GAMES: PureSteam RPG playtest coming soon

PureSteam character Con Goodwin

By Brian Funk

“Fires stoked. Water boiling. Cogs clanging. Our first round of external playtest is on,” says game creator Adam Crockett at PureSteamRPG.com. “Strap in, this gyrocopter's primed and about to ascend!”

PureSteam is a Pathfinder-compatible RPG in a steampunk setting, focused a great deal on the Blue Ridge area of the 1800s.

“When steam tech is prevalent, coal is king. Play a moonshinin' halfling alchemist in the Blue Ridge, a dwarven mechanical prodigy able to jury rig vehicles on the fly, and many more!” says the game's Facebook page.

PureSteam was recently funded through donors to Kickstarter and backers who contributed more than $150 are getting the playtest now.

“Everyone else: give us a couple weeks to incorporate their feedback and we'll have the polished playtest doc up on paizo.com as a free download for anyone and everyone,” Crockett says.

The playtest will include:

• Original base classes and archetypes to run through the ringer.
• Original subrace source material to set your character apart.
• A multi-level adventure module set in the game's world of Ullera
• Stats for one-of-a-kind steampunk vehicles.
The game module is complete with maps for the continent, nation, town and battles.

“We trust you'll enjoy our first adventure path: Trouble in Grassy Spur. We ran some playtesting at GenCon and the feedback was great,” Crockett said.

The playtest's adventure takes place in a sleepy coal town caught in the midst of an anarchist plot to disrupt travel/commerce in Ullera. Players will have a chance to battle beasts, clockwork devices, gunmen and a few undisclosed foes while on foot, in houses of worship, driving steam vehicles and in (and on) a train. Grassy Spur is a great stand-alone adventure, but can be used to set off a wider campaign.

J. Boone Dryden is laboring on the first full PureSteam novel, due out by the end of the year.

Altered History is working on custom PureSteam patches which will be available online later this year.

“We are in talks with Apparition Abolishers to have custom PureSteam props produced for cosplayers, LARPers and collectors,” Crockett said.

• To keep up with PureSteam's progress, follow the developers on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, or visit PureSteamRPG.com. There are forums on the site for feedback and questions.