Dungeons and Dragons is a game so old that it has welcomed every kind of setting under the sun, and that includes Dark Sun. From the pulpy sci-fi of Eberron to whatever the heck is going on in Planescape, DnD does have quite a few worlds of darkness. That said, the bulk of most games will be set in the Forgotten Realms, a setting of mostly good ol’ fashioned adventuring fun.
This upcoming TTRPG is good ol’ fashioned gothic misery.
Fragged Aeternum 2 by Wade Dyer is a dark gothic fantasy TTRPG where players fight and die in the city of Aeternum’s endless violence. On the bright side, you are immortal. Unfortunately, everyone else is very curious how immortal you really are. The setting certainly wouldn’t feel out of place for Warhammer 40k factions given the sheer amount of violence you’ll encounter in an average campaign.
The game runs on the Fragged system, which ambitiously attempts to accommodate all styles of play. Whether you’re a roleplay theater kid or power gaming fiend, Fragged will ensure you can play in the same game with different kinds of people. Besides, nothing brings players together than failing over and over again. The mechanics and narrative of Fragged Aeternum is best summed up by its tagline:
“After ten thousand thousand generations have each walked ten billion billion years towards the horizon, they shall stand no closer to the city’s edge then whence they began.”
Seriously, that’s the type of line that wouldn’t be out of place in the Warhammer 40k games.
What I love most about Fragged Aeternum 2 is how it weaves the narrative and mechanics into the player’s immortality. Consequences come not from death, but genuine failure. If you let the big bad kill you in the final battle, you may wake underneath a mountain of corpses, each a life you failed to save. It gives a deliciously dark edge to what could easily feel like a power fantasy.
You can support Fragged Aeternum 2 on Kickstarter.
Need a break from the grimdark discourse online? The Wargamer Discord is a delightful haven for tabletop fans to chat.
Source: Wargamer
