The star portals are dead. Ship City is dying.
But there is still hope.
You are Explorers in a dangerous world. You do the work few others will. The enigmatic ruins of the Great Dark are shunned by most, but not by you. You seek them out, to delve into their shadowy depths and uncover their secrets. The Blight – the cataclysmic scourge that spreads from the ruins – is your beacon. Where there is Blight, there are artifacts to find and mysteries to solve. Ship City is fading, but you and your fellow Explorers can find a way to a better future.
So don your delver suit, step aboard a mighty Greatship and venture down the Slipstream towards the unknown. Your creed: explore or perish!
THE GAME
Inspired by 19th century expeditions, deep sea diving and pulp archaeology, Coriolis: The Great Dark is a roleplaying game about exploration and intrigue. Join dangerous expeditions, navigate the Byzantine schemes of Ship City, and hunt for the keys that unlock the mystery of this Lost Horizon.
With a base in the asteroid metropolis of Ship City, the Explorers will venture into the unknown to discover the truth behind the mysteries of the setting. In this game, the lore is meant to be experienced in play, not by reading up on it beforehand. Taking the roles of experienced ruin delvers, the Explorers will be sent out on dangerous missions to brave the horrors of the Blight and the corrupted creatures and phenomena that are found in desolate ruins.
The rules of the game are based on the acclaimed Year Zero Engine, used in award-winning games such as the ALIEN RPG, Tales From the Loop, and Forbidden Lands, and have been further developed and streamlined for Coriolis: The Great Dark. Making a character and a crew is easy, quick, and flavorful, letting you jump right into the action.
THE SETTING
After a long voyage through space, a diaspora of refugees entered a lone system, naming it Jumuah and settling on an asteroid – converting their armada of ships into a city on its surface and burrowed into the rock – a Ship City.
The three groups needed for survival took charge of this colony; the Machinists to build ships and keep the vast bowels of the asteroid in shape, the Gardeners to grow food and rejuvenate the atmosphere and the Navigators to plan expeditions into the cold space to look for resources.
The first explorers soon found abandoned ruins on far-flung moons. Long lost artifacts were discovered as well as knowledge of a dead previous civilization. Unfortunately not only treasures were found – the ruins were covered in ice-like protrusions and vines. The first explorers were soon afflicted by a strange plague, the Blight, turning their minds and bodies in bizarre ways.
The Jumuah system was a dead end, but soon the algebraist of the Navigators Guild found hidden routes through space, making it possible to travel to close-by star systems. New ruins were found, although as perilous as before – but at least more resources were harvested.
To travel the star-lanes, long massive ships were needed, and the Greatships were constructed from the detritus of the old armada and the factories of the Machinists.
There is new hope in Jumuah and Ship City. Expeditions are planned to new stars and the Greatships are filled with explorers, prospectors and the like – hopeful of new riches to bring home.
A new age of exploration and hope.
This beautifully illustrated 308-page hardback book features:
- Rules for creating your crew of Explorers, with upgrades such as talents, vehicles, and crew maneuvers to enhance campaign play.
- Rules for delving into the unknown, traveling on Greatships through the dangerous Slipstream, and trekking across wild planets.
- A detailed gazetteer of the Lost Horizon, the eleven systems of the Charted Sphere and the asteroid-metropolis of Ship City.
- The Black Ziggurat, an introductory adventure that will take you deep into an ancient ruin on a distant moon.
- Tools and rules for solo play, making it possible to explore the Lost Horizon all by yourself.
CORIOLIS: THE THIRD HORIZON
Coriolis: The Great Dark is the standalone sequel game to the award-winning Coriolis – The Third Horizon, originally released in 2017.
