Integrated Setting

So I asked the question earlier today, is an integrated setting important for an RPG. I have seen this debate unfold a few times before, often coming down to some proponent of GURPs arguing that he can play Vampire and Medieval Fantasy with GURPs but you can't play Masquerade with D&D or D&D with Masquerade. I don't intend on going down that road.

My concern is from a value added to the player. How many generic RPG systems exist out there? How many GMs are out there trying to play in multiple genres but they can't because they lack a system to do so? I'm sure you see my point. It is obvious.

So... where does this lead us?

I am going to create a new game called Novarium. Devil's Fork will end up being a module for this game, both will be released this year, and presented as a combination package from a marketing perspective. Novarium is going to bring a rich detailed setting into close integration with the Errant game mechanics. The book is going to gain a lot of depth in the background, fluff, setting, etc. A much stronger framework that is going to make a generic fantasy game much harder to play with it, but add a lot of texture to the game that it currently lacks.

Some highlights of the new design:

- Humanity is on the verge of extinction in the face of a horrific monstrous world. A deep dark age, much like what we are used to seeing in medieval fantasy. Demi-human races are in retreat. Reclaiming portions of the world from the forces of darkness is the source of adventure.

- The angel Azakriel, in opposition to God's will, has come to Earth in an attempt to save humanity from total annihilation. He has radically altered human society with a religion that blends Spartan social structure, Roman concepts of Honor, Christianity, Islam, and Bushido.
 
- Azakriel and his angels have created a social class called the Novarium, or people of the Light. They are similar to the Spartan military class in their position above an essentially enslaved society. Male Novarium are Knights, Female Novarium are Sorceresses. Novarium have a strict moral code that blends Bushido and Chivalry. Since females have the gift of magic, this is a gender-neutral code.

- Race as class; with human classes of Knight, Sorceress, Freeman, & Scholar; with demi-humans of Elf, Dwarf, and Halfling.

- Strong gendering element added to world to make physical combat very male. Knight class exclusively male, addition of significant henchman elements, re-evaluation of armor in a way that makes Knight very robust

- Strong gendering element added to world to make magic very female. Largely keeping everything intact in terms of the Errant magic system except making magic more about non-Evocation styles; especially strengthening of classical witchcraft and manipulation magic concepts. Addition of ritualistic casting for certain kinds of spells that requires multiple sorceresses to accomplish.

- Combination of Ranger & Knave classes as a new Freeman class without any magical or supernatural elements. Pure woodsman/rogue. Really a robin hood style dude more than the D&D conception.

- Taking magic away from Scholar but really beefing up their healing and adding a technological component to them, understanding the ancient technologies that have fallen away to ruin. Removing standard healing from Sorceress class and making magical healing impossible except as a ritual.

- Cutting Druid, Bard, & Paladin.

- Demi-humans each as class, with some unique abilities that are going to break away from the Tolkein mold and go pretty far afield of what you are used to.