Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game

ASSASSIN'S CREED ROLEPLAYING GAME - PREVIEW

Sorrosyss, September 5th, 2023

The transmedia of Assassin's Creed continues its expansion into yet another new arena, with the upcoming Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game (RPG). Developed by CMON Games, this is actually the first attempt at a tabletop role-playing game within the franchise, bringing with it some new experiences for fans to enjoy.

But what is exactly is a tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG)? In actuality, there have been versions of such games for hundreds of years, though most of them revolved around war strategy originally. Perhaps the most famous more modern RPG template is that of Dungeons & Dragons, which launched in 1974. The pioneering rule book of the game gave players scenarios whereby dice rolls could determine the results of their actions, with players roleplaying their own characters created on handwritten sheets, otherwise known as “pen and paper”. Over the years,

there have been several such franchises spawning similar style games, with some recognisable names like Cyberpunk, Star Wars, and Vampire The Masquerade entering the market.

With the rise of the video game industry, a lot of these systems have since been incorporated into modern gaming, especially within the RPG genre. The chance to hit an enemy, consideration of armor values, line of sight – back in the day, these were all staple action checkpoints in a TTRPG, that have all been streamlined and simply taken for granted in present day video gaming. The decline of TTRPGs therefore slowly came about as video games took most of their market away over the decades. However, some enthusiasts have continued to keep TTRPGs alive, and with the advent of streaming, we do now see a lot of group performing such games exclusively online with cameras and mics to share to a wider fanbase. As such, there has been a period of rebirth in more recent times, with several of the old franchises rebooting themselves for the present day audiences. Such is the case now with the Assassin's Creed RPG, in its attempt to draw in existing video game fans to the product.

So how does it work? For those unfamiliar, most TTRPGs requires a group of players, and will typically have a storyteller or “dungeon master” nominated. This tends to be an individual who is naturally good at presenting themselves, even more so if they are skilled at evoking a story and maintaining the interest of their invited players. Within the Assassin's Creed RPG, this individual is known as “The Reader”, and it is their role to manage the game scenario, as well as control the Non-Player Characters (“NPCs”) to which they are also required to roleplay as well. Essentially the Reader controls the imagination of the players, by giving cues to what their characters can see, hear or even smell in a given situation.

The Reader is required to separate out the game session into Sequences, a term from the franchise that gamers might recognise. A sequence can either be one set within the Modern Day (which is based in 2016), or a Simulation – through the genetic memory reading of an Animus.

Objectives then need to be set for the players, usually tailored to incorporate some historical event to ensure a modicum of canonical continuity. Lines and Veils are usually confirmed at this point as well. These determine what narrative themes players are not prepared to

play with, or those that they will tolerate to a small degree. For example, one of your players may not be comfortable with themes surrounding slavery, and it therefore falls to the Reader and indeed the others players to try and avoid such topics in the cooperative narrative.

The players themselves are required to create a Modern Day character who will act as their avatar in the game session. These are known as “Descendants”. Players can create their own characters from scratch upon their own folio sheet, or there are template characters already provided in the rulebook if preferred. From a canonical standpoint, every character in the Modern Day connects to a multi-subject shared simulation within the Animi Network. One player must always be the DNA sourced Ancestor, who is a historical connection to their Modern Day protagonist and connects to the Animi Network via a standard Animus. Every other player acts as a “Witness” within the simulation and is connected to the Animi Network through several hacked commercial Brahman VR Consoles. These “Witness” players take on the roles of “Echoes”, who are associates unrelated to the sourced Ancestor and are typically created from available DNA material or sourced from an Animus algorithm that has technically created “artificial” DNA sequences. Essentially then, each player has a modern and historical character that

they are playing for the session. The full game even has physical cards for many different “Ancestors” and “Witnesses”, including many characters from the video games themselves. Finally, you also start with up to six items in your inventory, but can obtain others through the session as opportunities arise.

As the Reader portrays the storyline, players can interact with NPCs, or react to the described environment. Often players can describe the actions they are taking, or can question the Reader of any challenges that present themselves to the group. This is termed as an “Approach”. For example, a group of Templar Guards are spotted walking towards your group of Assassins. Do you charge them? Run away? Or create a clever ruse to get around them? Your options are only really limited by your imagination, though the Reader will of course make you perform a check of your desired action against your character's skill set.

Approach Checks are the equivalent of skill checks from other TTRPGs. Players characters have “Competences”, which are in four different approach categories - Action, Stealth, Wits, or Social. The higher the number in each category, the more difficult it is for the character to perform well in that approach type. Approach Checks are made on particular challenges as determined by the Reader, typically where it would be a test of an individual's skills. If you fail an Approach Check you receive a “Snag”, hindering you from performing that competence type going forwards. If you obtain four snags, you are thus incapacitated – or desynchronized.

Six sided dice are used for these checks - there are specific ones provided with the game, though you can utilise a key for the sides 1-6 instead and just use regular dice. Four of these numbers represent the competences, the other two are an Abstergo (setback) and Creed (progress) logo respectively. Dice rolls are ultimately used to test how many matches you have against your specific competences. If your

matched score tops your skill level, you succeed. If not, you fail at the action.

As players progress through the storyline, you obtain XP, much like you do within the video games. This contributes to both your synchronization level within the simulation, and indeed your bleeding effect in the modern day - both of which, when improved, offer bonuses such as extra dice rolls or skills to your character. Once the group completes the objectives of each Sequence, the session ends. How far a storyline goes is entirely down to the discretion of the Reader, or indeed the whole group. Although the rulebook assumes you will play as Assassins, the rules are flexible enough that you could quite easily portray Templar or even Isu characters if you so chose.

Ultimately, it comes to the crucial question – is this RPG for you? Well, if you are someone who is used to only the video games, it might take a certain 'leap of faith' from you to try something outside of your comfort zone. Make no mistake, it is called role play for a reason. If you are able to maintain your imagination well enough, it does come easy to most players. Everyone is different of course. I would suggest that the whole experience really does rely on a good storyteller to make things interesting and exciting enough for the group – ergo make sure that the chosen Reader is someone competent enough to fulfil that function. Naturally, if they have a good knowledge of the lore of the franchise too, it would certainly help make the whole experience feel that much more authentic for everyone.

Whilst the most fun can certainly be had with your own created and shared storylines, the Quickstart guide (an early version of the final rulebook) does contain some examples of pre-made scenarios, that can help ease your group into the rules and the TTRPG atmosphere, including

one set in Feudal Japan and another in World War II. The final version of the game will also contain a dedicated campaign book called “Assassin’s Creed – Forging History”, which will contain three main official campaign adventures set within the Assassin’s Creed universe. If you are still unsure about making a purchase, the quick start guide is already available online, so you can test it out with your friends now, just to see if it is for you. There is also a companion app (beta version) that allows you to create your own characters online as well.

The Assassin's Creed RPG is a unique experience, but one that requires effort not only from yourself, but your friends as well. If you are blessed with several Assassin's Creed friends, I'd suggest you owe it to yourselves to at least give it a try. However, if you have tried and disliked TTRPGs in the past, or you're perhaps not one for trying to imagine things out of thin air, then you won't find anything here to change your mind.

The Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game is open for pre-orders starting from today, September 5th 2023, at this link, with the final release date to be confirmed in due course.

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