January 2024 Update

[January 2024]

Greetings all, and welcome to the January (2024) update for Roguelike Games!

A brand new year already, and a brand new update to go with it. To start 2024 off we're going to be putting out a couple of updates that will run a little differently from our usual blog-update format: While we would normally update the progress of the Uncanny and Gloom editions of our flagship TTRPG, Moralinth (and don't worry, we'll be getting back to that soon as a lot is going on!), we thought we would take the opportunity to give you a sneak peek into what you can expect with both versions of the game.

Starting this month with the Uncanny Edition and concluding in February with the Gloom Edition, these two updates will give you a summarised run-down of the core rulebook's content, using a recreation of the respective document's Contents Pages as a guide. Both editions of Moralinth have a lot of content in them so we'll only be summerising here, but you're all more than welcome to head to our Facebook Page or Discord to ask questions or get any clarification on what you see here.

QUICK DISCLAIMER: What is shown here is not 100% final. As with most things in game development, things may change or be moved around before the final release. That said, the following information should give you a good idea of what to expect from Moralinth: Uncanny Edition.

How Moralinth: Uncanny Edition is laid out

For those who play Cypher System games, the layout of Moralinth: Uncanny Edition will be familiar. This is entirely intentional to help fans of those games navigate the core rulebook with the same ease they have become used to with existing products. In addition, we feel that MCG lays out its content very well, making it especially useful for newcomers to navigate. Sure, our content might be different, but as far as the layout goes, if it's not broken....

The book is broken down into 7 "Parts" as well as an Introduction:

INTRODUCTION:

This part of the book comprises all the introductory information to set up expectations for both Narrators and Players as to what to experience with the game, explains the basics of role-playing games as well as a brief primer of the Cypher System ruleset.

PART I: CHARACTER CREATION:

Intended primarily for Players, this part of the book contains all the information needed to create and run a Character in Moralinth: Uncanny Edition.

PART II: PLAYING MORALINTH:

Part II contains the entirety of all the rules that do not immediately pertain to character creation. For those familiar with Cypher System games they will recognise a lot of the initial information as it is a reprint of what exists in other Cypher System games but with a Moralinth spin on it. As well as this comprehensive archive of the rules, this part of the book also goes into detail about some of the signature aspects that set Moralinth apart.

PART III: THE SETTING:

Though the majority of the minutiae of the world's lore is covered in The Imperial

Encyclopedia Estania, the general setting information of how the world of Moralinth works is covered in this part of the book. The Information provided focuses on the Empire of Estania where the game is set, a continent on the world of Moralinth.

PART IV: CREATURES AND CHARACTERS:

Part IV marks the start of material designed primarily for the Narrator in the Uncanny Edition of Moralinth. Like all other table-top RPGs (TTRPGs), there is technically nothing stopping Players from looking at this information, but doing so might spoil some of the surprises the Narrator has in store for the group. This part of the book contains statistics (or 'stat blocks') for the various people and creatures the Players can interact with.

PART V: RUNNING MORALINTH:

This part of the Moralinth: Uncanny Edition core rulebook contains all the information Narrators might need to bring their game to life - from secrets and rules clarification to advice for creating a mood and theme. It is intended for the Narrator's eyes only.

PART VI: THE TIES THAT BIND (ADVENTURE):

The Moralinth: Uncanny Edition core rulebook comes bundled with a multi-session adventure that can be used to introduce Players to the world of Moralinth (see the Moralinth: Uncanny Quickstart for another one!). It comes with everything the Narrator might need to run the adventure including a separate resources section where all rules and tools are unified in one place for quick reference in play.

PART VII: BACK MATTER:

This part of the core rulebook contains all extra information that either does not fit in the previous parts of the document, covers legal points, or forms a place to find summarised rules and other resources such as character sheets.

Breaking it down, Chapter by Chapter

So we know the book is broken down into various parts, but what do those contain? let's have a look:

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1: Welcome to Moralinth

This chapter is a brief look at the world and setting of Moralinth, an overview to absorb as you make your Characters and discern where they fit in the story. In addition, it also breaks the book down into its composite parts so you have an overall idea of where to find various information in the book.

Chapter 2: Rules Introduction

The second chapter of this book looks at the rules from the perspective of a new Player, giving a brief rundown of how the game system works and summarisation for future

reference. This does not replace the information provided in Part II which Players and Narrators are expected to read and understand to effectively play the game, but rather introduces the reader to some core concepts to get the game up and running in the first instance.

