Today we have the pleasure to present you our review of Beyond the Storm, the first official expansion manual of Vulcania, the Italian pulp-steampunk tabletop RPG. First of all we want to thank Mattia Arnaudo and Simone Raspi, authors of the game, for having sent us a physical copy of the manual.
If after reading this review you would like to add Vulcania – Beyond the Storm to your collection, you can buy it from Gear Games‘ store at a costo of $44.99 for the physical version (including PDF) and with a complimentary double-sided map. Alternatively, for $19.99 you can have the sole digital version.
I also remind you that in order to appreciate this product you need the Vulcania basic manual.
Review of the Handbook of Vulcania – Beyond the Storm
Let’s get things straight right away. From an editorial point of view, Vulcania – Beyond the Storm is a great job. A large format volume, hard cover and glossy pages that would look good on any shelf. The style is the same as the basic manual of Vulcania, both in terms of graphics and illustrations. It is definitely a nice manual, one of those that make you want to leaf through its pages when you see it. It is, in summary, satisfying.
The deliberately excessive “cartoon” style of the Vulcania – Beyond the Storm art helps to immediately immerse yourself in the atmosphere that the authors want to convey. Jacopo Tagliasacchi and Sabrina Normani worked on the cover, Lodovico Sartirana and Virginia Chiabotti on the inside pages. And everyone did an amazing job! Some artworks more similar to sketches may also be children of the need to cut production times and costs, but they are perfect to increase the feeling of holding a travel journal.
What Awaits Us?
145 out of 280 pages are dedicated to the setting. A rather important number, and in fact there are definitely many new features. As usual, our reviews are without spoilers, but I can still give you some small hints.
Vulcania – Beyond the Storm does not delve into the contents already exposed in the basic manual of Vulcania, as is often the case with such a supplement. The authors chose instead to shift the focus of the game to Letvia, the New World. This is not the space to dwell too much on the setting of Vulcania. For those who don’t know it, the continent where it is set is divided into six Isonations. Veterans from a period of war, each bears the scars that have made the profound cultural differences even more evident.
Latvia is a completely new continent for adventurers to move around. It is inevitable that exploration has a leading role, but this absolutely without setting aside the political aspect. This is still a fundamental element of this game.
The New World
In the world of Vulcania the “bubble” was a very important invention. It is a device that allows you to wrap a flying ship or a submarine, characteristic means of transport of the setting, in a protective sphere. Thanks to it you can cross the Barrier unscathed, albeit with some risk. This is the stormy area that divides the Old World from Latvia; an area unviable until the commercialization of the bubble took place.
This event has sparked the fiercest competition between the Isonations, who race to grab the largest possible slice of land in the New World. But obviously they have to deal with the colonies, now separated for decades in the Isonations, and with the indigenous populations of the island.
It is an unbridled competition that binds the two worlds of Vulcania in a double thread, further intertwining them with the economic interests of the Monopolies. These non-state organizations, with their technological innovations, manage to move the strategic objectives of the entire civilized world at will.
Review of New Character Options of Vulcania – Beyond the Storm
Obviously Vulcania – Beyond the Storm makes available to the players a series of tools suitable for exploiting the new part of the setting. It does this mostly through new character options. The most evident are certainly the new Origins of the characters and the new Arts.
The new Origins allow you to play characters native to Latvia. They are six, like those of the Old World:
- Devas are thugs who do not respect any authority that is not imposed by physical force. Their brown complexion takes on bluish shades as the years go by due to the dyes with which they cover themselves.
- To’al are their close cousins with a more peaceful disposition and arboreal tradition.
- Shanos, dark in complexion but with golden hair, are warlike nomads who reject the comforts of civilization.
- Velven are the natives of Latvia who most closely resemble the inhabitants of the Old World; they represent the ethnic group that controls the largest territory.
- Pale and sinewy Aurox only recently emerged from their underground hiding places, after centuries of self-isolation; often they are wild to the point that the manual itself calls them an extreme choice to play.
- Zaltac are the brown inhabitants of the northernmost region of the continent. Known for their wits, they are completely dedicated to the cause of their people’s freedoms.
More Tools for the Players
The new Origins aren’t the only new features. Surely what will intrigue the players the most are the new Heroic Arts. Vulcania – Beyond the Storm in fact allows you to go beyond the rank of Veteran; it does so by presenting new combat or professional arts and redesigning some of the basic manual. This will allow your adventurers to deal with the threats of the New World.
Obviously there is a lot of new interesting equipment and also the rules concerning flying ships. If in Vulcania they were iconic, their central role in the exploration and colonization of Latvia make them essential. From this point of view the manual provides a good choice of customization options.
The book ends with a small bestiary, quick and practical to consult, including both monstrous creatures and possible human opponents. It is part of a section specifically dedicated to the master, full of advice but above all with a series of elements ready to be assembled for the construction of game scenarios.
A Big Step…
Vulcania – Beyond the Storm doesn’t just show the lore, it tries to bring it to life. Each region described has not only the classic paragraphs on history and culture, but also hints of adventure; never unnecessarily verbose, they are tidy information and above all always useful for the game. Small narrative interludes are frequent, often alternating with paragraphs dedicated to prominent NPCs of the setting. All with the extremely pop and full of references style typical of the game.
The will to give a more narrative cut to Vulcania can also be understood from the new rules. In fact, a faster character creation method is proposed, supported by the possibility of adding characterizing details; the manual in fact introduces what motivates the hero and what upsets them, also trying to add mechanical tools to exploit also the mostly descriptive elements.
… Sometimes too Far
However, we cannot speak of a real narrative revolution. Surely these are very useful tools for the entire game experience; however don’t expect them to transform Vulcania in a game focused on introspection; the impact they have on the mechanics is very small. We are talking about a game that was not based on such mechanics. The effort is certainly to be appreciated, and certainly a welcome addition to the game; the result in practice will however be limited. And rightly so, for a game that wants to be pulp-steampunk.
On the other hand, in my opinion even the continuous pop winks in the manual, in the long run, end up being a bit idle. It is undeniable that this is a characteristic and expressly desired trait of Vulcania, already present in the basic manual; according to my opinion, however, I think that polishing them would have made them more effective, without affecting the style that the authors want to convey. In general it is a work that would have achieved even higher results with greater attention in the editing phase, rather than in writing; in particular, a product of this editorial level would have benefited from greater care in the use of punctuation.
Conclusions of the Review of Vulcania – Beyond the Storm
Keep in mind that I’m talking about possible improvements, not crucial flaws. Gear Games have done an absolutely amazing and incredible job; to the evident passion they have added an absolute professionalism. In this way they created a manual that manages to carry Vulcania at a further level, talking about both themes and mechanics.
If you loved this TTRPG, Beyond the Storm it is an excellent opportunity to deepen and expand it. For those who haven’t read Vulcania yet, this is certainly an excellent opportunity to start doing it.