What steampunk/gaslight fantasy/Victoriana fantasy game to choose?

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Hornblower

Hornblower

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I am in a major mood for some steampunk/gaslight fantasy/Victoriana fantasy lately.

I have been reading the below games. Some include the addition of fantasy races and some do not. I am a bit ambivalent to the inclusion or exclusion of fantasy races.

Any thoughts on the settings and/or game mechanics of these games?

Castle Falkenstein
Through the Breach
Girl Genius (GURPS)
OneDice Airship Pirates
Tephra
Westward
Space 1889 After
Ecryme
The Aether Throne
 
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Hornblower said:
I am in a major mood for some steampunk/gaslight fantasy/Victoriana fantasy lately.

I have been reading the below games. Some include the addition of fantasy races and some do not. I am a bit ambivalent to the inclusion or exclusion of fantasy races.

Any thoughts on the settings and/or game mechanics of these games?

Castle Falkenstein
Through the Breach
Girl Genius (GURPS)
OneDice Airship Pirates
Tephra
Westward
Space 1889 After
Ecryme
The Aether Throne
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When you've got One Die and GURPS on the same list, it is probably worth it telling us a few words regarding your preferences in games...:gooseshades:
 
I'm a big fan of Castle Falkenstein. There are some Tarot-based versions of the rules that look super cool that I've never gotten to try, so getting someone else to try them would be a small win.

My personal preference would be to exclude the classic fantasy races. I want a steampunk game to feel different and using the same races as D&D isn't going to help that. Non-human races is fine, I just don't wants pirate orcs and aether elves.
 
Fenris-77 said:
My personal preference would be to exclude the classic fantasy races. I want a steampunk game to feel different and using the same races as D&D isn't going to help that. Non-human races is fine, I just don't wants pirate orcs and aether elves.
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Likewise, FWIW:thumbsup:!
 
AsenRG said:
When you've got One Die and GURPS on the same list, it is probably worth it telling us a few words regarding your preferences in games...:gooseshades:
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I'm usually a fairly rules-lite to medium kind of guy, though I';m not afraid of some crunch if I like the setting and/or system enough.
 
Fenris-77 said:
I'm a big fan of Castle Falkenstein. There are some Tarot-based versions of the rules that look super cool that I've never gotten to try, so getting someone else to try them would be a small win.
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The Falkenstein supplement Comme il Faut has some rules for card-based mechanics, and I like those a lot. Not sure if those are similar to the Tarot-based ones you've seen.
 
I liked Castle Falkenstein a lot back in the day, but I've never felt a great desire to revisit it. The system is fine and functional, some of the sourcebooks were astounding, but there wasn't a lot to "hook my teeth into" in regards to the lore. It was "Prisoner of Zenda meets A Midsummer's Nights Dream" with a tiny dash of proto-Steampunk, and, well, that's very cool. But it's not a pool I can drown myself in.

I still feel like we are, as a hobby, still waiting for the first Great Victoriana/Steampunk RPG. Something where the system so beautifully and succinctly encapsulates the genre and provides it a depth beyond the aesthetics. Which isn't to say none of the games listed in the OP aren't fine RPGs and would easily facilitate a great campaign for the right GM, I just mean I haven't yet looked at one and fell in love.
 
GURPs Steampunk is fantastic resource either way, BTW. As is Falkenstein's Comme Il Faut if the aristocracy/high society is going to play any part in your games
 
Cthulhu By Gaslight was a pretty good resource book for Call of Cthulhu.
It has been done three times, and I suspect a version for CoC 7E will come out as well
I guess the category would be Gaslight Supernatural/Horror, I'm not sure if it fits the OP's criteria.
There's no steampunk elements, it's pretty realistic until you get to Mythos beasties
 
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I'm not even sure what I'd be looking for in 'that' Steampunk game. I'm a big fan of the genre generally, but as I sit here thinking about it I'm really not sure what an RPG would look like.
 
Fenris-77 said:
I'm not even sure what I'd be looking for in 'that' Steampunk game. I'm a big fan of the genre generally, but as I sit here thinking about it I'm really not sure what an RPG would look like.
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the genre has been heavily weighted towards the fashion/aesthetic and so I don't think developed archetypal story structures or characters in the same manner as Cyberpunk. At times it's hard to discern where the "punk" even fits in, even with early innovators like The Difference Engine and DiFillipo's Steampunk Trilogy. I think my critique regarding not yet having a "great" (read: definitive) RPG adaptation yet can be equally levied at almost all Steampunk media as yet.

Yet I think there is something there. The extreme class divisions of the Victorian era seem like the perfect backdrop for something "punk". The industrial revolution is screaming out for metaphorical interpretations. The aesthetic lends itself to investing technology with "story". It easily blends with High fantasy concepts (I had a steampunk fantasy computer game back in the early aughts that went full shadowrun, with playable stock fantasy races. I think it was called Arcanum or something like that).
 
I actually think, lore and presentation-wise, Planescape came the closest to succeeding at what I want, except for 1) it was D&D, and 2) it only lightly brushed fingers with Steampunk; you often see it included in lists of Steampunk settings, but it sticks out like a sore thumb, being much closer to Gilliam's Time Bandits than Victoriana. (Though if you want to read an exceptional variation on the Planescape premise with the Victoriana turned up to ten, I highly recommend Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series).
 
TristramEvans said:
the genre has been heavily weighted towards the fashion/aesthetic and so I don't think developed archetypal story structures or characters in the same manner as Cyberpunk. At times it's hard to discern where the "punk" even fits in, even with early innovators like The Difference Engine and DiFillipo's Steampunk Trilogy. I think my critique regarding not yet having a "great" (read: definitive) RPG adaptation yet can be equally levied at almost all Steampunk media as yet.

Yet I think there is something there. The extreme class divisions of the Victorian era seem like the perfect backdrop for something "punk". The industrial revolution is screaming out for metaphorical interpretations. The aesthetic lends itself to investing technology with "story". It easily blends with High fantasy concepts (I had a steampunk fantasy computer game back in the early aughts that went full shadowrun, with playable stock fantasy races.
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Yeah, Victorian society does have the right moving parts to do punk. The somewhat muddled genre pushed back against that a little as rather a lot of SP seem to feature main characters who are part of Society. Magic and or science could the out-casting element there. Hmm.
 
A bunch of years back , the creator of Space 1889, Frank Chadwick, decided to revise the setting so that the Confederacy is still in place in America (among other changes). Space 1889 After uses the revised setting with the CSA extant (I think Chadwick will only license things which do, now).

The previous Savage Worlds book for 1889 (Red Skies I think it was?) uses the more classic 1889 setting. That or the original GDW game would be where I would start if I was running steampunk.
 
TristramEvans said:
the genre has been heavily weighted towards the fashion/aesthetic and so I don't think developed archetypal story structures or characters in the same manner as Cyberpunk. At times it's hard to discern where the "punk" even fits in, even with early innovators like The Difference Engine and DiFillipo's Steampunk Trilogy. I think my critique regarding not yet having a "great" (read: definitive) RPG adaptation yet can be equally levied at almost all Steampunk media as yet.

Yet I think there is something there. The extreme class divisions of the Victorian era seem like the perfect backdrop for something "punk". The industrial revolution is screaming out for metaphorical interpretations. The aesthetic lends itself to investing technology with "story". It easily blends with High fantasy concepts (I had a steampunk fantasy computer game back in the early aughts that went full shadowrun, with playable stock fantasy races. I think it was called Arcanum or something like that).
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I'm pretty sure the videogame you remember is this:

1713792654869.jpeg
 
EABA had a steampunk supplement called Verne.

Billed as "not your grandfather's steampunk" although I wouldn't say it fits that bill necessarily - it's a fairly standard, kitchen-sink steampunk book to my eye.

EABA can accommodate gearheadedness, if you want to build your own cogged contraptions.

The automated pdf character generator is quite cool too.
 
You are missing Victoriana and Ghosts of Albion from your short list.
Both are mid weight RPGs that can do fantastic elements and will do the job fine.

Victoriana has fantasy and animal races as standard which can be easily ignored if that is your preference. It's not Christianity can also be easily reverted to a more real world religion.
The 2nd edition uses a d6 pool for resolution.

Ghosts of Albion goes more into humans and spirits but not elves and orcs, if I remember correctly. The base dice mechanic I think is d10 +skill/stat Vs target.

