[Other] Fabula Ultima - Press Start

[Retry]

PRESS START Game Name Fabula Ultima Game System Other - Fabula Ultima Theme A group of heroes battle against the forces that threaten the world! Flavor High Fantasy, Old School RPG, JRPG-feel, One-shot, Tactical Foreword Not very long ago an interest check ad appeared here for the ttrpg game system Fabula Ultima by Need Games! Checking into it I was absolutely swept away by the system, purchased the core book, and have been dying to see it in action! It generated some interest on the Misc. Ad board but the potential GM seemed like they had other plans. Thus, I have decided to pull the trigger instead and post it over here where more eyes could be on it and hopefully get to run this interesting system! System Basics Coverart for Press Start Fabula Ultima is a system designed to recreate the feeling one might have while playing "oldschool" Japanese Role Playing GamesJRPGs, such as Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Atelier, and more. It was partially based on the system "Ryuutama" by the Kotodama Heavy Industries and published with their final approval. It draws on inspiration from many other systems such as 13th age, Aegis, Apocalypse World, Blades in the Dark, DnD4e, FATE, and more. During the Session 0 stage of the game both players and GM collaboratively build a world in which to play within and draft their Player Characters (PCs). Characters start at level(Lv) 5 and can go to a max of Lv50. Each PC starts by choosing two or three classes of the fifteen available in the core book and distributes their first five levels among those two-three classes. With each level applied, you can pick one of five skills from a class. Certain skills can be taken multiple times providing Such as dealing more damage or increasing your healthadded benefits or You learn 1 spell of your choice from a class when you put a skill point in to their magic skill.learning a new spell. Being able to mix and match classes allows for one to create a truly unique and highly customizable character. Attributes are broken down into die sizes, initially ranging from d6 up to d10. Checks are made by rolling the die associated with the attribute the GM calls for and adding any bonuses to the roll. If you meet or exceed the Difficulty Level (DL), then you succeed! Rolling snake eyes (two 1s) results in a Fumble - which is an automatic failure and complicates the scene. Rolling the same number that is 6 or higher on both die is a Critical Success and treated as an automatic success! You can use "Fabula Points" that you initially gain and can further gain from Fumbles or when a Villain enters the scene; allow you to either add to a roll or reroll one die. However, the GM also has a version of this for their big-bads called "Villain Points," mean to add narrative twists to the scene. Combat works purely on Theater of the Mind and can be fairly tactical. Players can go in any order to better react and adjust tactics, however combat is designed to flow as such: PC, Enemy, PC, Enemy. This might need some work to better fit pbp-play. Overview of suggest game Cover art from Load Game This ad specifically is for the PRESS START quick-play game offered by Need Games! to help players become introduced to their system. The game is quite short, but I felt it a great way to test the waters of the system in a pbp format. You can download a copy of the PRESS START quickplay adventure for free from DrivethruRPG in this link here: LINK You would be playing one of four (possibly) premade characters provided from the quick-play: Blair Clarimonde (they/them) the Orator Cassandra (she/her) the Elementalist Edgar (he/him) the Tinkerer or Lavigne Fallbright (she/her) the Darkblade If one wishes to reskin one of these characters, that is perfectly fine. If one wishes to make a character of their own, they will need access to the core book. The corebook can be purchased from DrivethruRPG for just shy of $18 USD This system is protected by copyright law and its character creation process is not located in the Quick-play. Thus, I will not aid one in character creation unless they have the core book as well. Hook: Something is happening in the Crater of Megido, where a powerful city of magi