Torg Eternity – Cyberpapacy Sourcebook by Deanna Gilbert and Thomas Willoughby is a role playing game supplement published by Ulisses Spiele for use with Torg Eternity.
The supplement is available as a PDF from DriveThruRPG for $19.99 and is also available in printed form from sites such as Amazon. The PDF is the version reviewed although it was purchased at a reduced price during a sale. The PDF has 146 pages with two being the front and rear covers, one the front matter, one the Table of Contents and one the Index.
Welcome to the Cyberpapacy is a brief piece of fiction set around when the Cyberpapacy expanded into Brazil.
One Year Later… starts with how agents of the Cyberpope were in France for months before the invasion, setting up the groundwork for acceptance. Demons unleashed by the Cyberpapacy killed many important figures before the Cyberpapacy invaded and defeated them, a ploy to make the Cyberpope look like a saviour. The Cyberpapacy expanded, mostly willingly, over France, Spain, Portugal and parts of Switzerland, and since then Brazil.
Some basics on the Cyberpapacy are given; it is a theocratic socialist dystopia. Citizens have many benefits, but the Church is the universal employer and provider of all services. Some details are given on the Mountain, which can be seen from anywhere in the Cyberpapacy, and the GodNet. Faith, Piety Scores and the benefits of such are given, as well as the economy, leisure, politics, law and order and the military. The current state of the war and the responses of the various Core Earth nations near parts of the Cyberpapacy, and finally a timeline of the first year.
Storm Knights covers the new options that characters have in the Cyberpapacy. This is new perks, in particular for cyberware, hacking and faith, and some related to magic that the faithful can cast.
Cyberware gives an overview of what cyberware is and how prevalent it is. As spreading cyberware is the primary mission of the Church, as it’s been ordained and sanctioned by God, it is common. Sanctioned cyberware, as spread by the Church, is permanently connected to the GodNet and allows the Church to monitor the person. Hacked cyberware can be bought, though this is illegal, with the punishment of death, and is not as safe, though the benefit is it’s not connected to the GodNet permanently or monitored remotely by the Church. Cyberware can also be removed.
New cyberware is then covered. Chipware is holographic storage and processing units that can be placed into a ChipHolder, and have things such as knowledge and skills. Control interfaces allow the user to interact with electronic devices. Sensory implants replace and enhance the five senses. Physical implants enhance bodily functions. Prosthetics replace limbs and can have extra cybernetic enhancements. Subdermal weapons are weapons mounted beneath the skin, including in prosthetic ones. Hardlight drones are holographic constructs that use non-autonomous AIs and can follow orders.
Magic starts by explaining magic remains in the Cyberpapacy despite the Cyberpope’s best efforts and that there are three kinds of magic; black, that obtains aid from malevolent spirits and causing harm, White, which draws from the land and grants life and healing, and Grey, known as cyberwitchcraft, which interacts with technology. Witches have largely been persecuted for over a thousand years.
It then has some history of the Cyberpapacy’s home cosm; those later known as white witches and cyberwitches originated in northern Europe and the British Isles. After the Church defeated the Muslims, attention was turned to northern Europe. The Norse lands fell quickly but the Pagans of the British Isles held out until technology started to turn the tide. However, the struggle continued until Malraux became the Cyberpope and changed the reality through the introduction of new World Laws, which shattered the power of the Pagans and resulted in their conquest, miracles no longer working for Pagans and any error in magic posed a risk of summoning a demon. The witches went into hiding.
The three types of magic and the people who use them are then detailed briefly, followed by new spells, covered in the standard way. A sidebar notes that many of the spells in the supplement target Tech Constructs.
Miracles starts with details of the Church, with its history, including the destruction of the Pagans, its prime tenets and worship. It then has a list of available miracles, including new ones in this supplement, ones from the Core Rulebook and ones from the Aysle Sourcebook.
The GodNet covers the virtual reality network created by the Darkness Device. It is literally addicting to those who access it through a sanctioned neural jack and is the primary source of knowledge for the layperson. It gives a history of the GodNet, which is now 70 years old, the rise of heretical hackers, one of whom discovered the existence of the Darkness Device and broadcast it, and the crackdown that killed most of the hackers off. However, some discovered a land beyond the sanctioned parts of the GodNet which they called the Land of Nod and they became nodders. A sidebar covers some famous deckers.
The GodNet’s topology is then described, covering the different sectors and the datapaths that connect them, with a stylised map of the realm. Constructs are the buildings of the GodNet and cells are the rooms in these. Systems are object that interface with the GodNet or store data. Access points are how to gain access to the network and nodes are access points that connect sectors, constructs and cells.
Nodding is hacking runs within the GodNet, and involves accessing it in ways other than the sanctioned ones, through TempTrodes, which function in a similar manner to a neural jack, and cyberdecks. Nodders mostly ride along with deckers and whilst jacked in a person’s body is inert. Jacking in literally transfers the soul to the GodNet and are represented by avatars; disguising true form is difficult but not impossible. The GodNet is surveilled and higher alert levels make things more difficult. Some typical noddering activities are described, with their standard difficulties, and some nodder slang. Combat in the GodNet and different ways of leaving is also covered.
Gear looks at the new equipment for the Cyberpapacy. Some gear is individualised by its makers and the Church can sometimes create holy items. Though the Magic Axiom supports Enchanted items, purges and a loss of knowledge have hampered their creation, meaning that most originate in either Aysle or the Nile Empire. First, general gear is covered, which given the Tech Axiom and the cosm’s nature includes highly advanced items. Weapons are next, and similarly advanced. This is followed by the vehicles found in the Cyberpapacy. Cyberdecks are tools of the decker’s trade and used to access the GodNet without the Church’s approval. Cyberdecks are normally individualised, but there are broad models which are covered, including their upgrade, hardcoded programs, additional storage and Flesh App, an additional benefit when in the Flesh. Finally, there are some cyberdeck programs.
