I was sent the Mutant Year Zero: Ad Astra Campaign for free to cover for my blog. I haven’t had a chance to play the game because I am still finishing up my Dragonbane campaign, but I’ve read through the book. This will be my impressions of the book.
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What is Ad Astra
Ad Astrais the latest campaign book for Free League Publishing‘s TTRPG, Mutant: Year Zero releasing onf Febuary 13th. Ad Astra picks up after The Path to Eden campaign.It is recommended you own the Mutant: Genlab Alphaand Mutant: Mechatron expansions for additional rules and stats. I don’t see why you couldn’t just make up rules on the spot, but it is always nice to have balanced stat blocks at the ready. You’ll also need a copy of the core rule book, although you might get away with just using the starter booklet.
If you’re interested in running a game of Mutant: Year Zero, I recommend you pick up the starter booklet. The booklet provides a streamlined and condensed sample of the game, and it comes with a sample campaign and character sheets to get you started. I recommend you run through the starter booklet before you invest in the system. You can grab your free copy of the PDF on Drivethru RPG, but I’ll leave a copy here for your convenience.
Society has fallen. The planet has become a wasteland. Those who survive on its surface have mutated, and are now unrecognizable to their ancestors. With the resources dwindling, survivors must fight to stay alive. This time, the call to adventure takes our heroes into space. What mysteries lie beyond the stars? What adventures await? Explore the solar system and fight new monsters in this new epic adventure.
Impressions
I love the comic book style of this system, and Ad Astra is no exception. I absolutely love the flavor of this game, and space campaigns are always fun. I am never big on following prewritten adventures, but I am coming around. It is nice to have something already prepared with lore, encounters, and loot. I usually use these as a jumping-off point, but will eventually end up off-book. When that happens, it is nice to have something to fall back on when the story needs a little nudge.
I like how this book feels like a history book. It goes into a good amount of detail about factions, history, and everything you need for World Building. How much I would use it would depend on my players, but I appreciate the book for the resource that it is.
As gameplay goes, I’ll have to run a campaign first. I’ve been having a lot of fun with the Year Zero system, so if this game plays anything like Dragonbane, I am here for it.
If you are interested in a campaign of Mutant, I recommend you run the booklet first to get a sense if it’s the right game for your table. After your table has become invested, move through the rest of the resources until you’re ready to take things into space.
If you’re already playing Mutant and want to take things into space, you should consider Ad Astra. The artwork is fantastic, the flavor is great, and it introduces unique monsters, items, and mechanics you’re going to want to borrow for your campaign.
You can preorder your copy of the Ad Astracampaign on the official site for $41.80 (not including shipping), or from Amazon for $39.99 (free shipping with Prime).
This week’s been crazy, but I’m doing my best to keep up with the daily releases. Make sure you support the original. If you enjoy this project, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends.
Ryusenji cackles at the threat.
Eiji opens a private chat. “Stay sharp Loogamon. We don’t know what he’s planning” Loogamon nods as he moves to a defensive stance.
METAL CANNON
A cannonball flies towards the pair. Eiji jumps to the ground. Loogamon jumps out of the way, narrowly dodging the projectile. Dorumon stands at the source of the attack and glares emotionlessly at the pair.
“What are you doing?” Loogamon shouts, but Dorumon doesn’t answer.
Eiji turns to Kosuke for answers. Kosuke had broken under the weight of the professor’s revelation. He had become lost in his grief, but Durumon’s sudden attack slowly breaks him free. He lifts his head towards the commotion and mumbles, “Durumon? What are you doing?” He is on the verge of tears.
The Source Domain shakes violently.
“What’s going on?” Kosuke shouts. Dorumon answers with an empty blank expression.
“Dorumon can’t hear you now.”
“But how? We’re still mindlinked?”
“You don’t need to be mindlinked to control Digimon. How shall I put this?… I cracked your connection. Dorumon is mine now.”
Kosuke helplessly looks through this watch and attempts to take back control, but his efforts are fruitless. Words fail him as his world crumbles around him. The great Code Cracker Tartarus was powerless.
“Now Digivolve,” the professor barks. Dorumon nods and digivolves into Dorugoramon.
Dorugoramon
Dorugoramon towers over the pair. Its blank emotionless stare remains fixed on them as it stands at attention, gripping its blade, ready to attack.
The professor smirks as he takes a step next to the Mega Digimon. “This is your last chance your chance Eiji. Join me, and all is forgiven. Work for me and I can promise you a nice apartment, great benefits, and a steady salary. Imagine how impressed Hatsune will be.”
“How did.?” Eiji becomes overwhelmed.
“You have ten seconds. Then I’m taking the offer off the table.” He begins counting down.
Eiji wrestles with the offer. This was everything he ever wanted. A steady job, a good college, and maybe even a girlfriend.
“You can’t be seriously considering this,” Loogamon snarls.
“It’s tempting..” Eiji crouches down next to Loogamon and begins petting its head. “You don’t know what it was like before all of this. I’d have stability…I mean I wouldn’t even have met you if it wasn’t for him…”
“Sure, but…”
The professor extends his arm. “I knew you’d understand. Now-“
Eiji shrugs, “But then again, I was never in it for stability.” Eiji stands and turns to the professors. “I came here to make my mark on the world because, at the end of the day, I’m still a code cracker.”
“Well said Eiji.” Loogamon’s tail wags as it perks up enthusiastically.
“How disappointing…”
“Shut up old man,” Loogamon growls.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Eiji adds. “I still respect you as a mentor, but I was wrong to put you on a pedistal. In other words…”
“Get out of our way!” Loogamon barks.
The professor remains silent. His smile had disappeared as he glared at the pair. “Well if you insist on losing, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Eiji lifts his Digilinker and cycles through the commands. “You’re not stopping us.”
“Let’s fucking go!” Loogamon howls.
“Digivolve!” Eiji disappears into the Digicore as Loogamon digivolves into Soloogarmon. Bright flames pour out of his shoulders with great intensity. it groups at its mace and lets out an earth-rumbling howl.