once lived prior to its destruction. [Blair] has rallied their allies and board an airship to investigate despite the wishes of their father, King Roland. What is truly going on within the crater? Who is there and why? These are questions that are actively decided upon by the players to influence the story! One of the many quirks that makes this system so interesting! The adventure is quite short and very straight-forward. After the adventure is complete, the players can decide if they wish to continue or not using the LOAD GAME pdf (also from from drivethruRPG) to level their character and embark on another adventure. Acknowledgement Due to there being no System Reference Document (SRD) for the system on character creation, I can fully understand hesitancy in even trying out the system. I will do what I can to ease adoption of the system within my legal means. You can obtain playtest material from Need Games! Website and the patreon page for Emanuele Galletto (creator of the game) for free as well, however the classes presented within are not balanced.   Retry, the Lv5 Lazy GM How's it going? My name is rē-trī′Retry (he/him), and I've been a part of RPGx since late 2018 when I stumbled upon it from an internet search for a means to play ttrpgs online via text. I cut my teeth playing, DM'ing, and eventually teaching DND5e as a NPSG GM, but have found myself yearning for something outside of 5e. Nothing against it, just trying new things is all I enjoy story-telling and find entertainment in reading the creations players come up with and seeing the inner workings of their psyche that playing in person can't easily offer. Through the years of playing I've come to greatly appreciate the essence of Roleplaying over 'Roll'playing and try to do my part in providing interesting NPCs and locale for the players to interact with. I am, admittedly, not a well-learned writer. My vocabulary isn't very extensive and my grammar is atrocious - but I do what I can to paint a picture for you the best I can! I also often employ ambient music through youtube and art to help supplement my post. Here are some of my more recent GM posts to help provide samples of how I narrate: "Wayside Inn (DoIP Storm Team, DND5e)" | "Hither (WbtWL, DND5e)" |"Ashes of the Sea (Numenera)" On a more personal side, I am an IT professional of eight years and father to three feral daughters. My job is a constant juggle of numerous tasks, projects, and user issues and my home-life is wrestling with three small children over simple things like bedtime and the reason why we wear clothes in public. That being said, its easier for me to post while at work and I am most active between the hours of 0700 and 1530 M-F. Off-hours, you can reach me via the OOC threads, a PM, or through Retry #2025Discord. I do not post on weekends as I am often with my wife and kids or DMing/playing D&D. Also, yes. I like bears. Details MOST IMPORTANT - I am accepting of new members/players! I do ask that you shed your yellow name at the absolute least. This game will be fast. Depending on post rate agreed upon by the group we could have it completed in less than six months. Likely faster but I'm playing it safe. OOC is very important to keeping a game alive. I do not expect us to be best buddies, but I do want to know if you have any questions and/or if something will keep you from the site for some time. Once the game is completed we can discuss if we wish to continue playing and how. Application Application processes This will be unlike most ads as I am most don't have access to the core book. Instead I'll ask this instead, if interested please answer the following: What is making you want to give the game a shot? (the acclaimed jrpg feel? just want to try something new? the devilishly handsome mild-looking bear running it? etc.) Desired post rate Favorite RPG (videogame or ttrpg is fine) Have you heard of this system? If so, what have your impressions been? Can you provide me a link or two to some game posts you have made? (if new, can you just give me an rp sample?) (optional, only if you have the book) What classes are you most interested in trying? There is no close date for applications currently. The desired group is 4, but I can make do with less.

