Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider and Uncharted-inspired RPG Broken Compass returns to Kickstarter next week
With new adventures exploring the golden age of piracy and Jules Verne-style expeditions.
Broken Compass, a tabletop RPG inspired by the pulp adventures of Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider Lara Croft and Uncharted’s Nathan Drake, is returning to Kickstarter next week for a reprint and new scenario collections.
Published by Italian roleplaying label Two Little Mice, Broken Compass was originally funded on Kickstarter last year, producing a core rulebook - which comes in the form of a diary-style journal containing the basic rules and an adventure set in the game’s ‘1999’ setting - and a first ‘season’ of adventures, Golden Age, an Indiana Jones-inspired collection taking place in the 1930s.
Powering the RPG is the Fortune system, which uses handfuls of six-sided dice to resolve risky situations - say, for instance, swinging across a chasm or fist-fighting a Nazi in front of a plane propeller. Compared to the likes of Dungeons & Dragons, players aren’t hoping to roll above a set number but instead must roll matching numbers (pairs and three or four-of-a-kinds) in order to succeed.
The upcoming Kickstarter campaign will offer a reprint of the original Broken Compass rulebook and Golden Age, as well as two additional seasons - each comprising six separate adventures - and a spin-off supplement.
The second season is Jolly Roger, which moves the action to the Caribbean during the golden age of piracy and introduces rules for duels, gambling and sea battles between ships.
Season three is the Jules Verne homage Voyages Extraordinaires, said to offer adventures in the vein of the Journey to the Center of the Earth author. The book adds rules for inventions, missions and making wagers à la Around the World in 80 Days, as well as the chance for players’ characters to form adventurer clubs and embark on expeditions.
While Jolly Roger and Voyages Extraordinaires will be offered in physical editions, separate spin-off What If is a digital-only rulebook that provides guidance on turning the Fortune system into a custom ruleset for players’ own themes and settings. The book will also offer a number of expansions based in ‘unique’ settings.
Designers Riccardo Sirignano and Simone Formicola and artist Daniela Giubellini return for the latest books, which will hit Kickstarter on May 11th. Physical books are expected to arrive with backers this December, with digital copies arriving in October. A quickstart set of rules for Broken Compass will be available via the Kickstarter campaign when it launches next week.