The Game Masters Section starts by looking at Aysle Possibility energy and the colour and symbol that represents Possibilities specific to the cosm.
Warzones looks at the regions controlled by the Cyberpapacy. In Europe, these are France, Spain, Portugal and parts of Switzerland and Italy, and in South America much of Brazil and Argentina, where the cosm’s grip is the weakest thanks to the assault being launched earlier than intended. Avignon, the heart of the Cyberpapacy, is looked at, as well as the Sprawls, the large cities of Western Europe and South America that grew in size following the invasion, as well as the wilder lands between them. It also looks at the GodNet, the online virtual reality of the Cyberpapacy which, given the cosm’s Tech Axiom, is far more complex than the internet.
Reality begins by looking at the axioms of the Cyberpapacy. Magic is average, and though demons exist, they do not reside on another plane, instead they live in a section of the GodNet. The Social Axiom is high, though the Cyberpapacy functions at a lower level. It looks at the inefficiencies of the bureaucracy and civil rights. Spirit is surprisingly weak, though miracles can still be invoked. Tech is the highest of all the invading cosms, but there is no science; items are created through divine inspiration, then the process copied.
The World Laws are next. The Law of the One True Way means that the Malraux Bible is fact, and reality rewrites itself, imperfectly, to preserve this. This law also eliminated the connection nearly every Pagan had with their faith. The Law of Heretical Magic means all magic is heretical, demons can be summoned by any spell and both white witch and black warlock are punished as harshly. The Law of Suspicion causes a general lack of trust. The Law of Ordeal is a minor law that means those accused of a crime can request a Trial by Ordeal; the innocent are aided by the law in this situation. The Law of Stagnation means that the society functions at a lower level than it should and the scientific method is absent. Finally, the Law of Sanction means that cyberware is blessed by God and the installation of sanctioned devices means that cyberpsychosis will not occur.
Malraux and the Church starts by covering Malraux, the Cyberpope, giving his history, joining the Church and his rise, eventually encountering the Darkness Device, Ebenuscrux, which allowed him to become the Cyberpope. He then consolidated his hold on the Church and published his own Bible which broke the power of the Pagans thanks to the World Laws. Malraux moved to other worlds before being approached by the Gaunt Man and invited to participate in the attack on Earth. His personality, goals and stats are given, along with details on the stelae and the Darkness Device. Malraux’s relations with the other High Lords are at best businesslike and in many cases worse. Finally, how the Church is organised is covered.
The Delphi Council and the Resistance starts by explaining that the Delphi Council is not winning the war with the Cyberpapacy and it’s becoming obvious, with containment and attempts to win over the hearts and minds. There are details on the important Council personnel related to combating the Cyberpapacy, then the resources that the Delphi Council can call on. It then looks at how the resistance to the Cyberpapacy is operating and things it does, including different cells and what specifically they do. A sidebar looks at Storm Break and the Cyberpapacy. Some larger organisations that are combating the Cyberpapacy are looked at, one from Core Earth the other two from the Cyberpapacy’s home cosm of Magna Verita. Finally, there are details on some important resistance members.
Adventures in the Cyberpapacy starts by explaining what it was inspired by (even though not all of the inspirations were out when the original Cyberpapacy sourcebook was published). It looks at the tone and theme, which is a cyberpunk setting of small groups fighting an all-powerful government, and that many cyberpunk tropes are relevant. The biggest difference between this and most cyberpunk settings is the existence of magic, though given that Shadowrun is one of the biggest games in the genre, this isn’t universally true. It looks at how magic, including miracles, work and how the Storm Knights have to deal with a populace that, because of the World Laws, opposes them. A sidebar looks at handling other intelligent species in the Cyberpapacy, because such would, in theory, be turned over to the Church Police. Adventures in the Cyberpapacy are looked at, and the unique aspects these have, from adventuring in the wilds to dealing with the, powerful, Church, and especially to the nearly unique aspect of the region, the GodNet.
Threats looks at the various foes that can be faced. First, the gospog of the Cyberpapacy are covered. Next are a number of other creatures, the majority of which have at least some kind of cyberware or technological origin. Finally, there are humans, which are the various different kinds of human servants of the Church, though one of these types is Monitors who have uploaded their souls to the GodNet and bear some striking similarities to the Agents of The Matrix.
Eternity Shards has details on a few Eternity Shards that can be found in the Cyberpapacy, these being items which are rich with Possibilities and provide special bonuses.
Torg Eternity – Cyberpapacy Sourcebook in Review
The PDF is bookmarked with the major and minor sections linked, though not to the level of depth they could be. The Table of Contents is to a similar level of depth. The Index isn’t as thorough as it could be. Navigation could be better. The text maintains a two-column format and appeared to be almost free of errors. There are a variety of colour illustrations, up to about a half page in size. Presentation is decent.
Like all of these supplements, this isn’t a game in and of itself, and the core rulebook is needed, but a supplement which covers a specific area of the setting. It gives new options and items for the region, which may not work outside it. The Cyberpapacy has the highest Tech Axiom, slightly higher than Tharkold‘s, and in general all of its axioms are above average; other cosms may well have higher axioms, but the Cyberpapacy probably has the highest across the board.
All the different regions of the Possibility Wars have settings that are different to each other with this one, as mentioned, being the closest to the traditional cyberpunk setting, though one with magic too. As such, it may be one of the more familiar types of setting around. Torg Eternity – Cyberpapacy Sourcebook can be found by clicking here.
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