- This article is about the Adventure! role-playing game. For the primary use of the term adventure in role-playing games, see adventure (role-playing games).
Adventure! is a
pulp action
role-playing game originally printed by
White Wolf Game Studio, the third and last book in the Aeon line of games including also
Trinity and
Aberrant. The game, printed in black and white on pulp-like sepia paper to resemble a period piece, was conceived as a one-book game line, and was never supported by official supplements. The Aeon line was discontinued shortly after the game's publication, despite a strong and vocal fanbase, but recently a
d20 system version was released. In
2002, Adventure! won the
Origins Award for
Best Role-Playing Game of 2001.
Setting
The game is set in the 1920s and therefore at the origin of the Aeon Universe timeline. The release of unknown Telluric energy has led to the appearance of a number of particularly gifted characters, whose actions have now the potential for shaping the future history of the world. The Aeon Society for Gentlemen, founded by
philanthropist Maxwell Mercer, is trying to bring together as many "Inspired" characters as possible, supporting and coordinating them in their effort for the betterment of all of humanity. But darkness lurks, and Mercer's champions will have to face it in the most unlikely locales. There are three
archetypes ("
character classes") for players to choose from:
- Daredevils - whose only "powers" revolve around luck and incredible skill.
- Mesmerists - the precursors to Trinity's Psions, masters of the powers of the mind.
- Stalwarts - the precursors of Aberrant's Novas, capable of superhuman feats.
Game system
Set to emulate the exploits of Saturday matinees serials and pulp magazine action, Adventure! uses a very loose and flexible variant of the White Wolf proprietary
Storyteller System. A number of game tweaks have been added to the system to allow both the over-the-top action and the plot twists of the pulps. In this sense, Adventure! has been the first game in which rules included extensive and consistent means through which the players could take control - if briefly - of the story narrated by the keeper.
See also
External links
Historical role-playing games | Origins Award winners | Superhero role-playing games