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Forge Engine - Universal Role-Playing System

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When modern soldiers are transported to ancient Rome, law enforcement officers fight inter-dimensional intruders, post-collapse humans scavenge for alien technologies, or heroic warriors and wizards battle monstrous evil, Forge Engine is there to quickly and seamlessly support your stories.

From the ENnie Award-winning designer of Hero Kids, comes the Forge Engine Universal Role-Playing System.

FORGE ENGINE NOW AVAILABLE IN PRINT (Note: Softcover colour print book has black and white interior artwork)

The Forge Engine universal RPG system puts full control of your character and your game into your hands.  The system supports fantasy, sci-fi, historical, and modern settings, and delivers tactical play while remaining streamlined and fast.

Forge Engine's innovative energy system lets you channel your combat effort. You can make multiple attacks, hold energy to boost your defenses, move into better position, or make your attacks even stronger.

The Forge Engine - Universal RPG System contains:

  • Core Rules: Forge Engine core system rules cover character creation and development, and attribute tests and skills, adventuring, and combat.
  • Player Content: Everything players need to create, develop, and run their characters: traits, general skills, martial skills, magic skills, and equipment.
  • GM Support: Instruction for game mastering Forge Engine games, advice for creating custom Forge Engine content, and adversary templates.

Forge Engine has the following features:

  • Attribute and skill system gives players freedom to build their characters
  • Support for medieval fantasy, historical, modern, and sci-fi play
  • Opposed d10 dice pools for attacks with degrees of success
  • Attribute tests against static difficulty numbers for simplicity
  • Energy system gives players control of number and strength of characters’ actions
  • Increased power gives larger dice pools with higher chance of multiple successes
  • Combat rolls combine attribute, skill, weapon, evasion, and armor in one step
  • Tactical combat system with meaningful decisions in critical situations
  • Concurrent combat turns allow fluid and dynamic battles
Forge Engine for players, game masters and creators:
  • Players: Forge Engine does one thing really well. Forge Engine gives you, the player, complete control of every aspect of your character and your character’s actions. 
  • Game Masters: Forge Engine allows you to use the same system and content for historical, fantasy, modern, and sci-fi campaigns, and even those that combine all four.
  • Creators: Forge Engine text content is released under a creative commons license, and will have a compatibility license for 'Forge Engine Compatible' branding.

Forge Engine is now in print:

  • Digest 6x9: Forge Engine print book is available as a compact 6x9 softcover book
  • B&W Artwork: While the print option is listed as colour, the interior artwork is B&W
  • 288 Pages: Forge Engine softcover is 288 pages of universal role-playing game
Forge Engine has undergone and extensive development and playtesting to ensure the game is as accessible and rewarding as possible.  But don't just believe me, listen to the actual people:

"I'd absolutely rather play FORGE than GURPS. Or HERO."

"This RPG has clearly been well thought out and whilst you might think 'who needs another RPG system?' I can assure you that you need this one!"

"I LOVE IT! I've been looking for a new system to fit a custom setting I've been working on!"

"FORGE is like the D&D 4e of universal games. It has interesting mechanics I could really have fun playing with..."

"Last and definately not least the system excels where different worlds collide, eg, Post apocalyse where shortbows often fight handguns, Horror where magic goes up against modern policing methods, or simply that many of the skills translate accross genres eg, Medicine works for a caveman shaman (trepanning anyone?), a 17th century physician (-2 dice for using leeches?) or a 21 century surgeon (many bonus dice from technology)"

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Reviews (7)
Discussions (17)
Customer avatar
Rodell F January 22, 2023 9:44 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I am reading through this system but l am absolutely in love with it. It's a shame this isn't more popular. I can see running a lot of things with this but I'm particularly interested in running a mythology-themed campaign similar to Exalted.
Customer avatar
Mike M May 02, 2020 4:26 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I would so love to get this system and character sheets / dynamics into Roll20 ... I see someone tried to do it with Hero Kids. Too bad I don't know html very well or I would give it a shot!
Customer avatar
Mike M April 29, 2020 7:42 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Where is the best forum to asking clarifying questions about rules?
Customer avatar
Mike M April 29, 2020 6:39 pm UTC
PURCHASER
OK, I cant wait to find some people to try this system out - it does everything that I thought a great RPG should do ...
1. Rely on a store of energy that drives what people can do in a given span of time, and
2. Engineer a system where everything is as concurrent as possible. This combat system reminds me a bit of the priority passing in Terraforming Mars - a brilliant application of the mechanic.