PART I: CHARACTER CREATION

Chapter 3: Creating your Character

This chapter summarizes the basics of creating your Character, including examples and bullet-point breakdowns. It is designed to give a point of reference to return to should character creation seem confusing – as it might well be the first time around for someone new to the system. Each Character in Moralinth is built out of three main principles (and an optional fourth) that shape who they are being the Character's Type, Descriptor, and Focus.

Chapter 4: Character Type

This chapter focuses on your choice of Type for your Character. It explains the differences between the eight different Character Types and what information they bring to your Character. You choose one (1) Type for your Character. The eight Types are:

Adept: Someone who is more intellectually inclined and who uses their knowledge to overcome obstacles. They are also likely to be connected to the occult in some manner.
Combatant: Someone who is physically capable and uses a combination of brawn and dexterity to accomplish their tasks.
Dilettante: Someone with a strong personality, often born to wealth or great fortune who possesses the capability to convince others to their way of thinking.
Explorer: Someone who seeks answers or possesses a great wanderlust, they seek to uncover the secret places and truths of the world.
Rapscallion: Someone who lives by their wits and exploits opportunities to better their own situation.
Sleuth: Someone who is driven to uncover the truth behind mysteries, often with a leaning toward the scientific.
Spiritualist: Someone with a close connection to all things otherworldly, from ghosts to gods. They often act as a metaphysical and sometimes literal bridge between worlds.
Technocrat: Someone who fully embraces the advancements of the industrial revolution: a technophile who sees technology as the way of the future.

Chapter 5: Character Flavour

An optional step in character creation, Flavour is a term used to describe a collection of Talents that combine to create a certain theme for your character. At any given Tier a Player can choose one of the Talents listed under a Flavour in place of a Talent they would get from another source, such as Character Type. Perhaps you want your Combatant to have some magic, or for your Technocrat to have some deceptive elements? Flavour exists to allow for finer tuning of character options. Though technically an optional part of the character creation process, Character Flavour is so commonly used that it deserves its own chapter in the book.

Chapter 6: Character Descriptor

This chapter goes into detail on another important aspect that makes up your character. Focusing on Descriptor, it explains the differences between the fifty-seven different character “Descriptors” and what information they bring to your character when you choose which one you feel fits your idea the best. You choose one (1) Descriptor for your Character.

Chapter 7: Character Focus

This chapter goes into detail on the last of the three main parts that make up your character. Concentrating on Focus, it explains the differences between the ninety-four different

Character Foci and what alterations they make to your character based on your choice. As with Type and Descriptor, your Character only has one (1) Focus.

Chapter 8: The Uncanny and The Sight

As members of The Uncanny, all Player-Characters in Moralinth a part of a tiny proportion of the population able to see the world for what it truly is. Able to use many special abilities, all Uncanny possess a universal Talent called "The Sight" which allows them to adjust their perception of the world and see through falsehoods. Chapter 8 goes into detail as to how The Sight works in Moralinth and what it means to be an Uncanny.

Chapter 9: Equipment and Finishing Touches

This chapter covers all the equipment available to choose for your Character during the character creation process, as well as a list of items you can procure during the game. From gear to customizable housing, everything material a Character might need is included in this chapter. In addition to equipment, this section covers all the rest of character creation not covered by Type, Flavour, Descriptor, and Focus, such as your Character’s mental state (Insanity and Corruption), their Social Status, and a few other parts that complete the Character.

Character Creation Walkthrough

Though not a chapter per se, this section gives a walkthrough of making a Character, going step by step with examples.

PART II: PLAYING MORALINTH

Chapter 10: Rules of the Game

All of the core game mechanics of Moralinth are included in this chapter and are presented in accordance with the Cypher System Open Gaming License (CSOL). You can play Moralinth without the need for any additional content.

Chapter 11: Horror, Shock and Insanity

This chapter breaks down the rules on how to handle mental conditions and corruption of Characters in Moralinth. Due to the integral importance of mental conditions in Moralinth, Chapter Twelve also includes varying degrees of fear through to terror and the effect that can have on the mind, both temporary and permanent.