Character design/illustration illustrator: malo
PROMINENCE LASER
A white-hot beam of plasma erupts from Soloogarmon’s hands and washes over Dorugoramon. Dorugoramon takes the hit head-on without flinching. It remains unphased as its armor loses its red-hot glow.
“What the?” Soloogarmon shouts.
“Very impressive,” Ryusenji commends.
“That was just the warm-up,” Soloogarmon scoffs.
“Careful Soloogarmon, we didn’t see their fight. We don’t know what we’re up against.”
“Durogoramon has a shockwave and charge attack that make it effective at long and short range. There are no obvious openings to take advantage of either attack. In your current form, one hit will likely fry your Digicore.” Yulin interjects.
“It’s taking commands from a tool, there’s no way it can be that strong,” Soloogarmon rebuts.
“You should listen to the captain on this one. Tools or not, the professor is on the other end of the terminal.”
Soloogarmon swings its massive mace as it readies for another attack. “We don’t have the luxury of being catious.”
“Right,” Eiji says, trying to psych himself up. “Let’s give him hell!”
The professor smirks. “I guess I need to start getting serious.” Dorugoramon absorbs Ryusenji’s projection.
DORU-din
A shockwave of energy roars through the Source Domain, but the attack is too slow. Soloogarmon howls as the engines on its shoulders come explode with energy, and shoot him into the air. Soologarmon hovers over the battlefield with a smug smirk as it braces for the next attack.
Dorugoramon stalls for a moment, searching the battlefield. It smirks as it turns its attention to the center of the circle where Pulsemon and Black Agumon remain suspended. It begins charging its next shockwave.
SKOLL RAGE
Soloogarmon shoots toward Dorugoramon without hesitation, leaving a trail of hellfire in its wake. It closes the distance and takes a swing with its mighty Vanargand.
“Predictable,” the professor says. Dorugoramon stops its charge to swing at the charging wolf. The strike sends Soloogarmon flying back. “You have to do better than that.”
Eiji felt the force of the strike, the sting lingers in his abdomen. He peers over his screens. Their levels remain in a normal range.
“What an annoying prick,” Soloogarmon growls.
“Lets try this,” Eiji says, imputing commands into his virtual console.
Soloogarmon releases another laser, but Dorugoramon deflects it easily. Soloogarmon follows with a turret of blasts, slowly engulfing Dorugoramon in flames. The flames never catch. Smoke billows off Dorugoramon’s body.
“Nice try, but you’ll need to be more imaginative than that,” Ryusenji sneers. “But I’ve wasted too much time playing with you, I have to get back to work.”
The smoke around Dorugoramon’s body begins to clear, revealing an empty space where Yulin, Ryudamon, and Black Agumon stood. Only Kosuke and a Tyrannomon stand at the altar.
“Tyrannomon? Where did you come?” The Professor asks incredulously.
Tyrannomon stands next to Kosuke, looking concerned. Kosuke remains frozen in place.
“Kosuke, you have to move,” Eiji whispers.
“Using your little Tyrannomon under the cover of smoke, very clever Eiji.”
“Get out of there Tyrannomon!” Soloogarmon orders.
Tyrannomon doesn’t get a chance to react. An attack pierces through its shoulder and brings the Tyrannomon to the ground. It lets out a pain-filled roar.
“Such a weak Digimon,” the professor says. Dorugoramon had refined the shockwave into a fine point, making it like a bullet.
“Tyrannomon!” Eiji shouts.
“Dorugoramon is too powerful.” The professor looks down at the trembling Tyrannomon. It is too terrified to move. “Poor thing. I think I’ll put it out of its misery.”
Dorugoramon launches a salvo of focused attacks. The Tyrannomon shuts its eyes, waiting for a hell of fire that never comes. It hears the attack connect but doesn’t feel it. Tyrannomon opens its eyes slowly and finds itself unharmed. Around it, the earth is filled with clusters of deep impacts. Soloogarmon hovers over the Tyrannomon, its arm hangs limp to one side. Scorch marks run up its arms like a sleeve and steam bellows from the injury. Soloogarmon gives the Tyrannomon a warm reassuring smile.
“You saved my Tyrannomon…” Eiji whispers.
“That’s what packs do.”
Eiji feels the pain running up his arm. Senses the heat of the thrusters from his shoulder. His lunges fill with the scents of the battlefield. Loogamon’s anger, frustration, and determination had become his and Saloogarmon felt the same. At that moment, all their remaining reservation melted away as they became determined to win.
Energy begins to build within their core as the two become one. Soloogarmon begins to glow.
“Lets show this asshole what hell really looks like,” Eiji says.
A bright light engulfs the pair. Out of the light steps out a new Digimon, Fenriloogamon.
I’m going to try to keep up with the daily releases, but it’s looking like it’ll be a busy week. Make sure you support the official release. If you enjoy this project, please leave a like, comment, follow the socials, and share this with your friends!
“You’re lying!” Kosuke shouts. I saw the facility. I saw her…” His voice trails as he is overcome by emotion.
“Such a predictable reaction. I needed you to believe she was alive. How else was I going to get you this far?” A smile creeps up on his face.
Shock sets in and brings Kosuke to his knees. The world around him starts to spin as he feels the warmth of vomit creeping up his throat.
“Isn’t this, the Black Agumon you’ve been looking for?” Eiji says as he makes his approach to the suspended Digimon. “So you’re the Digimon everyone’s been looking for.”
Eiji’s words pull Kosuke from his trance. He turns his attention to the black Agumon. There it was, the Digimon he spent half his life looking for. He was so close, he could reach out and touch it. Kosuke shakes off the shock. “I don’t believe you!” he growls.
“Hm”
“I refuse to believe Saya is dead. Not until I see her with my own two eyes.” He walks towards the Black Agumon. A virtual syringe materializes in his hand. He grips it tightly.
“Go ahead,” the professor adds. The professor’s sudden encouragement stops Kosuke. “That Black Agumon is hers, there’s no doubt about it. But that medicine can’t cure death. Are you willing to face those consequences?”
“What consequences?”
“I thought you were smarter than this,” Ryusenji shakes his head. “Suppose you wake her up inside Black Agumon’s core, but she has nobody to return to. What do you suppose would happen then?”
