What do you think?
Rate this book
Electric Bastionland
Bastion - The Electric Hub of Mankind
The only city that matters. Too big to fall, too complicated to function. A mess of alleyways, legalese and crowds. Aliens, Mockeries and People always in your way and your business.
Everybody’s here.
Everything is here.
In Deep Country, the land stretches forever. The long shadow of our embarrassing past. Villages rot away, trees don’t bother to flower anymore, and the potato is eaten cold from the ground. Things were better before. Better before Bastion.
In the Underground are impossible tunnels beneath time and space. Devious machines release their creations into the corridors. All while the twisting network grows and touches everything. Connects everything. You can get anywhere, but there’s always a challenge.
You have a failed career and a colossal debt.
Treasure is your only option.
A spark of hope in Electric Bastionland.
Electric Bastionland is a roleplaying game written by Chris McDowall, author of the critically-acclaimed Into The Odd. It uses and expands upon the systems developed in Into The Odd, resulting in a rules-set that’s easy to run as a Referee and even easier to play. It’s not a sourcebook or an expansion - it’s a standalone journey into an unknowable world.
The only city that matters. Too big to fall, too complicated to function. A mess of alleyways, legalese and crowds. Aliens, Mockeries and People always in your way and your business.
Everybody’s here.
Everything is here.
In Deep Country, the land stretches forever. The long shadow of our embarrassing past. Villages rot away, trees don’t bother to flower anymore, and the potato is eaten cold from the ground. Things were better before. Better before Bastion.
In the Underground are impossible tunnels beneath time and space. Devious machines release their creations into the corridors. All while the twisting network grows and touches everything. Connects everything. You can get anywhere, but there’s always a challenge.
You have a failed career and a colossal debt.
Treasure is your only option.
A spark of hope in Electric Bastionland.
Electric Bastionland is a roleplaying game written by Chris McDowall, author of the critically-acclaimed Into The Odd. It uses and expands upon the systems developed in Into The Odd, resulting in a rules-set that’s easy to run as a Referee and even easier to play. It’s not a sourcebook or an expansion - it’s a standalone journey into an unknowable world.
333 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2020
6 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 23, 2023
In the wake of the upcoming Mythic Bastionland revisited this small gem of TTRPGs.
Still standing, still great)
Still standing, still great)
May 8, 2020
TL;DR: Electric Bastionland is a quality roleplaying game with high production values, great art and clean layout. The game engine is simple and could be picked up in a few minutes. The setting is inspiring and interesting and feels unique. There is some really focussed writing and guidance and the game presents a great opportunity for an enjoyable session or mini-campaign. There is a lot packed into the guidance around the game world and I think I'd need to reflect on it further before running it.
Electrical Bastionland is Chris McDowall's successor project to his well-liked 'Into the Odd'. However, I came to it in a cross reference related to Patrick Stuart's Silent Titans which is nominally set in the same world. I must read both of those books properly.
The book is 333 pages long (the final page being a useful summary of the rules on the inside back cover. The book a stitched hardcover, and the interior pages are black and white with spot yellow. The yellow matches the ribbon nicely. The layout uses white space well and is clean and simple. There is a very art-deco/art-noveau feel to it with a style not dissimilar to British railway advertising from the first half of the 20th century. It feels quality. There are large numbers of black and white illustrations throughout which catch the feel of the setting well.
The character generation section takes over two hundred pages of the book; the core elements are covered in two pages, giving you statistics, hit protection and money. Your highest and lowest ability scores are cross referenced against each other, giving you a failed career. Yes, you start as a failure. As a group, you're all saddled with a crippling debt which has forced you to a life of crime and adventure. You've left your career, and now you adventure. Each failed career has two pages which include a tag line about the career, a pertinent illustration, basic equipment and two tables referencing your savings and your hit points. These give you further abilities, equipment or beliefs which counter-balance the situations when someone has lower values. They provide hooks and unique elements for every characters. Your characters will all be very different, and if you embrace this it should drive a very interesting experience.
The game engine is a very simple d20 mechanic. You have three stats - STRength, DEXterity and CHArisma - rolled initially on 3d6 and you need to make a save by rolling equal to or under the stat. Combat doesn't bother with rolls to hit; you just deal damage. You may make a DEX save if the combat order isn't obvious from the narrative. You start with d6 hit protection. Once these zero, your STR starts getting reduced, and you will need to make saves to avoid a critical which will take you out of combat and kill you if you aren't helped. If you hit 0 hit points you get a scar, which can develop your character. There's a neat pooling mechanic for damage where you don't stack attacks - rather you take the highest roll from the dice rolled by everyone. The core rules are covered in two pages, with a two page example of play.
