In a surprise announcement by brand new game publisher Magnetic Press Games, a brand new tabletop RPG adaptation is coming based on Carbon Grey.
As stated in an official press release, The Carbon Grey TTRPG, is based on the graphic novel series of the same name created by Hoang Nguyen and distributed by Image Comics. It sets players in a unique alternate history reminiscent of World War I-era Europe, but with fantastic dieselpunk technologies and elements of the paranormal. In the game, players will explore a war-torn universe filled with mystery, prophecy, and intrigue. The core rulebook is written and overseen by game designer and graphic novelist Andrew E.C. Gaska, an ENnie and UKGE award winner for his work on the recent Alien RPG from Free League and the lead writer of the Terminator RPG from Nightfall Games.
But the biggest surprise comes from the fact that this RPG will be using a modified version of the famous D6 system used by West End Games. This was a very popular RPG system from the 1980s that was used to adapt everything from Ghostbusters to Star Wars. The version used for Carbon Grey will be a "Magnetic Variant" of the system, which will include additional rules such as Genre Defined Attributes, Streamlined Skills, and Character Quirks and Obligations. In addition, there will be a Wild Die used to represent the setting's chaotic take on bending and breaking the rules of space and time, which can lead to Continuity Surges, Flux Effects, and more.
We managed to reach out to Magnetic Press about wanting to adapt Carbon Grey to the tabletop scene. Some of their answers were quite enlightening. "We hadn’t seen many alternate-WWI scenarios to explore as game players. Steampunk had some fun elements but mixing that ideology into early-20th-century architecture and politics with a dash of dieselpunk tech and contemporary metaphysics proved to be fresh creative territory that we still haven’t seen much of, certainly not with the same dynamic flare and visual grit as Hoang Nguyen and his creative team have created."
As for bringing back the West End D6 system, they were quite excited. Simply put, the system helped take a lot of the pressure off when it came to developing the underlying rules. West End's system was already popular, streamlined, and straightforward with how it handled things, which meant it was just a matter of tweaking and refinements. Granted, tabletop RPG systems have changed substantially since then, but Magnetic Press are confident on bringing more exposure to the system with future projects they have going forward. "Expectations have changed as the audience has grown to include more types of players, from hardcore RPGers to more casual social gamers. The days of the collegiate-style black-and-white textbooks filled with stats and charts have evolved into more immersive, eye-catching artbooks filled with lore and imagination-inspiring creative prompts. But rules are what make a game, and the core rules of the D6 System are what will make Carbon Grey (and another title to follow) bulletproof."
The Kickstarter campaign for the Carbon Grey RPG will be going live on August 3rd, but there is a pre-registration website available right here. Sign up and you will get a special bonus on top of your pledge.
