First and foremost I want to say that in the state this is currently in it is not worth the $14 they are charging. No where on this page is it made clear that as of now this is a first round proofing version of this product and it doesn’t take long to realize it. It is rife with typos, errors, and artifacts from earlier versions. So much so that SoulMuppet has opened a room on their Discord to try and remedy it. I really hope the fixes they’ve gotten in the Discord are implemented into the print version. If they’re not, that is going to be a great disappointment. All in all this book comes off as an alpha as rusty and unpolished as the aesthetic they’re selling. Once this is remedied in a few weeks then I will revisit my two star rating.

The writing of Orbital Blues comes off as very tell, don’t show. Instead of giving examples of how the “gig economy” or “late stage capitalism” has really affected this setting they’d rather just hit you over the head with those terms again and again. The reason for that is there is no setting here. Instead of fleshing out a universe or building a world based off of all the inspiration Orbital Blues pulls from; what you get is a skeletal framework with an OSR foundation. That in and of itself isn’t bad; but when you were expecting much more, it leaves a lot to be desired.

There is also the fact that this rule book is rife with quotes from movies, television, and music, but absent are any citations or attributions. Now I am not a legal expert and this might be 100% legal. In fact, there is a post on the Discord saying that all of this has been taken care of. But I still feel a bit off seeing all these quotes and blatant references in here without any form of reference back to where they came from.

All in all Orbital Blues is a passable game that can be used to run a great Cowboy Bebop game. The Troubles and Gambits mechanics look to be interesting and at least add something interesting to this book. And the art is really good. But outside of a skeleton for a space western it feels like it really doesn’t have much of its own to say. I do not regret supporting it, but I’d be disingenuous if I didn’t say I expected a bit more.

***Edit Upped to 3 stars: Errata has been added. There are still some typos present but it's at an acceptable level.

I stumbled on Degenesis right before the Rebirth relaunch. I started seeing some art for the book floating around on the internet. This piqued my interest as the art was beyond anything I had ever seen for an RPG at the time (and since). So I mulled it over and one night I went all in and bought it. I have never once regretted that impulse buy.

Degenesis is a tabletop RPG, a living world that has evolved over the last 7 years, and an IP that deserves much more spotlight than it gets. It has some of the most convincing writing, characters, and interesting metaplot that I have ever seen in any media period. Not to mention the fantastic art.

What you get here are the two core books. The first book, Primal Punk, is all lore. It fills you in on the different Cults, Cultures, and a basic history of the world of Degenesis. The second book, Katharsys, contains the rules for playing Degenesis as well as some additional lore. Including the more GM centric stuff for enemies and big reveals. As far as the system it is a fairly simple d6 system. Roll Ability+Skill+Modifier in d6s. Count the 4-6s as success vs a target number. 6s are very good and 1s are very bad. The strength of the system is not in reinventing the wheel per say, but rather in the fact that it is quick and easy to expand as needed. It works well for the narrative driven game Degenesis is. If you are looking for a detailed world to dive into and set your tabletop in then Degenesis is the setting and system for you.

There are additional books out for Degenesis and I highly recommend all of them as they greatly expand on the core game here. There are currently 4 written adventures (In Thy Blood, The Killing Game, Ravens Rising, and Black Atlantic), a rules expansion (Artifacts), and a massive sourcebook (Justitian).

This was the second book that was released as a sort of stand alone thank you for people who bought the limited edition of The Killing Game. This book expands on the Clans living in and around the Rhone Delta. With custom ranks and backgrounds for 4 Clans it is a great expansion for any GM setting his adventures in the South of Franka. I highly recommend it.

Rising Ravens (RR) is a short scenario set after The Killing Game and before Black Atlantic that does a really good job of offering a GM a good way to bridge the gap between the two adventures. It introduces characters that become relevant in Black Atlantic and helps to flesh them out a bit more before they make their appearance. Not only that but it gives GMs wishing to stay in the Rhone Delta a lot to work with. A great little adventure!

Justitian is a behemoth of a source book. There’s no better way to start off a review of this long anticipated monster. Justitian is spread over two massive 300 page books. The first, The Righteous Fist, being centered around the Protectorate, an area in post eschaton Germany that is home to the titular city. This book goes over the region, the cities, the history, and some of the events that have shaped the world of Degenesis since the asteroids impacted earth, and even a bit before that. The secrets and reveals for the metaplot are thick and gratifying. But not only that there is enough here to keep a GM entrenched in the world of Degenesis for years.

The second book, Moloch, contains important NPCs for all 13 of Degenesis Cults. These range from the leaders of influential movers and shakers down to a firefighter. But each of them holds important secrets and plot hooks that entire campaigns could hang from.

