BloodmoonIvy (talk | contribs) Please see talk page and discuss it there |
Keeperofthesevenkeys (talk | contribs) Added a section on controversies because people need to know the truth. |
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The core races of Tephra are humans, ayodin, [[Elf|elves]], farishtaa, [[Gnome (Dungeons & Dragons)|gnomes]], and satyrs. Ayodin are sea-going mammals who can breath on land and in the water. Elves are hulking brutes, tall and muscular, but hunched over and with mottled bruised skin. Farishtaa resemble the classic fantasy elves and are created by scientifically injecting essence into an elf. Satyrs were genetically engineered by Haudis to act as slaves by fusing humans with hoofed animals such as goats, cows, and horses. |
The core races of Tephra are humans, ayodin, [[Elf|elves]], farishtaa, [[Gnome (Dungeons & Dragons)|gnomes]], and satyrs. Ayodin are sea-going mammals who can breath on land and in the water. Elves are hulking brutes, tall and muscular, but hunched over and with mottled bruised skin. Farishtaa resemble the classic fantasy elves and are created by scientifically injecting essence into an elf. Satyrs were genetically engineered by Haudis to act as slaves by fusing humans with hoofed animals such as goats, cows, and horses. |
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==Controversies== |
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While the Tephra Kickstarter campaign was a smash success by raising funds at a level of $22,821 on their $1,000 project goal, Tephra is now considered a fraudulent, or at least controversial Kickstarter project. <ref>http://rpggeek.com/geeklist/160421/item/2812182#item2812182</ref> |
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* Tephra was funded on February 4, 2012 but Cracked Monocle, the company behind Tephra, still has not fulfilled all of their promised rewards for backers. |
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* At over two years after funding and several web site redesigns, the list of backers is not posted on their web site. |
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* The majority of international backers have not received any of their rewards. |
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* In October of 2012, an update on Kickstarter said that international books would be sent out at the end of November 2012 and the Adversary book would be sent out before 2013. Neither happened. <ref>https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/257331192/tephra-the-steampunk-rpg/posts</ref> |
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* April 12, 2013 Cracked Monocle claims they are at least $4000 away from being able to complete the Adversary book. They also admit that some of the money was spent on Convention registrations, new display table, elaborate posters, barcode registrations, and extra art. <ref> http://rpggeek.com/geeklist/160421/item/2812182#item2812182</ref> |
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* Cracked Monocle routinely takes an entourage of people to conventions, including SXSW instead of using the money to fulfill their Kickstarter rewards. |
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* The creator, Daniel A. Burrow, is known for going silent in response to criticisms and complaints for months at a time. On January 6th, 2014, he, broke his 9 month silence and posted an update to Kickstarter promising to fulfill the rewards. Another post was made on March 20th, 2014 but it did not include an update on missing rewards. A few of those missing their rewards commented on that. <ref>https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/257331192/tephra-the-steampunk-rpg/posts</ref> |
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* Some backers who have received the core rules have voiced complaints over the product not being what was promised. The complaints seem to be that it is overly focused on combat and poorly edited. One regular complaint about the editing is that the book says grab your "lightning blasting shotgun" and join the adventure, but according to the rules, you cannot make a lightning blasting shotgun. <ref>http://rpggeek.com/geeklist/160421/item/2812182#item2812182</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
Revision as of 20:03, 22 March 2014
Designers | Daniel A. Burrow |
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Publishers | Cracked Monocle |
Publication | 2012 |
Years active | 2012–present |
Genres | Steampunk |
Systems | Clockwork System |
Playing time | Varies |
Chance | Dice rolling |
Skills | Role-playing, improvisation, tactics, arithmetic |
Website | Tephra RPG |
Tephra: The Steampunk RPG is a steampunk role-playing game by Cracked Monocle.[1][2][3][4][5][6] The company was an exhibitor at SXSW Gaming in 2014.[7][8]
Game history
The Tephra Kickstarter campaign was a success by raising $22,821 of their $1,000 goal on February 4, 2012. As of March 2014, the rewards of the Kickstarter have not been fully completed, such as backer listing and international shipments.[9]
Play overview
Tephra employs the Clockwork System.[1] This system uses only one dice, a d12, to make all rolls. Rolling a 12 allows the player to roll again, adding to the prior roll, so rolling a 12 and then a 7 gives a result of 19. On the other side, "A 1 is a 1." If a player rolls a 1, they cannot add any modifiers to that roll (though negative modifiers still apply). As a result, any roll other than a 1 will tend to beat a roll of 1.
