Ian here again with your monthly update on The Expanse RPG: Transport Union Edition crowdfunder on Backerkit. The books are coming along well, and we’re still on target to have the books ready for delivery this coming Summer. The core rulebook for The Expanse TUE is already in production, and I expect we might be able to share some sample pages fairly soon. By the time you read this, both Free Navy Conflict and Daemon’s Gambit will also be in production. I’m currently developing the Crew Companion, and that should be ready for editing in a week or so.
A lot of folks have been asking about when the pledge manager is going to close, and we're incredibly close! If you have any last-minute changes you want to make to your pledge, or add any accessories or extra sets of miniatures, get those changes in soon. The deadline for changes to your pledge is April 7th.
Today, I’m going to give you a spoiler-free look into Free Navy Conflict, which is covered in the novels Nemesis Games and Babylon’s Ashes. A good bit of information is available on Backerkit, but I’m going to dive in a little deeper.
From the campaign page:
Free Navy Conflict
Background and adventures for this apocalyptic era of play. The Free Navy Conflict offers an in-depth look at the war that devastated Earth and forever altered humanity’s fate amongst the stars. Inside you’ll find a detailed history of the conflict, from Durate’s betrayal to the effects of the asteroid impact on Earth and the food and infrastructure breakdowns that follow. You’ll also find details on several of the pivotal battles, the eventual surrender of Marco Inaros and the Free Navy, which brought about the formation of the Transport Union. The book is also packed with adventure hooks and GM advice for telling Expanse stories during this tumultuous period. Finally, five independent adventures explore the Free Navy Conflict from both sides. - 128-page softback. UPGRADED TO HARDCOVER
History, Michio believed, was a long list of surprises that seemed inevitable in retrospect.
—Babylon’s Ashes
Chapter 1 opens with a detailed history of the Free Navy conflict—everything you’d want to know about the conflict, from the early plans laid by Marco Inaros and Winston Duarte to the founding of the Transport Union at the end of the conflict. We go into detail on every major battle that takes place, the political machinations of those involved, and the aftermath on Earth and Mars. There is also a section that discusses how your player characters might fit into the conflict.
Chapter 2 offers a wealth of information about the tactics employed by the Free Navy's eight new ships, including the next-generation Corvette-class that was heavily used by the Free Navy.
Chapter 3 explores the complexities of running a series set during wartime. This advice applies not only to the Free Navy conflict but to any ongoing conflict. It also offers some ideas on running large-scale battles. Aside from the ships, this is probably one of my favorite parts of the book.
Following Chapter 3 are five adventures set during the conflict: On the Road with the Triplanetary Band, Whiskey Dangerous, Derelict, Four Card Monte, and A War of Ideas. I’m not going to go into detail about them here so as to avoid spoilers. What I can safely say is that these adventures are not interconnected, but most of them could be fairly easily modified to do so if you prefer. One of them takes place on Earth during the asteroid strikes, and they offer different perspectives, even allowing PCs to be part of the Free Navy.
That about wraps things up for this transmission. I hope you’re as excited as I am to see these books in print!
