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Castle Falkenstein (role-playing game)
Encyclopedia
Castle Falkenstein is a steampunk
-themed fantasy
role-playing game
(RPG) designed by Mike Pondsmith
and originally published by R. Talsorian Games
. A GURPS
version (GURPS Castle Falkenstein) and several supplements were later published by Steve Jackson Games
. The game is named for a legendary unbuilt castle in the Bavarian Alps. Players play the roles of gallant adventurers, facing the intrigue and derring-do of Victorian adventures such as The Prisoner of Zenda
.
Rules and setting are presented in the form of diaries of a number of characters within the game, the main being the author's alter-ego "Tom Olam", a game designer from our world magically transported in New Europa.
uses playing cards instead of dice
to simulate action. The system is geared towards live action role-playing, and players are required to keep an in-character diary instead of using a character sheet
.
The system is fairly unusual and has been praised for its ease of use and utility within the game. The cards-for-dice was not done as a gimmick, but rather a design choice that fit the mood and tenor of the game. This was unique as many systems were moving towards more generic rules systems at the time. Falkenstein was notable for doing the opposite in order to achieve the proper atmosphere within the game.
Castle Falkenstein came out in time when many games were focusing on storytelling rules, fewer mechanics and more focus on an interactive story, but also when most of these games were dark dystopian futures (e.g. Cyberpunk 2020
) or dark horror modern age (like Vampire: The Masquerade
). Castle Falkenstein was notable for being set in the Victorian era and on the European Continent; as opposed to England where the vast majority of Victorian-based RPGs are set.
Players were encouraged to actively work together to build the plot of the game (again a notable departure) and replicate the heroic adventures of Victorian literature.
(spelled Magick) works, and has allowed technology to stretch in unexpected directions. The game introduces Engine Magick which helped propel the Renaissance via a magickally enabled Industrial Revolution. These subtle changes to New Europa’s history has made it quite divergent from our own history.
The reader’s journey through this alternate world is aided by an ego character, Tom Olam. Tom is from the real world who gets spellnapped into the world of Castle Falkenstein. It is through Tom that the player understands this world and he is used as an example of how the players are to create and play their own characters. Tom’s writing becomes the template of sorts for what the players need to do with their own characters.
Tom Olam is a computer game designer, something that Mike Pondsmith has later gone on to do.
Steampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
-themed fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
(RPG) designed by Mike Pondsmith
Mike Pondsmith
Michael Alyn Pondsmith is a roleplaying game and video game designer.He is best known for his work with R. Talsorian Games, where he developed most role-playing game lines from the company's beginning to the present: Mekton , Cyberpunk , Cybergeneration, Teenagers from Outer Space, Castle...
and originally published by R. Talsorian Games
R. Talsorian Games
R. Talsorian Games, based in Renton, WA , is a publisher of role-playing game books and accessories. Their titles include the Cyberpunk 2020 series and for anime-related titles such as Dragonball Z. Their major product line today is the Fuzion system.The company's chairman is Mike Pondsmith,...
. A GURPS
GURPS
The Generic Universal RolePlaying System, or GURPS, is a tabletop role-playing game system designed to allow for play in any game setting...
version (GURPS Castle Falkenstein) and several supplements were later published by Steve Jackson Games
Steve Jackson Games
Steve Jackson Games is a game company, founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games, and the gaming magazine Pyramid.-History:...
. The game is named for a legendary unbuilt castle in the Bavarian Alps. Players play the roles of gallant adventurers, facing the intrigue and derring-do of Victorian adventures such as The Prisoner of Zenda
The Prisoner of Zenda
The Prisoner of Zenda is an adventure novel by Anthony Hope, published in 1894. The king of the fictional country of Ruritania is drugged on the eve of his coronation and thus unable to attend his own coronation. Political forces are such that in order for the king to retain his crown his...
.
