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Sorcerer (role-playing game)
Encyclopedia
Sorcerer is an award winning occult
-themed indie
role-playing game
written by Ron Edwards
and published through Adept Press. The game focuses on sorcerers
who summon, bind, and interact with demon
s, which are powerful non-human entities who work with and against the sorcerer.
They are divided into five basic types:
Demons in a specific game can push a unified agenda or can be driven by some personal goal, but they are always hard on the sorcerer's Humanity as they usually embrace concepts that are counter to the ruling Humanity definition.
The game master should prepare a number of bangs for each session in what Edwards calls a bandolier of bangs, but be prepared to alter them on-the-fly or discard them if necessary. A bang doesn't have to be initiated by the game master, another player or even the player himself could identify a bang situation that requires a choice.
The term was introduced by Edwards in the Sorcerer book.
. It played a substantial part in Ron Edwards' receipt of the "Diana Jones Award
" in 2002.
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
-themed indie
Indie role-playing game
An indie role-playing game is a role-playing game published outside of traditional, "mainstream" means. Varying definitions require that commercial, design, or conceptual elements of the game stay under the control of the creator, or that the game should just be produced outside of a corporate...
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...
written by Ron Edwards
Ron Edwards (game designer)
Ronald Edwards is a game designer, theorist, and an influential member of the indie role-playing game community. Notably, he is the creator of the Sorcerer RPG, the GNS Theory of gameplay, and The Big Model....
and published through Adept Press. The game focuses on sorcerers
Wizard (character class)
The Wizard is a type of magical character class in certain role-playing games and computer role-playing games. Wizards are considered to be spellcasters who wield powerful spells, but are often physically weak as a trade-off. Wizards are commonly confused with similar offensive spellcasting...
who summon, bind, and interact with demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
s, which are powerful non-human entities who work with and against the sorcerer.
Setting
The game has no definite default setting beyond a few guidelines, such as that the true nature and origin of demons remains completely unknown and that authorities would not even consider the possibility of the supernatural existing. The rules examples, however, assume a modern fantasy world which to mundane people resembles our own.Demons
Demons are defined by the group, which can range from the classical demons to high powered AI robots to sentient artifacts of power.They are divided into five basic types:
- Inconspicuous demons are hard to perceive, either from being small or from utilizing some kind of invisibility. They cannot remain hidden if they take actions against someone.
- Object demons are physical artifacts of power, for example a sword or a computer. They are sentient with a will of their own that doesn't always correspond to the sorcerer's.
- Parasite demons inhabit the body of the sorcerer, another human or an animal and most of their powers are conferred to the host.
- Passing demons look like ordinary humans or animals. Examples are doppelgangers, cyborgs or clones. Their powers are always conferred to themselves.
- Possessor demons completely take over the body of a host instead of the symbiotic relationship of parasitic demons. Their powers are conferred to themselves alone.
Demons in a specific game can push a unified agenda or can be driven by some personal goal, but they are always hard on the sorcerer's Humanity as they usually embrace concepts that are counter to the ruling Humanity definition.
Humanity
Play focuses on a particular theme defined by each group as Humanity. Players make conscious decisions throughout play to commit their characters towards actions that support or negate Humanity, often risking it in the process of acquiring or utilizing the power of demons. Through doing so, players are making strong thematic statements about the issue defined by Humanity.Bang
A bang is a situation that requires a choice from the player as how the character will respond to the situation. The choice will often be thematically relevant, based on the Humanity definition and earlier events in the game. For a bang to be effective, the game master shouldn't force a specific choice, and the player doing nothing should also have consequences.The game master should prepare a number of bangs for each session in what Edwards calls a bandolier of bangs, but be prepared to alter them on-the-fly or discard them if necessary. A bang doesn't have to be initiated by the game master, another player or even the player himself could identify a bang situation that requires a choice.
The term was introduced by Edwards in the Sorcerer book.
Kicker
A kicker is a player-authored "first bang", a situation that turns the player's character's world upside down. It's supposed to be the start of the story of the character, and the upcoming events will eventually reach the conclusion of the kicker. The player will then update the character according to rules found in the Sorcerer rules and write a new kicker for the character. The game master should use the event in the kicker and add pressure on the character, to enable the group to make a thematic statement through the resolution of the kicker.History
Sorcerer was first self-published on-line as a free text document. It gradually built up an audience, made a profit at every stage of its growth, and is currently published as a hard-cover book with three soft-cover supplements. Sorcerer has received numerous reviews on various web forums, such as RPGnet, and in print magazines, such as Realms of FantasyRealms of Fantasy
Realms of Fantasy is a professional bimonthly fantasy speculative fiction magazine published by Damnation Books, which specializes in fantasy, nonfiction, and art. The magazine publishes short stories by some of the genre's most popular and most prominent authors...
. It played a substantial part in Ron Edwards' receipt of the "Diana Jones Award
Diana Jones Award
The Diana Jones Award is an annual award for "excellence in gaming". The award is unusual in two ways: first, it is not an award for a specific class of thing, but can be awarded to a person, product, publication, company, organization, event or trend – anything related to gaming; second, it does...
" in 2002.
Main rulebook and supplements
- Sorcerer
- The core rulebook. (Hardcover) ISBN 0-9709176-0-0
- Sorcerer & Sword
- A supplement for adapating the Sword and sorcerySword and sorcerySword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...
sub-genre and Sorcerer to each other. (Paperback) ISBN 0-9709176-1-9)
- The Sorcerer's Soul
- Re-examines Humanity and demons and introduces angelAngelAngels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s. (Paperback) ISBN 0-9709176-2-7
- Sex and Sorcerer
- A look at player interactions, gender and story creation in the game. (Paperback) ISBN 0-9709176-3-5
Mini-supplements
Edwards employs a system for smaller official and fan-written supplements where the author keeps all earnings as long as Edwards has editorial control and the mini-supplement is sold in PDF format at the Adept Press website. A mini-supplement can include rule tweaks, new setting information other variations of the basic Sorcerer concept.List of mini-supplements
- Charnel Gods by Scott Knipe
- A supplement to the Sorcerer & Sword supplement in which Sorcerers wield demon-infested weapons at the end of the world.
- Demon Cops by Ron Edwards
- An urban animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
-style police-setting.
- Electric Ghosts by Ravenscrye Daegmorgan
- Demons infest technology, and communicates through the sound of electrical devices.
- Hellbound by Dav Harnish
- Humanity is the Sorcerer's immortal soul, something that can be sold or traded.
- Schism, by Jared A. Sorensen
- A psychic powers CronenbergDavid CronenbergDavid Paul Cronenberg, OC, FRSC is a Canadian filmmaker, screenwriter and actor. He is one of the principal originators of what is commonly known as the body horror or venereal horror genre. This style of filmmaking explores people's fears of bodily transformation and infection. In his films, the...
-inspired setting where Sorcerers are telepaths and clairvoyants.
- Urge by Clinton R. Nixon
- Sorcerers are people infested with an animal spirit, and has to fight the animal urges to remain human.
Official sites
- The Sorcerer RPG website
- The Adept Press forum on The Forge website with discussions on Sorcerer, moderated by Ron Edwards