The only question I have was on initiative ... I really couldnt convince myself whether initiative was *ONLY* determined at the beginning of combat or re-established at the beginning of each round. To me, I am completely drawn to the uncertainty of the latter. People with the right attributes and skills still hold the advantage, but anyone can be anywhere on the initiative ladder on a given round if its established *per round*. This might just be the way I "house rule" it ... anyone else ever given that some thought?
Reply
Customer avatar
Justin H April 30, 2020 2:52 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Hi Mike, due to the way the energy system works with concurrent actions and characters regaining energy at their initiative at the start of each round, you cannot change the initiative order during combat.
Reply
Customer avatar
Mike M May 02, 2020 4:23 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Thanks, I suppose I should have been more clear. I do understand that the system establishes initiative once per combat (other than skills that may manipulate them). My question was whether one could establish a house rule to allow initiative to be reestablished at the beginning of each round. Concurrency wouldn't be broken because concurrency already pauses / stops in the current scheme at the end of a round (energy resets, after all). I was just trying to confirm whether the departure would be a more dynamic adjustment to the system (you cant say "well at least Ill go first next round") or whether it would somehow *break* something. Sorry I wasnt more clear.
Reply
Customer avatar
Justin H May 03, 2020 11:52 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Hey Mike, I think I got it. The way I run Forge combat, concurrency doesn't pause or stop between rounds. During combat, the character who's first in initiative order will move into round 2 (and regain energy) while other characters may still have energy in their energy pool from round 1 (because at some point on their turn they passed priority before they used all of their energy).
Reply
Customer avatar
Mike M May 03, 2020 5:32 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Thanks Justin - this means I am certainly missing some fundamental mechanic here. I read through the game manual several times and couldn't convince myself I knew when a round *ends*. If I am first in the initiative order, I know I go first and have priority to take action after any other combatant takes one, but it is unclear when I get my energy refilled. I believe it is at the beginning of the next round, but then I don't know what triggers that and cant find evidence in the book of when that is. I think that is probably the key to putting this whole thing together in my mind - thanks!
Customer avatar
Marcus Vinícius D January 23, 2019 12:46 pm UTC
PURCHASER
"288 Pages: Forge Engine softcover is 288 pages of universal role-playing game"
PDF is just 143 pages!
Is it right?
Reply
Customer avatar
Justin H January 24, 2019 7:28 am UTC
PUBLISHER
The softcover print book is 288 A5 pages, whereas the PDF is 144 Letter pages.
Customer avatar
Alexandre L July 19, 2018 11:46 am UTC
PURCHASER
The Softcover print option being identified as "color" is completely and unequivocally misleading, no matter the warnings you then add to the text block. Wouldn´t it be more responsible to simply change the option from "Softcover Color Book" to "Softcover B/W Book"?
Reply
Customer avatar
Justin H July 19, 2018 11:59 am UTC
PUBLISHER
I wish I could, but DriveThruRPG doesn't allow me to adjust the description of the print book. Which is why I have tried to be very clear that the interior artwork is black and white, as do other 'colour' print books on DriveThruRPG.

