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Coriolis: The Third Horizon

Core Book
Arabian Nights in space: explore the Third Horizon as traders, mercenaries, or pilgrims among the stars
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Languages: English, Swedish, French, German, Italian

Best For

Groups who want sci-fi exploration with a Middle Eastern-inspired setting, ship-based campaigns, and a mix of trade, intrigue, and cosmic mystery.

Core Mechanic

Roll a d6 dice pool (attribute + skill + gear). Each 6 is a success. Pray to the Icons to reroll all non-successes, but doing so gives the GM a Darkness Point to spend on complications, NPC boosts, or cosmic threats.

Diced6 dice pool
System FamilyYear Zero Engine
PublisherFree League Publishing
Year2017
ComplexityHow much there is to learn
Medium

The d6 pool counts 6s, with prayers to the Icons rerolling failures at the cost of Darkness Points for the GM. The depth is character-side: talents, mystic powers, and a crew sharing ship debt and roles. Attributes and reputation thread through the rest.

AvailabilityHow you get the rules
  • Free to tryQuickstartA free starter you can actually play
  • Get it nowSold newIn print or as a legal PDF
RunnabilityWhat the book gives you to run it
  • ✓IndexFind any rule by page number
  • ✓GM guidanceA chapter on how to run the game
  • ✓Examples of playRules shown in action at the table
  • –Quick referenceNo cheat sheet or summary tables
  • ✓Cross-referencesRules point to each other by page

4 of 5 book tools found in the core book

Highlights

Setting blends sci-fi with Middle Eastern mythology and Icon worship, Darkness Points create a GM resource that escalates over the session, detailed ship customization with five crew roles in space combat, ten factions provide a political backdrop for intrigue campaigns

Considerations

Space combat uses a separate five-phase subsystem with added complexity, praying to the Icons is the only reroll mechanic and it always costs a Darkness Point, mystical powers chapter is brief compared to the setting and combat chapters, setting is tightly coupled: 36 star systems with specific lore

Rules license Year Zero Engine OGL

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