Apathy Blogs

Imperium Chronicles by William Mitchell

I was given a complimentary PDF of the Imperium Chronicles RPG for review. It took me quite a while to figure out exactly what to say about it. You would think that with my love of Traveller it would be a perfect fit for me. Somehow it isn’t though.

If you ever wanted to play in a sci-fi universe like Traveller’s Third Imperium but with d20 style rules, this game is for you.

Of course, there already exists a whole set of Traveller d20 books. However, by now they are long out of print. I never got any of them, so I can’t tell you how this compares. I didn’t get them for the same reason Imperium Chronicles doesn’t quite suit me — I don’t think d20 is the best system for all games. Don’t get me wrong, I like d20 for Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder. And if you want to use d20 for games like Traveller or Mutants and Masterminds or World of Darkness, that’s fine. But I like exploring different game systems. For me quirky rules are part of Traveller’s charm.

One thing that surprised me is that Imperium Chronicles doesn’t actually use the OGL. It’s simply a lot like the d20 system, but has a bunch of minor differences. As a fan of the open gaming movement, I would have thought it would be easier to just tweak the existing rules. You can still keep all of your world information as product identity. I figure if you are going to be d20ish, you might as well go all the way.

While the Imperium Chronicles feels inspired by Traveller’s Third Imperium, it is definitely a different setting. Not that Traveller’s setting is all that unique, it was inspired by Asimov’s Empire which in turn was inspired by the Roman Empire. Imperium Chronicles contains a rich tapestry of noble houses, alien races, and unique worlds. Even if you don’t use the setting in its entirety, it is filled with great ideas worth stealing and incorporating into your science fiction galaxy of choice.

I can tell this work is a labor of love. William clearly wrote this because he wanted his own perfect blend of games he liked. In the end it isn’t quite the game I would have put together, but that’s okay. It might be exactly what one of my readers is looking for. I repeat: If you wanted the world of Traveller with d20 rules, this game is exactly what you need.

Myself I will likely just mine it for ideas to convert into Mongoose Traveller. I wouldn’t regret a purchase with only that in mind. I have more game systems than I know what to do with. But I can always use more great ideas.

Apathy Rating: 4/5.