Nibiru, a sci-fi game of lost memories. Born thanks to a Kickstarter project by the author Federico Sohns who in December 2018 obtained over £27,000 convincing more than 500 supporters.
The art of Nibiru
With illustrations like these you have already won.
First thing: the illustrations. I must start from them. Beautiful and evocative. Regardless of technical skill, I’m talking about result. Wonderful. Each one is able to give very evocative suggestions for being at the same time different from the others but also related. There are many compliments to be made not only to individual artists but also to the lead artist who has managed to achieve such a remarkable result.
In a game like Nibiru, in the eclectic infinity of setting possibilities that space and the mind offer, art plays a fundamental role in accompanying the reader within the game.
The contents
I got four files: the basic manual plus three adventures of eight pages each.
The setting is Nibiru, a gigantic [3600km in diameter] space station, designed for who knows what reason [but it has a reason and a purpose], which has become the strange only world known for its human inhabitants. Players wear the clothes of the Vagabonds, creatures who woke up in the cold of Nibiru without much of their memory. This condition is one of the peculiarities of the game, which can be experienced forward, but also backward, revealing new memories of a mysterious past.
Nibiru has its own geography, its history, its societies, its roads, its regions, its cities, with different symbols and purposes. A world, varied and particular, differentiated and evocative, from the richest Central Regions to the inhospitable Shadowy Border whose detailed description goes well beyond the scope of this article.
Much information that I’ not covering can be found on the kickstarter page, where you can also download a quickstart.
The manual concludes with more insights into the world, the game and a bestiary of machines, flora and above all strange and beautifully designed creatures. Then the inevitable section for the narrator and an introductory adventure.
Nibiru and the Memos System
The game engine is the MEMOS System. Normal tests are made by rolling d4, the only dice in the game, and each “4” is a success. Players then have Influence Points, which can be used to obtain small storytelling powers within the game. The mind and its repercussions play an important role, with the insinuation of psychiatric symptoms in response to the stresses of life on Nibiru.
Finally the most characteristic part, that is the Memo Points, assigned by the narrator and used by the players to create memories to be written in a real messy diary. Each memory will become a permanent bonus in the game, allowing you to outline the character and describe it both forward and backward, as I said before. There are also negative memories that give Memo Points, in the classic flaw style of many RPGs. Vagabonds also have powers, called Revelations, always linked to memory and the its discovery.
Is Nibiru really a pearl in space?
In my opinion, yes. I can’t wait to browse the real manual and be able to try it at the game table, but I feel I can confirm it for many elements. In particular, the wonderful graphics and the innovative and engaging system. Nibiru has proved to be an excellent investment and it will certainly prove to be a game that will not disappoint me.
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