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Engel (role-playing game)
Encyclopedia
Engel is a role-playing game
. The original German version uses a rule system in which the Gamemaster
and players draw associative, tarot
-like cards instead of rolling dice to determine the outcome of an event (this system is called the Arcana
system in the original German version). The English version of "Engel" does not include the Arcana system at all; it is based on the d20 System
instead. The German version includes d20 rules in addition to the Arcana system. The game has been published by the German publisher Feder&Schwert (translates: "Feather&Sword"), who also published the World of Darkness
RPG series in Germany and are now publishing the Dungeons & Dragons
series.
In the flooded, quasi-medieval Europe of 2654, massive islands are the domains of the orders of the Angelitic Church. The Engel, seemingly the angels of Judeo-Christian
belief, patrol the skies from their fortresslike Heavens, ceaselessly striving to defend the people of Europe against the hordes of the verminous [Dreamseed]. The eternally youthful Pontifex Maximus
in Roma Æterna, in Italy, presides over a bureaucratic and autocratic church, having combined religious and secular power into a perfectly integrated whole. Within its dominion, dark riders take a tithe
of every village's children for the unknown purposes of the church. Many of the cities have broken away from the direct command of the Church, coming under the sway of Junklords (Diadoches) who keep alive what remains of antediluvian
technology. In the face of very real and very quantifiable evil, the people of Europe increasingly turn away from the direct political, cultural, and spiritual leadership of the church. As the numbers of the Engel plateau, players must navigate politics, war, and faith as the guardians of Europe.
The Order of Michael
Named after the archangel Michael
, the members of this order are trained in the arts of strategy, tactics and leadership. With their unique mental powers, they are the perfect commanders of the heavenly hosts. Like the archangel himself, the Michaelites are deemed the purest and most godlike of all angels. Their crest features a radiant crown and a key.
The Heaven of the Michaelites stands in Roma Æterna. Their traditional color is gold.
The Order of Uriel
Named after the archangel Uriel
, this order keeps the knowledge of the ways of the Lord. The Urielites are the scouts and messengers among the angels. As such, their gift enables them to find their way even in the dark of night or in the middle of a thunderstorm. They are also very capable foragers, and can find food and water in the loneliest desert. The all-seeing eye is their crest.
The Heaven of the Urielites has been erected in Mont Salvage in the Pyrenees. Their colour is green.
The Order of Gabriel
Named after the archangel Gabriel
, this angelic order is the most widely feared. These warriors of God, also called the angels of death, are trained to fight and kill in every imaginable way. With the flaming sword, which is also the symbol of the order, they deal out the Lord's judgment.
The Heaven of the Gabrielites is located near the ancient German town of Nürnberg. The colour of their order is black.
The Order of Ramiel
This order follows the archangel Ramiel
or Jeremiel. The Ramielites are the keepers of knowledge and the sages among the other orders. Their divine gift lets them see the past as well as the future. Their crest is the book and the alpha and omega.
The Heaven of the Ramielites is located in the ancient Czech town of Prague
, the new Venice of the east. The colour of their order is blue.
The Order of Raphael
This order, named after the archangel Raphael, is accustomed to the ways of healing. A touch of their hands can soothe pain, heal wounds, and even banish misery. Many Raphaelites refrain from violence completely and do not even carry weapons. Their crest shows the healing hand.
The Heaven of the Raphaelites is located near Grenoble in the French Alps. Their colour is white or silver.
convention of six primary statistics, classes
, levels, experience points, feats
, and skills. Normal humans have access to only the aristocrat, commoner, expert, fighter, rogue, and warrior classes. The Engel have access to special classes and abilities restricted to their bands; unlike humans, they are incapable of multiclassing. There is no magic; there are only Potestas (powers), which work as skills restricted by the Engelic band the player chooses. Such powers drain the hit points of the Engel; a similar but less harmful mechanic is found in the Star Wars d20 Roleplaying Game
.