To say Justitian is dense is an understatement. There’s a lot here to go over and parce out. The sheer scope of what Justitan can cover is astounding and it ranges from a survival siege game to investigation focused games. From exploration to political intrigue. From survival horror to heists. You name it and it’s here. This is a must buy for any Degenesis GM, especially ones seeking to set their game in the sprawling Protectorate.

Artifacts is at once an expansion to the rules for the Katharsys system and a treasure trove for GMs. While it is easy to see it as an incredibly useful guide for handling situations that were left kind of vague in Katharsys, Artifacts also expands a GMs arsenal of tricks.

Nowhere does this shine more than with the expanded rule set for character creation. These rules allow players to pick up three Legacies that can be super beneficial. But each one also has drawbacks that give a GM a ton of hooks to work with for players. Not only that but Legacies are great tools for quickly piecing together backstories for characters.

In addition to Legacies, you’ll also find expanded rules for survival, combat, health, energy, and even rules for handling the economy for Neolibyan characters. While all of these rules are optional there’s enough here that I think most GMs will find something to use in this book. Not only that, but like all Degenesis titles SIXMOREVODKA did not slouch on the art. For what is essentially a rule book the art is phenomenal.

Troika is an interesting little DLC to help players see some of the new mechanics that were introduced in Artifacts in action. It is not an adventure. Rather it is three pre-generated characters with enough backstory and plot hooks weaved throughout them that a GM can easily create a great adventure using them. Severin, Ramiel, and Dido are a great place for new players and GMs to start.

Where to start with Black Atlantic. As someone who is invested in figuring out the mysteries and metaplot of Degenesis Black Atlantic was and is a gold mine. But for someone who isn’t as interested in that, there is still a ton to get out of the massive adventure. Black Atlantic is the culmination of a trilogy of adventures starting with In Thy Blood and ending with Black Atlantic and it ends with a bang.

Where In Thy Blood was a murder mystery and The Killing Game a tour of war, Black Atlantic gives a more adventure like feel. The players are pulled in all different directions trying all at once to unravel several mysteries. While dodging dangers from all sides. Black Atlantic is my personal favorite out of the three published adventures for Degenesis. It really feels like a culmination of all the lessons learned while writing In Thy Blood and The Killing Game. And as always the art, maps, and characters are all masterfully done. I cannot recommend it enough.

The Killing Game (TKG) drops the players into a brewing conflict just waiting to explode. The African merchant cult of the Neolibyans have had a stranglehold on the Frankan (post eschaton France) artifact trade for too long. And the tech minded cult of the Chroniclers seeks to end this monopoly and instill one of their own. When two opposing ideological monoliths collide, the outcome cannot be peaceful. What follows is a conflict that drags multiple sides into a bloody fray. The players have to be quick or wind up dead. Much like In Thy Blood, TKG serves as not only an adventure but a source book for Southern Franka.

TKG, like all of the Degenesis products, has fantastic art, maps, and characters. I simply cannot stress enough how good those three things are. But with TKG you have the added intricacy of several diametrically opposed groups, each with their own motives and goals, all vying to gain something from Toulon. The way each side is given a spot light, fleshed out, and allowed to be further fleshed out by a GM is fantastic. I cannot wait to run TKG and think it’ll be a great challenge trying to keep everything on track. Something I’m very excited to do. Easily recommended!

In Thy Blood (ITB) at its core is a murder mystery centered around the murder of one of the most influencial figures in game world’s recent history. The Baptist Altair was killed in his seat of power and this event shakes the very foundation of every single Cult. It is a wake up call that the leaders who have shaped the world are not untouchable. It falls to the Player Characters to try and unravel the mystery, solve the murder, and survive a web of secrets and conspiracy. If that doesn’t suit you then you’re also in luck. ITB is not only a really well written murder mystery with believable characters, motives, and threats, but it is also a source book for Northern Purgare, a region of post eschaton Italy. As well as a great template for building your own small settlements throughout the Degenesis world.

So what do I think of ITB? I personally love the book. The art is fantastic, the characters believable, the maps useful and well done, and the way it is written doesn’t pen you in. There is no “if the PC’s do this, then this happens” here. The adventure is written more like a story. With a “cannon” set of events. But it doesn’t need to limit your game. Instead it is a great framework to build upon. And given the characters personality and motives are well laid out there is a lot of room for a GM to stretch their wings. I’m actually finishing up running it now and it has been a great success so far.

I think if a murder mystery set in a lore rich world intrests you you should definitely pick ITB up.