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Trinity (role-playing game)
Encyclopedia
Trinity is a science fiction role-playing game
published by White Wolf Game Studio
in 1997 (and later by the ArtHaus imprint), first in the Trinity Universe
series of games (the two others being Aberrant and Adventure!) sharing a common background and developing an alternate history of humanity through two centuries, and allowing players to play almost all genres of science fiction - from comic-book superhero action to cutting edge technothriller, space opera
, and old fashioned pulp standards. Though it had a vocal fanbase the whole game line was discontinued due to low sales in 2001; an adaptation for the d20 system
was released in 2004.
is the leading technology and psionics
are known and studied if not exactly widespread. Alien contact has been made, with mixed results.
Characters take the roles of psionic individuals, working for one of the many organizations in the gaming world, and tackling troubles when they arise.
The game setting, which is detailed in a number of supplements, allows for a variety of styles, from cyberpunk
-like corporate espionage to Mad Max
-style post-holocaust frontier adventure, to space exploration.
The Æsculapian Order
Interplanetary School for Research and Advancement "ISRA"
The Legions
Ministry of Psionic Affairs This cloak and dagger spy agency is based in China and a part of the Chinese government. Members are skilled in Telepathy
and are the most secretive and mistrusted of the Orders for their abilities.
Nova Força De Nacionales (The New National Force) "Norça"
Orgotek
Upeo wa Macho
Chitra Bhanu
3.5 rules, better known as the d20 System
.
, which claimed the game challenged their trademarks. The matter was settled by White Wolf choosing to change the name of its game, and leaving "Aeon" as the unofficial name for the whole line. Early copies of the game had a sticker with the new Trinity logo covering the original Aeon logo.
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...
published by White Wolf Game Studio
White Wolf, Inc.
White Wolf Publishing is an American gaming and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between Lion Rampant and White Wolf Magazine, and was initially led by Mark Rein·Hagen of the former and Steve and Stewart Wieck of the latter. Since White Wolf Publishing, Inc. merged with...
in 1997 (and later by the ArtHaus imprint), first in the Trinity Universe
Trinity Universe
The Trinity Universe is the shared science fiction setting created by White Wolf. Its component game lines include:* Adventure!, a pulp-action game set in 1924....
series of games (the two others being Aberrant and Adventure!) sharing a common background and developing an alternate history of humanity through two centuries, and allowing players to play almost all genres of science fiction - from comic-book superhero action to cutting edge technothriller, space opera
Space opera
Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced technologies and abilities. The term has no relation to music and it is analogous to "soap...
, and old fashioned pulp standards. Though it had a vocal fanbase the whole game line was discontinued due to low sales in 2001; an adaptation for 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...
was released in 2004.
Setting
Set in the twenty-second century, Trinity portrays a future Earth slowly recovering from a disastrous war (the origins of which are covered in Aberrant) and expanding in space. Former depressed areas such as Africa, South America and Eastern Asia, which suffered moderate traumas during the Aberrant War are now the leading political forces in the international arena, while Europe is a landscape of ruins and hard struggling survivors, and North America is under a fascist regime (the FSA, or Federated States of America). Bio-engineeringBody modification
Body modification is the deliberate altering of the human body for any non-medical reason, such as aesthetics, sexual enhancement, a rite of passage, religious reasons, to display group membership or affiliation, to create body art, shock value, or self expression...
is the leading technology and psionics
Psionics (role-playing games)
Psionics, in role-playing games, is a broad category of fantastic abilities originating from the mind, similar to the paranormal psionic abilities that some people claim in reality.- Common features :...
are known and studied if not exactly widespread. Alien contact has been made, with mixed results.
Characters take the roles of psionic individuals, working for one of the many organizations in the gaming world, and tackling troubles when they arise.
The game setting, which is detailed in a number of supplements, allows for a variety of styles, from cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
-like corporate espionage to Mad Max
Mad Max
Mad Max is a 1979 Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller and revised by Miller and Byron Kennedy over the original script by James McCausland. The film stars Mel Gibson, who was unknown at the time. Its narrative based around the traditional western genre, Mad Max tells a story...
-style post-holocaust frontier adventure, to space exploration.
Orders
Players have a choice of six "Orders" for their characters to join. Orders each possess a mastery of a specific "Aptitude", a category of psionic powers. Each Order is based in a specific geographic location, often the homeland of its founder, and is heavily influenced by local culture. Actually, there are eight "Orders" in the Trinity Universe, but one only became playable after some metaplot hooks made it so, and the other has almost been exterminated by the year where the playable timeline begins.The Æsculapian Order
- Based in Europe, this Order is a global medical clinic first and foremost; its members fulfill the roles of combat medics, healers and scientists. They teach the Aptitude of vitakinesis, the usage of the mind to heal the body.
Interplanetary School for Research and Advancement "ISRA"
- Based on the Moon, this Order is a quasi-monastic school of philosophy associated with the real religion the Bahá'í FaithBahá'í FaithThe Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
(see popular media references). Its members learn Clairsentience and use their sensory powers to become scouts and detectives.
