Sine Requie Year XIII is a role-playing game that takes inspiration from a particular historical period, namely that of Second World War, but above all it does so starting from a specific date. What does the title created by offer us Matteo Cortini And Leonardo Moretti and published by Serpentarium? Let's find out in our review of Sine Requie Anno XIII.
A dark and different world…
June 6, 1944, American soldiers land in Normandy. Suddenly i Dead they begin to get up it's at be satisfied with the flesh of the living. From that day on they will no longer find peace. Soon humanity will discover how fearsome an enemy is that does not need to eat to survive, drink, sleep, breathe, and which has the nice habit of always heading towards the nearest human. Not only that, an enemy that can only be killed by burning, tearing it to pieces or by other drastic means. Thirteen years later that fateful day, in 1957the world is no longer as we knew it.
All the areas that they couldn't escape to the devastation brought by the living dead are known as “Lost Lands”that is, dangerous and desolate places where you have to fight strenuously for your life.
There Germany, self-proclaimed winner of the Second World War, established the Fourth Reich. The semblance of normality of everyday life that one breathes soon gives way to a nation that rules with an iron fist, and who secretly carries out genetic experiments on the population. A was founded new cultthe Teutonic Church, which awaits the return of Eternal Fuhrerseen as the Messiah.
In Italynow known as Sanctum Imperiumthe population has entrusted itself to the church which, noting the beginning of the Apocalypse, establishes a theocracy. This has brought the nation back to a lifestyle very similar to the medieval one, in which the hegemony of the inquisition rages, with floggings and trials taking place in the town squares. In RussiaNow Sovietthe population barricaded itself in huge mechanized citieswhere unbeknownst to many, an artificial intelligence, ZAR, rules and has established perfect communism.
…But full of adventures
Each setting is very particular, full of ideas for very different adventures. For example Sanctum Imperium it is particularly suitable for adventures and campaigns where esotericism is linked to politics, with also the exploration of ancients castles, convents where you can discover numerous secrets. In the Fourth Reich instead you can experience investigative adventures, which could however lead you to lose your humanity if you dig too deeply; or again, in Soviet you might discover that ZAR's eyes are not everywhere, and that there are rebels who are attacking the nation: would you help them or would you choose not to upset the balance which, ultimately, ensures everyone's safety?
The Lost Lands they are the place where most people are in the grip of desperation, but also where the harshness of life gives birth new heroes. For example, you can live here action adventuresbetween breathtaking actions or panicked escapes because they are chased by some undead.
The Images and the aesthetic choices made to describe each setting, they are extraordinarily fitting, and give an edge to the content which, as you have read so far, is precious material from which to draw for numerous adventures. The setting leans heavily towards horrorwith a high mortality rate.
You will soon discover that the dead are truly fearsome dangers, and if you are unprepared when you encounter a group of them, your only choice will be to join their ranks. However, deaths are not the only danger: man is no less dangerous a monster, and although usually in a less glaring way, he will still make an attempt on your life. Among the sections for the exclusive use of Fortune teller (the Master) there is one worthy of note in which we talk about the various types of deaths that the characters will meet, some of which are truly inspired.
Fish and decide your destiny
To live our adventures in Sine Requie there will be no need for dicebut of a tarot deck – that is, the major arcana – and of poker cardswhich will be the minor arcana (the Game Master will be called Fortune teller, because he will have the arduous task of interpreting the result of the cards drawn). There creation of the card it is extremely fast using the system proposed by the generation random. There is also the possibility, described in an advanced rules section, to build the own character from scratch and without risk.
For the skill test we will have to draw the first card from the minor arcana deck: we will get a success if the extracted result will be inferior to the difficulty threshold of the action we are performing. There is the possibility of obtaining successes, critical failures, or partial failures.
We can also choose to draw from the deck of major arcana to manage more complex actions: the player, after describing the course of action he wishes to undertake, will draw a card, and the fortuneteller will modify the course of action initially desired by the player based on it. The manual is exhaustive and accurately describes each of the cards. However, in your first games we advise you to keep the manual handy with the summary table to avoid slowdowns in the narrative. In the advanced rules section, a faster event resolution method is also proposed, and it is illustrated how to create interaction between the three methods based on the situation.
Bring the skin home
Sine Requie Year XIII it is a product that It's easy to read and which gradually accompanies us into its world full of mysteries, but also full of harsh reality, where the lives of your characters will often be put in danger. It may feel strange to use the cards for the game at first, but you will get used to it very quickly. The bloody and realistic type of narrative that it presents is the only reason why it may not be suitable for your gaming table, however otherwise it is suitable for all types of players, even those facing their first adventures.
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