If you want 'we all go mad' horror with zombies then look at Unhallowed Metropolis. Again a midweight RPG with mad science and fantastic elements but no non-human races.
 
I agree that we still have yet to see steampunk graduate beyond an aesthetic and develop genuine archetypal elements.

I have had a few ideas of my own, however. One that's been rattling my head occasionally is a mix of Carnival Row, Anno Dracula, and Space 1889. It has a few different elements to differentiate it beyond the generic steampunk gaslight Victoriana aesthetics.

The major points of divergence include:
  • The fairies of Tir Na Nog helped Albion resist Roman occupation, so as of the Victorian Age they hold seats on the House of Lords and such. Fairies and fairy-blooded humans are a common sight in the British Empire.
  • Vlad the Impaler became a vampire and later emigrated to England, where he wooed Queen Victoria and became prince consort.
  • The Unseelie Court conducts terrorist acts against England, including indiscriminate abductions, murder, cannibalism, etc. The Unseelie monarchs, Queen Mab and her husband Santa Claus, publicly claim no responsibility.
  • There's a league of superheroes based in Britain whose members include various public domain characters like Sherlock Holmes, the Invisible Man, Doctor Jekyll, Captain Nemo, Dorian Grey, Lawrence Talbot, Tarzan, Mowgli, etc.
  • With the invention of ether tech, the British Empire has managed to colonize parts of Venus, Mars and the moons of Jupiter. These planets are already inhabited by pulp cliches like Venusians, Barsoomians, War of the Worlds-style tripod squids, and the like.
 
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Are you looking at the rebooted Space 1889? That would be my preference over the original ruleset.

Castle Falkenstein looks great but I've never played it.
 
Voros said:
Are you looking at the rebooted Space 1889? That would be my preference over the original ruleset.

Castle Falkenstein looks great but I've never played it.
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I am indeed! Space 1889 After. I just can't decide between the Empyrean Edition and the 5e version. Have you read the Empyrean Edition?
 
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Wasn't there a Steampunk rpg named after a band which had a Steampunk aesthetic?
 
There was Etherscope, which had more of the punk aspect. Well written and interesting. It‘s more like a cyberpunk game reskinned as Victorian fantasy. Oh, it’s based on d20 Modern which might be a turn off.
 
Hornblower said:
I am in a major mood for some steampunk/gaslight fantasy/Victoriana fantasy lately.

I have been reading the below games. Some include the addition of fantasy races and some do not. I am a bit ambivalent to the inclusion or exclusion of fantasy races.

Any thoughts on the settings and/or game mechanics of these games?

Castle Falkenstein
Through the Breach
Girl Genius (GURPS)
OneDice Airship Pirates
Tephra
Westward
Space 1889 After
Ecryme
The Aether Throne
Click to expand...

Castle Falkenstein is great. It uses cards for resolution, because nobles of the 1800's don't play dice. More seriously, I like the card mechanics but some of the players I've played it with don't. So last time I ran it, I used a mix of Fate and CF rules. If your interested I can post more details.
Setting wise it's probably my favorite fantasy setting based on an alternate history Earth. I think one reason why is because it has a very positive/hopeful vibe to it, compared to a lot of other Victoriana games.

Through the Breach also uses cards for resolution. Basically you have a deck of cards you draw from. After that you add your skill and aspect rating to the card drawn. The opponent does the same. Highest total wins, with margins of success leading to greater results. Basically a traditional system just with cards as randomizers.
Characters are called Fated. Fated belong to a Pursuit, which function as combination of class and profession. The Player chooses which Pursuit his character will follow that session after a short prologue. At the end of the session, the character will gain an ability from the Pursuit they followed that session. Quite an interresting way of doing things.
Fated has a Destiny. This can be resolved in steps, which result in increasing physical or mental abilities or Manifested Powers. Manifested Powers are unique magical abilities tailored specifically to the character.
These things are heavily tied to the game's setting though, so would require a bit of work to use for other settings.

I have both the original Space 1889 and the Savage Worlds version. But both of these are the original setting not the After one. I don't know anything about the after version so can't compare. Of the two I own, I prefer the SW version.
This is probably my number two alternate history Earth setting after CF. I would probably changed some things in it though, like making the rest of the solar system reachable and habitable.

