First off it's a full-color hardback with a eye-catching wraparound cover. It's 656 pages long but it has both core rules and character burner combined. Throughout is artwork taken from the source material and custom sketches. Great table of contents, sidebars, headings, tabs, and index which are a must for a game like this. It's a big book with lots of info but looking stuff up isn't much of a problem. The book is both beautiful and useful. I really liked the comic panels and usually they much up with the text. I can see why this book won a Origins award because the text and presentation are top-notch.
The source material that Burning Empires is based on is Christopher Moeller's Iron Empires graphic novels. In the far future humans will travel across the stars. Setting up nations in the galaxy but overall they got along in a centralized structure and humanity grew. Peace, technological and scientific advancement was being made all the time. Then an alien force named the Vaylen came. The Vaylen are worms that burrow into the brain of other lifeforms and steal the thoughts and personality of that creature. The complexity and imagination that the human brain is capable of make the human brain the perfect home. They take over people and their leaders to cause war and panic. It's hard to tell who is Vaylen and who isn't so paranoia spreads. Lots of humanity was destroyed and society was pushed back centuries. The few badly beaten nations that were left broke their alliances not trusting each other. People turned to religion more and theocracy spread giving the church supreme power over areas. Little technology is being made and the grand technology left behind is nearly too complex for the people to understand. Few people are "haves" but most are "have nots" It is feudal space sci-fi and a genre I'm going to have to get into more. I recommend getting the two books in the Iron Empires series Faith Conquers and Sheva's War. They will help flesh out the setting. There's a also a setting book for Burning Empires called Bloodstained Stars. This is what I have. It's a short story told from a first person point of view that highlights on the important aspects of the Iron Empires for the RPG. Explains how and why parts in the game are how they are. Burning Empires has enough setting information to play but if you want background information I suggest getting a copy of the graphic novels or Bloodstained Stars.
So as you can tell this is a more darker and gritty sci-fi. Not the near perfect universe of Star Trek. Now the rules. Specifically the what sets it apart from Burning Wheel. First thing players and the will have to do is create a world for the game to take place on. This is interesting from the start. The GM's role is more direct in-game. They play the role of Vaylen. So everything players do the GM opposes them. The Vaylen threat is very real. Even the characteristics of the planet will have influence on that. Distance from Vaylen territory, technology level, type of environment, the society's view on the Vaylen, type of government, religious influence, and more. As players and GMs choose they have to negotiate with each other and keep track of bonus points. Some choices will favor the GM and some will favor the player's side. This is also effected by the phase the Vaylen is in. Infiltration is when they're trying to enter the world, Usupation is when they're there causing trouble and setting up to take over, and Invasion when all hell has broken loose and war is being fought. These phases will progress as the game continues slowly shifting favor to the GM. Burning Empires is very much a game. Even making a world requires playing. This to me makes Burning Empires expand past typical RPG and more into it's own tabletop game. It's different and will throw people off at first but it doesn't have to be the same as everything else. I almost wanna say it's a narrative-driven wargame that uses role-playing in place of maps and minis. At least it can feel that way sometimes.
The races in the game are Vaylen, human, Kerrn, and Mukhadish. Kerrn and Mukhadish are alien species that were biologically created by the Vaylen. I think the Kerrn is the most useful and interesting but I haven't looked as deeply into the Mukhadish. The Kerrn just grabbed my attention more. Not going to go into much detail but they're helpful to the humans because of their past dealings with the Vaylen. I think more important though is the lifepaths. Because it's a feudal world what caste you belong too will matter a lot. Noble, military (space or ground combat), clergy, merchant, psychologist (telepathic), space outlaw, commoner, etc. Also what faction and church you represent plays a big role too. Some players will belong to different ones and at times may have conflicting interests. They can either work together to stop the Vaylen or let their differences get the better of them. It's hard for people to trust one another in this world and conflicts will be there. Making for some interesting role-playing and effects on the world. This takes the game from "players vs. GM" to "players barley getting along if at all vs. GM". Circles test become more important because of the social structure of this world.
Technology Burner. Tech is available when necessary and because this is sci-fi it can be very fun to come up with gadgets. Technology falls into two categories: color and hard. Color is strictly for the story and setting. It's there if it makes since to be there and for the character to have it. It's mostly common or low-level obscure tech. It's useful unless in a situation that requires in-game mechanics because it lacks stats. Hard tech is tech with stats. It has to be created spending the player's resources. This tech will have a mechanical impact and can be used where color tech cannot. A ceremonial sword would be color but to use it for combat the player must make it hard tech or it will be broken or knocked away when they try to use it. The most important and iconic tech in the game is Iron. Iron is mech suits created when the world was in the golden age of the past. The knowledge and resources to create it is no more so most Iron is passed down through family. Wearing it makes the players basically walking tanks. It's useful but handled carefully in the world. Again, there's lots of weapons and ships as well. Carriers, battleships, rifles, explosives, armor, vehicles, are all there in full detail for all-out combat.
