Ingenium

Ingenium's about great stories. What's yours?

I’ve always enjoyed epic stories. You know the formula – a farm boy with big dreams is taken on a whirlwind ride into the bigger world by an old and powerful mentor, becoming a great hero and vanquishing terrible villains. With Ingenium, I sought to bring that kind of feel to my role-playing campaigns.

There are many games that have done this over the years. Some, like Exalted, succeed. Others fail. Ingenium is my attempt to bring as much action to the table as possible, while still providing opportunities for character development, interpersonal stories, and non-combat-related endeavors. It was politics and scheming that felled the mighty Old Republic, after all, and not the martial powers of a single robed villain.

Character creation starts with Three Words – your Trait, your Race, and your Profession. You could be a Fierce Human Soldier, or an Esoteric Catfolk Sorcerer. Whatever combination you choose, it will be quickly put together, and have the promise of great stories ahead.

While Ingenium is designed as a fantasy system, it can easily be expanded in other directions. Silver Gryphon Games is closing on a release for our parody game Away Team, which takes the Ingenium system and throws it into space. Smarminess and shenanigans ensue. The Talent Pools mechanic lends itself well to branching out into new genres. Where will you take it?

The core book contains all the rules you’ll need. Monsters, challenges, and yes, character creation are all in there. Even if you never buy another Ingenium book again, you’ll still have a completely playable and enjoyable system with many tools for adventure.

However, with that said, we are dedicated to producing new material for Ingenium. In addition to the freebies like new monsters on the website and the General Talent Sourcebooks, we have the following books in the works:

2011

Away Team – A parody of a certain 60s science fiction TV show, this book lets you get into all sorts of interplanetary trouble. In addition to presenting a comedic way to spend an afternoon, it also contains all of the space rules for Ingenium, making it possible to run serious sci-fi adventures too.

2012

Eiridia: Campaign Setting Sourcebook – This book is the official setting for Ingenium. A fantasy world of grand scale, it borrows from the styles of Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, Mercedes Lackey, Raymond E. Feist, and J.R.R. Tolkien. You’ll find war, death, horror, creatures of nightmare, and treasure beyond imagining. Demonic and draconic forces seek to undo the world and remake it as they see fit. Cults conspire to bring their gods’ horrific plans to fruition. Tyrants bleed the land dry of all hope. Sorcerers of immeasurable power change the very fabric of reality. And you, dear reader, are at the heart of it all. This book also introduces new types of magic, new monsters, new Talent Pools, and new ways to customize your characters. It also includes the introductory adventure A Darkness at Summerfort.

Eiridia: Dragon’s Reach – Dragon’s Reach is a place of ancient history and constant warfare. This sourcebook details a portion of the Eiridia setting that is perfect for starting characters. It contains several full adventures for characters of levels 1-10, new Talents, monsters, spells, and archvillains.

Talent Book: The Archer’s Compendium – The first in a series of books, the Archer’s Compendium expands on character options for ranged fighters. It has new Talent Pools, General Talents, background ideas, and Eiridia tie-ins, as well as a mini-adventure specifically targeted towards testing the mettle of those who specialize in battle from a distance.

General Talent Sourcebook 2 – 2012′s major free release, GTS 2 introduces 30 new General Talents.

2013

Eiridia: In Darkest Dreams – This book is the second setting expansion for Eiridia. It adds new material for Redami, Tandarus, and the Jutar Wilds and is the first introduction of players to the machinations of Archmage Lochivar, the Black Hand.

General Talent Sourcebook 3 – The final release for the free General Talent Sourcebook series, GTS 3 adds 30 more new General Talents for use by players.

Arcanist’s Grimoire – New spells, spell focuses, magical professions, and Talent Pools for magic users abound in this release.

Eiridia: Seas of the Steppes – The third setting expansion for Eiridia focuses on Nardora and the Brotherhood of Light’s dominion over the populace. Players will find themselves entangled in several plots and adventures culminating in a face-off with the tyrant Queen of Nardora.