All core mechanics are included, in abbreviated form, in the Engel Corebook. Equipment of the quasi-medieval setting of Engel is described, along with rules for pre-Flood artifacts such as firearms, grenades, and ceramic
armor. A small selection of NPCs and sample player characters is provided, along with a map of the new Europe and a more-or-less complete history of the World of Engel since the Flood. Certain sections are explicitly forbidden for players to read, as they contain spoilers
about the overall plot. Nonhuman NPCs (the Dreamseed creatures) are only briefly detailed though frequently mentioned; they are detailed in the supplement Creatures of the Dreamseed, released in 2002.
A graphic novel set in the world of Engel, Pandoramicum, details some of Engel's history leading up to the current events in the Engel Corebook. It too is out of print.
Order Book: Michaelites, a supplement detailing one of the orders of Engel, was also released prior to the product line's cancellation. It is no longer in stock.
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...
. The original German version uses a rule system in which the Gamemaster
Gamemaster
A gamemaster is a person who acts as an organizer, officiant for questions regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer game...
and players draw associative, tarot
Tarot
The tarot |trionfi]] and later as tarocchi, tarock, and others) is a pack of cards , used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play a group of card games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot...
-like cards instead of rolling dice to determine the outcome of an event (this system is called the Arcana
Arcanum (role-playing game)
Arcanum is a fantasy role-playing game by Bard Games, set in the ancient world before Atlantis sunk. Like other fantasy RPGs, the game uses paper, pencils, dice, rulebooks, and imagination...
system in the original German version). The English version of "Engel" does not include the Arcana system at all; it is based on the d20 System
D20 System
The d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
instead. The German version includes d20 rules in addition to the Arcana system. The game has been published by the German publisher Feder&Schwert (translates: "Feather&Sword"), who also published the World of Darkness
World of Darkness
"World of Darkness" is the name given to three related but distinct fictional universes created as settings for supernatural horror themed role-playing games. It is also the name of roleplaying games in the second and third settings...
RPG series in Germany and are now publishing the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
series.
Setting
Judeo-Christian
Judeo-Christian is a term used in the United States since the 1940s to refer to standards of ethics said to be held in common by Judaism and Christianity, for example the Ten Commandments...
belief, patrol the skies from their fortresslike Heavens, ceaselessly striving to defend the people of Europe against the hordes of the verminous [Dreamseed]. The eternally youthful Pontifex Maximus
Pontifex Maximus
The Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the College of Pontiffs in ancient Rome. This was the most important position in the ancient Roman religion, open only to patricians until 254 BC, when a plebeian first occupied this post...
in Roma Æterna, in Italy, presides over a bureaucratic and autocratic church, having combined religious and secular power into a perfectly integrated whole. Within its dominion, dark riders take a tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
of every village's children for the unknown purposes of the church. Many of the cities have broken away from the direct command of the Church, coming under the sway of Junklords (Diadoches) who keep alive what remains of antediluvian
Antediluvian
The antediluvian period meaning "before the deluge" is the period referred to in the Bible between the Creation of the Earth and the Deluge . The narrative takes up chapters 1-6 of Genesis...
technology. In the face of very real and very quantifiable evil, the people of Europe increasingly turn away from the direct political, cultural, and spiritual leadership of the church. As the numbers of the Engel plateau, players must navigate politics, war, and faith as the guardians of Europe.
Angelic Orders
Five orders of angels serve mankind and the Angelic Church in Roma Æterna. The Michaelites are the leaders of the hosts; the Urielites are the messengers of the Lord; the Gabrielites are the angels of death; the Ramielites are the keepers of knowledge; and the Raphaelites are the divine healers.The Order of Michael
Named after the archangel Michael
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
, the members of this order are trained in the arts of strategy, tactics and leadership. With their unique mental powers, they are the perfect commanders of the heavenly hosts. Like the archangel himself, the Michaelites are deemed the purest and most godlike of all angels. Their crest features a radiant crown and a key.
The Heaven of the Michaelites stands in Roma Æterna. Their traditional color is gold.
The Order of Uriel
Named after the archangel Uriel
Uriel
Uriel is one of the archangels of post-Exilic Rabbinic tradition, and also of certain Christian traditions...
, this order keeps the knowledge of the ways of the Lord. The Urielites are the scouts and messengers among the angels. As such, their gift enables them to find their way even in the dark of night or in the middle of a thunderstorm. They are also very capable foragers, and can find food and water in the loneliest desert. The all-seeing eye is their crest.