The Legions
- Based in Austronesia, these are high tech military corps (similar to that found in Starship TroopersStarship TroopersStarship Troopers is a military science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, first published as a serial in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and published hardcover in December, 1959.The first-person narrative is about a young soldier from the Philippines named Juan "Johnnie" Rico and his...
), using the powers of PsychokinesisPsychokinesisThe term psychokinesis , also referred to as telekinesis with respect to strictly describing movement of matter, sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term...
to protect humanity from extrasolar threats.
Ministry of Psionic Affairs This cloak and dagger spy agency is based in China and a part of the Chinese government. Members are skilled in Telepathy
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
and are the most secretive and mistrusted of the Orders for their abilities.
Nova Força De Nacionales (The New National Force) "Norça"
- This Order takes the form of vigilante militia, based somewhere in the jungles of South America. They wield the powers of Biokinesis, and possess complete biological mastery over their physical forms. They are as widely, if not more, distrusted than the Ministry.
Orgotek
- A multinational technology corporation headquartered in North America, its members are all employees in some fashion or another. They can control the electromagnetic spectrumElectromagnetic spectrumThe electromagnetic spectrum is the range of all possible frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. The "electromagnetic spectrum" of an object is the characteristic distribution of electromagnetic radiation emitted or absorbed by that particular object....
with the Electrokinesis Aptitude. They often take the role of technical experts & engineers.
Upeo wa Macho
- The Upeo are an African trade organization with the TeleportationTeleportationTeleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
Aptitude. Although they had been missing for six years as of the core rules, they have since returned, although their absence has not altogether been explained to the public. With their return, regular contact with extrasolar colonies is being re-established.
Chitra Bhanu
- The Chibs are an Indian physics laboratory with the ability to manipulate the nuclear forces of the universe (Quantakinesis). They were exterminated because the other psi orders claimed that they had an alliance with the monstrous Aberrants, although there have been rumors of survivors either hiding on their own, or working secretly for other orders. The Chitra Bhanu are an unplayable order.
System
The game runs on a slightly modified version of the White Wolf Storyteller System. A reprint was announced in late 2003 of the three Trinity Universe games using the Open Gaming LicenseOpen Gaming License
The Open Game License may be used by game developers to grant permission to modify, copy, and redistribute some of the content designed for their games, notably game mechanics.-Language of the licence:The OGL describes two forms of content:...
3.5 rules, better known as 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...
.
Books
- Trinity Core rulebook (two hard cover editions and a soft cover edition)
- Hidden Agendas: Storyteller's screen and book (screen with adventure & background sourcebook)
- Darkness Revealed 1: Descent into Darkness (adventure book)
- Darkness Revealed 2: Passage through Shadow (adventure book)
- Darkness Revealed 3: Ascent into Light (adventure book)
- Alien Encounter 1: Invasion (adventure book)
- Alien Encounter 2: Deception (adventure book)
- Trinity Players' Guide (background and rules expansion)
- Technology Manual (technology sourcebook)
- Luna Rising: Psi Order ISRA & Luna Sourcebook
- America Offline: Psi Order Orgotek & FSA Sourcebook
- Shattered Europe: Psi Order Æsculapian & Europe Sourcebook
- Stellar Frontier: Psi Order Upeo wa Macho & Extrasolar space Sourcebook
- Aurora Australis: Psi Order Legions & Austronesia Sourcebook
- Terra Verde: Psi Order Norça & Sudamérica Sourcebook (solely available in electronic form)
- Asia Ascendant: Psi Order Ministry & Asia Sourcebook (unpublished manuscript released by game line developer Bruce Baugh, solely available in electronic form)
- Trinity Field Report: Extrasolar Colonies (mini sourcebook)
- Trinity Field Report: Alien Races (mini sourcebook)
- Trinity Field Report: Psi Laws (mini sourcebook)
- Trinity Field Report: Media (mini sourcebook)
- Trinity Field Report: Oceania (mini sourcebook, solely in electronic form)
- Trinity Field Report: Corporate Life (mini sourcebook, solely in electronic form)
Fan-written supplements
- India Underground: Psi Order Chitra Bhanu & Bharati Commonwealth Sourcebook (book by EON, solely in electronic form)
- Trinity Field Report: Noetic Science (mini sourcebook by EON, solely in electronic form)
Naming issue
Trinity was originally to be known as Aeon (thus leading to all three games in the line having titles starting with an A), and was originally issued under that title in its hardback and deluxe versions. Legal issues arose with the holders of the rights for the animated series Æon FluxÆon Flux
Æon Flux was originally an avant-garde science fiction animated television series that aired on MTV in various forms throughout the 1990s, with film, comic book, and video game adaptations following thereafter. It premiered in 1991 on MTV's Liquid Television experimental animation show as a...
, which claimed the game challenged their trademarks. The matter was settled by White Wolf choosing to change the name of its game, and leaving "Aeon" as the unofficial name for the whole line. Early copies of the game had a sticker with the new Trinity logo covering the original Aeon logo.