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Unknown Armies
Unknown Armies: Book One: Play
Book One: Play
An occult game about broken people conspiring to fix the world.
It's about getting what you want.
Unknown Armies presents magick as it might exist in a world informed by crime fiction and secret histories, as twisting wrinkles in reality created by greater and greater risk, sacrifice, and obsession. As a player, you are confronted by the consequences of your character's actions, and challenged by the implicit threat of a world shaped by the will of those who want something more than you do.
It's about being relentlessly, hopelessly human.
Book One: Play is the book for players. It details:
Obsession and identity.
All of the rules for resolving actions.
The central shock gauge mechanic.
How to avoid fights, and how to deal with them when you're dragged into them anyway.
The magick of adepts and avatars.
Gorgeous full-color art and layout.
Created by Greg Stolze and John Tynes, Unknown Armies presents an entirely original yet disturbingly familiar approach to mystery, horror, and action in roleplaying games.
An occult game about broken people conspiring to fix the world.
It's about getting what you want.
Unknown Armies presents magick as it might exist in a world informed by crime fiction and secret histories, as twisting wrinkles in reality created by greater and greater risk, sacrifice, and obsession. As a player, you are confronted by the consequences of your character's actions, and challenged by the implicit threat of a world shaped by the will of those who want something more than you do.
It's about being relentlessly, hopelessly human.
Book One: Play is the book for players. It details:
Obsession and identity.
All of the rules for resolving actions.
The central shock gauge mechanic.
How to avoid fights, and how to deal with them when you're dragged into them anyway.
The magick of adepts and avatars.
Gorgeous full-color art and layout.
Created by Greg Stolze and John Tynes, Unknown Armies presents an entirely original yet disturbingly familiar approach to mystery, horror, and action in roleplaying games.
184 pages, ebook
Published January 1, 2017
5 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Greg Stolze
146 books57 followersGreg Stolze (born 1970) is an American novelist and writer, whose work has mainly focused on properties derived from role-playing games.
Stolze has contributed to numerous role-playing game books for White Wolf Game Studio and Atlas Games, including Demon: the Fallen. Some of Stolze's recent work has been self-published using the "ransom method", whereby the game is only released when enough potential buyers have contributed enough money to reach a threshold set by the author.
Together with John Tynes he created and wrote the role-playing game Unknown Armies, published by Atlas Games. He has also co-written the free game NEMESIS, which uses the One-Roll Engine presented in Godlike and the so called Madness Meter derived from Unknown Armies.
Stolze has contributed to numerous role-playing game books for White Wolf Game Studio and Atlas Games, including Demon: the Fallen. Some of Stolze's recent work has been self-published using the "ransom method", whereby the game is only released when enough potential buyers have contributed enough money to reach a threshold set by the author.
Together with John Tynes he created and wrote the role-playing game Unknown Armies, published by Atlas Games. He has also co-written the free game NEMESIS, which uses the One-Roll Engine presented in Godlike and the so called Madness Meter derived from Unknown Armies.
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June 21, 2021
“Unknown Armies” es un juego de rol creado por Greg Stolze y John Tynes. Ambientado en la actualidad, utiliza los miedos más profundos del ser humano y de cada individuo para crear un universo extraño, de horror salvaje y original.
Esta es la tercera edición, que se publicó en Estados Unidos en 2016 por crowdfunding y que Edge ha publicado en castellano el mes pasado. En esta edición, Greg Stolze está tras los textos principales y lo hace jodidamente bien. Tiene un estilo muy particular, tocando la fibra, tus instintos primitivos y con algunas alegorías muy de cultura popular extremadamente acertadas. Stolze plantea con una sencillez pasmosa situaciones, ideas y locuras muy bizarras, pero que encajan perfectamente en esta ambientación y, lamentablemente, en el mundo en el que vivimos.
Esta edición se publicó en formato de tapa dura, dividiendo y expandiendo las anteriores ediciones en tres tomos. Realmente con este libro, ya puedes hacerte una idea de cómo se juega, los conceptos básicos de la ambientación y algunas escuelas de magia. Pero necesitarás los otros dos tomos si quieres profundizar en la preparación de partidas y campañas, o en la ambientación oficial del juego. No son libros baratos, ninguno de ellos. Lamentablemente las tiradas tan limitadas en castellano no lo permiten. Los tres libros originales ya costaban sus 100 dólares en mecenazgo. Así que para alguien que no lo tiene claro, es normal que se resigne a soltar la pasta de primeras. Pero si te llama la atención, siempre puedes leer primero este tomo y probar.