Chapter 12: Corruption and Dark Passengers

This chapter covers a corruption system that plays as integral a part as the sanity mechanic, but rather than breaking down the Character's sanity, it instead modifies their soul. In addition, this chapter has rules for the creation and running of entities unique to the Player-Characters in Moralinth: Dark Passengers are personal manifestations of The Dark that can attach themselves to the PCs and are specific to each Character. Dark Passengers offers a fantastic roleplaying opportunity for a Player to play something outside of their comfort zone as it is suggested that each player also takes on the role of another PC’s Dark Passenger…

Chapter 13: The Blight and The Gloom

This chapter describes two other systems exclusive to Moralinth: The Blight is a powerful disease/curse that has a major effect on the game world, the mentality of the people in it, and civilization in general. The chapter goes into detail as to how The Blight works in the game both mechanically and thematically. In addition, this chapter also touches on The Gloom, a phenomenon that presents itself as a manifestation of The Dark on the world, and what this means to people caught in its radius.

PART III: THE SETTING

Chapter 14: Victorian Gothic

This chapter discusses the theme and atmosphere for a Moralinth game and how to establish the setting to feel like something out of a gothic horror novel with Lovecraftian overtones, set to an 1800s Victorian / steampunk background.

Moralinth has a feel that is an amalgamation of several different influences gelled together, and this chapter helps to bring that theme to life.

Chapter 15: The Estanian Empire

Chapter 15 gives a brief yet comprehensive breakdown of the geographical and political aspects of the world. It touches upon the hierarchy and structure of The Estanian Empire – also referred to as “The Known World” – as well as the wider territories around it. For a more comprehensive look at the Empire, The Known World, and beyond, please see the The Imperial Encyclopedia Estania.

Chapter 16: Elysium and The Enclaves

One of the major differences between our world and the world of Moralinth is The Enclaves: massive walled communities that comprise multiple cities banded together to quarantine themselves from The Blight. The largest and arguably greatest of all the Enclaves is Elysium – a place where a lot of (especially first-time) Moralinth games take place. This chapter takes a closer look at Enclaves and specifically Elysium, but for more info on Enclaves and a full run-down of the various areas in Elysium, please see The Imperial Encyclopedia Estania.

Chapter 17: The Dark

A somewhat abstract concept, The Dark is a term for the underlying sense of dread that permeates Moralinth, allowing things that would considered supernatural to exist - including the forces of magic. Though its true name is lost to legend, The Dark is a term used to coin many various paranormal aspects and has alternate meanings to different people. Few people are aware of The Dark (on a conscious level, at least), and even fewer can manipulate or control it (this chapter is intended for the Narrator's eyes only).

Chapter 18: Magic, Technology and Faith

This chapter discusses the difference between three major aspects of mortal evolution and progress. In a world caught between dedication to the new ways of science and the traditional ways of faith, it is important to understand how these ideologies co-exist and interact, and how people see these as forces for change.

The Church has long held the spirit of the people in their hands, guiding their souls toward enlightenment.

Science and Technology are in the middle of a boom period, with inventions and practical applications of theories pushing civilization forward at an often-accelerated rate.

Magic is something most people assume is the study of tricks and the trade of charlatans or magicians. A tiny fraction of the population knows that magic is not only real but is in the process of reawakening.

PART IV: CREATURES & CHARACTERS

Chapter 19: Creatures

This chapter is a breakdown of all the creatures, beasts, and ‘feral monsters’ found in the game. Detailing their statistics, information, plot suggestions and habits, It is a bestiary of the various creatures one might come across in the game world (this chapter is intended for the Narrator's eyes only).

Chapter 20: Non-Player Characters

Similar to Chapter 19, this chapter deals with people and “other things” that are more intelligent, manipulative, or reasonable than their beast counterparts. This chapter is designed to be a quick reference section for the Narrator with several average members of society to use at a moment’s notice in a game. It also contains information on Adversaries – the main villains of the game. Adversaries are like the literary monsters of old, with unique powers and weaknesses, agendas and beliefs, complications, and strategies (this chapter is intended for the Narrator's eyes only).

PART V: RUNNING MORALINTH

Chapter 21: Cyphers and Artefacts

Chapter 21 is a collection of occult items and artefacts (also collectively known as Cyphers) that work in a very similar fashion to enchanted items and Artefacts found in various other roleplaying games, except that they have a chance to create an additional effect when used which are sometimes beneficial and other times……not so much (this chapter is intended for the Narrator's eyes only).