The remainder of the book is the Conductor's Guide (GM section) which is incredibly focussed, so much so that I almost find it intimidating. Your first reaction would be to skims this, but you need to take your time and let the ideas settle in. This is definitely a game that is discovered from play. The Conductor (the name change is deliberate to try and give a feel for how McDowall feels the game should work) will start from some very simple maps, mainly built around transport routes, over which are layered landmarks and paths each of which has a complication. Treasures, patrons, specialists, shops and investment opportunities are outlined as ideas in short bullet points.
There are four parts to the world. Bastion itself, the Living Stars above, and the Underworld below. Bastion is surrounded by the Deep Country; failed towns and cities, rural areas, the provinces which are treated with disdain by the city dwellers. Bastion is living, growing and changing, but no-one knows who is in charge. There's a complex interweaving of a multitude of councils which are responsible for all aspects of life, and it is not uncommon for two organisations to both be responsible. The city is filled with people, mockeries (living taxidermies and toys), aliens and machines. Electricity is king. The feel is analogous to the early 20th Century, but later technology could be there in a different form. Oddities include super-science like equipment.
Principles are outlined for running adventures in Bastion and the four other areas, and there are useful random tables to spark ideas. There is guidance on mapping and stocking the Deep Country, Deep Water and the Underground. Principles are given for people, mockeries, machines, aliens and monstrosities. There are example sections of peoples, organisations, boroughs, cults and more. I found these helpful as they drew me into the setting and gave a feel for the author's vision.
The section also outlines McDowall's vision for how the game should work - the ICI doctrine (Information, Choice, Impact). There are some really smart tips for running the game there.
There's no starter adventure. There is no official character sheet (but it's not really that kind of game). I'd have liked to see an example of the map creation.
This is a quality roleplaying game with high production values, great art and clean layout. The game engine is simple and could be picked up in a few minutes. The setting is inspiring and interesting and feels unique. There is some really focussed writing and guidance and the game presents a great opportunity for an enjoyable session or mini-campaign. There is a lot packed into the guidance around the game world and I think I'd need to reflect on it further before running it.
Recommended.
Electrical Bastionland is Chris McDowall's successor project to his well-liked 'Into the Odd'. However, I came to it in a cross reference related to Patrick Stuart's Silent Titans which is nominally set in the same world. I must read both of those books properly.
The book is 333 pages long (the final page being a useful summary of the rules on the inside back cover. The book a stitched hardcover, and the interior pages are black and white with spot yellow. The yellow matches the ribbon nicely. The layout uses white space well and is clean and simple. There is a very art-deco/art-noveau feel to it with a style not dissimilar to British railway advertising from the first half of the 20th century. It feels quality. There are large numbers of black and white illustrations throughout which catch the feel of the setting well.
The character generation section takes over two hundred pages of the book; the core elements are covered in two pages, giving you statistics, hit protection and money. Your highest and lowest ability scores are cross referenced against each other, giving you a failed career. Yes, you start as a failure. As a group, you're all saddled with a crippling debt which has forced you to a life of crime and adventure. You've left your career, and now you adventure. Each failed career has two pages which include a tag line about the career, a pertinent illustration, basic equipment and two tables referencing your savings and your hit points. These give you further abilities, equipment or beliefs which counter-balance the situations when someone has lower values. They provide hooks and unique elements for every characters. Your characters will all be very different, and if you embrace this it should drive a very interesting experience.
The game engine is a very simple d20 mechanic. You have three stats - STRength, DEXterity and CHArisma - rolled initially on 3d6 and you need to make a save by rolling equal to or under the stat. Combat doesn't bother with rolls to hit; you just deal damage. You may make a DEX save if the combat order isn't obvious from the narrative. You start with d6 hit protection. Once these zero, your STR starts getting reduced, and you will need to make saves to avoid a critical which will take you out of combat and kill you if you aren't helped. If you hit 0 hit points you get a scar, which can develop your character. There's a neat pooling mechanic for damage where you don't stack attacks - rather you take the highest roll from the dice rolled by everyone. The core rules are covered in two pages, with a two page example of play.
The remainder of the book is the Conductor's Guide (GM section) which is incredibly focussed, so much so that I almost find it intimidating. Your first reaction would be to skims this, but you need to take your time and let the ideas settle in. This is definitely a game that is discovered from play. The Conductor (the name change is deliberate to try and give a feel for how McDowall feels the game should work) will start from some very simple maps, mainly built around transport routes, over which are layered landmarks and paths each of which has a complication. Treasures, patrons, specialists, shops and investment opportunities are outlined as ideas in short bullet points.