¿De qué va “Unknown Armies”? Pues se parece a muchas cosas. La miniserie “La habitación perdida” es muy UA, con esos objetos tan comunes como un peine o un reloj que concentran esa magia extraña que surge de una experiencia muy traumática. La serie “Carnivale”, los cómics de John Constantine, Predicador: Edición Integral o Los Invisibles: Di que quieres la revolución, la novela American Gods, la saga “Matrix”… Jolín, ¡para mí todas joyas! Tanto en UA como en todas estas ambientaciones (quizá en “Matrix” no), la “magia moderna” y lo paranormal están muy presentes, pero no se les espera. La sociedad no es consciente de ella (su subconsciente sí), solo unos pocos la conocen. Pero esta magia no nace de la nada. Nace de la propia contradicción, de la paradoja del propio individuo y del colectivo global. La gente tiene sus motivaciones, sus penas, sus referentes, sus odios y obsesiones. Y esto es lo que genera la creación subconsciente colectiva de unos arquetipos personificados que engloban los conceptos que mueven la sociedad actual. Y cuando alguien encarna perfectamente, consciente o no, uno de esos arquetipos, tiene muchas posibilidades de desaparecer de este plano terrenal y formar parte del Clero Invisible, donde su poder moverá los hilos de nuestro plano, hasta que otro individuo lo suplante porque es mejor encarnación de su arquetipo o haya 333 arquetipos diferentes en el Clero Invisible. En ese caso, todo se irá a la mierda y la sociedad tal y como la conocemos se reiniciará de nuevo, como ya ha pasado otras veces. Pon por el medio avatares terrenales próximos a esos arquetipos y que mueven poder mágico que destila su virtud. O adeptos, que rinden un culto obsesivo a las armas, la ropa o el cine y a cambio reciben algo de esa magia tan rara que hacen. Algunos pocos han descubierto cómo hacer magia vulgar. Todo el resto del mundo, la gran mayoría, no sabemos nada de eso y formaremos, como borregos, parte de sus guerras de poder e influencia casi sin saberlo. Esto es, a groso modo, UA.
Que sí, es una cosa extrañísima. Pero en eso está su gran virtud. Stolze da ideas infinitas para conflictos que juega con los pilares personales de tus personajes. Lo que les mueve son su personalidad, sus pasiones y sus obsesiones. En un mundo tan extraño, peligroso y desconocido como este, lo peor que te puede pasar no es que te peguen un tiro a través de una pared de hormigón con un metro de grosor o que te teletrasporten al interior de un maletero en el fondo de un lago. Lo peor sería obsesionarte con algo y acabar estudiando tus propios excrementos.
Volviendo al libro, “Juega” tiene un poco de todo: creación de personajes, reglas, ambientación y magia. Pero siendo objetivos, en este manual casi todo son reglas y ejemplos. La ambientación viene explicada, en plan resumen. Pero para alguien profano, aunque hay muchas ideas de por dónde tirar, igual acaba creando una ambientación no de todo fiel a lo que Stolze tiene en su cabeza. Y sería muy normal, porque Stolze es tan original y retorcido que cualquier cosa que imagines parece que se queda a años luz de sus planteamientos, reflexiones metafísicas o sentimentales. También se esboza cómo debe plantearse una partida de UA, donde los jugadores deben consensuar un objetivo común para sus personajes y que deben desarrollar si lo consiguen o no en las sesiones de juego. Estos objetivos pueden ir desde “Queremos eliminar a Jeremy”, “Queremos que el Mercadona de nuestro barrio sea de nuestra propiedad” o “Queremos que Estados Unidos sea la única potencia comunista del mundo”. Obviamente hay un abismo entre ambos. O no.
El reglamento no es demasiado complejo. Usa sistema de percentiles y características que se basan en cinco conceptos básicos que mueven y definen las vivencias del personaje: los dementómetros. Nuestra identidad define muchas de las cosas que podemos o no hacer. Pero en general, es un sistema muy narrativo que permite que los personajes incorporen muchas cosas a la historia gracias a la elasticidad que ofrecen muchos de los conceptos que contempla el juego.
En general, este juego me parece un flipe. Tenía muchas ganas de que esta edición llegara en castellano. He de reconocer que este libro, con tanta regla y menos ambientación, se me ha hecho a veces pesado. Pero sigue teniendo ocurrencias e ideas muy originales que lo valen todo. En breve me pondré con el segundo tomo: “Dirige”.