Chapter 22: Using the Rules

This chapter is a summarization and breakdown of the various rules of the game, discussing how to use them and integrate them into the story. It can also be considered a reference for rules the Narrator might need to look up in a hurry (this chapter is intended for the Narrator's eyes only).

Chapter 23: Running a Moralinth Game

The final chapter of this book is a quick reference “how to” guide for running a Moralinth game. It details how to invoke certain atmospheres, how to use various adversaries effectively, the pacing of the game, and how to progress the story (this chapter is intended for the Narrator's eyes only).

PART VI: THE TIES THAT BIND

Background

This section gives all the background information the Narrator needs to be aware of when running The Ties That Bind adventure, arming them with the foreknowledge of the relevance of historical events, the agendas of various individuals, and how the Characters fit into the situation.

Synopsis

The synopsis acts as not only a road map and summarisation of the adventure for the Narrator but also a timeline of events that they can refer to as the Player-Characters navigate the story and unravel the plot.

The Story

Broken down into four Acts, this is the main content for the adventure where all the information is laid out on an as-encountered basis. Following the actual story, all the tools such as NPC and creature stat blocks, maps, player handouts, and the like are re-printed for ease of access.

PART VII: BACK MATTER

Glossary

While a summary glossary is included in Chapter 2, a far more complete and comprehensive glossary exists at the back of the book to act as an alphabetical reference and appendices. It is designed to allow Players or Narrators to look up areas of interest throughout the book quickly and efficiently.

Moralinth Timeline

Purely for in-lore purposes and designed for both Players and Narrators, there exists a timeline of the Moralinth world at the back of the book, detailing the earliest points of written knowledge through the ages right up to the present day. Using the Imperial Reckoning Calendar (IR), the timeline covers the important world events from The Age of Reason (the current era), spanning over thirteen hundred years in total (though it is understood the world is older than his and many occult theologians suspect the world is far, far older).

Sample Characters

Included in this section are three pre-generated characters that can be used by Players in The Ties That Bind adventure or other games, or by Narrators as NPCs. In addition, they can be used as an example of completed characters. The pre-generated characters are:

Sir Charles Corbeld, an Extroverted Dilettante who Wards Against the Dark
Ms Isobel O’Neil, a Weird Adept who Performs Miracles and
Octavius, a Clockwork Combatant who Explores Dark Places.

Reference Tables

Listed here are a collection of tables and charts making it easy to look up various information found throughout the book.

Included are copies of the Equipment tables, a summary of Moralinth game rules as well as a summary of the character creation process.

Blank Character Sheet

A blank Character sheet is provided for personal use.

Blank Residency Sheet

A blank Residency sheet is provided for personal use.

XP Cards

30x "1 XP" cards are provided for use in-game.

6x "4 XP" cards are provided for use in-game.

Index

A multi-page index can be found toward the end of the core rulebook with an alphabetical list of names, rules, features, and items each with an associated page number (or numbers) for reference.

Legal Information

This section contains a copy of the Cypher System Open License (CSOL).

As you can see from the above, it is not exactly a small core rulebook. At present, the Moralinth: Uncanny Edition core rulebook is sitting at a little over 1,300 pages; though that is before editing and the addition of artwork.

Roguelike Community

FACEBOOK

The Moralinth Official Facebook Group is the place to visit for quick and concise updates for those who only want the summarised details of what is happening with Moralinth, and is a great place to see the artwork, lore snippets, and updates. We're looking to add more to it so that we can add extra information, but we need your help! What sort of things would you like to see included in the Facebook Group that isn't there already? Feel free to leave comments so we can know what is a priority for everyone - and make sure you tell your friends!

DISCORD:

For a more in-depth and interactive playground for all things Moralinth, you can head over to the Morlainth Official Discord Server. We're looking to foster the community and grow it out, and a few of the messages we've received of late have asked for more ways to interact with the game world as well as an increase in setting information. We're looking to try and grant both requests simultaneously, so keep an eye on Discord for more information! Feel free to invite anyone who you feel might want to follow the project but please remember they need to verify their account when they first join the server (you need to click the little "tick" to be granted the Uncanny role and gain access to all the Categories, Channels and Events).

Future Plans

For February we'll be releasing the contents of the Gloom Edition of Moralinth, so all you fans of the d20 system can see what is in store!

....and that wraps up our update for this month! Feel free to drop us a message or come visit us on our Facebook page or our Discord Group if you'd like! Until our next update,

Happy Gaming!

- Adam