Setting Creation Books - GM Helpers

setting
resource

#1

Hi Shield Wall,

Since folks here fall into the DIY category I think this might be useful for them…

Monte Cook Games put out quite a few setting creation or setting guides, that can easily be mined for ideas. The books are for their Cypher System RPG, but the information in them is actually 60-80% universal. Since they are all produced within the last 5 or so years, their content is quite modern and the quality (and art) of the books really good.

There are books for (and probably more):

  • Fantasy
  • Modern Magic world / Supernatural
  • Post Apocalypse
  • SciFi
  • Horror
  • Super Powers
  • Fairytale

Cyphers in their book are basically one-use magic abilities or intuitions. PCs can utilise them once and then they are gone, but be aware, some of those Cyphers are quite potent and can change your adventure a lot. Personally, I find most of the Cyphers very interesting and since they mostly do not have a mechanical effect, it is super easy to drop them into ICRPG.

Then there are Artefacts. They are your magic Items with special abilities. Easy to translate into ICRPG.

Special Abilities in CS are like your character starting abilities. They are varied and useful to differentiate the 62nd fighter you created and give it the little bit extra feeling. In CS the PCs accumulate Special Abilities as they advance, somewhat similar to the Milestone Paths in ICRPG. You could pick and choose from the CS Abilities and rewrite them to ICRPG; should not be a big deal in most cases.

So, why would you want those books? Because it makes setting creation a breeze. If I want to create a Post Apocalyptic setting, I can just grab that book and it gets my imagination running. And I most likely only need that one book at the table. It provides setting info, adventure hooks, gear, some unique abilities for players and those Cyphers and artefacts (which are already presented in a kind of LOOT table).

I love ICRPG and I’m glad it makes importing other gaming material from my shelf so wonderfully easy. Just as Hank said: Leave No Content Behind! :smiley:

Anyway, get out and get playing!


#2

Dope!

For anyone who is as lazy as me…

These remind me of the Worlds/Cities/Stars Without Number books. They also have FREE versions with lots of roll tables for world building.


#3

Actually, the Silent Legions book by them is an awesome Cthulhu-like product. Man, it seems I have way too many books and PDFs and not enough stamina to read and utilise them all …

And their Post-Apocalypse book Other Dust: