It’s not normal to see a company releasing a set of free rules and then appointing a lead writer. If free rules happen at all; the writer normally comes first. So what’s going on with Modiphius and Mutant Chronicles? We know they raised a stack of cash in Kickstarter. I called the francise a sleeping giant then. I think that’s right. This is the giant about to wake up.
You can download the Mutant Chronicles 3rd Edition open beta rules for free. At least, you can do so at the time this blog post went live.
How come? This current version of Mutant Chronicles is part of an open playtest. It’s a chance for fans, old and new, to get involved. It’s a chance to grab the core-core rules for free.
Mutant Chronicles was big enough to be turned into a film. It’s an RPG (and wargame) in which mankind awoke an evil powerful enough to turn technologist against its creators. Mischa Thomas, of Cold and Dark fame is also now the lead writer of Mutant Chronicles Dark Legion. So grab your free copy, while you can, and catch up in this micro Q&A in which we ask some pretty basic questions. Questions like; what’s the difference between Mutant Chronicles and Mutant Chronicles Dark Legion?
Right now there’s a download called “Mutant Chronicles 3rd Edition Free Open Beta” on DriveThru RPG which, as the name suggest, is free. Is this going to be free forever? If you have this will you still need the 400-page core rules?
It will be available only during the Beta test period and is based on the current Beta rules which will be changing before the launch of the core rules. Once we launch the core rules we’ll create a new quick play guide that gives you just the basic rules to test the system. Of course the quick play does not include character generation, the full Dark Symmetry pool, equipment, sanity and terror, corruption system, creatures, powers, all the setting info and much more.
Is Mutant Chronicles Dark Legion and Mutant Chronicles the RPG the same thing?
The Mutant Chronicles Dark Legion book was the second setting, (during the era of the 1st & 2nd edition RPG) and has now been included in the core book.
If the beta rules are already available what does the role of lead writer for Mutant Chronicles Dark Legion entail?
Lead writer for the Dark Legion involves developing all the storyline around the Dark Legion force itself, the foul Dark Soul, the Dark Apostles and their Heretic cults, the worlds they come from, their powers and equipment. For me it’s kind of a childhood dream to work on this project. I was about twelve when I first played Mutant Chronicles and it was the first RPG book I actually bought.
When I was Game Mastering Mutant Chronicles back then it always took on an even darker tone. I liked the thought of investigating morbid ritual slayings in the back alleys of Luna. I also came up with a host of new dark creatures. And now I get a chance to make some of these concepts a part of the new edition. As the timeline has been expanded there is now the possibility to play just as the dark symmetry rises. At this point the Brotherhood doesn’t exist and horrid creatures are still considered to be a rumor. So I get to present a more subtle side of the Dark Legion and the Symmetry as well as the more overt aspects such as the citadels and Nepharites. And a lot of time have also been spent on fleshing out all of the Apostles, adding new and different creatures and motives.
There is a lot of tension between Ilian, the most powerful of the Apostles, and her brothers. This is also a concept that is being addressed and it will be fully explored in the Dark Soul.
Want to take part? Not too late? Grab your free copy of Mutant Chronicles 3rd Edition now.
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