About
UPDATE!
The Quickstart beta version of the game is now available here.
Hi, and welcome to the Agents of Concordia Kickstarter! It is thrilling to be online, and we look forward to creating this game together with you! This project is a long time coming, and we hope you will find the perfect place on your bookshelves, as well as in your game rooms, for Strangewood Studios’ favorite game: Agents of Concordia.
The game is a Pen & Paper RPG, set in a multiverse, where hundreds of magical fantasy worlds exist in parallel dimensions. On Earth, it’s the 1960's, and residents there are kept in the dark regarding other worlds and races. The reason for this omission is linked to the flow of magic and the alignment of the multiverse (more on this further below). A large part of the multiverse is working together under a government called the UVA Concordia.
Each player takes the part of a special agent, working within the Concordia Central Intelligence (the C.C.I.). As a team, players will investigate different occurrences, try to thwart schemes, and stop threats against the Concord. They will be aided by magical equipment, their sharp wits, and honed skills.
The rules for the game are easy to learn (especially if you've played one or two RPGs in the past) and support a lot of stunts, high-octane action, and dynamic character progression.
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Multiple worlds: With a large number of different worlds in the Concord, there are no limits to the variation of missions and adversaries. Here you'll find everything from magic to hi-tech and from jungle ruins to never-ending floating cities.
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Science Fantasy: Play as a 9' Ogre Investigator or a 3' Marmoseti Weaponsmith; use mysticism and rituals, as well as guns and lab-equipment; and travel by gate or aether-fueled rocket car. Here, mystic fantasy meets 1960's tech.
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Story driven rules: Created to be streamlined and fast-paced, the game system is easy to use and we've kept the fancy rule mechanics to the downtime of the game. Lots of character progress and management between session (if you want) but no need for page-flipping when you're in the middle of the action.
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Veterancy system: Tired of prancing through the adventure only to botch EVERY SINGLE ROLL against the final boss? The veterancy system allows you to prioritize a few rolls or stunts so that you can have a greater chance of success with each adventure.
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Modular setting: This game offers you the ultimate freedom. There is a section in the book for creating your own worlds, creatures and playable classes, and enough room in the multiverse to include them. If you want restrictions, feel free to use the parameters already in place. If you want creative freedom, start making all the worlds and creatures you want for your campaign!
- Words matter: All rolls in the game can be subject to Support and Cripple effects. These are standardized bonuses you get from items, abilities or conditions. This means that every time you wonder "Should my wings give me a bonus on jumping?" or "Should the bullet in my shoulder give me a penalty in swimming?” The only thing the GM has to wonder about is "YES" or "NO".
AoC Core Rulebook - Standard Edition
The book is going to be about 200 pages in standard letter format (8.5X11 in), with thick matte paper and hardback cover. It will be full color and brimming with beautiful art. It will contain information on the setting, the rules for the game, and a lot of inspiration and thoughts on how to create fun and exciting adventures!
AoC Core Rulebook- Black Edition
The exclusive black edition rulebook contains all the parts of the regular rulebook, but with an exclusive first print black cover. All Black Ed books will be numbered. With the CL9 pledge, you will also get a signed print from one of the Artists and an exclusive Epic Threat Compendium PDF containing one villain or monster named by each CL9 backer. If there are 100 CL9 backers, the Compendium will contain 100 threats! We will retain designer freedom and the option to edit names that are offensive or otherwise inappropriate. The best contributions will be illustrated by one of our talented artists.
Our philosophy regarding stretchgoals is simple; if we get more money from the campaign, we can put more money in developing the book, and creating surrounding content for players to enjoy. Some of the points speak for themselves, and for the others follows a short explanation:
App: The CCI Archive
This is an exciting part of the plan! Together with our talented friends at Tar Valley, we have prepared an app for all agents out there. it is going to be simple and free, and work like this: When you start the app, you enter your name and Clearance Level. You then get access to all data on monsters, worlds, and equipment available to agents of your clearance level. This way, you can read up on your destination and its inhabitants before going on missions, perhaps while your colleagues shop for the right weapons?
Dice - 99 SEK
The dice pack we have prepared with our friends at Chessex is practical, affordable and elegant. It contains 4 agent D12's, and one GM's D12. The GM's D12 is a penalty die that the GM can add to your roll that subtracts from your result. What these dice lack in fanciness and glamour, they make up for in readability and price! At 99 SEK (about €10 or $12) they are certainly a must-have!
GMs Screen - 149 SEK
The game masters screen is a 3 piece foldout cardboard screen, with beautiful art by Robin Thomasson on the front, and a shortcut to all lists and things you need to run the game on the back. If we hit this mark, we will tell you more about it. the price for the GMs screen will be 149 SEK (About 15€ or 17$).
Item Card Packs - 149 SEK
(for each pack, 4 different variants available)
When your Agents are getting ready for a mission, they get to check out equipment from the armory. The Equipment is graded by the CCI from 1-20, depending on scarcity and power level. Each group of agents pool together their Clearance Level, and check out equipment for that amount, to be used on the mission. Usually, this is done with the help of the book or PDF, but with the item cards packs, it has never been easier! There are 4 packs of cards for the different power levels in the game (1-5,6-10,11-15,16-20). Each pack contains 50 items, for a total of 200 items! Each pack will go for 149 SEK (About €15 or $17).