Player attributes are derived from the points they invest in skills. The five attributes are Brute, Cunning, Dexterity, Spirit, and Science. All have four skills except Science, which has 6. When a skill or attribute is rolled to check for a success, that number is added to the result of the roll. Success is measured in tiers: tier one means a basic no-frills success while a tier four, the highest level, means success beyond any human expectation. Combat involves four separate dice rolls.[10]
Setting
The game is set on another planet, known as Tephra. It is orbited by a single fractured moon, Aeon.[2] The main continent is Rilausia, which has several countries, each with different themes. The central country is Evangless, which is ruled by a monarchy and where slavery is banned. To the southeast is Zelhost, a heavily industrialized nation populated by Haudi Humans that uses slave labor. To the southwest is Izeda, a desert nation whose people travel in caravans. To the northeast is Dalvozzea, governed by a ruling council of Winged Farishtaas, angelic beings with large wings capable of flight. In the northwest is Arakrith, a nation ruled by former satyr slaves who won their freedom from Haudis.
The core races of Tephra are humans, ayodin, elves, farishtaa, gnomes, and satyrs. Ayodin are sea-going mammals who can breath on land and in the water. Elves are hulking brutes, tall and muscular, but hunched over and with mottled bruised skin. Farishtaa resemble the classic fantasy elves and are created by scientifically injecting essence into an elf. Satyrs were genetically engineered by Haudis to act as slaves by fusing humans with hoofed animals such as goats, cows, and horses.
Controversies
While the Tephra Kickstarter campaign was a smash success by raising funds at a level of $22,821 on their $1,000 project goal, Tephra is now considered a fraudulent, or at least controversial Kickstarter project. [11]
- Tephra was funded on February 4, 2012 but Cracked Monocle, the company behind Tephra, still has not fulfilled all of their promised rewards for backers.
- At over two years after funding and several web site redesigns, the list of backers is not posted on their web site.
- The majority of international backers have not received any of their rewards.
- In October of 2012, an update on Kickstarter said that international books would be sent out at the end of November 2012 and the Adversary book would be sent out before 2013. Neither happened. [12]
- April 12, 2013 Cracked Monocle claims they are at least $4000 away from being able to complete the Adversary book. They also admit that some of the money was spent on Convention registrations, new display table, elaborate posters, barcode registrations, and extra art. [13]
- Cracked Monocle routinely takes an entourage of people to conventions, including SXSW instead of using the money to fulfill their Kickstarter rewards.
- The creator, Daniel A. Burrow, is known for going silent in response to criticisms and complaints for months at a time. On January 6th, 2014, he, broke his 9 month silence and posted an update to Kickstarter promising to fulfill the rewards. Another post was made on March 20th, 2014 but it did not include an update on missing rewards. A few of those missing their rewards commented on that. [14]
- Some backers who have received the core rules have voiced complaints over the product not being what was promised. The complaints seem to be that it is overly focused on combat and poorly edited. One regular complaint about the editing is that the book says grab your "lightning blasting shotgun" and join the adventure, but according to the rules, you cannot make a lightning blasting shotgun. [15]
References
- ^ a b http://steampunkchronicle.com/ArticleView/tabid/238/ArticleId/289/Playing-in-the-Clockwork-World-of-Tephra.aspx
- ^ a b http://gameoverride.com/2012/08/tephra-the-steampunk-roleplaying-game/
- ^ http://atoolongurl.blogspot.com/2012/07/review-tephra-steampunk-roleplaying-game.html
- ^ http://rathergamey.blogspot.com/2013/08/tephra-rpg.html
- ^ http://semiretiredgamer.blogspot.com/2013/08/steampunk-role-playing-games-resposted.html
- ^ http://ageofravens.blogspot.com/2013/06/history-of-steampunk-victoriana-rpgs_12.html
- ^ http://www.austin360.com/weblogs/digital-savant/2014/mar/10/sxsw-scene-report-steampunk-and-cosplay-sxsw-gamin/
- ^ http://www.tabletopgamingnews.com/2014/02/26/84974/
- ^ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/257331192/tephra-the-steampunk-rpg
- ^ http://atoolongurl.blogspot.com/2012/07/review-tephra-steampunk-roleplaying-game.html
- ^ http://rpggeek.com/geeklist/160421/item/2812182#item2812182
- ^ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/257331192/tephra-the-steampunk-rpg/posts
- ^ http://rpggeek.com/geeklist/160421/item/2812182#item2812182
- ^ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/257331192/tephra-the-steampunk-rpg/posts
- ^ http://rpggeek.com/geeklist/160421/item/2812182#item2812182