Coruscation is a possible follow-up, or addition, of Janek Sielicki’s campaign setting, The Bridges We Burn. Besides being used in conjunction with what he developed, this is a wonderful short piece that can be used to fit into a number of different campaigns.Coruscation is a ship for the Cypher System and can be used in follow-up to Sielicki’s Numenera adventure. It can also be used as a standalone adventure and a springboard into a number of other possibilities. Sielicki’s level of creativity in presenting an adventure that can be used in multiple ways is one reason I enjoy his work.
Sielicki gives several scenarios of how Coruscation can be launched into a campaign, his setting or another. This gives the game master (GM) the opportunity to dangle a flying ship out there as a carrot for the party to go after, or an immediate reward they can start using and manipulating for their own means.
There are also adventure ideas for the GM once the party has the craft. This treasure item isn’t just thrown out in the mix of all the other rewards a party can acquire. Here we have a unique item with additional information of what could happen to a group who owns such an item.
A full ready-to-use statistics sheet for the vessel is presented. Of course, Coruscation is presented with the basics of what it has on it when discovered. The party has opportunity of altering the vessel as the campaign continues.
I like Sielicki’s thoughts of giving a treasure item that provides more levels of adventure. I know in other games where players/characters have worked to upgrade their magic to get it to be what they desire. Here is a flying ship that not only has that level of playability; however, there is just enough description to also allow the GM to make exploring the ship a whole other adventure, or set of adventures, for the party.
Artwork
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| Filip Gutowski |
As with Sielicki’s other works this book contains artwork by Filip Gutowski to capture the feeling of what is being presented. There are a couple of variations of the picture of “the gleam of light” (in case you were wondering, that’s what the name means) that can be shown to the party so you can give a visual presentation to spark the imagination of everyone around the gaming table.
Gutowski shows that he has the ability to illustrate science fantasy settings—an imagination that allows him to present the written words in great pictures.
Adaptability
If you don’t use the Cypher System, Coruscation could easily be adapted to another game system. It could be powered by magic, demons, or other elements deep within its workings. It is also not limited into which genre you are gaming in, unless you are doing a very realistic setting. Since Coruscationwas built for a science-fantasy setting most of the work is done, the adaptation is how the game mechanics of the system you want to use it in work.
Overall
Once again Janek Sielicki succeeds with his work. If you have already used some of his creations, here’s another worth having. If you haven’t had the pleasure of using his material, Coruscation can be used as a good starting point.
I was given an electronic copy of Coruscation by the author for review purposes. This is the fourth gaming item of his I’ve had the opportunity of reviewing. Sielicki is an independent game writer I hope keeps creating in the vein of what he’s presented so far.
The other reviews of his work so far include
About the Author
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| Janek Sielicki |
Janek Sielicki is a 39-year-old Polish freelance writer. He has been playing roleplaying games since the early 1990s—as most people in Poland he started with Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, but then moved on to other systems and settings, most often exploring them as a game master. Recently he started publishing his own modules for different games, such as Numenera, Dungeons and Dragons, or 7th Sea 2ed and also accepts commissions for video and mobile game writing, RPG character background stories, etc. Janek is a professional English-Polish/Polish-English translator—that's his day job, actually! In his free time, aside from RPGs, he practices the martial art of iaijutsu and spends time with his two children and wife. He lives in Poland.
Twitter: @Janek_Sielicki
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