Game: Empire of Satanis
Publisher: Cult of Cthulhu
Series: Empire of Satanis
Reviewer: darrick
Review Dated: 12th, April 2005
Reviewer’s Rating: 10/10 [ Breathtaking ]
Total Score: 11
Average Score: 5.50
Profane Greetings, i am very much associated with this role-playing game, Empire of Satanis. in fact, i’m the author and owner. however, i like to think of EoS as coming from certain forces beyond what we humans know. this is an awesome game, in my opinion, biased though it is. some friends have said that in the rpg Call of Cthulhu, you just can’t win in the long run what with all that insanity and death for your intrepid investigators. well in Satanis, you really can’t lose. you are the foul, mythos-like, alien, demonic entities that wait outside our universe.
From Me:
A role-playing game with the potential for the characters to become horrible and unspeakable Gods, using their weird forms of black magic to enter the human universe and change it forever! This is a Lovecraft inspired RPG where the players have a lot of control over the story and their characters. Contains a Color Sphere of Influence system that determines a character’s personality, style, and spell domain. More than a dozen alien, demonic races – unique in the scifi/fantasy/horror genre. Innovative and dynamic mechanics for motivating characters to do evil and dark acts… also a new system called Story Alteration where players can directly influence the adventure’s path.
From my friend and fellow Playtester, Sam Friedman:
It is the natural evolution of most RPG gamers to rise from simplistic dice-heavy rules-laden games to games that require thought, imagination, and the ability to actually play a role. Satanis is one of the latter, using its flexibility and simply elegant rules to foster character developement and great interation.
Starting from humble beginnings as a dream of darkness, the game developed into an entire world in which one must ask the question “What are good and bad? And if being bad feels so good, who would dare try to stop me!?”
Some say that evil is necessary to define good, and thereby try to turn that evil into some sort of noble rogue. Unlike these attempts to lead fairly “light” games down darker paths which inevitably end up with domesticated demons descended from divine dissidents, Satanis embraces the philosophy that evil defines itself.
After all, once you’ve taken on the role of an other-worldy demonic beast, “good” becomes a disease that must be erased from the universe. And who better suited to the task than You?
Perhaps one of the most entertaining points of Satanis is the motivation: power, horror, control, fear ! It is Your goal to undermine your opponents, establish cults and gain followers who will bow to your will, instill fear in non-believers, eradicate your enemies.
Simple mechanics are truly the driving force by which all these other points become clear. The one draw-back to the simple rules comes in some situations dealing with quanitfying the results of certain actions (just how much damage does a puddle of acid do?) However, this allows the Game Master to add His own flair in describing the result without divulging exact damage numbers. “the foul shambling zombie’s left leg melts off in a bubbling puddle, but he’s still lumbering towards you.” Since players and GM need not worry about cumbersome rules, they have the opportunity to make their character and narrative ability shine.
A great game for slightly more experienced players, as well as for players looking for a quick-to-pick-up game with one of the most unique twists out there!
‘Alam Asfar
(from Forge forum member Paul Czege)Hey Darrick,
“I think definitely you’ve been successful at evoking Lovecraft and Ligotti with your setting. The Vahs-vra are fantastic. The Akturian Heads. The Vihm. The Aquatic Glyphs of the Blood-slicked Sea. The Diabolic fungus armor. Very cool. I envy your raw creativity.”
finally, i’ll leave you with this quote that i overheard, “Empire of Satanis is like Lovecraft in Hell and on Acid!”
find the game on Lulu.com or go to my personal website: http://www.CultofCthulhu.net i have a little bit of EoS content up there now, but should have more very soon!
Gaming Report also gave me a favorable review. if this kind of thing interests you, then cool, it’s dirt cheap and extremely rewarding for all sick, slime-loving, gore-hound freaks of Satanis!
thanks, Darrick Dishaw