Esta es la tercera edición, que se publicó en Estados Unidos en 2016 por crowdfunding y que Edge ha publicado en castellano el mes pasado. En esta edición, Greg Stolze está tras los textos principales y lo hace jodidamente bien. Tiene un estilo muy particular, tocando la fibra, tus instintos primitivos y con algunas alegorías muy de cultura popular extremadamente acertadas. Stolze plantea con una sencillez pasmosa situaciones, ideas y locuras muy bizarras, pero que encajan perfectamente en esta ambientación y, lamentablemente, en el mundo en el que vivimos.
Esta edición se publicó en formato de tapa dura, dividiendo y expandiendo las anteriores ediciones en tres tomos. Realmente con este libro, ya puedes hacerte una idea de cómo se juega, los conceptos básicos de la ambientación y algunas escuelas de magia. Pero necesitarás los otros dos tomos si quieres profundizar en la preparación de partidas y campañas, o en la ambientación oficial del juego. No son libros baratos, ninguno de ellos. Lamentablemente las tiradas tan limitadas en castellano no lo permiten. Los tres libros originales ya costaban sus 100 dólares en mecenazgo. Así que para alguien que no lo tiene claro, es normal que se resigne a soltar la pasta de primeras. Pero si te llama la atención, siempre puedes leer primero este tomo y probar.
¿De qué va “Unknown Armies”? Pues se parece a muchas cosas. La miniserie “La habitación perdida” es muy UA, con esos objetos tan comunes como un peine o un reloj que concentran esa magia extraña que surge de una experiencia muy traumática. La serie “Carnivale”, los cómics de John Constantine, Predicador: Edición Integral o Los Invisibles: Di que quieres la revolución, la novela American Gods, la saga “Matrix”… Jolín, ¡para mí todas joyas! Tanto en UA como en todas estas ambientaciones (quizá en “Matrix” no), la “magia moderna” y lo paranormal están muy presentes, pero no se les espera. La sociedad no es consciente de ella (su subconsciente sí), solo unos pocos la conocen. Pero esta magia no nace de la nada. Nace de la propia contradicción, de la paradoja del propio individuo y del colectivo global. La gente tiene sus motivaciones, sus penas, sus referentes, sus odios y obsesiones. Y esto es lo que genera la creación subconsciente colectiva de unos arquetipos personificados que engloban los conceptos que mueven la sociedad actual. Y cuando alguien encarna perfectamente, consciente o no, uno de esos arquetipos, tiene muchas posibilidades de desaparecer de este plano terrenal y formar parte del Clero Invisible, donde su poder moverá los hilos de nuestro plano, hasta que otro individuo lo suplante porque es mejor encarnación de su arquetipo o haya 333 arquetipos diferentes en el Clero Invisible. En ese caso, todo se irá a la mierda y la sociedad tal y como la conocemos se reiniciará de nuevo, como ya ha pasado otras veces. Pon por el medio avatares terrenales próximos a esos arquetipos y que mueven poder mágico que destila su virtud. O adeptos, que rinden un culto obsesivo a las armas, la ropa o el cine y a cambio reciben algo de esa magia tan rara que hacen. Algunos pocos han descubierto cómo hacer magia vulgar. Todo el resto del mundo, la gran mayoría, no sabemos nada de eso y formaremos, como borregos, parte de sus guerras de poder e influencia casi sin saberlo. Esto es, a groso modo, UA.
Que sí, es una cosa extrañísima. Pero en eso está su gran virtud. Stolze da ideas infinitas para conflictos que juega con los pilares personales de tus personajes. Lo que les mueve son su personalidad, sus pasiones y sus obsesiones. En un mundo tan extraño, peligroso y desconocido como este, lo peor que te puede pasar no es que te peguen un tiro a través de una pared de hormigón con un metro de grosor o que te teletrasporten al interior de un maletero en el fondo de un lago. Lo peor sería obsesionarte con algo y acabar estudiando tus propios excrementos.
Volviendo al libro, “Juega” tiene un poco de todo: creación de personajes, reglas, ambientación y magia. Pero siendo objetivos, en este manual casi todo son reglas y ejemplos. La ambientación viene explicada, en plan resumen. Pero para alguien profano, aunque hay muchas ideas de por dónde tirar, igual acaba creando una ambientación no de todo fiel a lo que Stolze tiene en su cabeza. Y sería muy normal, porque Stolze es tan original y retorcido que cualquier cosa que imagines parece que se queda a años luz de sus planteamientos, reflexiones metafísicas o sentimentales. También se esboza cómo debe plantearse una partida de UA, donde los jugadores deben consensuar un objetivo común para sus personajes y que deben desarrollar si lo consiguen o no en las sesiones de juego. Estos objetivos pueden ir desde “Queremos eliminar a Jeremy”, “Queremos que el Mercadona de nuestro barrio sea de nuestra propiedad” o “Queremos que Estados Unidos sea la única potencia comunista del mundo”. Obviamente hay un abismo entre ambos. O no.
