Fantasy Flight has just announced that they're releasing a new tabletop RPG set in the KeyForge universe and using their Genesys Roleplaying System as the ruleset. KeyForge, released at the end of 2018, is a deck-based card game unique in its choice to forgo trading card collection and "net-decking" (where players can simply look up the best decks in the competitive landscape and buy the cards they need to compete). In KeyForge, each deck comes pre-made and sealed, and cards have unique backs making them incompatible with cards outside the deck that's been purchased. There's no mixing, no matching, no net-decking allowed.
The choice to turn the world of KeyForge into a tabletop RPG is a savvy one, as its core setting is The Crucible, an artificial planet created for different species across the galaxy to mix, mingle, and battle for supremacy. The new 272-page sourcebook includes, according to Fantasy Flight:
...new character creation options, unique weapons and armor, new skills revolving around the mysterious Æmber permeating the world, bizarre adversaries, and a new adventure builder that puts all these aspects together!
With character creation, players can choose from 11 different species to build their PC's, and if you're in the mood to go all Dr. Moreau on us, there are tools to build your own species, as well. From there the game presents career options, like a "VaultWarrior" and a Trader. There's also room for characters to select from tons of different houses and affiliations. The section for game masters offers a unique adventure building system, to take some of the strain off of a GM who feels overwhelmed by the sheer amount of possibility in a game setting like this. In a world where Martians battle rock monsters and androids clash against shamans, having a set way to construct an adventure could prove really helpful.
Quick Take:
I was saddened to hear the news that Fantasy Flight Interactive is shutting down, as I'm really enjoying their Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game on the Switch, but it's exciting to see that other departments are still alive and kicking, and the release of this RPG could be a lot of fun. I'm always a little wary of game settings where anything feels possible, but that's just a personal taste issue, and one that's likely to change as soon as I lay eyes on this sourcebook.
The KeyForge RPG hits shelves in Q2 2020, and is available for pre-sale at local retailers and the Fantasy Flight shop now.
What do you think of the KeyForge RPG? Is The Crucible a world where you'd like to adventure with friends? Let us know in the comments below.