I also own Tephra and Westward. Don't remember anything about Westward.
With Tephra, I remember the resulotion system used a single d12 + modifiers. A 12 explodes, but if you roll a 1 you can't add any positive modifiers to it only negative.
Of the races of Tephra I remember the two elven ones. Normally elves in the setting are quite brutish, but if they are infused with essence (magic stuff essentially) they become the beautiful angelic elves we are used to in other settings.
There were also Satyrs, which were genetically engineered humans with hoofed animals such as goats, cows, and horses.
 
Hornblower said:
I am in a major mood for some steampunk/gaslight fantasy/Victoriana fantasy lately.

I have been reading the below games. Some include the addition of fantasy races and some do not. I am a bit ambivalent to the inclusion or exclusion of fantasy races.

Any thoughts on the settings and/or game mechanics of these games?

Castle Falkenstein
Through the Breach
Girl Genius (GURPS)
OneDice Airship Pirates
Tephra
Westward
Space 1889 After
Ecryme
The Aether Throne
Click to expand...

I'm a big fan of Castle Falkenstein, OneDice Airship Pirates and Space 1889 (don't know the others, sorry). But these three games are very different, if you look beyond the outer trappings.. Airship Pirates is a pretty bleak post apocalyptic setting running on the very bare bones OneDice-mechanic. Use this if you want to contrast the oppressive neo victorians and the rebellious airship pirates. Castle Falkenstein is a wild, almost psychedelic mash up of fairy tales, victorian (or more correctly Edwardian, isn't it?) fashion and sensibilities, and mad science. Run this if you want to have a wizards, dragons and elfs and evil masterminds in your steampunk game. Space 1889 is much more straight faced than the others. Here you have victorian tropes like white man's burden, colonialism, exploration, colony wars, mixed with some steamtech. Run this if you want your pretty grounded explorers going to mars.

Btw I must admit that Space 1889 after has gone below my radar. I remember the kickstarter from a couple of years back, but I didn't have the money to support it then and have forgotten it since. Can I ask what changed from the old game to the new?
 
Kardinal Tabbe said:
Btw I must admit that Space 1889 after has gone below my radar. I remember the kickstarter from a couple of years back, but I didn't have the money to support it then and have forgotten it since. Can I ask what changed from the old game to the new?
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Found this elsewhere describing the in-setting changes for Space 1889 After:

However, the vigorous colonial powers of Earth quickly overwhelmed both the precarious, dilapidated regimes of Mars and the clans of primeval Venus.

This human golden age of exploration and conquest reached its apex in the year 1889. The British Empire had holdings that touched every continent on Earth—and ranged to every planet inside the asteroid belt. The powerful nations of Earth, collectively called the Terrestrial Powers, vigorously snatched up holdings on other worlds, capitalizing on their extraordinary riches and resources. As they conquered and explored the inner worlds, humans began to hungrily eye faraway Jupiter and the worlds beyond.

Suddenly, the ether just… shifted. Once a magnificent source of new opportunities, it now became a deadly trap. Ether-fliers began to crash and disappear without explanation. Cut off from Earth, off-world colonies found their strength crumbling. Communication between the planets diminished, alliances shifted, and scattered wars of opportunity created chaos.

Now, after a decade or so of upheaval, the ether seems to be stabilizing. Explorers can once again launch out into the unknown. But what has become of the different worlds? And what new discoveries are waiting to be uncovered? The journey may be dangerous, but with a good Crew at your back, you intend to find out.
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It seems like they're tried to move 1889 away from it's classic "Colonialism in Space" setting and tried to make it in to more of an adventurer's gold rush setting.
 
Thank you. That was informative. I can see that making the setting more unpredictable and dangerous could make it easier to run games in it. One criticism of the older edition was that many of the important discoveries had already been done by other people.

I just might have to look into this game
 
Sloth_in_a_bowl said:
If you want 'we all go mad' horror with zombies then look at Unhallowed Metropolis. Again a midweight RPG with mad science and fantastic elements but no non-human races.
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Also my recommendation. It certainly has fantastical elements but it feels a lot more alt history Victorian then some games. It's sort of steampunk but much more at the dark end rather than airships and shouts of "huzzah". It works great for fighting zombies, but you can also use that as a backdrop and use it for very different types of campaigns. (I was in one where we were all part of the Criminal Underworld).
 
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