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EABA Verne v1.0 $14.00
Average Rating:4.9 / 5
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EABA Verne v1.0
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EABA Verne v1.0
Publisher: BTRC
by Sean H. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 02/24/2012 14:03:39

Verne is a useful resource for anyone planning a steampunk or Victorian inspired game, especially if you are using the EABA system, but much of the information is just information on the era. It provides a solid framework for Victorian adventuring and worth taking a look at if you are thinking of a campaign in that era.

Verne v 1.0 “not your grandfather’s steampunk . . .” is a 218-page PDF (215-pages if you remove the cover and EABA OGL pages) for the EABA RPG written by Greg Porter and published by BTRC (Blackburn Tactical Research Center). It is nicely book-marked for easy accessibility.

Verne has mostly a traditional two column layout and is easily readable, though it is a very contemporary layout and font which I found slightly distracting considering the subject. The art is mix of black and white and color including many period pieces.

Verne is primarily a sourcebook for a fantastic Victorian era, providing information and tools to run anything from glittering high adventure to darker stories. It is a toolkit providing information on the period, containing good introduction to the politics of 1869 (the default starting point of Verne), conflicts, law and order and much more -nearly 40 pages worth- neatly divided by nation and ending with a timeline that runs from 1800 to 1906. This is useful for anyone thinking of running a Victorian-era game giving a good basic overview of the period and its structure.

It has an extensive technology section (incorporating information from the EABA Stuff supplement) for mad steampunk, clockwork, vril and Martian technology and more. Including designs for cavorite flyer, coal powered battle suits Martian tripods and other such wonderful and weird technology. The statistics are for the EABA systems but adaption should be possible with a little work.

The character creation section is, naturally, for the EABA systems but has useful advice -such as national and religious stereotypes- for creating Victorian characters and includes an interesting discussion of status in the period. Seven example characters, all drawn from Victorian fantastic literature, are included. This is followed by a selection of organizations and non-player character for the Great Game of rivalries between various occult and weird science groups.

Lastly there is campaign advice using historical expeditions for inspiration. Six adventures are presented, ranging from Java to the frozen vastness of Siberia. A collection of brief character sketches, some fictional some historical and recommended sources: books, comics, movies and shows that are good inspiration for the genre.

Lastly, a selection of equipment, of the more normal sort, is provided including short description of things such as the difference between the various horse drawn conveyances (surprisingly useful for this era).

There is also a free character creator program available to aid in character design.

Disclosure: As a featured reviewer for RPGNow/DriveThroughRPG, I received my copy of this product for free from the publisher for the purpose of this review.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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EABA Verne v1.0
Publisher: BTRC
by Michael S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/07/2011 12:16:32

Perhaps one of the most comprehensive guides to the Victorian era ever written for gamers, Verne manages cover every aspect of this world in ways that are sometimes intimidating in their detail and frankness. If you were to have a Victorian era adventure, this book should be at the top of your list of reference materials. I was especially impressed with the descriptions (often from period publications) of how this 'alien' world works. Then, to make things even more impressive, Greg Porter has included excellent sections on the technology and backgrounds that turn an already useful guide into a "steampunk" game.

Verne rivals Castle Falkenstein as one of the best written and designed rpgs for this era (though, surprisingly, Greg doesn't mention CF in his bibliography- wonder why...?).



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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EABA Verne v1.0
Publisher: BTRC
by russ b. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/06/2011 03:42:56

By itself, Verne is an excellent, well thought out and insightful product that creates a wonderful alternative world in the spirit of the steampunk genre. It reminds us that the real victorian age was nothing to long for, with it's institutional racism, classism, sexism and other unpleasant things like child labor, starvation, disease, etc. Then it creates the fantastic alternative to the reality of the Victorian era thru the lens of alternative technology and physics that allow steam, iron and brass to do things modern technology cannot.

You can recreate the worlds of Wells, Verne, Doyle, Burroughs and others. You could also create your own worlds if you want.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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EABA Verne v1.0
Publisher: BTRC
by Abraham F. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/05/2011 12:51:16

Wonderful job of distilling the era into an understandable format for player's and GM's alike using a system with plenty of wriggle room to enable different play styles to interact successfully. EABA is highly recommended. Verne is also for anyone into steampunk



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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EABA Verne v1.0
Publisher: BTRC
by Miguel d. L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/04/2011 07:02:12

(Also in my blog http://minimrpg.com)

It feels like a merry coincidence, Greg has just released EABA Verne, a steampunkish suplement for his generic role-playing game: EABA. I am not going to compare his efforts to mine; he’s in the major league and EABA Verne shows it. Neither, I am going to claim compatibility: the very reason I decided to go ahead and make my own game was that most, if not all, generic role-playing game rules are not adequate to play heroic children.

Not withstanding the rule system you love, EABA Verne offers a great setting and/or ideas that could be inserted in any steampunkish setting; and improve it. For that alone, it is well worth the price.

As you can imagine, EABA Verne takes inspiration in the works of the French writer; but also from other classic Scifi masters and then integrates them into a coherent world. Every effort has been made to creat a millieu that is fun to play, dream-able, and yet solid and reasonable enough to look plausible to a 40 years old, like me. The publisher prides himself in attention to detail, and I can bear witness to it. I was expecting some vague reference to armour in a world dominated by rifles, but the book speaks of such unknown items as Korean cotton armour, and the somehow better known American Civil War experiments.

This might be the hightide of European domination, but the book does not forget minor powers (like Spain), South America, the Asian nations: notably China and Japan, even Africa receives a section worthy of that name. Mars, Venus, an empty core Earth with morlocks and possibly dinosaurs are all there for the gamemaster to include in his games, or not. There are secret societies, conspiracies and spies; some could have been a rival for Sherlock Holmes.

Steampunk, it’s there, with flying machines and interplanetary vessels, and yet they are rare enough to keep a Victorian world, well Victorian. No super-submarine is going to sink the Royal Navy, unless the gamemaster decides to let loose a Nemo; no airship fleet will bomb London, though one or two might challenge the skies. Mars would remain wild and enigmatic for decades.

Greg has nailed it this time. Well done, master.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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