Unisystem - What are you doing with it

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Rogerdee

Rogerdee

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This was inspired by a thread over on the Purple site, with one member / moderator, working on a supers system for it.

What games are you doing or planning?

Any particular hacks?
 
I used to be a big fan, but other games have replaced it for light pick up games. Maybe if Beyond Human had ever come out. Instead I’ve been slowly selling my collection off. Down to just a few settings left.
 
Imaginos said:
I used to be a big fan, but other games have replaced it for light pick up games. Maybe if Beyond Human had ever come out. Instead I’ve been slowly selling my collection off. Down to just a few settings left.
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On the supers note, I recommend importing SWADE Core and add bits from SWADE Supers into Unisystem, it seems to work on a basic level as busy converting Tales of Arcana (5e) into Unisystem.

AsenRG said:
Reminiscing:angel:?
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Back in the day and all that.

I:s anyone else using it still, hacking it - in short what are you doing it with? It could be Cinematic or Classic
 
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Not doing anything with Unisystem. I haven't really thought much about that system in 10 years.

My limited exposure to it was with All Flesh Must Be Eaten, and Conspiracy X 2nd edition. I played in a few one-shots of AFMBE 20 years ago and had a good time. I found ConX 2E interesting - particularly the rules for constructing a cell base that would contain the resources for investigations (equipment, facilities, staff, etc.). But I never ran ConX. Call of Cthulhu or Delta Green pretty much took its place in my gaming.

There was nothing about the Unisystem rules that I found essential. I didn't find anything off-putting about it; but, neither did I find anything so impressive that I was compelled to use it.
 
Currently running a Witchcraft game in a tweaked version the Potter’s Lake setting from Heaven & Earth (tweaked to match the WC/Armageddon setting better). Lots of encounters with ghosts, spirits, disembodied demons, a relentless dead, a weretiger and a pack of werewolves, the Combine and a Yakuza vampyre assassin. Oh, and a trip to Hod. Much fun.

It’s been a while since I ran Classic Unisystem and I forgot how lethal it could be - the vampyre assassin almost one-spotted the heroic mortal with its claws! Thankfully the seer was able to save his life (as opposed to the Inspired who was killed by a spirit T-Rex in the 1st World in Hod)
 
zcthu3 said:
Currently running a Witchcraft game in a tweaked version the Potter’s Lake setting from Heaven & Earth (tweaked to match the WC/Armageddon setting better). Lots of encounters with ghosts, spirits, disembodied demons, a relentless dead, a weretiger and a pack of werewolves, the Combine and a Yakuza vampyre assassin. Oh, and a trip to Hod. Much fun.

It’s been a while since I ran Classic Unisystem and I forgot how lethal it could be - the vampyre assassin almost one-spotted the heroic mortal with its claws! Thankfully the seer was able to save his life (as opposed to the Inspired who was killed by a spirit T-Rex in the 1st World in Hod)
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What is Potter's Lake
 
PencilBoy99 said:
What is Potter's Lake
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According to the Heaven & Earth website:

Potter's Lake is a small, midwestern town where local legends, wives tales, and sightings of the supernatural abound. Practically every house that has been standing for more than twenty years has reported a haunting of one variety or another, and quirky doesn't even begin to describe some of the townsfolk. In short, Potter's Lake is a strange and unusual place. However, these bizarre happenings are only symptoms of a greater malady, a cancer that will consume this town then spread across the world. Something sinister is brewing in Potter's Lake, and if left unchecked, humanity itself stands at risk.
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I've always thought Cinematic Unisystem would be great for doing a BPRD/Hellboy-ish urban fantasy game. I guess I'd start with Angel and add on any useful bits from other Unisystem games, in particular the great Terra Primate. I never put any of my ideas into practice though.
 
3rik said:
I've always thought Cinematic Unisystem would be great for doing a BPRD/Hellboy-ish urban fantasy game. I guess I'd start with Angel and add on any useful bits from other Unisystem games, in particular the great Terra Primate. I never put any of my ideas into practice though.
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I would love to run a Planet of the Apes game using Terra Primate someday, but I have yet to interest players in it.
 
Lofgeornost said:
I would love to run a Planet of the Apes game using Terra Primate someday, but I have yet to interest players in it.
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I've been trying for thirty years to find players who'll go for a PotA pitch, no matter the system. It's sad, but I feel slightly better knowing I'm not the only one.
 
Rated Aargh said:
According to the Heaven & Earth website:
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Sounds a bit like Twin Peaks in tone (which certainly isn't a bad thing).

3rik said:
I've always thought Cinematic Unisystem would be great for doing a BPRD/Hellboy-ish urban fantasy game. I guess I'd start with Angel and add on any useful bits from other Unisystem games, in particular the great Terra Primate. I never put any of my ideas into practice though.
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In a better world we would have this...

hellboy unisystem.jpg
 
Rated Aargh said:
I've been trying for thirty years to find players who'll go for a PotA pitch, no matter the system. It's sad, but I feel slightly better knowing I'm not the only one.
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I actually ran a game of Terra Primate, but it wasn't Planet of the Apes. It might have become a prequel of sorts had it continued longer. It also involved zombies.
 