The game is set in an alternative 1960's, where a secret organization is charged with the safety of hundreds of parallel worlds. With a myriad of species, working with equal parts technology and mysticism, the Agents of Concordia are like nothing you've ever seen.
THE UVA CONCORDIA
The game is set in a rich multiverse with countless worlds, existing in dimensional pockets. Travel is achieved through mystical gates powered by the Aether (that's the element of magic for all you non-casters out there).
Some of the gates have been in place for thousands of years; many worlds have come to co-exist in a Cluster Commonwealth called the UVA Concordia, trading goods, secrets, and culture.
Now you may ask yourself; What about Earth? Where are all the gates and fantastical, magical wonders?
For good reasons, Earth has been put under a protection protocol, forbidding all mystical activity from being carried out in the open. But even with a strict customs system in place, hindering most evil-doers from reaching Earth, some forces still slip through the cracks.
Enter the Concordia Central Intelligence.
THE C.C.I
The CCI is the agency in charge of defending the Concord from inner and outer threats. Stopping a secret coven in the midst of Concordia's senate might be just as important as holding back the towering hordes of vagrants beyond the black gate on Artifex.
Many missions take the agents to other worlds with different governments and cultures, and the CCI enjoy all levels of hospitality.
THE PLAYERS
The players will take on the roles of agents from different worlds, banding together into mission-solving teams. There’s a plethora of different species and roles within the agency, each with their own abilities and perks, assuring that all characters will have a unique set of advantages and disadvantages. The missions can (and will) vary greatly in aspect. But whether your team is fighting monsters, infiltrating devious cults, investigating strange happenings or discovering lost temples and worlds, your clearance level should only give you access to a mission you (more or less) can handle.
Beside the Clearance Level mechanic that gives you access to dangerous missions, but also marvelous equipment, you will progress in different Veterancies. They will give player characters an edge in situations she is familiar with, like Exploring or Combat. This is in addition to the ordinary character progression mechanic, giving each player 3 simple but different ways to see her character grow and advance as her life story unfolds.
THE SYSTEM
We have worked hard on finding a game system that fits the essence of the setting. We wanted a fast system that put the focus on the narrative while keeping the thrill of chance. We ended up with our own action-system we call the Pentivity System, and it works like this:
All Player characters in the game have a set of Basic abilities, skills, and perks. If you have played one or two RPGs in the past, these concepts will be quite familiar to you. Creating a character is a fast procedure, where you chose different packages for background, education and trade role. This leaves you with more time for defining character depth, or an easily put-together character that you can just jump into the fray with.
The players roll all checks, to keep the pace fluent in the game room. To roll a skill check, you grab 1-3 12-sided dice (the only dice used in the game) equal to your skill level. You roll them, choose 1 to keep and add bonuses or penalties from abilities, equipment and/or conditions, and compare the result to a target number, set by the GM. Every time you beat the target number, say you get an 11 total when the target number is 5, you get an additional effect.
Penalties and benefits on your rolls use standardized numbers, giving the gamemaster an easy way to discern between relevant and non-relevant conditions.
VISION
Throughout the design process of this game, we have worked towards a bunch of goals, or “game pillars” as they are usually called in the game development industry. I would like to share 3 of them with you as a finishing touch, to give you a better idea of the essence of the game:
1. It's a game we want to play
We all have different views of a perfect game, and we want to deliver a game that represents everything we love and appreciate about RPGs. We want to provide something flexible; something with a fast pace that is easy to pick up and play, but also deep enough for longer campaigns and inspirational character development.
2. No hold-ups
The best memories we have of playing RPGs is when the story is fluent, the players are excited, and the pace is consistent. The best way for us to help you achieve that feeling is to make sure the game doesn't require you to constantly look things up in the books. If the rules are persistent and easy to understand, then what you think is right, probably is.
3. Choice + Chance
We want the players and the GM to be able to choose where they put their effort. With the veterancy system, the characters have a few points to spend each mission in order to increase the result of a roll, act outside their turn or do something stupid or heroic with a good chance of success. Chance is fun, but choice is equally important.
I hope being able to read this has given you a better feeling of what we want to accomplish together with you. A game with a lot of freedom, easy access, exciting story and loads of action! Be sure to check out our upcoming developers’ Vlog for more specific points if you want to know more! And don't be afraid to send us a message.
The Creators of the game include members of Strangewood Studios with surrounding editors, artists, and competent allies. We hope this project will lead towards more collaborations in the future! This is the least camera-shy members of the Crew:
Risks and challenges
This is our first kickstarter, so a lot of our shipping and printing partners in this project are new relationships for us. We have tried to be thorough in our search for partners, and we hope for the best. We have prioritized safe and highly recommended options rather than inexpensive ones.
There may be delays in delivery as a result of this.
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