OK, so,
Iron Kingdoms.
It's a
setting first and foremost. It's a world in which magic and technology collide.
A world of 3 meter tall steam golems and
arcano-mechnical machines.
The setting
was first created for D&D 3.0. Then came to editions of a miniatures
wargame set in th said setting. Now Privateer Press rebooted their RPG line,
using a system derived from the wargame.
The game
engine is quite simple, and follows the principles, used in the wargame (no
grid, measuring with a tape or a ruler). Even the ruleset is just an expanded
wargame, that got aditional stats, skills and gear bolted to it.
The
characters are created by:
1) Choosing
a race: Human, Rhulfolk (Dwarf), Iosan (Elf), Nyss (another kind of elf),
Gobber (goblin/gnome/kender hybrid), Trollkin or Ogrun (an oversized human).
2) Choose
an archetype: Mighty (hit it until it stops moving), Skilled (a rogue,
basically), Intellectual (think a lot, coordinate allies) or Gifted (cast
spells, pray to gods, kill stuff with mind bullets).
3) Pick a
combination of 2 careers. The core book got 30 careers, additional books have
something like 20 more between them. The career combination will give you your
starting abilities, skills, gear and money, and also govern your progression.
If you want to play an Inquisitor - pick Investigator and Priest. A military
steamjack mechanic - Field Mechanic and Soldier. A noble knight? Noble/Knight,
duh!
(Our one
shot will have pregenerated characters).
Main
differences in combat is griddles movement and character facing. Combat is
quite tactical, without turning into roleplaying chess, like DnD 4E (sorry, 4E
fans, I just don't like 4E combat).
A lot of
equipment has special rules, that create a feel that you are using different
stuff, and not just a "weapon" that deals slightly different damage (I'm
talking about knockdowns, knockouts, setting people on fire or blinding them.)
Well, in
this system you can command huge steam powered golems, who smash faces.
The setting
is quite interesting, with distinct nations and races. There's a lot of stuff
to discover and investigate, and just a lot of stuff happening.
Some of the
stuff that the Iron Kingdoms setting has:
* An empire
of half-mechanical undead, ruled by an ancient dragon/god.
* A horde
of mutated winter elves, blighted by an offspring of the said dragon/god.
* A
theocracy, that likes to kill stuff with fire and crusade from time to time.
* MOTHER
RUSSIA with bears and vodka!
* Hidden
cult of druids worshipping an ancient avatar of predation.
* Scary
humanoid conqueror race, that could invade form the east.
* A scary
human nation of necromancer/vikings from beyond the western ocean, that had
enslaved the Iron kingdoms for 600 years, and vere driven out 400 years ago (but
they are still out there).
* A cult of
a Clockwork Goddess, whose priests transfer their souls into mechanical bodies.
And more
cool stuff!
Wow, I got
carried away.
