The world of Assassin’s Creed© is making a thrilling leap from the console to the tabletop. The game’s publisher, CMON, has just unveiled the details of the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Roleplaying Game, set to be available for pre-order on September 5th.
For those unfamiliar with the setting, the Assassin’s Creed universe centers around the ancient struggle between the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templar Order. The Templars seek to control humanity through order and discipline, while the Brotherhood fights for the free will of people. A key to their battle is the Animus, technology that allows the exploration of human DNA-encoded memories, which the Brotherhood uses to locate the Pieces of Eden, ancient and powerful artifacts.
This new tabletop RPG aims to faithfully translate the complex lore and characters from different locations and timeframes into a playable game. The developers, Max Castellani and Andrea Macchi, under the guidance of Head of RPGs Francesco Nepitello, have created a custom system named the Match System. The system uses 2 sets of 6 custom dice, and there’s even a digital dice roller on the official and free Assassin’s Creed RPG App.
The Match System is designed for fast-paced, fiction-first gameplay, with characters selecting how they approach situations in one of four areas of competence: Action, Stealth, Wits, and Social. Success in a task is determined by rolling a number equal to or higher than the corresponding competence on the character’s sheet, and players can utilize signature traits, gear, or quotes to gain extra dice.
One of the unique features of the game is the modern-day character that players assume, who is the last Descendant of a lineage tied to the Assassin Brotherhood. When entering the Animus, players participate in a Simulation, a virtual reality world that reconstructs significant events in the Brotherhood’s history. Within the Simulation, players assume the roles of key Witnesses or Ancestors, potentially even iconic assassins from the video game series. Abilities will shift to match those of the character they are synchronizing with, providing an ever-changing gaming experience.
A critical aspect of the game will be the infinite canvas of history that the Reader (Game Master) can use to carry characters across time and space, maintaining a unified, epic narrative. Simple game mechanics combined with the innovative Match System promises to encourage creativity and an immersive storytelling experience.
For fans of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, this RPG is poised to be an exciting new way to engage with the series’ deep lore and dynamic characters. Sign-ups for notification at launch are available on the official CMON website.