Aegean
these disparate parts are weaved together in a way that feels organic, innate, and intuitive. I really can't wait to bring it to the table.
Paul S — DriveThruRPG
AEGEAN is a tabletop role-playing game about a group of mythic heroes building a new, free city on the shores of the Aegean Sea. There are neighbouring cities to trade or war with, monsters to kill, gods to appease, deceptions, negotiations and bloody skirmishes.
The Setting
The world of AEGEAN is an ancient Greece that never existed – a mix of mythology and classical history. The gods visit the earth and converse with mortals, granting gifts of magic and life to some and fear and terror to others. Fearsome monsters roam the lands and seas making every journey an adventure. Strange creatures, some mortal, others half-divine, can be found in the wilderness. These centaurs, nymphs and tritons teach, harass or ignore humans as their whim takes them.
The polis—the city and its surrounding lands—is your home and where your loyalties lie. Your polis is a recently founded colony on the coasts of the Aegean Sea. The leader is called an arkhon, a democratically elected ruler after the Athenian fashion, rather than the hereditary king that many cities still use. The polis sits in a precarious position, between many similar neighbouring states who may wish to trade, ally or make war.
Your character fits somewhere in this world, between the capricious force of the gods, the wilderness and the structure of the polis and its ambitions.
The Game
The core philosophy of AEGEAN is the characters are capable heroes who can always succeed at the task at hand. Sometimes there may be a cost involved and it’s up to the player to decide how much they’re willing to pay for success.
The resolution mechanic uses a familiar D10 dice pool. Each die which rolls an 8+ is a success and the more successes you roll the better your achievement. 10’s can add a success or be saved for later as Resolve and failure can be mitigated by gaining Risk.
Risk measures the danger a character is in. It’s a combination of small scrapes and stresses which build up during an adventure. It is gained when a character suffers harm, either physically or emotionally, but can be taken voluntarily to gain successes on a skill check. When a character’s Risk passes their Endurance threshold they are in trouble. Now when they would gain Risk they gain a Wound instead. Risk is easy to remove while Wounds are long-lasting.
A game of mythic heroes involving interactions with the gods wouldn’t be complete without some rules to manage those interactions.
A character’s fame throughout the world is represented by Glory. It is gained by performing heroic deeds and completing epic quests and can be used to purchase powerful talents. Spending Glory needs to be balanced with the character’s Hubris.
Hubris is a measure of a character’s contempt or disdain for the gods and their place in society. Characters gain Hubris by acting in ways which displease the gods, challenge the gods, or by acting above their station.
If a character’s Hubris is greater than their Glory then they have angered the gods and are Cursed. The form the gods’ anger takes depends on how much greater their Hubris is but, importantly, the gods are prepared to let a Cursed character die, if such is their fate.
The Isle of Pelops
COMING SOON! A new setting guide for the AEGEAN role-playing game. The Isle of Pelops will describe the mythology and history of the Peloponnese as well as provide details of important people and locations, including the citadel of Mykenai and Sparta. New options are provided for players and GMs alike, including new backgrounds, Mystery Cults, adversaries, and more!
Read moreBook of Heroes
The Book of Heroes is a setting and adventure supplement for AEGEAN — the tabletop roleplaying game of mythic adventure in ancient Greece. Take your heroes from their home in the Aegean Sea to the depths of the Underworld and to lands and adventure beyond imagining.
Read moreBook of Empires
The Book of Empires is a setting and adventure supplement for the AEGEAN — the tabletop roleplaying game of mythic adventure in ancient Greece. Take your heroes to Kreta, the largest of the Aegean islands and discover the secrets of Labyrinth. Visit Troy in its glory days before it prepares for war. Face down the might of the Persian Empire as it seeks to conquer all lands to the West.
Read moreAegean Adventures
AEGEAN ADVENTURES is a collection of five original scenarios for the AEGEAN Quick Start Rules focusing on characters from the new city of Vlokis. The adventures can be played separately or linked together to form an extended campaign.
Read moreTerror at Aspis
Terror at Aspsi is an adventure for the AEGEAN tabletop role-playing game for 3–5 player characters, featuring investigation, combat, and a curse from the gods!
Read moreAthenian Dice
10 blue ten-sided dice with white numbers, featuring the owl of Athena on the 10 face.
Read moreKretan Dice
10 black ten-sided dice with gold numbers, featuring the head of the minotaur on the 10 face.
Read more