El reglamento no es demasiado complejo. Usa sistema de percentiles y características que se basan en cinco conceptos básicos que mueven y definen las vivencias del personaje: los dementómetros. Nuestra identidad define muchas de las cosas que podemos o no hacer. Pero en general, es un sistema muy narrativo que permite que los personajes incorporen muchas cosas a la historia gracias a la elasticidad que ofrecen muchos de los conceptos que contempla el juego.
En general, este juego me parece un flipe. Tenía muchas ganas de que esta edición llegara en castellano. He de reconocer que este libro, con tanta regla y menos ambientación, se me ha hecho a veces pesado. Pero sigue teniendo ocurrencias e ideas muy originales que lo valen todo. En breve me pondré con el segundo tomo: “Dirige”.
March 14, 2018
Before people get mad about my three star rating (which still means I liked it by the way) let me explain some things first. I tend to not be a fan of stories, movies, and RPGs where there is magic in a modern setting. Psychic and mutate powers I'm fine with, magic not so much. I do have a couple of rare exceptions, such as the Delta Green RPG (which was coincidentally written by the same author of this game) and almost anything Lovecraft themed. I am not saying there is anything wrong with the magic in modern times genre, its just not my thing.
Now unto Unknown Armies 3rd Edition. So despite my involvement in playing a variety of RPGs for over three decades, I had never heard of Unknown Armies until the Kickstarter campaign for the 3rd edition. The premise of the game, the dark themes, and the unorthodox take on magic was quite intriguing. So intriguing that I started listening to actual plays of the game, reading reviews of the game and looking at some of the game mechanics. Now granted this material was all 1st and 2nd edition stuff but it was enough to convince me to pledge to the Kickstarter, and I went all out, selecting the pledge level to get the new books as well as PDFs of all of the old books. So I have finally finished reading the first of the three main 3rd edition books and while I'm not going to go into a breakdown of the game mechanics and content (there are plenty of online reviews and YouTube reviews on those), I thought that I would share a few thoughts of my impressions thus far after reading only the first book, but still having not yet played a game (though I hope to convince my gaming group to give this a shot).
I found the setting and the fluff quite interesting and could see how this could inspire a really strange, dark, and totally mysterious (and off-the-wall) campaign. I also like the Shock meters mechanic. Being a big fan of the Dark Heresy RPG, I see the Shock Meters as a better version of the Insanity and Corruption mechanic in Dark Heresy. I enjoy the Identity mechanics (the "I'm a ___, of course I can ____" were a great way to establish a character's Identity) and the percentile rolling mechanics with the addition of the matched failures, successes and critical failures and successes works well and includes a little method to introduce a performance story-effect based on the roll.
What I did not like were the limited Avatar and Adept-types. The types that I had heard about when I originally researched the game, and found really intriguing, to decide to back the Kickstarter or not where in the older additions. These don't seem to be included in this book, but rather new types were included in 3rd edition. New is always welcomed but I really like some of the types in the older books. True I could port them to this addition (and the author even explains a process of making new types) but I really wished they would have converted some of the old types to 3rd edition (guess I'm a little lazy).
My last concern (a minor one because a good GM and a good group of players should be able to make an enjoyable game out of any system with enough understanding and house rules if needed), is I worry that some of the Adept-types might be opposing if within the same player group and some of the Avatar-types seem better suited to run groups of followers (which the other PCs might not be interested in playing characters for this role because they want their own characters to shine a bit). I kinda see PCs pursuing these magic-based tracks as working better in a one or two player game because they can focus on their needs, assertions, etc. more without bogging down other PCs who have their own goals, or because of the in-party fighting that might occur. I'm hoping the other books will give tips on how to handle this issue.
Overall, it appears to be a great setting, an intriguing game and the production value of the books are great. I'm glad I participated in the Kickstarter and hope to play a game of Unknown Armies.
Now unto Unknown Armies 3rd Edition. So despite my involvement in playing a variety of RPGs for over three decades, I had never heard of Unknown Armies until the Kickstarter campaign for the 3rd edition. The premise of the game, the dark themes, and the unorthodox take on magic was quite intriguing. So intriguing that I started listening to actual plays of the game, reading reviews of the game and looking at some of the game mechanics. Now granted this material was all 1st and 2nd edition stuff but it was enough to convince me to pledge to the Kickstarter, and I went all out, selecting the pledge level to get the new books as well as PDFs of all of the old books. So I have finally finished reading the first of the three main 3rd edition books and while I'm not going to go into a breakdown of the game mechanics and content (there are plenty of online reviews and YouTube reviews on those), I thought that I would share a few thoughts of my impressions thus far after reading only the first book, but still having not yet played a game (though I hope to convince my gaming group to give this a shot).