[Retry]

	Question	Answer(s)
1	How do you plan to run this without the rulebook?	I do have a copy of the rulebook along with the playtest and bonus material. I plan to rely heavily on the 'PRESS START' and 'LOAD GAME' pdfs for this adventure.
2	Are you thinking of allowing the playtest stuff, or keep it simple?	I will allow the playtest classes. Just keep in mind it might not be balanced.
3

Applicant	Character
Ladytron	Blair
47Ronin	Edgar
Hafrogman	Cassandra
ArdentTapestry	Lavigne

Reserve apps	status
stinkman	Applied
savoylen	Interested

[Ladytron]

I'll likely add in a char. As for your ask:

-I love trying new systems, plus I sort-of like JRPG (I'm not a huge JRPG person, maybe a small one. Mostly Persona).
-Flexible as long as I know what it is in advance.
-Vampire the Masquarade
-I have the book, looks OK. Very 'light' compared to most games I know of.
-(changing the order to make things easier to read) Not 100% sure on the class(es) just yet. I think I have an idea though. I'm thinking Arcanist/???; TBD.

La Petite Ver - Waiting in the Wings The weather was nice outside, if a little dry. Ver had started her little Tour it felt like years ago and now she found herself at the University of Valladolid. What in the world was a Valladolid? Was it named after a local person? Perhaps a fruit? There was a time when Ver had barely been outside throwing distance of her village, and now she's been all over France and working her way through Spain. How exciting! She knew she might never get the opportunity but she wished to herself that she could show the scene's she's seen to her friends and family back home, show them what else is out there in the world; maybe even a Valladolid. She very much wanted to go inside the University and see what a University was all about, but she decided against it. She wasn't exactly a master of anything when it came to the Arcane but she'd been given a bunch of warnings about these 'Tremere', and she took those warnings to heart. She wasn't sure what might happen if she were to take a little tour of the facilities, so she decided it might be best to wait out here with the caravan; not too long though else she might get something of a sunburn. Most of the people in the caravan were looking either Looking at you Pablo! bored to tears waiting or had gone off to put their gear and tack away; as Ver had not much of said gear, that left her with just the waiting. Looking for something to do to pass the time, she sat down cross-legged and brought out a little sketchbook with a coal stick and did a little drawing of the building, using her enhanced eye-sight to help work around the fact that there wasn't a whole lot of light to work with. She wasn't much of an artist, more of a story-teller, but she was OK and more importantly loved to Create, no matter what it was. She used to love to draw the clouds as they blew across the Channel, of the waves on a windy day, the odd ship as it passed by, or the sunsets to the west as the Sun hid behind the hundreds of little islands off the coast. She decided to send her drawing to her Patron, as a gift and token of her travels...

If people are willing you can buy a copy off drive thru RPG for $18, which isn't too bad.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product...-Ultima-TTJRPG

[47Ronin]

Edgar the Tinkerer What is making you want to give the game a shot? The visual aesthetics triggered my interest. When I bought the book, the reference to Ryuutama as an inspiration settled it. I am a long-time fan. Desired post rate 2-3 times per week. I prefer regular, moderate-sized posts. (I don't do "War and Peace", sorry. I am capable of it, I just don't like it in a roleplaying context.) Favorite RPG (videogame or ttrpg is fine) My favourite videogame is a Korean mmorpg called Aion. Just beautiful to look at, though I was never much interested in the pvp. Unfortunately the playerbase dwindled and dwindled over time. I would say that my favourite ttrpg is Ryuutama, but in truth I haven't played it yet. Of the ones I have played, it's probably a tie between Chill and Elfquest. Have you heard of this system? If so, what have your impressions been? I hadn't heard of the game until your ad. So far, I am very impressed. The artwork is amazing, and I like how mechanically simple (yet flavourful) the classes are. Can you provide me a link or two to some game posts you have made? Neev reassuring her companions Leshanna in her element What classes are you most interested in trying? The Loremaster, Wayfarer and Weaponmaster interest me most, but in truth I think I could enjoy playing any class in the game. Of the premades, Edgar is the character that interests me most. The moment I saw his artwork, even without reading his class mechanics, I knew he was the one.

[Retry]

Good day!
Thanks for applying you two! It's exciting to see more folks grabbing the book. I'm really hoping this system works well in pbp as I can really see it providing some excellent adventures!

Outside running a GM scene (i.e. 'cutscene' - which will feel WAY less awkward in pbp than in-person) you can expect reasonably sized posts from me. I seldom write massive posts anymore, too much work for this lazy bear

[Ladytron]

Btw if I make a char it will NOT be named Le Petit Ver; that was for another game

If you want us to make chars something resembling the pre-made NPC's you suggested, I could do that as well. I also have a few ideas in mind, so like I said I might switch plans, not sure yet. There's only one other with interest right now so I'm not rushing it

@47Ronin If you want to play the Tinkerer class (I don't know what Edgar is specifically) it's really neat and one of the ideas I was thinking of. It's also got a few neat aspects to it e.g. you can go wide (lots of different skills that are meh) or tall (one or two skills that are good but not a lot of variety). One thing great about this system is it's simple AND you can make a fairly varied character without too much trouble. Also with Tinkerer itself, it has three different types of Tinkering you can work with so you have some room on how you want to do things to fit various backgrounds/play styles (should you decide to get the book).

[Retry]

Noted! I'll shift it to a vague label of 'custom character' for the time being. I likely should have done so from the start haha

If you have the book you are absolutely free to make your own. You do not need to the pre-gens at all! They are to offer to folks who wish to try the system without buying the book.