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Tulpa Girl said:
It was for that very reason we included Drama Points in our game.
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TBF, drama points would kinda ruin the vibe I’m going for, which is humans with magic - combat should be avoided as much as possible because it really hurts. most things they’ve dealt with through cunning, hiding and the occasional banishment.
 
I used to be a huge fan of the system. I own almost all the books, and I have writing credits in some AFMBE books (Enter the Zombie and Fistfull O'Zombies). I play tested for them a lot. I also did a Terra Primate setting that appeared in Eden Studios Presents. Misfit Studios was going to release another AFMBE setting I did, but they lost the license before the book came out (it was then repurposed for Savage Worlds). I'm one of the admins for the Unisystem Discord, which while not super active, is going strong.

At one, point, there was possibly going to be a community content program, but the pandemic and George having a stroke seems to have killed that. Which sucks, cause I had some settings I was going to dust off and release for that had it come to pass.

I don't play or run it anymore, but I've wanted to do a one shot for Con X based on an idea I got from a low budget vampire movie called Razor Blade Smile.
 
I'm not doing anything with Unisystem at the moment. But it's my preferred system, if I want to run a modern/urban fantasy game.
My two most successfull campaigns was a BPRD and a Hunter: The Reckoning campaign.

For the BPRD game I used stuff from all my Unisystem books. But the base was Angel. The players thankfully, wanted to make their own characters instead of playing established ones. Hellboy and Co. did make a guest appearance in the last session though. Kinda had to do some fanservice.

With Hunter: The Reckoning I converted the rules for Conviction and Edges to Unisystem. Everything else was just Unisystem though.

When I run Unisystem, the rules are a mix of Classic/Cinematic plus some house rules. I prefer character creation from Angel. The players only roll from Cinematic is a must. The skill list in Cinematic is also preferred. I like rolling for damage instead of fixed damage. I have a house ruled initiative system.
Depending on the style of game Essence points is a thing. I usually also use Endurance points, because I have house ruled combat maneuvers to use them instead of giving penalties. Drama Points I also almost always use, I've even extended their usage.
I stat up enemies like in Cinematic, although I have a couple of extra stats since I find just three not enough. Mook rules are also in. The Zombie creation system is excellent for creating all sorts of monsters, not just zombies. Adding options from other Unisystem books makes it even better.
The best magic system is in Ghosts of Albion, although I once started converting the magic system from the Dresden Files 1e to Unisystem.
I have a house ruled Dramatic Conflicts system. It's converted from the system used in the Star Wars Saga supplement Galaxy of Intrigue. Which was also the base for the same system in D&D 4e I believe. The one in Galaxy of Intrigue is better than the 4e version, in my opinion.
 
I want to run am AFMBE game: Fists of the Dead, BLades of the Dead, and Dragons of the Dead. In reality a modern-day wuxia inspired game that happens to be using AFMBE and with very few "zombies"
 
What is going on with Eden Studios/Unisystem? The Witchcraft PDF is available for free on Drivethru, whereas the print version has been unavailable for some time. I have guilt pangs about owning what is apparently a $200 book at this point, but I don't want to sell something that would be essentially irreplaceable.
 
The only Unisystem game I've played is AFMBE, which was weird and fun. Didn't last long though because the GM had a short attention span and kept wanting to try new games. But I did enjoy it and reading through Witchcraft and Armageddon I wanted to play more of it... stuff in the vein of World of Darkness probably (modern urban dark fantasy?).
Still could happen... but Mythras is my go-to nowadays and probably provides a similar experience (I'm guessing). Still, I have most of the books for the non-cinematic lines and there's lots to like. I particularly like some of the aspects of magic in Witchcraft, like the details about gaining Essence and holding onto it too long.
 
Rogerdee said:
This was inspired by a thread over on the Purple site, with one member / moderator, working on a supers system for it.

What games are you doing or planning?

Any particular hacks?
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Letting it collect dust, mostly. Though I did start making characters to use the Mythic GM Simulator for a solo RPG...I just never got past that point.
 
pawsplay said:
It's a shame Eldritch Skies (Unisystem) lost the license for that version.
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There's been dueling stories over why. Supposedly the company that released it had a license for another game called Men of Mystery (a Golden Age superhero rpg). They switched to ES, but didn't tell Eden. Then they supposedly never paid royalties, and so the license was pulled.

The company line is that isn't true, and they just didn't renew the license. Either way. they went with Savage Worlds, and did a piss poor job of it.

Of course, the author is considering doing a new version with a different system.
 
urbwar said:
Of course, the author is considering doing a new version with a different system.
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That would be interesting to see. I own the Unisystem version of Eldritch Skies and I'm quite fond of it.

Using Vortex (the Doctor Who/Rocket Age system) would be an easy option as it should be very simple to convert to it. Likewise, Ubiquity would work well and I'd love to see a space-faring games using that system. However, I suspect Ubiquity is harder to get a license for these days. Probably the simplest option, and safest bet in the long term (as it's an open system), would be to go with Cepheus Engine.
 
