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Choosing a supplement

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Sat, 2012-01-14 14:00

ErrantConstruct ErrantConstruct's picture

Choosing a supplement

Hi everyone. I just picked up the Eclipse Phase core book and am loving it. Thinking about getting one of the supplements but I wanted to see if anyone had suggestions on which was the best to get first. I like the sound of Gatecrashing but I'm not sure if I'd like to run a campaign like that. Which is more helpful for running a game: Sunward or Panopticon v1?

Sat, 2012-01-14 14:21

CodeBreaker CodeBreaker's picture

Re: Choosing a supplement

You are posting this from a computer, so I can only imagine you have access to a device capable of reading PDF files? If so, you can download the PDF versions of any EP product for free. The game is released under a Creative Commons license. So you are free to try before you buy. Download torrents are not difficult to find (I imagine Pirate Bay has them? I know demonoid does.) and are seeded by the developers, perfectly legal. If you don't want to download the PDFs before you buy, I would say... hmm... it really depends on where you want to run a game. If you want to do an Inner System game on Mars and the like, Sunward. If you want to run a gatehopping, intersystem jaunt then Gatecrashing. Panopticon has a wealth of general information, however I would consider it lower than the other two in priority.

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Sat, 2012-01-14 20:01

GreyBrother GreyBrother's picture

Re: Choosing a supplement

Well, why not all :) http://dl.dropbox.com/u/411081/hosted/EclipsePhase.zip

Sat, 2012-01-14 22:12

puke

Re: Choosing a supplement

Hard to say -- it probably depends on where your game is set. I found that I used Sunward heavily for inspiration and background details even though my game is set mainly in the outer system. I felt like I mostly understood everything that was presented in Panopticon as I've already read most of the fiction that inspired the game -- but it does have a wealth of great background information if youre not already familiar with everything on the author's reading list. Also, it came out later so by the time it was released, I'd already presented most of the things that it covered to my players. We even had a roboctopus. Actually, I think I had already created my own versions of at least 50% of the morphs it presented. It was cool, but a bit of a let down as it didnt really save me any work. But I guess if you are just starting out, Panopticon is probalby the better book. But honestly, for the $5-10 price tag (or whatever it is) I just by each PDF as they are released. Eclipse Phase does have a pretty darn low barrier to entery, especially because of the free access to CC materials as the above posters have indicated. Even though I buy them all sight-unseen myself, I always refer new players and other gamers to the PDFs, just so they can get a feel for what its all about.

Sun, 2012-01-15 01:07

OneTrikPony OneTrikPony's picture

Re: Choosing a supplement

[U]GET PANOPTICON[/U] This is the book that is most handy to have sitting on the table for anyone to pick up and read. Two thirds of it are excellent. I've found that, somehow, the 350+ pages of setting and description in the core book have left holes in the way that new players understand and visualize their character's surroundings. Make your players read the core And read Panopticon. Panopticon hit's pretty hard on the mundane issues; Identification/Identity, Living in a sealed habitat, Dealing with surveillance and counter-surveillance. (IMHO most of the uplift stuff is crap--even worse than the core, it turns uplifted animals into furrys--but most of the yiffy is segregated enough to ignore unless that's what you fapp about.)

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Mea Culpa: My mode of speech can make others feel uninvited to argue or participate. This is the EXACT opposite of what I intend when I post.

Mon, 2012-01-16 04:08

ErrantConstruct ErrantConstruct's picture

Re: Choosing a supplement

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Still trying to decide since they both sound pretty useful.

Thu, 2012-01-19 04:45

Gee4orce

Re: Choosing a supplement

I'd say Sunward if you want to play something set close to home (i.e. in the Inner Solar System) - there's just tons of info on the inner system to give you something to ground your game in. If you want to play something that's more fantastical, with your PCs adventuring off into the far reaches of known space, then Gatecrashing is a must-have. Panopticon is excellent too, but IMO it sits below these two in priority. But as has already been said, don't be shy about downloading the PDFs first / instead of / as well as buying the books.

Thu, 2012-01-19 08:57

Thampsan

Re: Choosing a supplement

Much as I love Panopticon, Sunward and Gatecrashers are both fantastic books, and I honestly couldn't say which I recommend more. Panopticon for me was a great resource but I felt the more setting specific stuff; like inner system politics and information was probably more useful to me personally. Gatecrashing is a must though if you want to do Gatecrashing games.