Jun 6, 2020 3:26 am
Coriolis – The Third Horizon is a role-playing game set in space. There are ships, space stations and starry vistas, just like in any other space-themed RPG. What separates Coriolis from other sci-fi RPGs is first and foremost the social environment, which in Coriolis is strongly influenced by the rich tapestry of the Middle East.
There are free QuickStart Rules that I’ll be providing to all players. The Quickstart Rules give a decent overview of the basic mechanics and setting, but the Coriolis core book is needed to make a character.
Themes: Politics, spirituality, and exploration.
System: The mechanics for Coriolis are fairly simple. It's a d6-based game. Attribute + Skill usually determines the number of dice that you roll. One or more sixes mean success. That's the gist of it.
Number of Players: 4 to 6.
Posting Frequency: At least 4 times a week. Ideally more if people can manage it.
Commitment: For as long as people are interested.
Experience: None required. The game mechanics are easy to learn. The setting, while involved, can be learned easily enough as you go.
Maturity Level: This is intended to be a fairly mature game that deals with adult subject matter.
Tone: Serious.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The Coriolis world is inspired by various Middle Eastern cultures rather than Western ones. This includes food, music and fashion, as well as religion, philosophy and literature. Most importantly, myths and folk tales from the Middle East deeply entwine with the spirit of the setting. The game takes place in the "Third Horizon" - a cluster of star systems containing exotic planets, space stations, and strange artifacts, all linked together by a network of mystical portals. It’s in this sector of space that ancient myth meets high technology.
"Coriolis" itself is a massive space station that orbits the green jungle planet of Kua. The station is home to many factions and interests from throughout the Third Horizon, which means it serves as a breeding ground for all manner of plots, political intrigues, and job opportunities. If this reminds you a little bit of Babylon 5, then you're catching on.
The Old Versus the New
A central theme to Coriolis is the conflict between the "Firstcome", the Horizon’s earliest settlers, and the "Zenithians", descendants to the second wave of colonists arriving onboard a colony ship called the Zenith. Although the Firstcome had already established their culture throughout the Horizon when Zenith arrived, the Zenithians have grown to dominate more and more in the last decades, through trade, hostile expansion and colonization. The Zenithians’ cultural imperialism is a key factor in the conflict between the Consortium – a Zenithian faction, and the Firstcome Order of the Pariah.
The Factions
When the Zenithians founded Coriolis, they sent word to all major powers in the Third Horizon to come to the space station and set up a council for peace and trade. The invitees became known as factions, and the Council became a force for peace, albeit some conflicts remained unsolved. The council factions of today are the Consortium, a group of powerful corporations; the Zenithian Hegemony, the descendants of the captain family onboard Zenith; the Free League, the union of free traders; the mercenaries of the Legion; the secretive Draconites; the divine iconocrates of the Order of the Pariah; Ahlam’s Temple, with its courtesans and philosophers; and lastly the people’s church, the Church of the Icons. Two additional groups are regarded as factions although they are not represented at the Council: the criminal network the Syndicate, and the nomads in the Nomad Federation. Tradition divides the council into Zenithian (the first four factions mentioned above) and Firstcome factions (the four latter). The Syndicate is usually considered Zenithian and the Nomad Federation, Firstcome.
Mysticism and Icon Worship
Worshiping the Icons permeates everything in the setting for Coriolis. Religion is the smallest common denominator for peoples of the Third Horizon. The faith is strongest with the Firstcome, especially so among the ranks of the Church of the Icons and the Order of the Pariah. But also the recently arrived Zenithians have in large numbers converted to worshiping the Icons. The level of religious commitment varies of course, from the superstitious hauler crew praying to the Traveller before a portal jump, to missionaries zealously devoted to the holiest of struggles, saving the Horizon one soul at a time.
The Dark Between the Stars
The omens have foretold it, and the clergy preached it for a long time now: the Dark between the Stars – the unspeakable, corrupting force at work in the intersection between civilization and the endless nothingness of space – seems to be real. In Coriolis, the Dark between the Stars play roughly the role of the Devil in Earth’s Christianity.
Important Note: Despite its foundation in Middle Eastern influences, Coriolis doesn't involve real world politics from the region. There is also no true analogue to Islam in the Third Horizon; Icon Worship differs greatly from Islam and is more akin to pre-Islamic Arab paganism. I think the game does a tasteful job of paying homage to certain aspects of these cultures while avoiding potentially walking through a minefield.
WHAT KINDS OF CHARACTERS CAN YOU MAKE?
Coriolis allows for lots of character concepts - within the parameters of the setting, of course. Maybe you're a deeply devout Firstcome mystic wielding psychic power in the name of the Icons. Maybe you're a duelist-for-hire who fights to defend the honor of whoever can afford you. Maybe you're a nomadic neo-bedouin roving across the reaches of the Third Horizon in search of a place to finally call home. Maybe you're a struggling cargo ship captain (a lá Malcolm Reynolds) trying to stay one step ahead of the Syndicate bosses to whom you owe money. Maybe you're a Zenithian computer expert who summons cryptic data-djinn in an effort to thwart a corporate rival. Maybe you're a ruthless courtesan who uses blackmail to move your way up the social ladder. The list goes on.
Last edited July 12, 2020 6:39 pm
