It was only about a decade ago that the Western world was transfixed by Downton Abbeya powerful mix of soapy romance and historical fiction, preceded by a magical incantation Laura Linney. Now an unlikely trio from Cary, North Carolina will attempt to move Edwardian fandom from PBS to the tabletop. The first project is a role-playing game called Our beautiful ruin. It arrives on Kickstarter on February 27th and it sounds great.
Studio Hermitage, which describes itself as a transmedia company, was founded by Justin Achilli (White Wolf’s Vampire: The Masquerade), Paxton Galvanek (Conan: Exiles), and Andy Foltz (Star Trek: Bridge Crew). With Rachel J. Wilkinson (Vampire the Masquerade: Port Saga, Dune: Adventures in the Empire), and Pam Punzalan (Traveling through the shining citadel), the team has created a rich world ripe for ‘graphic novels, audio dramas, (…) video games’ and more. Step one is a TTRPG. From the official description:
Our beautiful ruin focuses on the relationships and drama of a class-based society and the balance between the haves and have-nots. (…) Players must navigate the social and political machinations of a class-based society as they face the end of the world. Three distinct factions and the families and guilds within them allow players to create fully realized characters to inhabit this doomed world. Investigate an abandoned mansion in danger and disrepair, attend a high-society ball while staying aware of the ever-present danger, or confront a deadly chimera who bears a disturbing resemblance to a missing lover. The world is an open book full of possibilities… until it ends.
It may sound strange at first, but you have to understand that this wouldn’t be the first time this period has been successfully adapted into a TTRPG. Performances such as Our flag means death And Bridgerton helped pave the way for games like Good Society: A Jane Austen RPG And Lady Mereltwo of the eight outrageously good historical fiction games we recommended in 2022.
Image: Studio Hermitage
Our beautiful ruin However, it was built with unique mechanisms that allowed it to stand out. The creators mention an original dice mechanic “powered by a character’s emotions and motivations,” which will be combined with graphics inspired by Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Human artists include Andy Foltz (Far Cry4) and Ephrem Palacios (Hearthstone, Magic: the meeting). The examples on offer evoke elegant balls and violence on the heath in equal measure, with glimpses of strange and powerful spells lurking in the corners of each frame.
While no additional details about the campaign have been provided, those interested in learning more can sign up to be notified when the campaign for Our beautiful ruin goes live next month.