The "Press Start" module makes mention how the pre-gen character, Blair, is essential and needs to be in the party. However, upon reading the entire adventure I noticed that they're not! It is just a set of worldbuilding questions that they have that are needed and could've been off-loaded to another. Everything else can be easily adjusted by a GM to fit neatly into any group.

[hafrogman]

Retry: keep talking up your plans to launch this game for weeks, keeping the frogman in suspense.
Also Retry: wait until the one weekend frogman is busy to post the ad.

Application What is making you want to give the game a shot? The way you kept talking about how much you wanted to run it, and how worried you were that nobody would be interested? I grew up on this stuff. Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy, Breath of Fire. I love it all, andthey ultimately (ha!) have a very different feel than your standard fantasy TTRPG fare, which I think this game seems to nail. It's a cool space I want to explore. Desired post rate Probably around twice a week, with the usual caveats of having something to respond to, etc. etc. Favorite RPG (videogame or ttrpg is fine) Dragon Warrior/Quest (I can pick the whole series, right? I don't have to pick just one? Okay, it's four. Dragon Warrior IV) Have you heard of this system? If so, what have your impressions been? Like you (I believe), the Misc Games advertisement was the first I'd heard of it. But exploring the book shows what feels like a system that is an interesting blend of simplicity and depth. I really appreciate the way the classes are designed along with the multiclassing system to provide flexible concepts that almost insist on reinterpreting the baseline assumptions. Can you provide me a link or two to some game posts you have made? (if new, can you just give me an rp sample?) Barnabus buys a sword. (optional, only if you have the book) What classes are you most interested in trying? I had been exploring the idea of using Arcanist to try and mimic something like the dragon clan from Breath of Fire, but Ladytron seems already interested there. I do also always enjoy a good thief... er, Rogue. If we're looking at the playtest material, the Pilot seems really cool. Really, there's a lot of classes and combinations I could try. I'm flexible.

[Ladytron]

Originally Posted by hafrogman

I had been exploring the idea of using Arcanist to try and mimic something like the dragon clan from Breath of Fire, but Ladytron seems already interested there.

If you have your heart set on the idea I can switch; I'm still in the brainstorming stage and nothing is set in stone yet.

[hafrogman]

Still brainstorming myself. As you pointed out above, no need to make hard and fast decisions yet.

[Ladytron]

Originally Posted by Retry

I will allow the playtest classes. Just keep in mind it might not be balanced.

I didn't study it super hard but from a quick glance it looks like the char's can be re-created via the main book, so they should be balanced.

One problem I did find/will happen without the book is the spells. Going forward if the game continues after the tutorial, you're not going to be able to add more spells reliably without the book.

Edit1: If people want to/care, I can put what the pre-made's levels and where the points are spent. I don't think this is copyrighted but if you prefer I remove it I will. Adding in case someone wants to play a pre-made and gets the book later, wants to build the char based on the book and needs to know where to begin.

Edit 2: @Retry I'll take the Blair roll unless @Hafrogman wants it. I'm likely to change it around though.

 

Loremaster (1 level): Flash of Insight
Orator (2 levels): Encourage (SL 2)
Spiritist (2 levels): Spiritual Magic (SL 2: Heal, Lux)

 

Elementalist (2 levels): Elemental Magic (SL 2: Elemental Weapon, Soaring Strike)
Weaponmaster (3 levels): Bone Crusher (SL 2), Melee Weapon Mastery

 

Sharpshooter (4 levels): Barrage, Ranged Weapon Mastery, Warning Shot (SL 2)
Tinkerer (1 level): Potion Rain

 

Darkblade (1 level): Shadow Strike
Fury (3 levels): Adrenaline (SL 3)
Guardian (1 level): Protect

[ArdentTapestry]

I would love to play Lavigne Fallbright, the Darkblade.

What is making you want to give the game a shot?
The JRPG feel definitely, and I love how the game handles supply, exploration, and several other ingenious mechanics.

Desired post rate
I'd be most happy with around 4 times a week, but I'm learning to be patient in pbp

Favorite RPG
For video game, it is unquestionably Mass Effect: Andromeda, but very closely followed by Horizon Zero Dawn. But I remember playing Final Fantasy and I loved it.

Have you heard of this system?
Just here in this ad.