Rules and setting are presented in the form of diaries of a number of characters within the game, the main being the author's alter-ego "Tom Olam", a game designer from our world magically transported in New Europa.
Awards
- Best Roleplaying Rules of 1994 Origins AwardOrigins AwardThe Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
, Castle Falkenstein, R. Talsorian GamesR. Talsorian GamesR. Talsorian Games, based in Renton, WA , is a publisher of role-playing game books and accessories. Their titles include the Cyberpunk 2020 series and for anime-related titles such as Dragonball Z. Their major product line today is the Fuzion system.The company's chairman is Mike Pondsmith,...
, Mike PondsmithMike PondsmithMichael Alyn Pondsmith is a roleplaying game and video game designer.He is best known for his work with R. Talsorian Games, where he developed most role-playing game lines from the company's beginning to the present: Mekton , Cyberpunk , Cybergeneration, Teenagers from Outer Space, Castle... - Best Role-Playing Product of 1995 Nigel D. Findley Memorial Award, Castle Falkenstein
System
The game's systemRole-playing game system
A role-playing game system is a set of game mechanics used in a role-playing game to determine the outcome of a character's in-game actions...
uses playing cards instead of dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
to simulate action. The system is geared towards live action role-playing, and players are required to keep an in-character diary instead of using a character sheet
Character sheet
A character sheet is a record of a player character in a role-playing game, including whatever details, notes, game statistics, and background information a player would need during a play session. Character sheets can be found in use in both traditional and action role-playing games...
.
The system is fairly unusual and has been praised for its ease of use and utility within the game. The cards-for-dice was not done as a gimmick, but rather a design choice that fit the mood and tenor of the game. This was unique as many systems were moving towards more generic rules systems at the time. Falkenstein was notable for doing the opposite in order to achieve the proper atmosphere within the game.
Castle Falkenstein came out in time when many games were focusing on storytelling rules, fewer mechanics and more focus on an interactive story, but also when most of these games were dark dystopian futures (e.g. Cyberpunk 2020
Cyberpunk 2020
Cyberpunk 2020 is a cyberpunk role-playing game written by Mike Pondsmith and published by R. Talsorian Games.- Overview :This role-playing game is based on the works of William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, and other authors of the "Mirrorshades group"...
) or dark horror modern age (like Vampire: The Masquerade
Vampire: The Masquerade
Vampire: The Masquerade is a role-playing game. Created by Mark Rein·Hagen, it was the first of White Wolf Game Studio's World of Darkness role-playing games, based on the Storyteller System and centered around vampires in a modern gothic-punk world....
). Castle Falkenstein was notable for being set in the Victorian era and on the European Continent; as opposed to England where the vast majority of Victorian-based RPGs are set.
Players were encouraged to actively work together to build the plot of the game (again a notable departure) and replicate the heroic adventures of Victorian literature.
Setting
The game is set in the world of New Europa, a label which is sometimes applied to the Old Continent, sometimes to the whole planet, during the Age of Steam, or the 1870s. The world resembles our own, with a number of major variations: the denizens of Faerie do exist and mingle with humans, with whom they have struck an uneasy alliance. Creatures and beasts from myth and legend exist, as do a number of characters that are considered fictional in our world. MagicMagic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
(spelled Magick) works, and has allowed technology to stretch in unexpected directions. The game introduces Engine Magick which helped propel the Renaissance via a magickally enabled Industrial Revolution. These subtle changes to New Europa’s history has made it quite divergent from our own history.
The reader’s journey through this alternate world is aided by an ego character, Tom Olam. Tom is from the real world who gets spellnapped into the world of Castle Falkenstein. It is through Tom that the player understands this world and he is used as an example of how the players are to create and play their own characters. Tom’s writing becomes the template of sorts for what the players need to do with their own characters.
Tom Olam is a computer game designer, something that Mike Pondsmith has later gone on to do.
External links
- Castle Falkenstein NEW official web site
- Castle Falkenstein OLD official web site