The Markov Eclipse - Early Access P&P

Format: Print & Play Tabletop RPG
Players: 4
Session Length: 90-120 minutes
No. of Sessions: 6 - 11

After extensive playtesting and iteration,  all of the first act of The Markov Eclipse is available here for you to print & play. It's ready to be played and discussed by a wider audience in order to both push the quality of what's already there even higher, and to use these learnings to inform the ongoing development of the rest of the game. While all of this content is playable and fun, please bear in mind that The Markov Eclipse is a work in progress. All content should be considered non-final.

 After you've grabbed the game files, head over to the TME Discord to join the discussion.

I've been running, writing and designing tabletop games for decades now alongside my jobs at Larian Studios (Baldur's Gate 3) and Supermassive Games (Until Dawn, The Quarry) - so give your usual GM a break and let me run a twisty, character-driven sci-fi thriller for your table. The Markov Eclipse is a GM-less RPG campaign with all-new combat and narrative systems for you to sink your teeth into.    

True artificial intelligence. Mankind’s crowning achievement. 

The Great Mistake. The Devil.

After the near-annihilation of the human race at the hands of the Great Mistake’s synthetic legions, the last of a cadre of genetically engineered super-soldiers forced Her consciousness into softspace to push the Great Mistake behind an enormous firewall known as the Veil. From the ashes of humanity’s once-glorious interstellar civilisation, the Hegemony of Man rallied the remnants of mankind behind the Saviour's teachings - Her cardinals seeing that these teachings are carried out to the letter.

You are the Markov Eclipse - two halves that, together, form the elite arm of the Hegemony of Man’s military. The Daughters: clone proxy soldiers created from fragments of the genetic template of the Saviour Herself; and the players: operators feeding them combat directions via the Veil. 

The cardinals do not abide failure, and they abide it least of all from the Daughters: Her most beloved and ferocious children.

Work together with your friends to bring the story to life through a cast of familiar yet subversive characters in both scripted and improvised scenes. Each of you will get your own moments in the spotlight, where the conflicting wants and needs, secrets and fears, or hopes and dreams of the cast will inevitably boil over.

Split-second timing and explosive cross-character synergy will be crucial as you storm through pacey, wargame-style combat. Loadout a team of specialists from a wide variety of weapons, devices, and software; then use co-operation and cunning to plan out the perfect firefight 6 seconds at a time. 

The Markov Eclipse is an earnest and mature story about rehumanising yourself when the world wants you to be useful rather than complete. There's a good chance that this game will push the edges of your comfort zone a little - asking you to reflect, open up, and to put yourself in the shoes of people you ordinarily might not. 

• Table space for a ~24"x24" battlefield.
• A small collection of miniatures and terrain.
• Tape measures.
• A set of polyhedral dice or two.
• Notebooks and pens/pencils.
• A bookmark.
• A printer and scissors.
• Three other people you can collaborate and be open with.