Unknown Armies

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Unknown Armies
A role-playing game about power and consequences
publication
Author (s) John Tynes , Greg Stolze
Original publisher Atlas Games
Original publication 1998
German publisher Vortex Publishing House
German publication 2005
World and system
genre horror
cube W100

Unknown Armies - A role-playing game about power and consequences ( UA for short ) is a horror role-playing game system that was developed by John Tynes and Greg Stolze in 1998 and was published by Atlas Games in the USA . In 2002 a second edition was published, in which only Greg Stolze was involved. The third edition appeared in 2017, and only Stolze worked on it.

overview

The game deals with the search for or dealing with the so-called occult underground , an unreal world, shrouded in rumors and conspiracies , populated by opaque and mysterious characters who strive for power or knowledge, a world between enlightenment and madness . The players take on the role of seemingly ordinary people from the street, but they have one thing in common: a key event that makes them receptive to the obscure or supernatural , that has opened their eyes that there is more than one truth. These people go in search of power, knowledge or something else in the occult underground.

A German version of the second edition of Unknown Armies has existed for the German-speaking area since September 2005. It was published by Tim Struck and Michel Strack-Zimmermann in their Vortex Verlag under the license of Atlas Games. It is not a simple translation of the English regulations. B. Because of the clearly different gun laws in the USA and Europe and the locations in Germany with different specifications and new artwork, consciously adapted to German conditions.

Unknown Armies is based on a game system that is very simple and does not require complex explanations of rules. It is a skill-based percentage system that is not based on a large set of tables. Skills are assigned four attributes that determine their maximum value. The dice are only rolled if something is really at stake. There are basic skills, but no general list of skills. Each player is encouraged to change the basic skills for their character and simply invent skills that best describe their character. Players define their characters not so much by skill values ​​as by the skills themselves.

Similar to the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu , the control mechanisms are in the background due to the simplicity of the system. The plot, the scenario and the game atmosphere are decisive for the game, which is a great challenge for the game master. It has to provide a lively framework, create the right mood and maintain it.

For those interested in the game, there is an official preview of the basic rules on the German website of Unknown Armies , as well as different versions of character sheets.

Second edition rules

Character attributes and skills

Every skill (parachuting, writing with both hands, solving logarithms in the head, etc.) is assigned to one of the four attributes of body , speed , intellect , soul ; Attributes and skills have values ​​between 1% and 99%. To perform an action, you roll the die for the skill to be used. If the character does not have a suitable skill, the game master can allow the dice to be rolled on the corresponding attribute; however, the character will not do as well as someone with a skill in question. As a result, he may take longer to complete the action or have to accept other disadvantages.

roll the dice

The players need two ten-sided dice , which are usually used as so-called percentage dice , i.e. H. Their number determines a number between 1 and 100, whereby one die represents the tens and the other the ones. In rare cases, the total is formed from the numbers. The game master determines when to roll the dice and how decisive it is.

Simple skill check

In relaxed situations, a skill check is usually successful if the skill value is at least 15%. The game master may still want to see the throw in order to determine the duration of the action or to consider critical dice results.

Crucial skill check

In precarious situations where time is of the essence or the character is exposed to risk, the player will only achieve success if he rolls less than or equal to the skill value.

Critical mistake

Whenever 100 is rolled (numbers 0 and 0), a mistake occurs, i. H. the worst possible outcome for the act or event happens. Even the best skill or attribute values ​​do not change that.

Critical success

If a 1 is rolled (numbers 0 and 1), a critical success occurs, i.e. H. the action takes the best possible outcome. However, that does not mean that impossible actions become possible.

Exchange of dice

In some situations it is allowed to swap the numbers on a die result. For example, if an 8 and a 2 were rolled in such a situation, which corresponds to an 82, the player could change the result to 28 if that would be advantageous.

Character traits

In addition to attribute and skill values, characters in Unknown Armies are primarily defined by three character traits: obsession , temperament and personality .

obsession

The obsession is the driving force behind the character that leads them to be active in the occult underground, e.g. B. Thirst for knowledge, music , mysticism , physical perfection or a fetish . The player has to think about what motivates his character to do what he is doing.

temperament

The character has three impulses that make up his temperament: the fear impulse , the anger impulse and the virtue impulse . Each of these impulses can be triggered by a predetermined abstract or concrete event, and can thus be used to grow beyond oneself. If, for example, a character triggers his impulse to be angry in a situation that makes him angry, he can swap the dice with a roll or repeat the roll in order to distribute correctly, knock down shelves or the like.

personality

With the personality, the player determines abstractly how the character is in general. Examples of this are role models such as Good Bull, Bad Bull , Femme Fatale , The Eccentric Outsider, etc. Alternatively, one can orientate oneself on characters known from film and television, such as Obi-Wan Kenobi as an example of a serene, objective and goal-oriented Wise men who are not upset or Indiana Jones as an example of a passionate daredevil with principles.

Madness Meters

One element of the game that makes Unknown Armies unique is the handling of stress and the characters' mental state. In contrast to Call of Cthulhu , in which every character has a "mental stability" which - when faced with cthulhoid monsters - steadily decreases until the character has to be sent to the "madhouse", Unknown Armies has five madness meters for different types from stress. If the player fails a stress throw, the character receives a trauma point which brings them one step closer to a serious mental illness. If the throw succeeds, he receives a hardness point, which represents the hardening of the character against a certain level of stress. But too many hardness points are disadvantageous, because the character gradually loses its humanity.

Publications

So far the following have been published in German:

  • 2005: Unknown Armies: Basic rules , Vortex-Verlag. Hardcover, 440 pages.
  • 2006: Unknown Armies: Game Master Package . A game leader's screen with the beginner's adventure Tally Ho , Vortex-Verlag. Booklet, 47 pages.
  • 2007: Unknown Armies: Snap Shots - 5 Scenarios That Get Under Your Skin! . A scenario anthology with five ready-to-play adventures, Vortex-Verlag. Softcover, 128 pages.
  • 2008: Unknown Armies: Postmodern Magic - The Adept's Underground . Source book, Vortex-Verlag. Limited first edition, hardcover, 192 pages.

Web links