NinjaWeasel said:
That would be interesting to see. I own the Unisystem version of Eldritch Skies and I'm quite fond of it.

Using Vortex (the Doctor Who/Rocket Age system) would be an easy option as it should be very simple to convert to it. Likewise, Ubiquity would work well and I'd love to see a space-faring games using that system. However, I suspect Ubiquity is harder to get a license for these days. Probably the simplest option, and safest bet in the long term (as it's an open system), would be to go with Cepheus Engine.
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I suggested Cepheus Engine in the thread posted about in on the BP. I think they were leaning towards Mythras, as I believe John Snead wrote something using that system. Or it might have been BRP.
 
Read and loved Witchcraft, Armageddon, AFMBE and many supplements thereof. Never did get around to playing it, though. Shame, too, because Classic Unisystem seems like a perfectly serviceable no-frills go-to. Never even read anything Cine Uni but not opposed to it.

I was hoping Beyond Human would see the light of day eventually and I might have a supers game to call my own, but... ah well.
 
I, too, have read a bunch of Unisystem books without every actually trying it. I was hoping when we had that big thread about Terra Primate somebody would step up to run some PbP, but alas.

The one I really never hear anything about, though, is Odyssey Prime. The description makes it sound a bit Stargate-on-steroids; I wonder if anyone here has read or played it?
 
Simon Hogwood said:
I, too, have read a bunch of Unisystem books without every actually trying it. I was hoping when we had that big thread about Terra Primate somebody would step up to run some PbP, but alas.

The one I really never hear anything about, though, is Odyssey Prime. The description makes it sound a bit Stargate-on-steroids; I wonder if anyone here has read or played it?
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Odyssey Prime is d20 with a Unisystem conversion chapter in the back, so if you’re not using 3.x as the default chassis you need a Classic Unisystem game to run it. It’s not stand alone but as Witchcraft is available free, it’s not a bid deal.

Basic idea is an asteroid is headed toward Earth for an extinction level event. The USA discovered a portal (like a Stargate) which can be used to travel not to different worlds, but to different dimensions. You’re a member of an Odyssey Team (part of FEMA from memory) exploring alternative dimensions as a possible new home for humanity.

The intent was you could pick up any d20 game world and drop characters in it for a few sessions before they return to Earth. So some settings might be Earth with angels and demons (Seventh Seal) or Earth but with Great Old Ones (Call of Cthulhu d20), others might have elves and dwarves and magic (Forgotten Realms) etc. You could do the same with Unisystem as well, but there are less settings - best bet for pre-generated worlds would probably be to use the various genre books for AFMBE and the various dead worlds, although Terra Primate also has a bunch of ape-based settings.
 
Nothing at the moment. Last campaign was an Angel game set in the variant Buffy setting in Slayers handbook where totem warriors battle wendigo.

Before that I ran a short Eldritch skies campaign with blue collar asteroid miners in the Astra system. This is my all time favorite Cthulhu-game!

And perhaps my most successful campaign was a Witchcraft game featuring Templar agents investigating the events leading up to the Armageddon setting. In my campaign the Dark Apostle and his Church of Revelation rose in the US.

Unisystem games in general, and Witchcraft in particular is always on my short list when I start new campaigns.
 
zcthu3 said:
Odyssey Prime is d20 with a Unisystem conversion chapter in the back, so if you’re not using 3.x as the default chassis you need a Classic Unisystem game to run it. It’s not stand alone but as Witchcraft is available free, it’s not a bid deal.
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iirc, it was a CineUni conversion. Not hard to use with Classic though.
 
I really lament the loss of the Buffy/Angel line. They weren't perfect (some of advantages/disadvantages were a bit "because they exist" rather than actually reflecting the source materiel), but it was overall an excellent system adaptation and the sourcebooks that got published were great (The Magic Box is top tier).
 
zcthu3 said:
The intent was you could pick up any d20 game world and drop characters in it for a few sessions before they return to Earth. So some settings might be Earth with angels and demons (Seventh Seal) or Earth but with Great Old Ones (Call of Cthulhu d20), others might have elves and dwarves and magic (Forgotten Realms) etc. You could do the same with Unisystem as well, but there are less settings - best bet for pre-generated worlds would probably be to use the various genre books for AFMBE and the various dead worlds, although Terra Primate also has a bunch of ape-based settings.
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Seventh Seal is not a d20 game, at least not the version I have which is this. The one on DriveThru has a different cover.

61i95u8p4oL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg


DriveThruRPG

preview.drivethrurpg.com preview.drivethrurpg.com
 
urbwar said:
iirc, it was a CineUni conversion. Not hard to use with Classic though.
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Nope, it’s definitely Classic Unisystem using Pre-Heroic or Heroic Characters and references AFMBE as the ‘core book’ (I have a copy of OP on my ipad). In saying that, it did add Drama Points (characters start with 5) and includes those rules which is why I can see there could be confusion.
 
Anyone have any particular favourite hacks for it?

Or have hacked it? Care to share these?
 
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