The Setting

How will humanity deal with the loss of Earth, the discovery that we are not alone in the universe, and a cataclysmic disaster that all but wiped out the use of electricity? And what of those humans that have begun to exhibit strange and powerful abilities? Are they a threat to the rest of humanity – or an opportunity? These are just some of the questions you will explore in the Proteus setting.

In many ways, Proteus can be thought of as a post-apocalyptic game – though humanity has arguably suffered two world-changing disasters, as if one wasn’t enough. The Earth is gone, and the generation of humans currently coming into power were too young when they left their original home to remember much of it. This is just one of many issues continuing to create tension through human culture as different elements of society vie for power and make sense of humanity’s new place in the universe.

Science fiction elements are also present through the game world. Ortellum is a planet many light-years from Earth and is populated by a seemingly impossible menagerie of life. At least a half dozen different sentient species call the planet home, to say nothing of the host of flora and fauna that would be sure to give Darwin himself nightmares. As science struggles to understand how such a variety of life could exist on one planet, human explorers are just beginning to realize that the gods believed in by the native races may well have walked the surface of Ortellum’s past.

War and isolation were dominant themes of the Ortellan species until fairly recently, and most of them would be considered technologically primitive by Earth standards. Of course, much of what remains of human civilization is not much more advanced. Powerful and frightening creatures are rumored to exist in many parts of Ortellum, though mankind has so far encountered very few of them. All of these elements combine in Proteus to make it possible to explore themes and game styles normally associated with fantasy or horror genres.

Whether you’re looking for combat, exploration, intrigue, horror, or investigation, Proteus and the world of Ortellum have something to offer you. 

  Setting Features

• Explore a strange new world with vast opportunities for discovery and adventure.
• Play as a human or one of several native Ortellan species, each with their own unique culture.
• Learn about the events that shaped the planet – and the ancient prophecies of things to come.
• Encounter fantastic and terrifying beings – and other things that defy explanation.
• Experiment with different genres and styles of play – all within the same setting.
• GM toolkit that let’s you easily adjust scenarios to fit the style most enjoyed at your gaming table.

  System

Proteus is being written to utilize the Fate Core system. With its emphasis on story and characters, combined with the flexibility to enable detailed combat and other forms of conflict, Fate is a natural choice for Proteus. Fate is also very much a toolkit that begs to be customized to the needs of your chosen setting, and we will be leveraging that aspect of the system to tailor it for the setting and style of gameplay we want for Proteus.

  System Features

• Powered by Fate Core – a flexible and powerful tabletop roleplaying system with a vibrant community.
• Customized with a focus on immersion and long-term play.
• Create characters that are grounded in the game world, with easily generated backstories that give characters real depth, histories, and relationships.
• Characters exist in the game world, not just the current adventure. Use downtime to determine what happens to your character between sessions.
• Improved parity between the physical and psychological. Death and other forms of physical danger aren’t the only risks to characters in Proteus, and psychological effects don’t have to be limited to fear and the mental traumas of combat. Your character’s beliefs and motives can change and be changed by others.
• Enhanced immersion through increased realism. While not approaching anything close to true simulationism, Proteus does try to turn the realism dial up a notch from vanilla Fate Core.
• Expanded explanations and guidance for many situations and rules that already exist in Fate Core. Many concepts that are well known in the Fate community are not immediately obvious from just reading the Fate rules, which can sometimes present additional challenges to new players. Proteus will include additional information in many areas to help players get comfortable with the system as quickly as possible.