Can you provide me a link or two to some game posts you have made?
as GM in my Delta Green game

 

Move on, nothing to see here.

[Retry]

Oh wow! Four applicants already?

Nifty, let's roll then!! Expect a PM come the morning when I'm at my machine. We can flesh out part cohesion and the works in a session 0.

For anyone else arriving to this page, feel free to still drop a app in for reserve spots!

Originally Posted by Ladytron

One problem I did find/will happen without the book is the spells. Going forward if the game continues after the tutorial, you're not going to be able to add more spells reliably without the book.

Yeah, that will indeed be an issue. The Load Game pdf offers five more spells, but that is not very helpful. Will definitely need to be something to revisit.

Originally Posted by Ladytron

Edit 2: @Retry I'll take the Blair roll unless @Hafrogman wants it. I'm likely to change it around though.

I'm cool with that

[savoylen]

This looks VERY interesting!

Going through the reference material now. Posting interest for now.

[stinkman]

I know I'm really late to the party but I figure I might as well throw my hat into the ring for a reserve slot since I bought the book anyway.

• What is making you want to give the game a shot?: I’m intrigued by the character narrative-driven focus on the game and its collaborative nature. Beyond that, I just dig the JRPG theme it has going on.

• Desired post rate: 2-3 posts a week, I guess? I don't really have a frame of reference for this sort of thing as I’m new to forum PbP.

• Favorite RPG: Xenoblade Chronicles 1, no question. It's a game that has captured my imagination like no other in its setting and story. Kingdom Hearts is a close second as I have a lot of nostalgia for it, but I haven’t really been liking the direction it's been going in recently.

• Have you heard of this system?: Nope, this is the first I've ever heard of it, though now knowing of its existence I’m kicking myself for not having found it sooner.

• RP sample: (See below)

• What classes are you most interested in trying?: This is a little hard to answer since the classes on offer are less like complete kits al la DnD and more just groups of similar abilities to be freely picked from. That being said, a “Cavalier”-type character utilizing Guardian, Orator, and Weaponmaster seems appealing to me.

RP Sample Royce smiled; his opponent was a tough one, a challenge that he relished in. Lava erupted out of the caldera behind him, acrid black smoke billowing from the precipice. Blood oozed from a gash in his leg, but he paid no mind to the pain, a mere annoyance to a hardened knight such as himself. Though it was surprising that the porcine warrior before him managed to land a solid hit on him at all, it was a mistake he would not have repeated. “Vile aberration!” Royce’s cantor was that of a true paladin, vindictive and righteous. “You will come no farther, by the honor of my name! Now come,” The lance he wielded, shimmering and glorious, was pointed straight at the beast’s heart. The challenge he presented was clear. “And taste the point of my steel!” The two figures rushed towards one another; towards their respective destinies. It was clear that - “Royce!! What the hells is going on in here!?” The captain hollered. Royce looked at him with a blank expression - enough of a distraction to give the hog an opening to sweep the young squire off his feet and into the puddle of what used to be a tomato soup. With a squeal that almost sounded like laughter to his defeated combatant, the hog barreled its way out the kitchen’s back door. The porcine warrior won this round. A rather pathetic babbling came from Royce’s mouth as he scrambled to his feet, clutching the soup soaked mop-slash-improvised-hog-swatter. “S-sir, I c-can fix this! Just - ” The furious captain raised a hand. “I don’t want to hear it, Royce! I leave you for ten minutes, and look what happens!” He gestured to the kitchen stove, on which a pot of bubbling soup spewed out smoke with half the contents dripping onto the ground. “It’s soup! How do you mess that up!?” Royce didn’t have an answer. He brought his arms closer to himself and wished he was somewhere very far away. The captain released an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Clean this up. You’re on potato peeling duty for a week.” Royce just nodded. The captain shook his head, turning to leave through the door to the mess hall, but not before muttering quite audibly, “Idiot kid.” A pang of misery shot through Royce’s heart. Royce sighed and got to work. Just another screwup in a long line of them. But…he knew he would prove them wrong, eventually. He closed his eyes and imagined what he would be. A knight that stood, battered and bloodied, but nonetheless victorious. He would prove his worth as a warrior, as a knight, and as an inheritor to his mother’s lineage. Evil would not triumph. He swore it.