To explain why the book is set up like this. There are significant differences between the print process for DriveThruRPG's colour and print books, and I have chosen to utilise the colour process for this book to achieve full bleed coloured pages for the print book, while maintaining the black and white artwork of the existing PDF.
Reply
Customer avatar
JOHN C September 12, 2019 2:38 pm UTC
This is a common complaint, but I’ve received “black and white” prints and the quality difference is significant. Just getting rid of the option, is possible but not ideal. DriveThru could just call it a quality print and it would clear up a lot of confusion.
Customer avatar
Tavis L May 23, 2018 10:50 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Any plans for a print version? Haven't played yet but looking forward too it and would love to have a paper copy
Reply
Customer avatar
Justin H May 24, 2018 1:13 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
I'm just waiting on the proofs, and hope to get the print books available as soon as I can.
Reply
Customer avatar
Tavis L May 24, 2018 8:12 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Excellent! I would love to run this i just prefer to have a print version. Doesnt stop me from coming up with ideas though. Thanks!
Reply
Customer avatar
Justin H July 19, 2018 12:04 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Travis, the print book for Forge Engine is now available. And you should find a 50% discount offer in your email.
Customer avatar
Brian R March 28, 2018 8:51 pm UTC
PURCHASER
This is a great take on an otherwise old system. I'm really enjoying the book, and look forward to other suppliments.
Customer avatar
justin J March 09, 2018 5:47 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Can't wait for my son to be old enough to try this. He's loving hero kids for now.
Customer avatar
Mark H March 06, 2018 12:32 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Hi guys, for those of you having issues with the Core Rules PDF on Mac. I have tried on 10.13, 10.11 and 10.5 using Preview without issues.
Try performing a file properties (cmd-i) on the PDF and check that it is 29,196,247 bytes. And for those of you who know how to perform an MD5 checksum the value should be 787cf6a971dc51267c9509c58053838b. Check that your PDF has been downloaded correctly.
Customer avatar
Andrew R March 06, 2018 11:25 am UTC
PURCHASER
I noticed that the sample Sci-Fi / Modern adversaries in the back of the book are just the same as the fantasy ones - eg. one still has the pyromancy magic. That seems like a mistake, and they would be better re-skinned a bit to fit the genre.
Reply
Customer avatar
Justin H March 08, 2018 9:42 am UTC
PUBLISHER
The modern/sci-fi adversaries do have notable differences, including modern firearms for their weapons. For the casters, pyromancy casters are the most generally useful offensive magic-capable adversary, and including them stops people having to switch back and forth between the fantasy and modern/sci-fi adversaries.
Customer avatar
Stacie W March 06, 2018 9:41 am UTC
PURCHASER
Will there be a PoD option for this book someday? It's a gorgeous book IMHO, one I definitely would love to have on my book shelf.
Reply
Customer avatar
Justin H March 06, 2018 9:47 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Thanks Stacie! Yes, there will be a POD version.
Reply
Customer avatar
Justin H July 19, 2018 12:10 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Hi Stacie, the print book for Forge Engine is now available. And you should find a 50% discount offer in your email.
Customer avatar
Jeff M March 03, 2018 9:18 pm UTC
PURCHASER
might look forward for ohter supplements, thanks for the gift guys
Customer avatar
Michael B March 03, 2018 6:50 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I cannot open the PDF on my Mac using Preview. First time I've ran into this.
Reply
Customer avatar
Justin H March 04, 2018 10:15 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Have you tried Adobe Reader or Acrobat, rather than Preview?
Reply
Customer avatar
Justin H March 08, 2018 9:38 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Quick checklist:
1. Ensure the file size is correct (should be 27mb)
2. Try opening it in Adobe Reader or Acrobat instead of Preview.
Customer avatar
Jason K March 03, 2018 3:36 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Core book cannot be opened. :(
Reply
Customer avatar
Justin H March 04, 2018 10:16 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Are you on Mac? Have you tried Adobe Reader or Acrobat, rather than Preview?
Reply
Customer avatar
Jason K March 04, 2018 10:55 am UTC
PURCHASER
Mac and iPad. Mac preview, Mac chrome, neither works. iPad Goodreader does not work, works with everything else, ever.
Reply
Customer avatar
Justin H March 04, 2018 11:00 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Try this link and let me know if it works:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/lhx55z4em4je8ix/Forge%20Engine%20-%20Universal%20Role-Playing%20System%20-%20PDF-X.pdf?dl=0
Reply
Customer avatar
Jason K March 04, 2018 9:03 pm UTC
PURCHASER
It at least *opens* everywhere I've tried now - Haven't read the whole doc yet.
Customer avatar
Ben H March 03, 2018 5:23 am UTC
PURCHASER
Looking forward to this URPG - Justin makes great games!
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Product Information
Copper seller
Author(s)
Rule System(s)
Pages
143
File Size:
59.87 MB
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File Last Updated:
September 15, 2019
This title was added to our catalog on March 02, 2018.