Preview – Page 2 – Reliquary Game Studios

Alchemy and Art Update

On November 29, 1875, Thomas Edison held a press conference declaring that he had discovered what he called “etheric force.” In the two decades that have passed, this mystical energy has become the missing link to the ancient art of alchemy. Now upheld as a proper field of scientific research, alchemists study the ability to harness etheric force and use it to transmute matter. This nascent science has found its way into industry, being used to strengthen building materials and create rare elements from more common ones. However, alchemy’s true potential is still being discovered.
The picture below depicts an alchemist at work in her laboratory. It will be the cover art for the Quick Start Rules that will be released next year.

Cover Art Update

Here is the current incarnation of the cover art for the Quick Start Rules by artist Ameen Naksewee. More to come.

Clockwork Cards

The Clockwork Roleplaying Game uses cards rather than dice to provide random elements within the game. We found that this allowed us to completely control our bell curve for skill tests, allow for our more dynamic initiative system, and produce random attack effects without cumbersome tables that slow down gameplay. Here is a first glimpse at what these cards will look like. The front of each card displays information necessary for play, while the back of each card displays a beautiful rendering of something very rare to the Clockwork World: two fully manifested nephilim. Both sides were painted by staff artist, Michelle Mullen. These cards will be bundled with our first Quick Start Adventure and be available on www.DriveThruRPG.com after the new year.

Physical Conflict: Initiative

One of the design goals for the Clockwork physical conflict system was to allow for simply organized combats where characters were always on the edge of their seat, never knowing who would act next. We wanted players to be constantly engaged with the fight rather than simply waiting for their turns to act. Creating a fair and balanced initiative system that allowed for this was the most challenging part of the game design and took years to finish. The rules that will be revealed in January accomplish this goal perfectly! Our card based initiative system uses multiple actions and reactions per Initiative Sequence for a fair distribution of turns without having them occur in a structured order that is visible at the time Initiative Cards are dealt. The result is order in chaos: a fair and organized flow of turns that is easy to follow, but constantly changing, creating a feeling of anticipation as each character finishes her turn.

Quick Start Rules Cover Art

Here is a black and white sketch of the cover art that will be used for the Quick Start Rules released in January. It features a female alchemist sitting in her laboratory. The original design was an Art Nouveau take on the Magus tarot card. The final painting will, of couse, be in full color and be our first piece of cover art for the game.