Using Antipodean Moon
Choosing a Game System
Victorian Role-Playing Games
Role-playing in the Victorian era has a lot of fans, more than sufficient to support the development of many game systems and setting books over the years. What's missing from this entire body of work is a Victorian-era Australian colonial setting with sufficient breadth and depth for long term campaigns. Well, not any more.Game Systems for Antipodean Moon
Game Masters intending to use Antipodean Moon as their setting will require an underlying game system that provides a set of game mechanics. Antipodean Moon is system agnostic and can be used with a wide range of published role-playing game systems. Games listed below provide rules for character creation and advancement, skills and skill use, and combat resolution suitable for role-playing in Antipodean Moon, all at a Game Master's discretion. These games also provide additional details on the mid to late Victorian era, tweaked for use in their companion setting. Settings in the listed games range from historical to fantastical. Varying degrees of magic, steampunk tropes, Western European myths and legends, and alternative histories take these settings in wildly different directions. The presence of non-humans like elves, dwarves, orcs, and trolls adds to the fantasy nature of some of these settings. Game Masters are advised to consider carefully any use of companion setting details when choosing a game system. Antipodean Moon's unique attraction as a setting, its tone, drama, and player experience come from its themes, player agency, and focus. Read Antipodean Moon's World Meta before altering the setting. Don't expose game elements to players that unwittingly move Antipodean Moon in another direction. Please consider campaign objectives and player wishes, and change Antipodean Moon deliberately, not accidentally. Unless stated otherwise, the listed role-playing games use their own unique game systems. Items in the table link to the corresponding product on DriveThruRPG.| Setting Date | Title | Publisher | Edition | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1815-1915 | The Kerberos Club - uses the FATE, Savage Worlds, and Wild Talents game systems | Arc Dream Publishing | FATE | 2009 |
| 1815-1915 | GURPS Classic: Steampunk - uses the Generic Universal RolePlaying System (GURPS) | Steve Jackson Games | For 3rd Edition | 2000 |
| 1856 | Victoriana | Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd | 3rd | 2013 |
| 1870 | For Faerie, Queen, & Country Universe Book - uses the Amazing Engine game system | TSR Inc | 1st | 1993 |
| 1870-1890 | Castle Falkenstein | R. Talsorian Games Inc | 1st | 1994 |
| 1870-1899 | Gaslight - uses the 3.5 SRD (OGL), 5e SRD (OGL), and Savage Worlds game systems | Battlefield Press Inc | 2nd - 3.5 SRD OGL | 2015 |
| 1870-1899 | Vis Imperium Victoriana | Brittannia Games Design | 2nd | 2019 |
| 1871 | Steamscapes - uses the Savage Worlds game system | Four in Hand Games | 1st | 2013 |
| 1872 | d20 Past - uses the d20 Modern game system | Wizards of the Coast | 1st | 2005 |
| 1879 | 1879 | Fasa Games Inc | 1st | 2017 |
| 1880-1900 | The Imperial Age - uses the 3.5 SRD (OGL), d20 SRD (OGL), 5e SRD (OGL), and True20 Adventure Roleplaying game systems | Adamant Entertainment | d20 OGL | 2009 |
| 1880-1901 | Victorious - uses the 3.5 SRD (OGL) and Castles & Crusades game systems | Troll Lord Games | 1st | 2016 |
| 1889 | Space 1889 - uses the Ubiquity game system | Clockwork Publishing | 1st | 2014 |
| 1890-1899 | Cthulhu by Gaslight - uses the Call of Cthulhu game system | Chaosium Inc | 7th | 2019 |
| 1896 | Clockwork Dominion | Reliquary Game Studios | 1st | 2013 |
For a comprehensive list of Victoriana and Steampunk RPGs released between 1983 and 2014, see Age of Ravens' excellent history posts.
Virtual Table Top (VTT) Support
Some of the game systems mentioned have strong support across a number of VTTs. World Anvil has character sheets for FATE, Savage Worlds, Wild Talents, GURPS, Castle Falkenstein, 3.5e OGL, 5e OGL, d20 OGL, True20, Castles & Crusades, Ubiquity, and Call of Cthulhu. While not a full-featured VTT, World Anvil's Heroes campaign manager can be used to support a role-playing game. At the time of writing this article:- FATE is supported by Foundry, Roll20, Fantasy Grounds, and Astral TableTop
- Savage Worlds is supported by Foundry, Roll20, and Fantasy Grounds
- the 3.5e and 5e System Reference Documents (SRDs) under their respective Open Gaming Licences (OGLs) are supported by Foundry, Roll20, Fantasy Grounds, and Astral TableTop
- Call of Cthulhu is supported by Foundry, Roll20, Fantasy Grounds, and Astral TableTop
- Wild Talents and Ubiquity are supported by Roll20
- the d20 Modern SRD under its OGL and Castles & Crusades are supported by Fantasy Grounds.
Call of Cthulhu
Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu role-playing game has a Cthulhu by Gaslight option set in the 1890s, primarily in the United Kingdom.Whoever Owns the Land Makes the Rules uses Antipodean Moon as the setting, Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition core rules as the game system, and Cthulhu by Gaslight supplements for period ambience.
Comments