There are four parts to the world. Bastion itself, the Living Stars above, and the Underworld below. Bastion is surrounded by the Deep Country; failed towns and cities, rural areas, the provinces which are treated with disdain by the city dwellers. Bastion is living, growing and changing, but no-one knows who is in charge. There's a complex interweaving of a multitude of councils which are responsible for all aspects of life, and it is not uncommon for two organisations to both be responsible. The city is filled with people, mockeries (living taxidermies and toys), aliens and machines. Electricity is king. The feel is analogous to the early 20th Century, but later technology could be there in a different form. Oddities include super-science like equipment.
Principles are outlined for running adventures in Bastion and the four other areas, and there are useful random tables to spark ideas. There is guidance on mapping and stocking the Deep Country, Deep Water and the Underground. Principles are given for people, mockeries, machines, aliens and monstrosities. There are example sections of peoples, organisations, boroughs, cults and more. I found these helpful as they drew me into the setting and gave a feel for the author's vision.
The section also outlines McDowall's vision for how the game should work - the ICI doctrine (Information, Choice, Impact). There are some really smart tips for running the game there.
There's no starter adventure. There is no official character sheet (but it's not really that kind of game). I'd have liked to see an example of the map creation.
This is a quality roleplaying game with high production values, great art and clean layout. The game engine is simple and could be picked up in a few minutes. The setting is inspiring and interesting and feels unique. There is some really focussed writing and guidance and the game presents a great opportunity for an enjoyable session or mini-campaign. There is a lot packed into the guidance around the game world and I think I'd need to reflect on it further before running it.
Recommended.
Read
October 30, 2023Aldrig har en megacity skrivits så bra som här.
June 13, 2020
The writing presents a very specific vision of what the game should play like, and the art paired with the failed careers was very effective in getting my players onboard with that vision in our first session. My only complaint is that when running the game, trying to mine the failed careers for ideas (especially those in the HP and money tables) is difficult. I'll probably need to make some secondary indexes to get the most out of it.
April 15, 2021
Electric Bastionland is a gem of a game. It's in the same OSR vein as Troika! and features similar themes such you could make Bastion a Troika! sphere if you really wanted to. It has the capacity to hit every major emotional tone from high comedy to low horror in its relatively simple framework. Don't let the size fool you, Electirc Bastionland is a breeze to read and understand as compared to games of similar girth.
Characters in EB live in the city of Bastion. Electricity has just come to the city and anything that CAN be done with electricity IS being done with electricity by someone. The city is divided in to boroughs but there is no established political hierarchy. The Unions take care most of the city's services. The Player Characters themselves have a pocketful of coin, a few meager possessions, a failed career each, and a nigh insurmountable debt. The debt is so high that the only practical way of paying for it is seeking out treasures in the mystifying mechanical corridors of the Underground or amongst the old world bumpkins of the Deep Country.
Moreso than any other RPG I've read, Electric Bastionland gives you glimpses behind the curtain. It explains why it does a lot of the things it does, like making sure there's a character to interact with for obstacles. The GM section includes tables and advice that can translate to any game. It's a slick and well designed product and I'm looking forward to getting it to the table if only to see what nutty characters my players roll.
Characters in EB live in the city of Bastion. Electricity has just come to the city and anything that CAN be done with electricity IS being done with electricity by someone. The city is divided in to boroughs but there is no established political hierarchy. The Unions take care most of the city's services. The Player Characters themselves have a pocketful of coin, a few meager possessions, a failed career each, and a nigh insurmountable debt. The debt is so high that the only practical way of paying for it is seeking out treasures in the mystifying mechanical corridors of the Underground or amongst the old world bumpkins of the Deep Country.
Moreso than any other RPG I've read, Electric Bastionland gives you glimpses behind the curtain. It explains why it does a lot of the things it does, like making sure there's a character to interact with for obstacles. The GM section includes tables and advice that can translate to any game. It's a slick and well designed product and I'm looking forward to getting it to the table if only to see what nutty characters my players roll.
May 22, 2023
In the last page of this book, the authorsays, ths is a game meant to welcome people that might not have braved the world of roleplaying games before, nad that thisi is a book designed for the game table, not the library.
I completely disagree with the first claim. I think this would be a very, very hard first role play game. And it is for the same reasons I loved this game. is so, so original, imagintive and special, that probably new players would have not any safe place to start from.
But, if you are not a new player, if you enjoy original settings lightly drawned and a plethora of ideas and concepts, so bold and intheresting than many of them could be the main point of a whole book or adventure. THis is your game.
Also, I partially disagree about the second statement. Yes, this game is playable, and Im sure is being played for many lucky tables, but is also a perfectly good book for inspiratio, for other roleplay games, for stories and even just for a light read.
In breaf, if you have the chance to grab this. DOn't hesitate, is a jewel you should read, or just check from time to time for fun, or new bold ideas.
A must-have
I completely disagree with the first claim. I think this would be a very, very hard first role play game. And it is for the same reasons I loved this game. is so, so original, imagintive and special, that probably new players would have not any safe place to start from.