I found the setting and the fluff quite interesting and could see how this could inspire a really strange, dark, and totally mysterious (and off-the-wall) campaign. I also like the Shock meters mechanic. Being a big fan of the Dark Heresy RPG, I see the Shock Meters as a better version of the Insanity and Corruption mechanic in Dark Heresy. I enjoy the Identity mechanics (the "I'm a ___, of course I can ____" were a great way to establish a character's Identity) and the percentile rolling mechanics with the addition of the matched failures, successes and critical failures and successes works well and includes a little method to introduce a performance story-effect based on the roll.
What I did not like were the limited Avatar and Adept-types. The types that I had heard about when I originally researched the game, and found really intriguing, to decide to back the Kickstarter or not where in the older additions. These don't seem to be included in this book, but rather new types were included in 3rd edition. New is always welcomed but I really like some of the types in the older books. True I could port them to this addition (and the author even explains a process of making new types) but I really wished they would have converted some of the old types to 3rd edition (guess I'm a little lazy).
My last concern (a minor one because a good GM and a good group of players should be able to make an enjoyable game out of any system with enough understanding and house rules if needed), is I worry that some of the Adept-types might be opposing if within the same player group and some of the Avatar-types seem better suited to run groups of followers (which the other PCs might not be interested in playing characters for this role because they want their own characters to shine a bit). I kinda see PCs pursuing these magic-based tracks as working better in a one or two player game because they can focus on their needs, assertions, etc. more without bogging down other PCs who have their own goals, or because of the in-party fighting that might occur. I'm hoping the other books will give tips on how to handle this issue.
Overall, it appears to be a great setting, an intriguing game and the production value of the books are great. I'm glad I participated in the Kickstarter and hope to play a game of Unknown Armies.
January 28, 2018
Unknown Armies is back, and it's better than ever*!
*opinions may vary.
*opinions may vary.
May 10, 2021
Unknown Armies is interesting. Its about people nearing the end of their ropes trying to make a difference in the world after they've had a peak behind the curtains the reality. There is no god, there is only the heights of human aspiration. The Invisible Clergy are the highest powers, populated by people who have come to embody different archetypes that embody the human condition. If a given archetype (such as The Teacher or The Mother) becomes important enough to the human collective unconscious, the person who best embodies that archetypes ascends to the invisible clergy. If the invisible clergy ever numbers 333 archetypes, they coalesce into a one godlike being, the universe is unmade, and this being refashions according to the archetypes that make it up.
It's a heavy mythos.
And there's magic. Or, rather, 'magick.' Much like the archetypes, magic is also fueled by the human condition. Believing in something strong enough can give you powers where that belief resides. These philosophies, of sorts, also grow out of human aspirations, for lack of a better word, humans believe in the power of guns. So there is magickal power to be had in guns. Magick also grows out of paradoxes and, in that case, one of the essential paradoxes is that guns have a greater symbolic power and so some followers of this path risk losing the magickal currency they've stored up if they ever debase that symbolism by using a gun as a weapon. Magick can also be used ritually. These rituals work due to metaphorical and symbolic meanings that allow them to alter reality. Some rituals can be conducted if you tie the metaphor between yourself, your target, and the effect together strongly enough and just believe hard enough in it.
It's a lot.
The mechanics feel a bit out of touch. The character creation and rules are explained over a fair number of pages. But the "player's handbook" of the game doesn't include a character sheet which would have really, really helped to follow along with the rules. The mechanics center around gauges which oppose. As some part of your psyche is attacked, it gets hardened and it becomes easier to absorb future shocks to it but you lose some of your humanity. The use of gauges is an inherently visual way of organizing this information I just wish I had a better way to follow along. I think in practice it will work out. But on the initial read it was difficult to wrap my head around.
