Each week here at Geek & Sundry we’re taking a look at new and upcoming exciting titles on Kickstarter! This week’s Kickstarter of the week is Uprising, a role playing game set in the Dystopian Universe of The Resistance, Coup, Rebellion, Grifters and other tabletop games. The Kickstarter has exceeded their $10K funding goal and is over $30K.
It’s fun to see a game loved by players doing well. The Resistance was the introduction many board game fans had to games involving a hidden traitor working at cross purposes with the rest of the table. The cool futuristic artwork expanded the setting into other games centered around deception and lies, such as the bluffing of Coup and the byzantine loyalties of One Night Revolution.
It seemed like only a matter of time before a tabletop RPG would explore this world of high tech and low truths. Enter Evil Hat Productions, which is currently running a Kickstarter for a tabletop RPG titled Uprising set in the universe of these games. Will the themes of futuristic intrigue transfer? Let’s check out the backer PDF, available to anyone who pledges to the game!
Evil Hat is most famous for its rules system called Fate. Fate has been featured on TableTop and has gained a reputation as a system known for mechanical flexibility and narrative focus. Uprising uses a variation of Fate, but right away the influences of other modern RPGs like Apocalypse World and Blades in the Dark can be seen. Players select one of several playbooks that plants their character as part of the resistance.
Each playbook has strengths and weaknesses, but they also quickly become customized thanks to questions whose answers turn into aspects to describe your character. Characters are defined by four skills they use to get things done for the resistance: Fight, Manipulate, Maneuver and Observe Instead of open consequences, each playbook has conditions which reflect the physical and mental dangers of standing up to those in power. The characters, in addition to the usual compels that complicate their lives, also generate blowback, which follows them from mission to mission. The Society wants to see those who stand against it punished for their crimes, so their long memories can follow characters through multiple sessions.
The game is set in the futuristic city of Paris Nouveau, where the culture has separated into three levels: La Societe, Les Citoyens and Les Exiles. All the PCs are members of La Resistance, but the tension between the haves, the have-nots, and the outcasts puts a tense element of paranoia into the game from the start. The book is full of details about the three castes, but it also leaves room for the players and GM to customize the game. The table creates a “character” for both the resistance and the government by defining what the resistance is trying to get and what the government is trying to hide.
Complicating matters further are the secrets that each character possesses. The group creates a common deck of secrets during character creation that everyone draws from at the beginning of the game. These secrets often set players at cross purposes but they also offer a chance for characters to advance more quickly for the players that play up to them. Many of them involve true motivations for joining the fight or reveal a character is actually a spy there to bring down the rebels!
The backer levels for the Kickstarter include one for digital fans and one for physical books. Backing now also unlocks several digital goodies from Evil Hat including Fate Core, Fate Accelerated and previews up other upcoming games. Stretch goals have unlocked more information about the setting and easy to use elements that GMs can drop in to their games with a minimum of trouble. Thousands of board gamers have fought for the resistance. Now there’s a chance to truly see the struggle to the end with this RPG.
The Kickstarter ends Wednesday, May 2nd. If you think you can protect your secrets, you have until then to back this game.
Are you a fan of The Resistance? Tell us about it in the comments!
Interested in more amazing games full of intrigue and betrayal?
- The agents of Delta Green save the world even if their adventures can never be known.
- Step into a New World Order of modern-day spies.
- Check out Burke’s Gambit – a game that combines The Resistance with Aliens!
Image Credits: Evil Hat Productions
Rob Wieland is an author, game designer and professional nerd. He’s worked on dozens of different tabletop games ranging from Star Wars and Firefly all the way down to his own creations like CAMELOT Trigger. He can be hired as a professional Dungeon Master for in-person or remote games. His Twitter is here. His meat body can be found in scenic Milwaukee, WI.