http://www.essencerpg.com/ - see the reviews, buy the books

Eons after the creation of the universe, and after the rise and development of innumerable species and cultures, the Great Spirit descends upon the very heart of creation, the cradle of life: Eoris. This planet bears the universe’s name and lays in the farthest reaches of the cosmos where reality turns to dream. Eoris is the birthplace of the first mortal creatures, the mecca of civilisation, and the sanctuary of the ‘Sil’, angels of creation and direct descendents of God.

A few years after her arrival, God unconsciously proclaims her wish to die, a call only her angels can sense. This event marks the beginning of a new war, one that confronts the mighty empires of the mortals that strictly oppose the destruction of the Great Spirit against the ‘Last Angels’, celestial creatures that descended from the heavens to fulfil the celestial mandate.

In this war, the nature of our devotion to God opposes our need to live.

What is more important... God or her creation?

Saturday 22 February 2014

FAQ - Eoris in 20 Questions

In 20 questions, this FAQ aims to give precise answers to the various questions you may have about Eoris Essence: 

  1. What is Eoris Essence?
It is a table top role-playing game that features a vast world centred on the idea that we are made and we make history through our choices. In this case what we choose is more important God or her Creation, will lead us to choose sides in a war that threatens to end all.

  1. What is the style of the game?
Eoris Essence is a science fantasy rpg in which the exploration of purpose of being and of action are key. Characters explore the world around and the world within as they take part in a moral dilemma that revolves around the idea of importance and what one is willing to do for what one believes in. A key question hangs over the characters as they face or escape the historical events that occur around them.

  1. What are the themes of the game?
Given the vast cosmological, ideological, elemental and historical features of the game there are many possibilities for theme. High fantasy and deep character development clash with high action packed scenarios and situations that face the bigger than life ideas of the “celestial” we have with a sense of personal realisation and purpose.

  1. What makes the Essence rpg game “transcendental”?
It speaks from the heart of things and its implications on life and the world. It is based on the idea that choices make history, and become inevitable. Our constant search for home is at the heart of why reason and desire clouds every thought and every decision a character makes. There must be a reason to kill and a reason not to kill, a reason to stay home or a reason to leave. Simple choices based on simple desires unavoidably escalate driving the characters into change. What a character is at the beginning, is not who she is in the end. It also explores the belief in God and why we believe in her/him. What makes God, God and why do we delve into the murky road that is answering the big questions of life by ourselves. Ignoring the rest of the universe and what happens within those, we decided, are our enemies and perhaps, in the journey making them our friends is at the core of why the thematic pushes characters into consideration of “the other” and of the self.

  1. What do you mean by “Science fantasy”?
Simply put it means there is no real “fantasy” in the Essence rpg. Instead, whatever seems magical or unreal has an explanation that is based on a logic that is inherent to the world of Eoris. This logic explains everything and creates a filter in which the people see their “magical” world as we the computers we are working with now. We know it has a logical explanation, but once we think about how a microchip can store data when the power is out we start to question if we really do understand. Can we picture information in a magnetic medium? Does this information move around? Is it static? Likewise the people who developed the microchip did not develop the use of electricity. Our human technology is a collective construct no one understands completely. Push that into a thousand years of advancement and we have Saeia, Eoris’ all-tech. Likewise, it also means there is no real science on the setting, but ideas based on the general knowledge derived from observation today.



  1. What is the setting of the game?
A world beyond our physical realm that lies in the fringes of existence and that is home to the Great Spirit, God. Cradle of life and origin of the Consciousness, this world is perhaps even more real than ours and it lies at the brink of dissolution. Its many cultures now face the unconscious of God made flesh, the Last Spirits, who seek to destroy her regardless of the cost. There is no evil, no good, and no absolutes other than the reality presentd and the choices that make us free.

  1. What are the game’s main sources of inspiration?
Many things have inspired the game so the answer to this question will undoubtedly have gaps. The landscape of our country, Colombia, has been of paramount importance. Animal diversity and “human-animal” cooperation with a strong desire for an attainment of peace are at the core of the game and seem omnipresent whilst travelling through our country. Video games have also inspired.
Starting with Xenogears and moving to Shadow of the Colossus, the influences are great and hard to describe. A feeling of the magnificent mixed with the idea of simple landscapes that seem tranquil and even unimportant. A celestial event reduced to a series of human emotions and interactions that are perhaps very real to most of us. Technologies that serve as a means to exalt our human spirits and desires and the contradictory idea that our spirits and truest longings are not of greatness but of closeness to what is around us. A man staring into a lake, rather than conquering it, perhaps speaks louder of the spirit of the Essence rpg, than a vast warship moving through the cosmos.

  1. How are South American elements included in the game?
Unavoidably we are South American. Colombian to be precise, and this gives the game a different approach to how societies see each other. It is not feudal, it is not modern and it is not tribal. It is mix of things in which many forms of government, of religion and culture had to learn to grow together and come to terms. From the most civilised and educated, to the most uneducated, primal and perhaps childish of beings, this world shares its sceneries equally. There is a history of tolerance growing into acceptance, growing into understanding that is easy to see happening on our continent daily. There is also a great desire for more. Like everyone is expecting something larger than life to happen. We believe in a one true god while also believing in thousands upon thousands of small deities, spirits, who share this world with us as much as God and everyone else.

  1. Who will be the Characters?
Well… that’s up to you. We designed a game system that literally allows you to play as conventional humanoid characters. But we have seen players have characters that are simple animals of this world attempting to survive as the rules of men and gods alter their habitats. Truly this game offers many possibilities that are fun and easy to explore.

  1.  What types of Characters can be played in Eoris Essence?
Basically any type. Truly, check it out for your selves. Nevertheless, main characters could be the Contacts, beings who have the ability to redefine the fabric of the world instinctively. That is, without the need for advanced technologies.

  1.  Inhabiting the world of Eoris could be explained by using what examples of popular media?
The idea of cultural/biological diversity that mixes the old traditional scenarios with advanced technologies found in games such as Xenogears, some final fantasies, Journey (the video game). Also an idea of vast landscapes like those found on Shadow of the Colossus, especially when referring to the evocative feeling and the sense of wonder of the simple mundane. The idea of multiple warring groups may be compared to starcraft’s races and their desires for survival or universal dominion. The incredibly (almost fantastically) talented characters and their close relation to many forms of intellectual and physical prowess could be compared with over the top protagonists like Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes. Finally, the idea of the “Dream of the Universal Consciousness” which is Eoris itself, has levels of depth and exploration comparable to Inception and Paprika.

  1.  How do I find the Eoris books?
You may visit www.essencerpg.com, our blog, facebook, twitter or look for the books on amazon. You may also join any forum in the internet and create a thread, through which the creators will contact you.

  1.  How is the game system?
Designed to have a complex, long and fully detailed Character generation process that offers so many options some may feel daunted, the Essence System provides thousands of options for players to choose from. It also includes three games in one. You may play as Xylen (ordinary beings), Sil (free spirits of God) or Kalei (Spirits that serve the unconscious will of God and seek to destroy her).

  1.  Eoris is a complex world with many mysteries and secrets. Will there be a revelation or must we come up with solutions on our own?
The idea is for every gaming group to create their own version of the game and make it their own. This however does not in any way clash with the idea of a fixed idea given the cosmological order of Eoris. Nevertheless, new expansions are underway where secrets will be revealed and the history will advance to explore the furthest depths of the war.  

  1.  Is Eoris Essence an on-going series?
Eoris is a world creation that has many years in the making and encompasses wondrous efforts from its creators. It is indeed an on-going series.

  1.  What will the style of the scenarios and adventures be like?
When directly relevant to the historical events of the world, the style is an escalating, over the top, celestial confrontation between beings who wish to overcome one another no matter the cost. In this struggle inner demons arise and the true purpose behind every action is revealed. 
        Nevertheless, the setting is presented in an open and free manner so that Players and GMs alike may decide on what form of game they will experience. This is based on the idea we had when we first played roleplaying games: The world is but the scenario, events and characters are what matter. The more we played D&D, the more we realised that what was being proposed was a world where anything could happen. This is also the case for Eoris Essence. We feel that anything could and should happen. We welcome everyone to experience the world of Eoris in as free a manner as possible.

  1.  What does the Primordial Clay or “custom species creator” do?
Allows character to modify any previously existing species, or create their own. Narrators (gaming masters) use this tool to create enemies and antagonists, new species, vehicles, and any creation that is based on a physical form.

  1.  What are the creatures of Eoris Essence’s bestiary? Are there classic enemies like goblins and dragons, or an entire new wave of creatures?
Basically any the Narrator wishes to include on the setting so long as it is not a magical species or race. Only biological creatures inhabit the world of Eoris. Magic simply does not exist.

  1.  Who are the “Aiej”?
The spirits that inhabit the world of Eoris and that represent or embody the soul of a particular thing. Some spirits are fragmented into different beings instead of just one. For example the Sil as a whole embody the spirit of life in a certain fragment of the universe.

  1. Will Eoris Essence have expansions?

Yes. But it is important to realise the books that are currently for sale present a version of the world and of the game that is open, free… but also unique to the limited edition. Never again will the books be printed in the same manner or with everything they have including the three game modes.  



Wednesday 12 February 2014

Story #6

 #6
The journey is long, but following the track marks of the crystal’s vehicle is easy.  No rain will wash these away in a decade. The crystal is just too heavy. It pushes down on the machine, a force beyond gravity, like a magnet, and the vessel advances slowly. The boy, now tired, muddy and afraid, dares not enter the embrace of light given by the men and the machine. He remains at a distance, watching. Seeing as the adults share food and drinks. He is afraid of being caught, but also of losing sight of his mission. Some hours ago he yelled to his father. He screamed and then ran back home, took a pound of jerky and embarked upon the trail. “Dad, the animal came to us.” He had said. “Do not be superstitious.” The man responded. “I am not. But…” “Son, the beast is not alive. None of them are.” They are remnants of our Sun. Look to your family, before you look to yourself. Is what you want more precious than what we need?” But the boy heeded no advice, and now walks behind a rumbling vessel of a time long past, its engine roaring to the skies with a technology too old and too loud. At least, he thinks, he will see the city for the first time and see the big Saeia Ships and buildings and roads. He looks into his pocket and takes a very small, broken crystal. The thing glows shy and dim within his hands. In his mind he sees bigger more luscious versions of the crystal powering entire streets. Flying vessels, impossible constructions all fed into life by crystals like the one he holds. He embraces these ideas and with renewed energy looks at the moving vessel and the Beast that became his ticket to the city. 

Friday 31 January 2014

Story #5

#5

The empty hole in the ground now fills with rainwater as it pours from a peaceful cloud above. The boy stares at the men loading the colossal thing unto an old, rusted, bulky and roaring construction vehicle. Its engine is loud enough to force everyone into a screaming frenzy. There is no way to organize the people. Men pull unto strings but have no sense of unity or direction. The thing tips over and the vehicle is swung to a side as men fly into the air, pulled by the massive force of the crystal as it plummets down and hits the black soil with apparent malice. A man is crushed and it takes a moment to stop the machine’s engine and for the people to gather around and realise the horrible news they are to tell the village folk just that evening. Embraced and comforted on the idea of sacrifice they persist, lift the thing and push it unto the vehicle. Some men and women take the body of the dead man aside and try to accomplish the impossible. A man is dead and the thing has been lifted, a defeat and a victory in a single day. Amongst them the kid looks at both and feels no triumph. As he stares at the dead man he can hear the engine of the roaring vehicle move farther away, and with it an encased being he deems too important to simply abandon.

Wednesday 29 January 2014

Story #4

#4

“Dad, isn’t this a part of our sun?” Speaks the child softly. “Dad?” He speaks again, this time louder. “Dad! I think you should not sell it.” He pulls on his dad’s hand and lets go. He runs towards the crystal, his dad follows closely behind. “Watch it son, you are going to get hurt.” The man says as he pulls onto his kid. “Dad, isn’t this a Spirit? A part of god?” His dad kneels beside him. “Yes son, it is. But remember what the Scian teach about religion and faith. “That we should never just believe.” Spoke the child softly. “Do you remember the tenets of the Cerian?” The boy looks down. “Thought without memory is instinct. Thought without memory is obedience.” The boy looks up at his dad with curved eyes and shaking lips. “Son, what they really mean is that we must not follow blindly, that things are simply fragments of nature, and like the earth and grass and animals we use to survive, we will use this, a part of our sun, to survive as well.” The man said smiling at the kid. “But isn’t it a bad thing to do?” The man stands, this time anger cannot hide behind his frown. “You mean a sin? You are sounding like a Kelian! Only religions believe in sin. Sin is their product and they sell it cheap so everyone will purchase their false cures. Do you really believe the Great Spirit or nature itself can even consider such a thing? Listen, son, I love you, but you better get away from whoever is leading you. You are about to fall down the deep end.” As the man stands the boy, angry as well, pulls on his vest. “ I am not talking about sin. I just think he came here for a reason. He came to us for help. Look!” The boy points at the beast within the crystal. There is great pain in his clutched hands. “Son, we need this. Try to understand.” The boy stares at his dad, this time pleading with tear-filled eyes.

Monday 27 January 2014

Story #3

#3
Not a week and a crowd swells around the crystal. A line of whispering people draws back to the river near the road, all trade’s men, all hoping to join axe and stone and sliver the thing into sellable pieces. Some disagree, but business is necessary, especially for a damned village like theirs. In front of it all stands the man, owner and master of the event holding a young boy’s hand. His son. He whispers with ones he holds dear as they all try to reach an agreement on how to keep the thing a secret, how to capitalize, or even how to get rid of it for the sake of their people. “It is vital that we inform the Scian.” Says one who is unable to look at the beast within the rock. He is too afraid. “The Scian may help…” whispers another. “…but they will not pay. We will lose it and gain nothing.” Another steps up and grabs the man by the shoulder. “We must sell it to the city’s museum, they pay very well. I heard from a friend’s cousin, a similar thing happened there. He became the richest man on the village. The party lasted a whole month. Drinks all around. He said there were drunk men walking the streets for weeks.” The man looks to the thing as the busy trade’s men who have pledged silence attempt to break pieces of its crystallised roots. “Yes, we must sell it whole…” He says. “…this chipping away of the crystal has to stop, by how do we take it there?” “My brother has a Digger, big thing. It can carry a house, I’ve seen it.” Whispers another, eyes open trying to catch the attention of the man that runs the show.  “That thing is rusted and old.” Says the first to speak with worry in his voice. “What if we break it? What if that creature is set lose?” “it is a creature of God, not an enemy of us.” Says another. 

“Your brother’s digger, bring it. It’ll do for us.” The man has spoken loudly and they all simply turn to look at the thing as they acknowledge his decision. “We will have new cattle brought in exchange, no money. I’m serious…” He insists. “…it corrupts the soul. We need food and things to sell.” The men agree as they put their hands on the man’s shoulders and back, a sign of affection and agreement. They sense his wisdom and follow his lead. Amongst them the small boy, not older than 10, stares from amongst the men to the silent crystal and the face of the dormant creature within. He holds his dad’s hand firmly.