The interior art is great. Most of it is photographic and many of these photos are framed in a voyeuristic style. A subject who stands out in an odd way, taken from a distance, seemingly unnoticed. Others are used as a motif of portraits tacked to a wall. The kind of pictures a paranoia conspiracy theorist would take. Just like the characters of Unknown Armies. You can almost see the red yarn connecting disparate individuals. Others images hold a visceral power to them evoking strong emotions. The flavor text sections are also fantastic, charting the path in to occult of the narrator. Beginning with a drunken party where a fellow guest shows them a liquid that can cause inanimate objects to hallucinate and proceeding to the murder of an archenemy. For the third time. In the middle of this, there is a massive shift in reality (I took this to be the result of the Invisible Clergy reaching its threshold and reality being remade) that changes everything. But the characters are far too broken and take their revenge for a third, and hopefully, final time.
This really illustrates what Unknown Armies characters are built for. In the recreated reality one of the characters is given back everything he'd lost in the last iteration.. but abandons it all to kill that enemy one more time. Even when all logic and reason would tell them not to, they persist anyway even unto their own damnation.
It's a heavy mythos.
And there's magic. Or, rather, 'magick.' Much like the archetypes, magic is also fueled by the human condition. Believing in something strong enough can give you powers where that belief resides. These philosophies, of sorts, also grow out of human aspirations, for lack of a better word, humans believe in the power of guns. So there is magickal power to be had in guns. Magick also grows out of paradoxes and, in that case, one of the essential paradoxes is that guns have a greater symbolic power and so some followers of this path risk losing the magickal currency they've stored up if they ever debase that symbolism by using a gun as a weapon. Magick can also be used ritually. These rituals work due to metaphorical and symbolic meanings that allow them to alter reality. Some rituals can be conducted if you tie the metaphor between yourself, your target, and the effect together strongly enough and just believe hard enough in it.
It's a lot.
The mechanics feel a bit out of touch. The character creation and rules are explained over a fair number of pages. But the "player's handbook" of the game doesn't include a character sheet which would have really, really helped to follow along with the rules. The mechanics center around gauges which oppose. As some part of your psyche is attacked, it gets hardened and it becomes easier to absorb future shocks to it but you lose some of your humanity. The use of gauges is an inherently visual way of organizing this information I just wish I had a better way to follow along. I think in practice it will work out. But on the initial read it was difficult to wrap my head around.
The interior art is great. Most of it is photographic and many of these photos are framed in a voyeuristic style. A subject who stands out in an odd way, taken from a distance, seemingly unnoticed. Others are used as a motif of portraits tacked to a wall. The kind of pictures a paranoia conspiracy theorist would take. Just like the characters of Unknown Armies. You can almost see the red yarn connecting disparate individuals. Others images hold a visceral power to them evoking strong emotions. The flavor text sections are also fantastic, charting the path in to occult of the narrator. Beginning with a drunken party where a fellow guest shows them a liquid that can cause inanimate objects to hallucinate and proceeding to the murder of an archenemy. For the third time. In the middle of this, there is a massive shift in reality (I took this to be the result of the Invisible Clergy reaching its threshold and reality being remade) that changes everything. But the characters are far too broken and take their revenge for a third, and hopefully, final time.
This really illustrates what Unknown Armies characters are built for. In the recreated reality one of the characters is given back everything he'd lost in the last iteration.. but abandons it all to kill that enemy one more time. Even when all logic and reason would tell them not to, they persist anyway even unto their own damnation.
January 29, 2019
That's a conditional four star rating based on how the other two core books read and - inshallah - play at the table. Written in what is at times a painfully hip style, Unknown Armies is nonetheless a pretty great modern horror RPG with the stated design goal of "Clive Barker meets James Ellroy". The system is very much optimised for its particular cosmology and brand of reality-bending magick, which means it is by design rather abstract and broad, which will irk some. Still, this *feels* right - weird and gritty and unsettling. Probably the best modern horror RPG I've looked at since Night's Black Agents.
Read
April 3, 2022I have acquired and read the 3rd edition of one of my favorite games: Unknown Armies.
As I sort of got from reviews, UA3 has pared down some of the overwhelming detail on characters and institutions that sometimes made UA feel constricting. The game is now very player-driven, with character creation being part of world creation: you set your goal and some of your obstacles while creating your cabal. The game is also updated from the early 2000s to now, with some notes on how things have changed: if you're a videomancer into watching a show, Netflix has changed what that means for you; billionaire Alex Abel who used to run the New Inquisition had a massive set-back, which makes it less of a force in the world (unless your goals happen to go across it); and the old word for someone with occult power--"duke"--has largely been dropped for new lingo, etc.
Perhaps the most interesting change is how character skills are now tightly tied to your trauma meters rather than being two separate systems.
