects the characters.
2) This overarching story is a planet wide invasion of your home world.
3) Only you and a few blessed individuals have the power to fight back and rescue the rest of humanity.
4) This invasion happens on day 1 of the campaign and is a direct result of your changing into the character that you are.
5) This invasion is not just a story, but directly effects the mechanics of the game.
6) The invasion is an imposing of several very distinct, very well defined and fleshed out, different realms of reality or alternate universes onto the earth.
7) Each of these realms are not just settings or play areas the characters can visit, but carry with them unique game altering effects that interact with the characters.
8) Many major events that the characters will directly have an opportunity to take part in will be advanced in the adventure modules.
9) Backdrop events that are occurring throughout the world that can be used as GM adventure hooks are presented on a regular basis (in the original game, it was a newsletter that was mailed every month to the customer. In the new game, it will made available via website updates or other electronic means).
10) The overarching story will eventually come to a conclusion (in the original game, the war began in 1990 and the module that ended the war came in 1995).
11) Each of the different realms are different genres.
12) You can be a character from any of these genres.
13) The game is balanced to be able to handle groups containing characters from different genres.
14) You can impose your own personal reality onto another realm's reality in order to do things like shoot a dinosaur with an AR-50 assault rifle, but, this has a chance of failing and having that realm's reality slap you in the face.
15) Has mechanics that are similar to Savage Worlds; in fact, it was the father and inspiration of Savage Worlds.
16) The author of Savage Worlds, Shane Hensley, was a big contributor to the original game, and is the project lead on the new game.
17) Uses an exploding d20 for it's core mechanic.
18) The old material written for the game, about 47 pdf's, are being given away for free in the kickstarter and will still be mostly compatible and useful to be used in the new game.
19) The main quality of the game is not in the uniqueness of any specific feature, but in the way all of the features have been combined in a very logical and well crafted way in order to make a very unique overall package. In other words, it is very well designed and things that you would never expect to work well together in the same game, actually work well together.
20) Uses not only dice, but cards which are used as a main mechanic.
21) It's main competitor in the genre hopping category was Rifts, but Rifts did it in a totally different way; and besides, reading Rifts will make your eyes bleed. It is a very clunky and overly complicated game, whereas, Torg is less complex, streamlined and well designed.

That definitely does not cover everything, but should be enough to get your started.

[vodokar]

Duplicate Post

[Trenloe]

Thanks for the info, and taking the time to put it all together. Not really my cup-of-tea, so thanks for outlining that so I don't fork out a lot of money. Hopefully that will help others make a decision too. Cheers!

[LordEntrails]

My concern with something like this is re-playability and it sounds like the story line is already pre-determined. Sounds cool the first time through, but then what about the next time? Is it just re-telling the same story over and over again from a different character's/group's perspective?

[vodokar]

No. The story is not set, as you say. The story is of a world war. In other words, while there is a large world changing event going on in the background, which the players have an opportunity to take a huge part in, the story going on is much bigger scale than the characters themselves. It is up to the GM and players as to how big a part they play or if the events play out exactly the same as described.

There is plenty of room for GM creativity. Stories can be about characters that take huge part in events in the war or the war could simply be a backdrop and the stories told could be of much smaller scale and importance; for example, if the players wanted to focus on the fantasy genre, they could stay mostly in the Aisyle realm and run standard fantasy adventures and just ignore what is going on around them in the world; or perhaps they want to spend a lot of time in core earth and the NipponTech realm trying to thwart the Kanawa corporation's influence; etc. etc. It's entirely up to the group.

If the game was set during World War 2, you wouldn't ask those questions. You may know already that Germany eventually loses the war, but it doesn't stop you from telling a stupendous amount of stories in that setting. It also doesn't prohibit you from presenting an alternative to the actual historical events that happened. It is the same here. When they originally ended the war, after 5 years of real time of an ongoing campaign, they presented it in form of an adventure module, which you could chose to run or not and that also had suggestions on alternate endings and suggestions on carrying on the war rather than ending it.

The war serves as a backdrop setting that can take whatever meaning that you wish. The scope of the setting is the entire earth (and possibly beyond, if you include the possibility of actually visiting the actual alternate universes rather than just the parts of earth being invaded with them, and even possible having events happening in space, as well). The official realms include Core Earth (which is us), Orrosh (Gothic Horror), Aiyle (fantasy), NipponTech (advanced tech realm), Nile Empire (Pulp Fiction/Wierd Science/Pulp Super Powers), The Living Land (Prehistoric/Land of the Lost/Pelucidar), Cyberpapacy (cyberpunk), Tharkhold (advanced tech horror), The Space Gods (think Stargate here), who say they were our creators and have come to help us defend earth. When I say, realm, I mean a region of the earth that has been invaded by one of the alternate realities (see the world map on the kickstarter page).

If that isn't enough to find plenty of adventures to run, you can always create some of your own genres/settings and plop them down on the world map. You literally could take any setting in existence and work it into the game. Want to run some adventures in the Paranoia setting? Place a realm on the map and go for it. How about a Toon Town realm? Talislantia? You name it. It can all fit.