ATypicalFaux has version 0.2 of the playtest of VERSE Quickstart on DriveThruRPG.
It’s not new and has been sitting in my to-look-at pile for a while, and I’m glad I did. In that time, VERSE has picked up a 4-star review, but I haven’t seen any new products from Jordan Boschman.
VERSE is one of those RPGs that use the NSR/OSR tag, which seems to mean the best of new and old school and often results in rules-light but narrative-minded games.
It’s a player-driven system about explorers crossing dimensions as the universes merge worryingly, and the PCs are the only ones who can seem to see this happening.
The system supports multi-classing up to four classes to create characters as eccentric as the merging universes. A separate sample adventure called Tomb of the Serpent Kings is already out.
We’re told the game is built on systems like Cairn/Into the Odd, Knave, and Trophy Gold, with a touch of PbtA sensibility sprinkled in.
Given that the game supports extreme multi-tasking, it makes sense to look at those classes;
- Awakened W.A.R.R.I.O.R.: an injection-moulded mercenary made of mechanically separated meat products
- Decomp: a zombie from a world where the undead are the best poets
- Mountain Freighters Crew: a warm, jovial team of logistics experts carting their wagon wherever they go
- Ovipar & Child: a small parent and its egg, mystically bound as inseparable partners
- Park Ranger: part helpful nature guide, part surprisingly capable survivalist
- Possessed Orbuculum: a crystal ball with a head stuck inside, with the magic that entails
- Postdoc Researcher: stressed, struggling, and scrambling to apply their specialized knowledge
- Proxy: a humanoid surrogate device controlled remotely by various unknown operators
- Sold JER™: an overbearing, peace-keeping robot struggling to understand the nuances of justice with only intermittent data from its command centre
- War Fae: a vicious, agile combatant from the fairy peoples, or perhaps, an insect posing as one
Well! I think that sample paints a pretty clear picture of the vibe of the VERSE!
There are three PDFs in the free (or recommended price of $0.00 and pay what you want) download. There are character sheets, the class book and the 50 or so pages of rules.
While the cover is illustrated, there’s no other art in the core rules, but it’s well laid out and cleverly uses tables.
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