And now this is a trick you can really only pull with a game that has a preexisting fanbase, but thanks to kickstarter preorders, they basically made one big book but split into three: a guide to the game for players; a guide to running for the game master (which is the only book where any examples really show up, which I was feeling the lack of in book 1); and a guide to the weirdness that might be in the world. What I really like about that third book is how modular it feels, since partly it is just a small encyclopedia--arranged alphabetically even--of weirdness that you can choose to use or not, which really emphasizes how much this is supposed to be your game.
The only real negative I find in this book (other than the lack of enough examples in book one) is that the artwork isn't quite compelling, but seems like stock photos of people. It actually reminds me of some of the art in the recent Vampire book, and similarly feels mundane. In a bad way.
As I sort of got from reviews, UA3 has pared down some of the overwhelming detail on characters and institutions that sometimes made UA feel constricting. The game is now very player-driven, with character creation being part of world creation: you set your goal and some of your obstacles while creating your cabal. The game is also updated from the early 2000s to now, with some notes on how things have changed: if you're a videomancer into watching a show, Netflix has changed what that means for you; billionaire Alex Abel who used to run the New Inquisition had a massive set-back, which makes it less of a force in the world (unless your goals happen to go across it); and the old word for someone with occult power--"duke"--has largely been dropped for new lingo, etc.
Perhaps the most interesting change is how character skills are now tightly tied to your trauma meters rather than being two separate systems.
And now this is a trick you can really only pull with a game that has a preexisting fanbase, but thanks to kickstarter preorders, they basically made one big book but split into three: a guide to the game for players; a guide to running for the game master (which is the only book where any examples really show up, which I was feeling the lack of in book 1); and a guide to the weirdness that might be in the world. What I really like about that third book is how modular it feels, since partly it is just a small encyclopedia--arranged alphabetically even--of weirdness that you can choose to use or not, which really emphasizes how much this is supposed to be your game.
The only real negative I find in this book (other than the lack of enough examples in book one) is that the artwork isn't quite compelling, but seems like stock photos of people. It actually reminds me of some of the art in the recent Vampire book, and similarly feels mundane. In a bad way.
June 11, 2019
Review after reading, not playing, the book/game.
A few years ago this would have been an easy 5 star book, but I have read quite afew RPG the last couple of years so my five stars are further between (also as the core books are divided to three books, some of my "problems" might get sortet in the later books, that I have still to read).
But there is much to love here. First, I really like the writing. It feels more like a discussion then a rulebook, something that felt fresh to me. But they still manage to do most things understandeble. I also like the twerks you can do with the dice when you follow Your passions. As this is a Nice way to make the rules help you/force you to roleplay your character in character. The combat chapter is also relly good. Combat should in a "normal" world be your last option, not the defult option. Lastly, there is a hell of a lot of really interesting ideas in the game about magic, how it work With human passions and so on. I like that idea. All to often in RPG Magic is like math. Do A+B to get C. This is a much more interesting way to veiw Magic.
The main problem I have With the system is what I shall do With it. Things I think/hope get answerd in book 2, Run. It is probably easy to run with normal characters, and probably with ritual Magic types. But that is not why I would want to play this game. Its the avatars and adepts that are the interesting part of this game. But how the hell/why the hell do you get 4-5 of them to work together? I have a feeling that there will be a lot of GM work to be done to tweek adventures/campaings to work with a specific bunch of crazy ass magicans. I think it can be a lot of fun, but I also think it might be a lot of work.
So a strong 4 stars, that might jump up to a 5 after reading book 2 and 3 (and 4 and 5). And then we will see when I have a chanse to run it.
A few years ago this would have been an easy 5 star book, but I have read quite afew RPG the last couple of years so my five stars are further between (also as the core books are divided to three books, some of my "problems" might get sortet in the later books, that I have still to read).
But there is much to love here. First, I really like the writing. It feels more like a discussion then a rulebook, something that felt fresh to me. But they still manage to do most things understandeble. I also like the twerks you can do with the dice when you follow Your passions. As this is a Nice way to make the rules help you/force you to roleplay your character in character. The combat chapter is also relly good. Combat should in a "normal" world be your last option, not the defult option. Lastly, there is a hell of a lot of really interesting ideas in the game about magic, how it work With human passions and so on. I like that idea. All to often in RPG Magic is like math. Do A+B to get C. This is a much more interesting way to veiw Magic.
The main problem I have With the system is what I shall do With it. Things I think/hope get answerd in book 2, Run. It is probably easy to run with normal characters, and probably with ritual Magic types. But that is not why I would want to play this game. Its the avatars and adepts that are the interesting part of this game. But how the hell/why the hell do you get 4-5 of them to work together? I have a feeling that there will be a lot of GM work to be done to tweek adventures/campaings to work with a specific bunch of crazy ass magicans. I think it can be a lot of fun, but I also think it might be a lot of work.
So a strong 4 stars, that might jump up to a 5 after reading book 2 and 3 (and 4 and 5). And then we will see when I have a chanse to run it.
June 15, 2023
La idea del juego en sí misma me ha encantado y tiene muchísimo potencial, pero me desconcierta mucho la forma en la que han decidido presentarlo. Este primer libro abre soltando un chaparrón de reglas pero en ningún momento hace lo que sería esperable: mostrarte la hoja de personaje para ayudarte a encajar todo lo que te cuenta. Le pasa lo mismo con el trasfondo y ambientación, al que se llega tras un trayecto abrupto de tiradas de dados y sistemas: es interesantísimo pero se queda bastante corto. De hecho uno empieza a disfrutar realmente el libro cuando empieza a mostrar su mundo, sus ideas sobre la realidad y la magia y pone ejemplos de Arquetipos y Escuelas de magia... y de repente se acaba. Entiendo que hayan querido dejar espacio para el segundo y tercer libro (patrimonio del narrador), pero queda todo un pelín cojo. Aún así me ha abierto el apetito lo suficiente como para querer saber más e ir a por los dos libros siguientes.
June 21, 2018
Disclaimer: I have only read the book, not actually played the game.
UA is back, and it is as good as I remembered it. On the surface, the game is pretty much the same, with an improved stress system that now makes UA just as much as a game where you hurt other people psychologically than about hurting them physically. As before, you are still going to be on the receiving side of both.
The world is a familiar one, but I think is actually a new one... Dirk Allen, Renata Dakota and the sort are still around, and so are some old archetypes: the mother, the true king, the warrior...But a lot of them are new, and the schools of magick are completely new, or almost: more pop culture oriented in this internet age of ours.
As before, an excellent RPG to have and to read, even if you never play it.
UA is back, and it is as good as I remembered it. On the surface, the game is pretty much the same, with an improved stress system that now makes UA just as much as a game where you hurt other people psychologically than about hurting them physically. As before, you are still going to be on the receiving side of both.
The world is a familiar one, but I think is actually a new one... Dirk Allen, Renata Dakota and the sort are still around, and so are some old archetypes: the mother, the true king, the warrior...But a lot of them are new, and the schools of magick are completely new, or almost: more pop culture oriented in this internet age of ours.
As before, an excellent RPG to have and to read, even if you never play it.
April 5, 2021
Seems like a cool setting, but I didn't really feel like I understand how to play the game. The explanations of the rules are fairly disorganised, and although I feel like actually starting to play it would clarify a lot of the mechanics, I'm not sure I'd even know where to begin if I were trying to run a game. Obviously this is only the player's rules and book two covers the GM's side of things, but even as a player I don't really get what kind of adventures you're supposed to have or what you actually do.
June 19, 2020
Once again, a weird and wonderful modern fantasy entry from Atlas Games. I love that the focus is pulled away from physical confrontation and put on psychological tension, instead. Let's face it, violence is rarely the right answer in modern life, and that should be the same in modern fantasy.
Plus, when a punk with a pocket knife if a legitimate danger, it makes gribbly horrors legitimately terrifying. 5/5, would anyone like to play it?
Plus, when a punk with a pocket knife if a legitimate danger, it makes gribbly horrors legitimately terrifying. 5/5, would anyone like to play it?
November 4, 2019
Just reading this rulebook (it's so much more than a rulebook) fills my head with story and character ideas! I'd love to play this some time. Alas, I haven't gotten it to the table yet.
The author's informal, clever style makes this a pleasure to read, and gives one confidence that this wouldn't be a hard game to run.
The author's informal, clever style makes this a pleasure to read, and gives one confidence that this wouldn't be a hard game to run.
February 13, 2021
My favorite RPG of all time in it's most complete form. A minor gripe might be the cross referencing across five tomes, two of which are only available in digital form, but whom am I kidding, I LOVE cross referencing!
October 28, 2021
Unknown armies 3rd edition changes how a few things work from 2nd (namely how skills and madness work), but other parts of the book are copied directly from the previous edition. Lots of neat ideas here, although this game (any edition) might be crunchier than what I generally like to play.
December 21, 2022
Player-facing book for what is for most purposes the definitive edition of the game. Full review: https://refereeingandreflection.wordp...
April 18, 2025
Interesting ideas, presented in a really frustrating way. I basically had to read it three times then use AI to distill the usable rules into some accessible format. I will still go ahead and run a game of it though.
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