Unknown Armies
Encyclopedia
Unknown Armies is an occult
-themed role playing game by John Tynes
and Greg Stolze
and published by Atlas Games
. Subtitled "A roleplaying game of power and consequences". The first edition was paperbound and published in 1998 (with the original subtitle of "A roleplaying game of transcendental horror and furious action"); the revised and expanded 2nd edition was published in a hardbound format in 2002 (with a second printing in 2004 and a third printing in 2007).
The game is set in a modern-day "occult underground," populated by loose networks of shadowy cabals and practitioners of magic. The style and setting of the game draw on a number of influences, including the fantasy novels of Tim Powers
, the crime novels of James Ellroy
, the films of David Lynch
, the Illuminatus! Trilogy, and comic books such as Grant Morrison
's The Invisibles
. The game creates an extensive postmodern
mythology of everyday weirdness and magic that lurks in the shadows of the mind.
Several supplements and adventure collections for Unknown Armies have been produced but further books are not currently planned. They are:
A licensed edition of Unknown Armies in German has been released in September, 2005, by Vortex Verlag under the SighPress Label. The German edition is hardbound, 440 pages, complete as the original, and also includes some additional information about weapon laws in German - to make it easier to use Germany as an alternative setting as well as new artwork and layout from European artists and designers.
, with one representing the "tens" and the other representing the "singles" digit (d100 for short). Players aim to roll under their appropriate skill in order to pass their skill test, however, it is unlike standard systems in that the higher the roll obtained the better the result (while still keeping under the skill level).
Players can start off as mundanes, Avatars or Adepts. The benefit of the latter two is that one finds themselves in tune with some mystic force, and are most likely clued into the Occult Underground. An "Avatar" is a person that channels an "Archetype", a powerful and universal role in culture. Examples include the mystic hermaphrodite, the hunter and the demagogue.
Adepts have spells related to certain obsessions, and must power themselves with related activities.
However, playing mundanes also has its advantages as one can spend their points on aspects other than an Avatars or Adepts power.
Each character's statistics are split into 4 main categories:
The system is considered flexible in that players can choose their own skills (for example, one can substitute the "Guns" skill with "Shooting things from far away").
Each player's character also starts off with an obsession (something the character is passionate about) and assigns a relevant skill. (For example, an obsessive stamp collector will most likely have the appraise skill as an obsessive skill.)
The system also introduces the concept of 'flip-flopping', where players who are using their Obsession skill can choose to switch the "tens" and "singles" of their dice rolls (for example, turning 74 in 47.)
There are also 5 madness meters, which help catalogue your character's sanity:
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 role playing game by John Tynes
John tynes
John Tynes is a writer best known for his work on role-playing games such as Unknown Armies, Delta Green, Puppetland, and for his company Tynes Cowan Corporation. Under its imprint Pagan Publishing, Tynes Cowan Corp...
and Greg Stolze
Greg Stolze
Greg Stolze is an American novelist and writer, whose work has mainly focused on properties derived from role-playing games.Stolze has contributed to numerous role-playing game books for White Wolf Game Studio and Atlas Games, including Demon: the Fallen...
and published by Atlas Games
Atlas Games
Atlas Games is a company which publishes role-playing games, board games and card games. Its current president is John Nephew.Games published include:...
. Subtitled "A roleplaying game of power and consequences". The first edition was paperbound and published in 1998 (with the original subtitle of "A roleplaying game of transcendental horror and furious action"); the revised and expanded 2nd edition was published in a hardbound format in 2002 (with a second printing in 2004 and a third printing in 2007).
The game is set in a modern-day "occult underground," populated by loose networks of shadowy cabals and practitioners of magic. The style and setting of the game draw on a number of influences, including the fantasy novels of Tim Powers
Tim Powers
Timothy Thomas "Tim" Powers is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Powers has won the World Fantasy Award twice for his critically acclaimed novels Last Call and Declare...