The Heaven of the Urielites has been erected in Mont Salvage in the Pyrenees. Their colour is green.
The Order of Gabriel
Named after the archangel Gabriel
Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an Archangel who typically serves as a messenger to humans from God.He first appears in the Book of Daniel, delivering explanations of Daniel's visions. In the Gospel of Luke Gabriel foretells the births of both John the Baptist and of Jesus...
, this angelic order is the most widely feared. These warriors of God, also called the angels of death, are trained to fight and kill in every imaginable way. With the flaming sword, which is also the symbol of the order, they deal out the Lord's judgment.
The Heaven of the Gabrielites is located near the ancient German town of Nürnberg. The colour of their order is black.
The Order of Ramiel
This order follows the archangel Ramiel
Ramiel
Râmîêl is a fallen Watcher in the apocryphal Book of Enoch, one of 20 leaders, mentioned sixth. Ramiel means "thunder of God" from the Hebrew elements ra'am and El, "God". Remiel is one of the archangels of the Christian and Islamic traditions, the Hebrew name meaning "Mercy of God" or "Compassion...
or Jeremiel. The Ramielites are the keepers of knowledge and the sages among the other orders. Their divine gift lets them see the past as well as the future. Their crest is the book and the alpha and omega.
The Heaven of the Ramielites is located in the ancient Czech town of Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, the new Venice of the east. The colour of their order is blue.
The Order of Raphael
This order, named after the archangel Raphael, is accustomed to the ways of healing. A touch of their hands can soothe pain, heal wounds, and even banish misery. Many Raphaelites refrain from violence completely and do not even carry weapons. Their crest shows the healing hand.
The Heaven of the Raphaelites is located near Grenoble in the French Alps. Their colour is white or silver.
Mechanics
The book follows the standard d20D20 System
The d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
convention of six primary statistics, classes
Character class
In role-playing games, a common method of arbitrating the capabilities of different game characters is to assign each one to a character class. A character class aggregates several abilities and aptitudes, and may also sometimes detail aspects of background and social standing or impose behaviour...
, levels, experience points, feats
Feats
Feats was a well-known Elizabethan sorcerer.His familiar spirit was a black dog named Bomelius.-References:...
, and skills. Normal humans have access to only the aristocrat, commoner, expert, fighter, rogue, and warrior classes. The Engel have access to special classes and abilities restricted to their bands; unlike humans, they are incapable of multiclassing. There is no magic; there are only Potestas (powers), which work as skills restricted by the Engelic band the player chooses. Such powers drain the hit points of the Engel; a similar but less harmful mechanic is found in the Star Wars d20 Roleplaying Game
Star Wars Roleplaying Game (Wizards of the Coast)
On June 5, 2007, Wizards released the Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Saga Edition. The game was streamlined to be easier to play and a greater emphasis was placed on miniatures. Some of the major changes include:...
.
All core mechanics are included, in abbreviated form, in the Engel Corebook. Equipment of the quasi-medieval setting of Engel is described, along with rules for pre-Flood artifacts such as firearms, grenades, and ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
armor. A small selection of NPCs and sample player characters is provided, along with a map of the new Europe and a more-or-less complete history of the World of Engel since the Flood. Certain sections are explicitly forbidden for players to read, as they contain spoilers
Spoiler (media)
Spoiler is slang for any element of any summary or description of any piece of fiction that reveals any plot element which will give away the outcome of a dramatic episode within the work of fiction, or the conclusion of the entire work. It can also be used to refer to any piece of information...
about the overall plot. Nonhuman NPCs (the Dreamseed creatures) are only briefly detailed though frequently mentioned; they are detailed in the supplement Creatures of the Dreamseed, released in 2002.
Publication status
Engel is no longer being actively supported by Sword & Sorcery Studios and the line was dropped in 2004, although copies of the Corebook are available in their online store. Creatures of the Dreamseed is not in stock and is only available through third parties.A graphic novel set in the world of Engel, Pandoramicum, details some of Engel's history leading up to the current events in the Engel Corebook. It too is out of print.
Order Book: Michaelites, a supplement detailing one of the orders of Engel, was also released prior to the product line's cancellation. It is no longer in stock.