The syringe falls from his hands, landing with a hollow clang. Kosuke had clung to the hope that Saya was alive. The hope that he could bring her back. But here he stood with a choice he couldn’t crack. The medicine would either save her life or seal it. It was too much to bear.
“Data Sector Decryption Complete” the Source Domain’s voice announces.
An anguished scream rips through the air. Dorumon bends backwards, its head snaps violently until it collapses. Kosuke rushes over. “Dorumon!” he shouts as he drops to his knees beside his partner.
“Kosuke….”
“Forgive me Dorumon. You deserved better.”
“It’s not your fault. We chose the right path… I never suspected Ryusenji would betray us….” its voice trails off as it offers a weak smile. The glowing gem on its forehead continues to fade.
“How touching,” the professor says with a dry laugh. “And what were your plans with the data?”
“I would have given you all the credit. All I cared about was getting Saya back.” Kosuke’s voice trails.
“I appreciate your love for my daughter,” the professor says flatly. Kosuke groans and clutches at his chest. “I’ll make sure you look good when all this is over. I don’t want to lose you just yet.”
“Why bother?” Kosuke asks bitterly.
“You’re my prodigy. You still hold some value. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must get back to work.” He summons his virtual console and begins typing in commands. A code stream flows from the vaccine object into Ryudamon’s interface.
“Decryptin Vaccine Sector” the metallic voice announces. Ryudamon begins to convulse. It’s too weak from the battle to struggle. Yulin sits helplessly. She no longer has the energy to Mindlink.
“Why are you doing this? How can you abandon your daughter so easily?”
“What happened to Saya was…unfortunate,” Ryusenji’s response is clinical and without emotion. “But it will all be worth it when I find the Source Digimon.”
“What’s the Source Digimon?” Eiji asks.
“The Digimon born at the same time as our world. It is the seed from which all other Digimon come from.” Ryusenji’s fingers move quickly across the keyboard.
“You can’t…. it’s too dangerous!”
“You’re quite right.”
“Then why not leave it alone?”
“Because I’ve come too far. I’m going to make contact with the Source Digimon, communicate with it, and…become one with it.
“You want to take the most powerful Digimon for yourself and then what?” Eiji’s voice shakes with anger.
“Progress,” Ryusenji sneers.
“I thought I had found the chance of a lifetime when you offered me this job. I thought I had finally found something worth fighting for. You gave my life purpose!” Angry tears begin pouring down his cheek. “I would have followed you anywhere…”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t fill you in sooner but…”
“Yeah yeah, d4 classified.” Eiji wipes the tears from his eyes. “Was I just a convenience?”
“No, you had some aptitude in code cracking, and your compatibility with Loogamon didn’t hurt. But had I told you everything from the start, you and Loogamon wouldn’t have grown.”
“Whatever.”
“Do you ever shut up old man,” Loogamon snaps as it rises to its feet.
Character design/illustration illustrator: malo
“You were watching when we fought Kazuchimon, weren’t you? When Loogamon turned into Helloogarmon…You could have stepped in, but you didn’t.”
“Loogamon’s Digivolution was more important than Leon’s life. Rather, it was more interesting.
“He was your student! He trusted you.. we tursted you.”
“Insulent boy! You were nothing when I found you. I pulled you from that squalor. I gave you purpose, and this is how you repay me? You betray me?”
“That’s rich coming from you. After everything you’ve done to Leon, Kosuke, and Yulin…” Eiji’s voice shakes with anger. He takes a soothing breath. “You know? I used to want to be just like you. I respected you…”
“Do you hate me now?”
Loogamon’s restraints begin to tighten. He stumbles as he resists the pressure.
Eiji shakes his head. “Ready Loogamon?” Eiji touches the gem on Loogamon’s forehead. The gem lights up as an invisible code flows between the two. Loogamon gains a sudden burst of strength. With a quick flex, it breaks through the restraints, sending bits of broken chain in every direction.
“How?”
“I’ve got hellfire flowing through my veins. Your little virus didn’t stand a chance.” Loogamon sneers. The pair begins to glow as an aura of magical flame surrounds them. “This isn’t going to end well for you,”
I’ll do my best to keep up with the daily releases, but it’s going to be tricky. I usually post on my socials when the chapters are up if that’s easier to keep track of. Make sure you support the original. If you enjoy this project, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends!
Eiji searches fruitlessly through the dark for the voice, but his vision fails to grasp anything tangible. For a few moments that followed, there was nothing. No sounds, smells, or light to tease the senses. Shock overwhelms the panick as Eiji continues to fight through the daze.
Just as quickly as they were enshourded by darkness, the lights flicker, illuminating the void. The sudden bright light forces Eiji to squint. He begins to feel the coold smooth stone pressed against his back and sares up onto an inverted wall. “What?” he lets out, as he begins to come to his senses. Eiji realizes he is no longer standing.
“Rrgh,” Loogamon grunts.
Eiji turns to his partner and gets up as quickly as he can. He fights through the faint dizziness and makes his way towards the wolf. “Loogamon! You okay?”
Loogamon lays on the ground, making weak twitches with its paws. “I…I can’t move,” it manages to say.
Eiji looks around and finds the rest of the group in a similar state spread across the circle. Scattered and unconscious. The interface on the prototype Digimon glow dimly but begin to fade with each passing second.
Eiji reaches for his partner, “Loogamon!?!” he shouts as his arms wrap around the wolf’s neck. The interface on the prototype Digimon go dark for a few seconds before rebooting.
Kosuke sits up and pulls up his console and virtual monitor. “What?” he murmers as an endless stream of unintellible code floods his screen. Kosuke begins typing desperately at his keys, but his console seems to be stuck in an endless reboot loop. The source code decryption had been canceled without warning.
“Good morning friends,” a familiar voice says softly. Eiji instantly recognizes the voice. He turns quickly in disbelief, but finds the professor standing in front of him. “Professor Ryusenji?” Eiji lets out softly.
With his back turned to the pupils, the Ryusenji says “I’ll take it from here.”
Yulin begins to regain consciousness. Through her fog, she can make out the professor’s silhouette. “Professor?” She says weakly as she slowly comes to consciousness. “What are you doing?… Why?”
Kosuke stares at the professor incredulously as his console continues to reboot.
“Why are you so surprised?” The professor says as he turns around to address his pupils.
Kosuke and Yulin quietly get to their feet. Their balance wavers, and they fail to find the words to respond.
“After all,” the professor continues. “I’m the one who asked you to raise these protype Digimon for me. Now if you don’t mind,”
RESTRAIN
“Gah!”
“What is this?!”
Loogamon and Dorumon fall to the ground as they become restrained by the same tool used on Ryudamon.
“How did you do that?” Durumon shouts.
“Did you really think I would just give you my Digimon?” Ryusenji says sternly.
“He had it…programed into us,” Loogamon shouts. Dorumon’s eyes grow wide in disbelief as the truth begins to sink in.
“Did you tamper with Ryudamon too?” Yulin is finally able to say.
“It’s a little…safety feature I installed in each Digimon and Digimon linker. Did I not mention it when I gave them to you?” The professor’s voice is cold. “I can also take control of the Digimon if I need to. Progress requires these types of safeguards, wouldn’t you agree?” He turns around and continues towards the center of the circle. “These Digimon are my tools, and I will use them as I see fit.” The Digimon continue to struggle in their restrains.
The group notices as a strange shimmer occasionally run across the professor’s hologram. His hologram was a mere projection from the three Digimon linkers. It was clear at that moment that everything was by his design.
“What the hell are you going on about!” Kosuke shouts, slamming his virtual monitor away.
The professor stops at the center of the circle. Without turning says, “Let me put it simply. Your story is now mine. Now watch closely.” The professor begins typing at his console. Dorumon’s interface begins to glow as a beam of data begins flowing through it.
“What are you doing?!” Kosuke shouts.
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m decrypting the Source Domain’s code. It’s only fair that I do it.”
Kosuke stands helplessly and watches his Digimon be hijacked.
“Accessing source domain code,” comes an announcement from the cold robotic voice of the Source Domain.
“Loogamon!” Eiji shouts as he slams his fingers through various commands in a feeble attempt to regain control of his partner.
“It’s not looking good,” the wolf replies. Eiji continues to struggle, looking for any way to sever the connection and take back his friend. What if they couldn’t stop the professor? A cold shiver runs down his back.
“We’re supposed to be on the same side!” Kosuke cries desperately. “I want to save Saya too!”
“Why are you doing this? Why put us through all this trouble? We’re on the same side. Don’t you want your daughter back?”
The professor smiles. “I’ve always liked you Eiji, so I’m letting you in on a little secret. I’m not really interested in finding her.”
“But then…why did you make the stimulant?” Eiji feels the weight of the world crashing into him. He stumbles and almost falls to the ground.
“Not…interested?” Kosuke clenches his fists tightly.
The professor shrugs. “What’s lost is lost. This whole plan you’ve dedicated your whole life to, Kosuke, it is a monument to wasted effort.”
“Don’t let him…get to you Kosuke,” Dorumon shouts.
“I…I always had my suspisions,” Yulin manages. “but I didn’t want to believe them. I couldn’t”
Professor Ryusenji smirks, “You should have listened to your gut, Captain.”
Without warning, the infinite space around them fills with an endless stream of data. “This is it. The universal directory,” the professor says as he sifts through the data.
“Search Complete,” the Source Doman’s voice announces.
Bit by bit, a small yellow Digimon begins to appear before them, occasionally letting off small strikes of lightning.
“Pulsmon!” Loogamon shouts, reigniting his struggle.
“What’s it doing here?” Eiji asks with delight.
“And there you have it boy, the Pulsemon you and Loogamon were looking for,” the professor adds.
Eiji takes a hard swallow.
“This is but a taste of what can be done with the control of the Source Domain’s data.”
Another Digimon begins to materialize. A small black dinosaur appears next to Pulsemon. Kosuke lets out a gasp, “Black Agumon!”
Character design/illustration illustrator: malo
“Just as I suspected,” the professor continues as he examines the Black Agumon. “Even if the mindlinker perishes, the partner Digimon doesn’t suffer the same fate.
“Wait..what did you say?” Eiji stammers as tears fall down his face.
“Saya’s..” Yulin’s heart drops. The sudden pain of realization almost knocks her off her feet. “Saya’s dead?!” She can’t hold back her tears.
“Oh, yes. For quite some time, now,” the professor answers coldly.
I’m going to do my best to keep up with the daily releases, but it’s going to be tricky with my schedule. I’ll do my best and appreciate your patience. Make sure you support to original. If you like the project, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends.
Loogamon falls to the ground. Its crash echoes over the void. Three strange shapes materialize before the group: a blue raindrop, a purple sun, and an orange cube. Each shape glows brightly as it begins a slow orbit in the space Loogamon once stood.
Loogamon’s heart races. Attempting to catch its breath, Loogamon tenses up and moves into a defensive stance. “What the heck is that?” It shouts, eying the strange display cautiously.
The others have begun a slow retreat and watch the orbiting shapes suspiciously. “You’re the one who activated,” Eiji replies.
“By accident, I don’t…” Loogamon’s voice trails as one of the carvings catches its attention. “I think I’ve seen this thing before.”
“Now you’re just making things up, it’s okay to be scared buddy,” Eiji replies with a nervous chuckle. He studies the objects carefully. They feel familiar somehow.
“It’s the three types!” Yulin blurts out suddenly.
Eiji focuses on the strange shapes and recognizes the letters written between the shapes. “Oh yeah! The things in the lobby.” Eiji recalls the three hologram objects he passed before every visit with the professor. The shapes represented the three types of Digimon taxonomy: virus, data, and vaccine. The objects spin for a moment before each makes their way to their respective Digimon.
“These are the terminals that control this fortress, and we are the intereface,” Dorumon says, breaking the silence. “We made it. This is where we’ll find the Sacred Chalice.”
“It’s been quite a journey,” Kosuke responds.
Dorumon nods. “It’s not over yet.”
“Commence phase four,” Kosuke says as he takes a step forward.
“We’re so close!”