, the crime novels of James Ellroy
James Ellroy
Lee Earle "James" Ellroy is an American crime fiction writer and essayist. Ellroy has become known for a so-called "telegraphic" prose style in his most recent work, wherein he frequently omits connecting words and uses only short, staccato sentences, and in particular for the novels The Black...
, the films of David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
, the Illuminatus! Trilogy, and comic books such as Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
's The Invisibles
The Invisibles
The Invisibles is a comic book series that was published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics from 1994 to 2000. It was created and scripted by Scottish writer Grant Morrison, and drawn by various artists throughout its publication....
. The game creates an extensive postmodern
Postmodern art
Postmodern art is a term used to describe an art movement which was thought to be in contradiction to some aspect of modernism, or to have emerged or developed in its aftermath...
mythology of everyday weirdness and magic that lurks in the shadows of the mind.
Several supplements and adventure collections for Unknown Armies have been produced but further books are not currently planned. They are:
- One Shots: Five Stand-Alone Scenarios
- Lawyers, Guns, and Money: The New Inquisition Sourcebook
- Postmodern Magick: The Unnatural Sourcebook (usually abbreviated PoMoMa)
- Statosphere: The Invisible Clergy Sourcebook
- Hush, Hush: The Sleepers Sourcebook
- Weep: Six Scenarios of Woe and Ruin
- To Go: The Occult Roadtrip Campaign
- Break Today: The Mak Attax Sourcebook
- The Ascension of the Magdalene
A licensed edition of Unknown Armies in German has been released in September, 2005, by Vortex Verlag under the SighPress Label. The German edition is hardbound, 440 pages, complete as the original, and also includes some additional information about weapon laws in German - to make it easier to use Germany as an alternative setting as well as new artwork and layout from European artists and designers.
System
Unknown Armies uses a percentile dice system where checks are made by rolling two 10 sided diceDice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
, with one representing the "tens" and the other representing the "singles" digit (d100 for short). Players aim to roll under their appropriate skill in order to pass their skill test, however, it is unlike standard systems in that the higher the roll obtained the better the result (while still keeping under the skill level).
Players can start off as mundanes, Avatars or Adepts. The benefit of the latter two is that one finds themselves in tune with some mystic force, and are most likely clued into the Occult Underground. An "Avatar" is a person that channels an "Archetype", a powerful and universal role in culture. Examples include the mystic hermaphrodite, the hunter and the demagogue.
Adepts have spells related to certain obsessions, and must power themselves with related activities.
However, playing mundanes also has its advantages as one can spend their points on aspects other than an Avatars or Adepts power.
Each character's statistics are split into 4 main categories:
- Body - deals with main physical skills
- Speed - deals with dexterity based skills
- Mind - deals with mental skills
- Soul - deals with personality and "spiritual" based skills
The system is considered flexible in that players can choose their own skills (for example, one can substitute the "Guns" skill with "Shooting things from far away").
Each player's character also starts off with an obsession (something the character is passionate about) and assigns a relevant skill. (For example, an obsessive stamp collector will most likely have the appraise skill as an obsessive skill.)
The system also introduces the concept of 'flip-flopping', where players who are using their Obsession skill can choose to switch the "tens" and "singles" of their dice rolls (for example, turning 74 in 47.)
There are also 5 madness meters, which help catalogue your character's sanity:
- Violence - Represents your character's reaction to violent acts
- Unnatural - Represents your character's reaction to the unnatural
- Helplessness - Represents your character's reaction in helpless situations
- Isolation - Represents your character's reaction in periods of isolation/loneliness
- Self - Represents your character's ability to deal with issues relating to identity
External links
- Unknown Armies: The game's official web page.
- John Tynes's site
- The Eyeball Kid's Unknown Armies Depot - Now dead, mirrors to be confirmed
- UA Mailing List
- Atlas Games: Publishers of UA.
- Unknown Armies DE: Publisher of UA in German.