Warhammer 40,000 sits atop the throne of grimdark sci-fi fantasy, and with good (or in humanity’s case, really bad) reason. Games Workshop has then expanded that galaxy over the decades, solidifying its vice grip on the fandom. Still, plenty of upstarts are looking to ruin the lives of their very own galaxies. Of those newcomers, this upcoming TTRPG looked very promising.
YATAGAN RPG is an upcoming dark sci-fi tabletop RPG set in a cosmos of eternal conflict. Gods and men alike crash into each other with steel and starships in a setting where you are free to rise and fall in glorious violence. Instead of the wargaming rules of Warhammer 40k 11th edition, Yatagan is a TTRPG system based around colored d12, each color tied to elements of the game and its many denizens.
Yatagan welcomes players into its universe with its very first setting: the Nomad Worlds. Heavily inspired by Turkic mythology, the setting has three major factions. Ulgen, the Radiant One reigns supreme upon the Solemn Orbs, claiming themselves champions of light and order. Erlik the Hollow One rules over the Umbral Ring, the edge of the known universe filled with death and chaos.
Against these two factions stands alone Gesar the Nomad, leader of the Emerald Horde and eager to throw the gods off their thrones and free the galaxy from their celestial grip. Just as the Warhammer 40k factions do, these groups all hate each other with a burning passion. But this being a TTRPG, you should be concerned about yourself first and foremost.
The character creation of Yatagan is what drew me most mechanically. Entirely classless, the system revolves around Birthright and Edges. A Birthright defines your starting wealth, skills, abilities and equipment. Edges, meanwhile, are akin to feats from DnD, which you can acquire throughout your adventures. This makes Yatagan a very dynamic TTRPG, unrestrained by the linearity of a traditional class system.
For more on the rules, you can follow YATAGAN RPG on Backerkit and receive a free copy of the quickstart.
For more space conflict yap sessions, the Wargamer Discord welcomes fans from every wargaming fandom!
Source: Wargamer