“Now we have to access the source code.” Kosuke turns to Eiji, “Do you still have mindlink time left?”
“Of course I do!” Eiji says, putting his hand on Loogamon’s back. “Readyu buddy?” Loogamon’s tail begins to wag slowly.
Yulin is stunned. She attempts to process the events unfolding around her. “The …source domain…” Yulin was a gifted coder, but this was outside her knowledge base.
“I doubt you’ve even heard of this place Yulin,” Kosuke says. “This place is what the professor what all those expeditions have led up to. This is all of the professor’s research, but now it is no longer just theories. This is how we save Saya!”
Something clicks for Eiji as he takes it all in. Suddenly, his involvement with the Sons of Choas wasn’t wasn’t random chance. Standing here in the Source Domain with Ryusenji’s two former students was by design.
“I get it now,” Yulin says, grabbing one of the Ryudamon’s clawed paws to help it up. “You want to crack the Digital World!”
Kosuke smiles, “That’s right. We’ll surcumvent the Royal Knights, slip past the system admin, and take control.”
“That’s too dangerous!”
“I’m not here to rule the Digital World, I just need to controll it for a moment. Just enough to do what I need to.”
“No! You can’t! If you put the Source Domain to the whims of man and….”
“These are no mere whims,” Kosuke says coldly. “This is to save Saya and nothing more.
“That doesn’t matter. We shouldn’t even be here. We can’t risk destroying the fragile connection between humanity and the Digital World. You don’t understand the forces you’re dealing with!” Yulin’s words echo through the void.
The group stands in silence for what seems like an eternity. Kosuke is the first to break the silence. “…This is for Saya. If it brings her back, it will all be worth it.”
“I don’t give a crap why you’re all here,” Loogamon interjects. “We made a deal, and we’ve got people to save here. So if we can move it along…”
Yulin turns to Eiji. “Are you willing to take responcibility then? Are you okay with this Eiji?” Her voice pleads desperately.
Eiji sighs as he thinks for a moment. “Look. I hear you, but we didn’t come all this way to just turn around. We came here to rescue our friends, and we’re so close.”
The three shapes begin to spin and rise, slowly coming together and rushing into one blinding orb of light. Around them, massive stone pillars shoot out from the ground, reaching up until disappearing past the eye line. Stone begins to pile around them, forming a large circle around them.
“This looks like some kind of alter.” Eiji finally adds. “How big is this going to get?” No answer. He looks over to Kosuke, who watches as the ancient structure continues to form around them. The temperature drops suddenly, forcing the group into a shiver.
“Can’t you light us a fire?” Durumon’s asks with a tremble.
“I’m not a space heater?” Loogamon snarls.
The structure stops shuffling, sending everything into silence. “When you’re ready Loogamon, commence Phase 4.”
Loogamon takes a step towards the floating object. Durumon takes hold of Ryudamon’s restraints and drags it behind. The half-conscious Digimon mutters under his breath. “You awake back there?” Durumon asks mockingly.
“You’ve…made your choice.” Ryudamon manages. Its voice is frail.
“I’m here to back up my partner,” Durumon begins. “I’ll help him free the Digital World, and whatever happens…happens.”
The stone circle begins to glow.
“Hey, Kosuke?” Eiji asks, his gaze fixed to the center of the fixture.
“If you have questions, keep them brief.” Kosuke types away furiously at his console.
“When you access the source code, can you do a search of Leon’s Pulsemon?”
“I only have the identification code for the Black Agumon,” Kosuke says coldly.
“I know the scent,” Loogamon adds as he sends over the identification code.
“Now all we need is the Ryusenji’s treatment,” Kosuke says as he pulls up the data.
Yulin’s heart stops. The professor not only knew, he was behind this whole operation.
“There’s no turning back now,” Kosuke says.
The air around them grows colder as a stream of light from the floating object reaches towards each Digimon.
“Woah,” Eiji lets out, overwhelmed by the sight.
Strange, glowing symbols fill the wall around them. “Decryption in progress,” the three Digimon say in sync. The whole structure glows bright for a moment before ending in a flicker. Kosuke’s monitor shuts off. Everything around them goes dark and silent.
“Good morning friends,” an unfamiliar voice says softly.
It’s been a bit chaotic, but I finally found some time to pick this project back up. I apologize for those of you who have been waiting, and I thank you for your patience. Please make sure you always support the original, and don’t forget to like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends.
Eiji, Kosuke, and Yulin vanish. Omnimon’s blade slashes through the space Kosuke’s neck used to be. It pulls up the glowing blade to examine it for signs of contact. It lets out a powerful sigh in its disappointment as it realizes it has failed.
“Did they make it?” Marvin asks as the shock kicks in. He and Satsuki freeze, as they watch the frustrated knight plan its next move. If it turns around, they didn’t stand a chance.
Marvin looks at the destruction around him. Sees the half-frozen Chaosdramon, the overheating Brigadramon, and the two Mega Digimon Kosuke sacrificed. Watches as Omnimon stands at the center of the aftermath, motionless. Moments go by before it leaps into the air. It takes a sudden dive into the gate and disappears out of sight.
The battlefield falls silent. The mangled corpses of Gatekeepers and Code Cracker Digimon form scattered piles over its face. The Wall Slum Digimon had long since disappeared, leaving Marvin and Satsuki alone. The raid is over.
Marvin appears as a hologram and walks over to Satasuki whose hologram stands over the wrecked Mekanorimon.
“Thanks for the assist,” Marvin says coyly.
“Where’s the captain?” She asks flatly, without looking up. Sadness, anger, and frustration all jumble inside her as she tries to make sense of what just happened.
“We should really get out of here before that thing decides to come back.
Satsuki turns angrily and pulls Marvin by his collar. “I asked you a question!”
Marvin lifts his hands up in protest, “I have no idea where they went. We didn’t get that far.”
“LIAR!” She shouts as she shakes Marvin violently. “Tell me where she went!”
“Woah, calm down.” Marvin pulls himself free and brushes himself off. “Look, my parts are done. The battle is over. Now if you’ll excuse me, I got to check up on my friends. I’ll be seeing you.” He gives Satsuki a brief wave as he walks away. Marvin summons a small virtual console as he walks, and inputs a few commands. The felled Digimon and the screen vanish as Marvin turns his attention to help his comrades.
Satsuki remains frozen where he left her and stares blankly into the distance. Moments go by before Marvin finally turns to her and says, “It’s been nice, but I’m out of here.”
Satsuki turns slowly towards Marvin and stares at him with a lost expression. She clenches her fists tightly but doesn’t say a word.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude. You can come join us if you need a place to crash. I can even fix that Mekanorimon if you want.”
Eiji, Kosuke, and Yulin stand at the center of an endless void. Around them, white empty space stretches away from them for miles.
“Is this…The depths?” Eiji asks as he searches for something to fix his gaze. Nothing seems to stand out. Except for the solid floor below them, everything around them was an endless formless blight.
“Well we can summon our holograms which is a good sign that this is 3D space,” Kosuke says. His voice trails off as he summons his virtual console and begins typing into it furiously.
“I always imagined the Depths to be a wild place full of untouched nature, like a forest or somthing,” Eiji says, his hologram also testing his surroundings. “That’s what the video at the DDL showed.” Kosuke doesn’t respond. He doesn’t seem to have heard Eiji’s comment. Eiji continues his search, and Loogamon sniffs at the air for clues.
Character design/illustration illustrator: malo
“So what is this place?” Loogamon asks. “There’s a bunch of scents in the air, but they don’t make sense. It’s like there’s something here, but there isn’t.”
“Something?” Eiji asks in a shaky voice
“Yeah, it’s like this whole place exists and doesn’t at the same time. It’s confusing.”
“I didn’t peg you for a philopher Loogamon.” Dorumon chuckles.
“Shut up,” Loogamon snarls, blaring its fangs at the fox.
“This is the Source Domain,” Kosuke says finally without looking up.
“The source? So this is where it all starterd?” Eiji says as he takes another look around him.
“The Digital World was born from noise and chaos. This is a place full of ancient and forgotten data. Only old Digimon can access it, or Digimon compatible to the old standards like…” Kosuke’s voice trails off.
“Like the Prototypes,” Durumon continues, pointing toward the interface on its forehead. “These things gave us access, and since you were fused to our Digicores, you came along too.”
“Ah!” Eiji chirps.
Durumon turns his attention to the unconscious and restrained Ryudamon. “Still asleep captain?”
Yulin’s hologram suddenly appears between them. “Kosuke!” she shouts.
“I’m sorry Yulin, but this was the only way. You wouldn’t have helped me otherwise.”
“Wait!” She looks at the void around her, frozen with shock as she struggles to piece the truth together. “The Gateway…What happened?!” Her voice shakes as she demands answers.
“We cracked it. This is the other side,” Kosuke answers, his gaze still fixed on his work.
Yulin is speechless. The mission failed because she hesitated.
“The DigiPolice watched you fall and withdrew. Your deputy fought till the end. She even deployed a Mega-level Digimon in an attempt to rescue you.” Durumon begins.
“Sastuki deployed Brigadramon? No!” Her voice fills with genuine concern. No one could fully control Brigadramon. It wasn’t ready to be used in combat.
“We didn’t know you were sitting on such a nifty little Digimon. It even stood toe-to-toe with Marvin’s Chaosdramon, but then Omnimon showed up, and well… that’s when the real party started. The thing came inches from Kosuke’s neck, but he was just too smart.” Durumon ends his story with a proud smile.
“What…What happened to Satsuki?”
Kosuke shrugs, “She’s not my responsibility.” He steals a quick glance at the distressed captain and sighs. “I’m not sure what happened after we cracked the Gateway, but Marvin’s a good guy. I’m sure he’s taking good care of her.”
Eiji is surprised by how casually the two foes address each other. “Do you know each other?”
“I guess there’s no reason to lie now that we’re in here,” Kosuke responds as he goes into their history.
Eieji takes it in for a moment but remembers where they are. “That’s a lot, but…shouldn’t we be worried about Omnimon coming back?”
Dudumon shakes his head, “Only prototype Digimon can enter here. We’re safe.”
“That’s good.” Eiji begins to relax.
“In theory,”
“Huh?”
Durumon shrugs, “It’s entirely possible that I am wrong. The Royal Knights will show up and end us. It’s all Jazz from here on out.”
“Please tell me you’re joking.” Eiji tenses up.
“That’s the worst case scenarion.”
Loogamon wags its tail. “Relax kid. I don’t smell any Royal Knights.”
“You’re younger than me Loogamon.”
“We don’t know that,” it sneers. Its nose twitches suddenly as it catches a faint unfamiliar scent.
“What’s up, Loogamon?”
“Something stinks over here but…GAH” Loogamon’s face twists as it fights back disgust. The area Loogamon was sniffing reacts suddenly. A strange translucent shape begins to form around it.
“What did you do?!” Eiji shouts.
Loogamon jumps back as the shape begins to form. “Nothing I..” Loogamon freezes partway through his leap. Its body remains suspended, frozen in the air.
The Building Better Worldsexpansion for the Alien RPG just released, and you might want to pick it up for the colony mechanics. You will need the core rulebook to use this resource, so either the Core Rulebook ($54.08) or the Starter Set ($51.22) should be enough to get you started.
Starter set doesn’t include GM Screen
The Starter set has everything you need to get you started:
5 generated character sheets
prewritten adventure
84 game makers to keep track of characters, motions, and more
54 custom cards for weapons, personal agenda, and initiative
10 specially designed base dice
10 specially designed stress dice
864x558mm double-sided map
You do get a condensed version of the rules, but this should be perfect for new players. If you want to create your own adventure, I recommend you pick up the core rulebook! You get a pdf version for either physical copy.
Thoughts on the Expansion
Building Better Worlds is a neat resource for GMS who need a little extra help to spice up their next Alien campaign. I typically like to make up my adventure, even when working from a book, but I appreciate being able to fall back on other people’s ideas from time to time. This book has some neat ideas I definitely want to try at my table, like having my players become stranded on a prison planet of deranged criminals and Xenomorphs.