But, if you are not a new player, if you enjoy original settings lightly drawned and a plethora of ideas and concepts, so bold and intheresting than many of them could be the main point of a whole book or adventure. THis is your game.
Also, I partially disagree about the second statement. Yes, this game is playable, and Im sure is being played for many lucky tables, but is also a perfectly good book for inspiratio, for other roleplay games, for stories and even just for a light read.
In breaf, if you have the chance to grab this. DOn't hesitate, is a jewel you should read, or just check from time to time for fun, or new bold ideas.
A must-have
September 4, 2022
It’s cute, which is a strange reaction to such a weighty tome. Still I think I paid too much for it. The ideas are fun and the quirky random character generation is refreshing but still I find myself wondering why they chose the large format. The 1d6 tables appear amidst expansive empty space in the page that makes this game feel cheap and underwhelming, whether minimalist or not. It feels more modern, like cyberpunk or even the Metabarons rpg in how the failed careers are set up. Why doesn’t he do a space opera game is really my question? Robots and synthetic humanoids seem to me the next logical step from here…
January 27, 2024
I ran this game once, it was quite fun but took a lot of work beyond the book to get something concrete rolling.
The setting is good! Brazil meets muppets with a bunch of other inspiration sources floating around. The failed careers are great seeds for characters, especially paired with the art. I also appreciate the design goals to simplify rules - TTRPGs are about goofs and gags with your friends. If you want numbers to go up, computers are way better at keeping track of that.
I wish it had more examples for running it, or at least a richer setup guide. The author claims to have designed it with newbies in mind but it was almost too nebulous. Hard to get off the ground.
The setting is good! Brazil meets muppets with a bunch of other inspiration sources floating around. The failed careers are great seeds for characters, especially paired with the art. I also appreciate the design goals to simplify rules - TTRPGs are about goofs and gags with your friends. If you want numbers to go up, computers are way better at keeping track of that.
I wish it had more examples for running it, or at least a richer setup guide. The author claims to have designed it with newbies in mind but it was almost too nebulous. Hard to get off the ground.
March 6, 2023
Not sure how I feel about the system changes from Into the Odd (particularly traditional advancement being replaced by a more randomized system, and the "gang up" rule) but the new setting is really wonderful, and the Failed Careers idea is actually genius. I'll probably end up playing Into the Odd first, as that game feels more accessible and familiar to me, mostly because it sticks a bit closer to the pop-cultural idea of tabletop RPGs, but once familiar with that system I'd love to see how scars feel in play.
January 2, 2024
This glorious book is full of fun, delicious weirdness, with smooth ultra fast rules that take the original Into the Odd forth onto the industrial revolution.
There are so many little snippets that just get ideas bubbling up in your brain, so much fantastic art, and of course, McDowall's brilliant game design.
I love this book.
There are so many little snippets that just get ideas bubbling up in your brain, so much fantastic art, and of course, McDowall's brilliant game design.
I love this book.
January 9, 2021
Beyond the mechanics and setting both being appealing there is also tons of great, easy to follow advice on how to run the game that will help make other games easier as well. I can’t wait to get it to the table.
October 27, 2021
Wonderfully simple game mechanics, with a wonderfully atmospheric, unique, and infinitely flexible game world. I love how the details of the world are rarely made explicit, rather they are implied via things like the failed careers and equipment lists.
February 3, 2025
The Failed Careers (the character classes, simply put) make up nearly the entire page count and it is totally worth it. The game is OSR so it is extremely light on rules, so it spends most of its time pitching you on its tone.
May 27, 2020
I thought it was pretty good. In depth somewhat drunken review on the blog, if you want to bother searching that out.
December 12, 2021
I very much want to play this game
February 8, 2023
Phenomenal setting and game design!
October 9, 2025
Into The Odd was great and this is even better. The only think I missed was a starter adventure. I would have liked too see how McDowall actually uses “the adventure mapping” presented in the rules.
November 28, 2025
rules light, exploration/treasure hunters, big city and the wild beyond
December 18, 2025
Part of my gateway into discovering RPGs can be more than DnD fantasy, truly one of the best creative minds out there right now in the RPG space (along with Grant Howitt and The Heart RPG team).
October 25, 2022
I was gifted this book and read the majority of it in one sitting. Bastionland is such a wonderfully weird setting which allows for just about anything (as long as one doesn't tamper too much with the failed career system). The art is evocative and the system's simplicity is elegant. For a while, it was my go-to game for one-shots. It has beautifully supported stories of strange disappearances in a Christmas village and three attempts by three groups to get to The Gleaming City which involved the beurocratolabyrinth, ecoterrorism, the pawning of candy, a jailbreak, an aquarium cult, and strange delvings into a hall of devouring shadows.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews