The Sword of Cepheus - 2D6 for S & S, Sword & Planet gaming

[Deleted]

Fantasy Traveller ruleset just released - uses the Cepheus Light engine - chargen looks fun, as always : )

[Finarvyn]

Okay, so I see their information (quoted below) but I've never tried the "Cepheus Light engine" so I don't really know how the game plays. If you have any experience with the system, can you elaborate?

A sorcerer blasting his enemies with the power of his mind. A muscled barbarian wielding a flaming sword against the local tyrant’s thugs. A secret cabal of magicians plotting to control the minds and souls of kings. A gladiator who freed himself from slavery wanders the land, righting wrongs and smashing villains. Big muscles, big swords, eldritch sorcery, powers of the mind, eldritch beasts. From Burroughs to Howard to Moorcock to Italian Peplum films to those dreaming of outlandish post-apocalyptic worlds, heroes raise swords against corrupt nobles, inexplicable sorcerers, and alien monstrosities.

Sword of Cepheus is a roleplaying game in the triple “Sword” genres: Sword and Sorcery, Sword and Planet, and Sword and Sandal. In Sword and Sorcery, often-amoral protagonists face vile sorcery and horrid beasts as they complete awesome adventures for gold and glory. In Sword and Planet, humans finding themselves on barbaric or decadent alien planets use their superior brawn and valiant hearts to win fame, fortune, and the heart of an alien princeling. In Sword and Sandal, often set in a quasi-Biblical or faux-Roman world, men and women with sharp wits and strong sword-arms fight mythological creatures and overthrow tyrants. The common threads of all three genres are the blade-wielding protagonists who use their brawn, as well as brains, to fight foes both supernatural and mundane and undertake hair-raising, violent adventures.

The Sword of Cepheus rules include everything you need to play thrilling sword & sorcery adventures:
Streamlined skill-based 2D6 task resolution!
Procedural character generation with 12 archetypal careers for your character to undergo!
44 unique character Traits to customize your character!
A wide selection of adventuring equipment and weaponry!
Simple yet intriguing rules for adventuring and exploring exciting worlds!
Fast-paced, action-packed combat - whether on foot, from horseback, or on the high seas!
A skill-based, perilous sorcery system, with 108 eldritch spells!
96 terrible monsters for heroes to face!
A selection of treasures, both mundane and magical!
Detailed gameplay examples for quick and easy comprehension of the rules!!

Sounds neat, but so does almost every other RPG out there. What makes it special, and why would I want to drop $10 for a PDF?

[Deleted]

In play, Cepheus Light is as close to a light 'at the table' Classic Traveller as you're going to get from a contemporary published game. Special - well, there's decades of Traveller adventures and supplements to utilize if you were going all Sword & Planet.

Personally, I'm going to hold off for reviews and the print version.

[jeffb]

Its 5 bucks right now.

I'm tempted- I've always wanted to see a Fantasy game based on Traveller

[dizzysaxophone]

Apr 12, 2020 9:18:06 GMT -6 jeffb said:

Its 5 bucks right now.

I'm tempted- I've always wanted to see a Fantasy game based on Traveller

Same. I've been meaning to look this over, bought it a few weeks ago

[Piper]

I've given it a read. My first impressions?

I thought about converting Traveller to a FRPG. I never did because Traveller combat is so deadly vis-a-vis that of OD&D. Sword of Cepheus (SoC) is based on the Cepheus Light version of Cepheus Engine and thus retains much of the deadliness of the 2d6 gaming system. I must say, however, SoC addresses survivability in some rather innovative ways. Make no mistake, however, combat remains deadly though in true swords and sorcery (S&S) fashion is harder on the redshirts than on the main character (the player-characters).

Also preserving the S&S flavour of the rules is dark and mysterious nature of magic. Player-characters have professions and skills, education, social standing; all this enabling a wide variety of customized characters for a wide-ranging fantasy campaign.

The rules themselves are basically a point-by-point translation of a certain mid-1970's rules set we all know and love. Players of 2d6 or d20 games should have little trouble making the switch.

For myself, I'm very much a hardcopy sort of guy. I'll likely head to PrintMe1.com to make a table copy and I'll gladly buy an official hardbound when they become available later this year.

If you like Traveller or its first cousin Cepheus Engine but have been thinking of running a fantasy campaign for your group? This would get you up and running with few problems.

[jeffb]

Apr 12, 2020 17:48:33 GMT -6 Piper said:

I've given it a read. My first impressions?

I thought about converting Traveller to a FRPG. I never did because Traveller combat is so deadly vis-a-vis that of OD&D. Sword of Cepheus (SoC) is based on the Cepheus Light version of Cepheus Engine and thus retains much of the deadliness of the 2d6 gaming system. I must say, however, SoC addresses survivability in some rather innovative ways. Make no mistake, however, combat remains deadly though in true swords and sorcery (S&S) fashion is harder on the redshirts than on the main character (the player-characters).

Also preserving the S&S flavour of the rules is dark and mysterious nature of magic. Player-characters have professions and skills, education, social standing; all this enabling a wide variety of customized characters for a wide-ranging fantasy campaign.

The rules themselves are basically a point-by-point translation of a certain mid-1970's rules set we all know and love. Players of 2d6 or d20 games should have little trouble making the switch.

For myself, I'm very much a hardcopy sort of guy. I'll likely head to PrintMe1.com to make a table copy and I'll gladly buy an official hardbound when they become available later this year.

If you like Traveller or its first cousin Cepheus Engine but have been thinking of running a fantasy campaign for your group? This would get you up and running with few problems.

Excellent summary , thanks piper!

[Piper]

Another thought occurs to me on a rereading . . .

Swords & Sorcery and Swords & Planets types of settings have been brought up by the creators of SoC. But the way magic is setup and how it works, along with the ability to customize player-characters and PC races? It seems to me a referee could easily create a Middle Earth setting with these rules. I'm aware Middle Earth has a few published RPGs, but I thought I'd throw that idea out there. To my reading at least, and I'm not JRRT scholar many here are, these rules work very much like I saw magic working in those books.

[Piper]

Apr 13, 2020 6:36:17 GMT -6 jeffb said:

Excellent summary , thanks piper!

My pleasure! I figured there at least a few us curious about the SoC rules.