The book introduces new ships, NPCs, planets, solar systems, and weapons to help aid GMs with flavor and world-building. It includes several plot hoots, ideas on how to run certain planets or colonies, and even a campaign players can run through if they need a jumping-off point. Most importantly, the book introduces the colony mechanic.
From my brief understanding, players will need to travel to foreign planets and either start, maintain or save a colony for humanity’s expansion into the cosmos. This won’t be an easy task. Planets are inhospitable, conditions are unpredictable, and there are bloodthirsty aliens lurking in the shadows. In space, if the stress of survival doesn’t kill you, the Xenos will. This sounds like the perfect bleek setting for any table that needs a change of pace, and I am here for it.
Where to Buy
Remember, you need access to the core rules before picking up this expansion. Those interested in the Building Better Worldsexpansion can get their hardcover copy from the official Free League Publishing website for $45.51. Those who don’t care about physical media can pick up the PDF on DriveThruRPG for $19.99. If you play online, I recommend picking up the official Building Better Worlds module for Foundry VTT. I’ve written a post explaining why you should use Foundry VTT if you want to know more.
I do plan on running Alien RPG at some point after Dragonbane. I have a huge collection of RPGs I need to get through, and I like to take my time and live in them for a bit. Until then, stay tuned! If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, follow and share this with your friends.
I release my translations the Monday after the official release. Make sure you check out the original. If you enjoy this project, don’t forget to like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends!
The Gatekeepers turn their firepower towards the Sons of Chaos. Chaosdramon fires away furiously, keeping the swarms of Gatekeepers away. The rest of the Sons of Chaos clean up any bits of swarm that manage to break through the blast of Chaosdramon’s Hyper Infinity Cannon. The Sons of Chaos move to form a defensive perimeter around their leader.
Kosuke stands behind the three prototype Digimon and watches as they crack the Gateway. Explosions and beams of hot energy fill the air around him, but his attention never falters. The progress bar makes its slow crawl across the screen…30%…33%…
The last time Kosuke attempted to crack the gateway, the progress stalled at 30%. They surpassed the first attempt, and each second brought him closer to Saya.
Dorumon announces their progress periodically. Kosuke’s screen fills with a stream of endless code as he sends commands to the prototype Digimon. The code creates a visible stream of light that becomes tethered to the backs of each Digimon. They continue to work furiously. Their feet begin to glow as streams of code stretch from beneath them across the face of the Gateway, revealing a complex geometric pattern on its surface.
At some point, the Gatekeepers had turned their attention to Kosuke. Bits of Gatekeepers occasionally rain around him, but he never takes notice. His fingers tingle with anticipation as they glide over the keyboard.
Eiji watches Kosuke curiously. He becomes moved by the man’s unwavering focus. Unable to do much else, Eiji opens his monitor to check on the progress.
66%
The Gateway groans as the glow of flowing data eats away at its face to complete the pattern. It looks to be a third of the way done.
Loogamon’s ears twitch. It flicks its nose toward the air.
“What is it?” Eiji asks.
“Something’s coming…” Loogamon’s voice trails. There is a hint of fear in its voice.
“What…Wait….Crap! Tartarus!” Eiji cries out.
“Stay calm. There’s nothing we can do right now. Just focus on the job,” Dorumon calls out. Its voice seems a bit distracted.
“Its time!” Kosuke shouts. “Everyone fall back!”
“Tappin out!”
“That’s it for me!” The Sons of Chaos Leaders slowly chime, letting Tartarus know they’ve hit their limit. Only Chaosdramon would be left to hold the line.
“Let’s all raise a glass when all this is over,” one of the leaders adds.
“You got it!”
“Loggin AUGH!” A deafening scream blasts through the chat before everything goes silent. Eiji’s mind begins to race. Have they been attacked? He searches the skies for answers.
Suddenly, a Digimon drops from the sky and lands on the Gateway with a sickening thud. Smoke and dusk kick around it furiously. As it clears, Eiji can make out a severely damaged machine. Its body is covered in deep gashes. Exposed wires let off sparks of electricity. It begins to move towards them. Each step releases thick black smoke from its gashes.
“Mekanorimon?” Eiji asks in disbelief. ” I thought the DigiPolice retreated?”
A series of small explosions erupt throughout Mekanorimon’s body. It lurches to one side and topples over to its side. Inside sits a damaged Numemon. It spills out of the seat, flopping onto the ground as it makes its escape from the wreckage. Satsuki appears next to the Mekanorimon and gingerly touches its cold steel body. “I’m sorry,” she whispers as she gently strokes the unmoving Digimon.
She turns her attention to the prototype Digimon. Her expression fills with rage. “I’m getting the captain back, and none of you filthy code crackers are going to stop me!” she shouts.
“Hey, Satsuki?” Eiji says as he leaps between the enraged officer and the Prototype Digimon.
Satsuki clenches her fist and begins to grit her teeth. “Eiji Nagasumi…” Satsuki scowls harder.
“It’s too dangerous to stay as a hologram. One stray bullet and you’re gone.” He adds, trying to calm her down.
Don’t talk down to me boy. I know what I’m doing,” she growls as she pulls out a small device from her pocket. The label on its side reads: CLASSIFIED. Metropolitan Police Department. Unit 11: D-003799. “I’m putting an end to this, once and for all!”
“Is that a Digimon Dock?”
” Sorry, Captain. Consider this my resignation…” Her voice trails as she looks down at the unconscious Ryudamon.
“Satsuki..?” Eiji stammers.
“Get ready kid, I ain’t holding back!” she yells as she turns on the device.
A horrific metallic scream fills the air. Eiji searches for a source, but nothing happens.
Genocidal Rain!
Character design/illustration illustrator: malo
A hail of heavy-caliber bullets rain from above. Each bullet explodes into Chaosdramon with thundering force, but the crimson dragon absorbs the blows effortlessly. Bellow, Eiji ducks his head expecting a stray bullet that never comes.
RATATATATATATA
The defining explosions continue. Eiji lifts his head slowly to search for its source. Above it, Chaosdramon is pinned down by the endless hail of bullets. At the other end, a heavily armored bipedal dragon fires its Gatling gun furiously towards them. A jetpack blows viciously, keeping it over them. Its blue armor glistens with each explosion. Its blank expression remains fixed on the prototype Digimon.