Alien Life-Form Burner. This is creation rules to make plants and animals. Wild creatures, livestock, pets, or test subjects for the Vaylen. It's neat but it's more important for the Vaylen side of things. More creatures to sneak into or use to make gruesome monsters. The creatures here will not be sentient so you can't make a new playable race but animals as a form of travel when technology for an area is scarce does come in handy. Psychology is for telepathic abilities. Psychologist can read minds, communicate, and sometimes even take over someones else's mind. This is done through connections. The player being under control must willfully make and break the connections. There's a risk of being open to other psychologist and information being exposed that shouldn't be. The one under control may now know things they once didn't that's useful. It's a risk but sometimes a necessary one. It's the closest it gets to psionics without being over the top and can bring up trust issues within the setting.
Firefight is where it feels more like a wargame. It's almost like a combination of "Range and Cover" and "Fight!" from Burning Wheel. Units, vehicles, obstacles, maneuvers, special actions, range, distances, weaponry, space battle rules, tactics etc. are all here. It's detailed and has a huge impact on the game if you win or lose a battle and who lives and dies. When fighting the Vaylen or a enemy faction you aren't gonna be disappointed. This brings to life the gritty deadly era this game is set in. I don't know how to explain everything to get in the meat of the mechanics but combat is tricky and opens up some "won the battle but lost the war" scenarios. I don't recommend using it unless everyone is up for taking some hits and the available resources to pull off a battle. This is where most of the game will take place especially during the Invasion phase of the Vaylen.
The social rules "Duel of Wits" and "Circles" are back but modified to fit the setting. You're on one planet but unlike Burning Wheel there is other known planets, nations, and way more people. They also bring into account that people aren't as trusting here but those who are trusted are closer in relationships. Negotiating with people is important because of their ties with different nations. They tie in more with the character's beliefs as well. The way you can use them and level up the scale is epic. On the same level of Firefight combat. Again not sure how to explain it without getting into the mechanics but if the social rules for Burning Wheel interests you then you'll really life what Burning Empires has to offer.
Last but most importantly to the game Scenes. This is what specifically sets it apart from Burning Wheel except for phases and the setting. A scene is when it's a player's turn and they choose what type of action they want to take the other players discuss it. It's metagame but this is where it being like a wargame played using role-playing comes in. Shift outside of character to decide how to overcome the Vaylen threat and challenge beliefs. There's a scene economy for each player and the GM. That way not one person is hogging all the action or taking all the burden. This also helps ensure player's and GM make choices that would make sense for their characters to make and focus on challenging their character's beliefs. They also allow players to control things beyond their character. The world outside of them is still moving and they participate as a GM would to decide where it goes. There's four choices. Color which is strictly role-playing without rolling the dice. Detailing the scene and what they're doing. Interstitial Scenes are almost like Color but with dialog between players. No dice are rolled for this either. Building Scenes is like a set-up scene. Burning tech, resource checks, skill checks, circle checks. Anything that requires a roll without huge opposition. Conflict scenes is where the fighting and arguing takes place. Fighting for beliefs is going on. Lots to gain and lose but that's why it's decided with everyone out of game because it will effect everyone in-game. This will take some getting used to but there's so many options and risks available I can see the purpose behind this set-up. If everyone isn't ready and got a plan this can screw the game up. Scenes can also blend so if conflict that requires rolling the dice does come up within the discussion of a color scene it can be managed .
That's how this game is different to me. Because things are laid out and agreed upon out of game bigger and more dramatic things can happen in-game. In Burning Wheel if one person screws up or succeeds it will change things for the character, group, and the story but not likely the whole world. In Burning Empires the entire planet can change. Players will be ambitious to succeed at their beliefs but everyone else at the table is too. The GM has the alien invasion and is ready to pounce if the players mess up. There's lots of conflict both in and out of characters that is to be role-played out. Even the planning of events taking place in the world is a game for the game going on. If you're a gamer that likes to pay attention to detail and see things work out in the long haul I highly recommend Burning Empires. It's a game the continually evolves each time and no two campaigns could ever be the same. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. :) To purchase or for more info visit www.burningwheel.com