“So they just had a Mega Digimon sitting around?” Eiji lets out.
“Impressed?” Satsuki asks mockingly. She turns her attention to a terminal that floats in front of her. She enters a few commands and smirks as Brigadramon continues to rain down fire.
“I only left for five minutes…” Marvin’s voice comes through chat as he takes control of the Chaosdramon remotely. “Let’s see how you handle this!” Chaosdramon closes the gap between them and grabs the Gatling gun. “Gotcha!”
Satsuki lets out a sly smirk. “Not so fast!” Brigadramon adds Brigadramon lifts its left arm, revealing three rocket launchers hidden under its claws. “Did you think that’s all I had?”
“Stop it!” Eiji shouts suddenly. “It’s here!”
DELETE ALL!
A metalic voice echoes over the battlefield as a small vortex forms above the chaos. From it falls a silver knight Digimon.
Omnimon raises its right arm. The cannon at the end begins to glow as it gathers energy. The cannon fires without warning.
GARURU CANNON
The frozen beam falls towards the gate.
“Tartarus!” Marvin moves the Chaosdramon to intercept the blast. Ice creeps over its hard metallic body, slowly choking the life from it. With its final breath, it lets out one last defiant breath.
HYPER INFINITY CANNON
Omnimon moves quickly, dodging the blast and closing the distance between it and the prototype Digimon.
EXA DESTROYER
Three missiles explode against Omnimon, forcing the Royal Knight to land. Omnimon remains unscathed as it turns its attention to Satsuki’s Brigadramon.
GENOCIDAL RAIN!
RATATATATATATA
Brigadramon’s Gatling gun begins to spin as it releases a turret of bullets. Omnimon disappears behind a cloud of dust and smoke. The gun comes to a stop. Smoke wisps rise from the end of the barrels. Omnimon stops out of the smoke, unscathed. The runes on its blade begin to glow as it inches toward Kosuke and the other Digimon.
…..95%….96%….97%…
TRANSCENDENT SWORD
Omnimon charges.
“Kosuke!” Eiji shouts helplessly.
Kosuke pulls out two Digimon Docks from his pockets. “I told you, everything is going to plan.” He presses a button on the docks. Two mega Digimon suddenly appear to intercept Omnimon’s attack.
99%.
The Gateway lets out another massive grown. The prototype Digimon begins to glow as ghostly images of their ultimate forms appear briefly above them. As the projections disappear, beams of data shoot from their bodies toward the sea above them.
Omnimon makes quick work of Kosuke’s Mega Digimon and continues its charge towards Kosuke. Its blade swings for his neck.
“100% Gate Cracking complete!” Dorumon announces as Kosuke, Eiji, and the three prototype Digimon vanish.
I was sent New Cyclefor free to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. These will be my honest impressions of the game. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.
New Cycle is a survival village builder coming to early access to Steam on January 18. Because the game will be in early access, this will just be my initial impression of the game. I’ll revisit and review the game when they release 1.0.
Concept
A solar flare has destroyed society as we once knew it, sending the world into post-apocalyptic chaos. Those who remain must now build a new society from the wreckage of the old. This won’t be an easy task. Resources are limited, illnesses are rampant, nature is unrelenting, and morale is low. Can you usher your people into a new age, and rebuild society to its former glory?
Aesthetic and Performance
For an Early Access game, New Cycle runs fine. It still needs a bit of polish, but the game never crashed on me. The Aesthetic is a little dark, but I enjoy the sepia color scheme. It makes the game feel a lot more gritty and bleak.
Game Modes
The game offers most of its content through its game modes. You can enjoy the freedom of Sandbox, Manage a built city ravaged by a mysterious illness, or you can start from scratch in a campaign. The campaign has a few maps you can start from that affect gameplay. For example, you can start on a mountain where you have access to better mining but don’t have less food to work with. I love the work that went into the flavor. At the moment, the game has enough content to keep players busy till the full release.
Gameplay
Thoughts
New Cycle is the most technical village builder I’ve ever played, which isn’t a bad thing. At its core, it shares a lot of the core elements of other games in the genre. This game isn’t any more difficult to learn, but it is a bit more difficult to master. Where in other games I would sit back and watch my villagers live their lives, New Cyle had me worrying about all the elements that could end my civilization.
Just like any survival game, you need to worry about resources, hunger, morale, and the elements. This is a game where you have to be very careful about your efficiency because random events will set back your progress. There was a game where I ran out of food and my buildings got struck by lightning, and I had to start over because I planned poorly. I still recommend you go in blindly and learn from your mistakes, but having a guide handy doesn’t hurt.
Conclusion
This game isn’t going to be for everyone. The survival mechanics will turn away the more casual village builder fans. That said, the game is doing a good job of combining the survival and village builder genres. If you’re a technical person who enjoys the economics of survival but doesn’t mind the roughness of Early Access, you might want to look into New Cycle. To be clear, this isn’t a daunting technical game that requires good notes and a Ph.D., but it is less casual than the other games in the genre. I liked it, and can’t wait to see where they take it. Don’t forget to add it to your Wishlist!
The Final Shapereleases on June 4th, so I’ve started the grind in preparation. Full disclosure, I was sent the expansion for free to cover for my blog when the expansion on release.
It’s been a long time since I last played Destiny, so I’ve been slowly figuring out the type of content I enjoy. The Dawning event was very helpful in getting me to stick with the game because it gave me something to work towards. I ended the event reaching the soft cap with a few nifty exotics, and a couple of seasonal items.
I’ve mostly been making my way through the story, but I was losing interest. Thankfully, this week is Iron Banner and it forced me to play PvP. Destiny 2 PvP isn’t the greatest experience, but I appreciate the break it’s giving me. It also gives me something else to work towards while I figure out my long-term goals for the game.
Iron Banner will run until the 9th, so make sure you boot up Destiny this weekend and start doing the grind. There are a few rewards you’re going to want to chase, but you’re also going to be showered with loot. Make sure you talk to Lord Saladin at the tower to start the quest and pick up your rewards.
