Castle Falkenstein (role-playing Game)
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''Castle Falkenstein'' is a
steampunk Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and Applied arts, aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century Industrial Revolution, industrial steam engine, steam-powered machinery. Steampun ...
-themed
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...
(RPG) designed by
Mike Pondsmith Michael Alyn Pondsmith is an American Role-playing game, roleplaying, Board game, board, and video game designer. He founded the publisher R. Talsorian Games in 1982, where he developed a majority of the company's role-playing game lines. Pondsm ...
and originally published by
R. Talsorian Games R. Talsorian Games (RTG) is a designer and publisher of role-playing game books and accessories. Originally based in Berkeley, California, the company was moved to Renton, Washington, in 1997. Their titles include the ''Cyberpunk'' series and sev ...
in 1994. The game is named for a legendary unbuilt castle in the
Bavarian Alps The Bavarian Alps (, ) is a collective name for several mountain ranges of the Northern Limestone Alps within the German state of Bavaria. Geography The term in its wider sense refers to that part of the Eastern Alps that lies on Bavarian state ...
. Players play the roles of gallant adventurers who take on quests of intrigue and derring-do in the spirit of Victorian adventures such as ''
The Prisoner of Zenda ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' is an 1894 adventure novel by Anthony Hope, in which the King of Ruritania is drugged on the eve of his coronation and thus is unable to attend the ceremony. Political forces within the realm are such that, in o ...
''.


Setting

The game is set on an alternate earth, in the
steampunk Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and Applied arts, aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century Industrial Revolution, industrial steam engine, steam-powered machinery. Steampun ...
era of Victorian "New Europa" circa 1870. In addition to humans, New Europa is populated by creatures from fantasy such as dragons and faeries. Fictional characters such as
Van Helsing Professor Abraham Van Helsing () is a fictional character from the 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula'' written by Bram Stoker. Van Helsing is a Dutch polymath doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the P ...
can also be encountered.


Original edition

The game was designed by Mike Pondsmith and published in 1994 by R. Talsorian Games as a 224-page softcover book. Cover art was by William Eaken and Mark Schumann.


System

The game does not use statistics or dice to define a character. Instead, players must choose a general template of a hero (Heroic, Tragic, Flawed, Innocent, Clever, or Fallen). The player then chooses an archetypal career from a long list including Anarchist, Diplomat, Dashing Hussar, Mad Scientist, and Steam Engineer. Each archetype comes with a set of possessions and a few "Strong Suits" (aptitudes) and Skills. The player then starts a character diary to record the details of adventures, beginning with the character’s background and present situation. Players can also choose to play non-human characters such as dragons, faeries and dwarves, but reviewer Rick Swan noted that "they come with so much baggage, they're barely worth the effort." Skill resolution is done with an ordinary deck of
playing cards A playing card is a piece of specially prepared card stock, heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic that is marked with distinguishing motifs. Often the front (face) and back of each card has a Pap ...
rather than dice. At the start of the game, each participant, including the referee, is dealt four cards. When a player wants to test a skill, the referee rates the difficulty of the task from 2 to 12. If the character's skill level is higher than the difficulty, the character succeeds. Players can boost a skill level by playing cards from their hands, adding the value of any cards played to the skill level. Likewise, the referee can also increase the difficulty rating by playing their own cards. Combat operates using the same system. Spellcasters use a second deck of cards. When the spellcaster wishes to cast a spell, the player must draw cards from the deck, one card per two minutes of game time, until the sum of the cards equals or exceeds the power of the spell. Even then, success is not guaranteed, and a spell can backfire with disastrous consequences.


Other editions

In 2000,
Steve Jackson Games Steve Jackson Games (SJGames) is a game company, founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games, and (until 2019) the gaming magazine ''Pyramid''. History Founded in 1980, six years after the cr ...
published ''GURPS Castle Falkenstein'' under license using the
GURPS The ''Generic Universal Role Playing System'', or ''GURPS'', is a tabletop role-playing game system published by Steve Jackson Games. The system is designed to run any genre using the same core mechanics. The core rules were first written by St ...
rule system. In 2016, Fat Goblin Games signed a deal with
R. Talsorian Games R. Talsorian Games (RTG) is a designer and publisher of role-playing game books and accessories. Originally based in Berkeley, California, the company was moved to Renton, Washington, in 1997. Their titles include the ''Cyberpunk'' series and sev ...
to produce new supplements for ''Castle Falkenstein'' using the original rules system. The first of these supplements, ''Curious Creatures'', appeared in 2016, and additional supplements were subsequently published.


Reception

In the December 1994 edition of ''
Pyramid A pyramid () is a structure whose visible surfaces are triangular in broad outline and converge toward the top, making the appearance roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be of any polygon shape, such as trian ...
'',
Scott Haring Scott D. Haring is an American game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games. Career Scott Haring began working in the adventure gaming industry in 1982. Haring had a long career with Steve Jackson Games, having worked at the compa ...
admired the tenor of the game, saying, "This is not a game of sullen anti-heroes, angst and moral dilemmas; this is a grand game of world-spanning plots, pure heroes and diabolical villains. esigner MikePondsmith has done a great job of setting the stage for grand dramatic battles between good and evil without once letting it descend into melodrama or parody. This is a game that believes in itself and its premise 100%, but without drowning in pretentiousness or self-importance." Haring concluded, "Castle Falkenstein is a breath of fresh air in roleplaying, a game where real heroes matter and don’t have to apologize. The book is physically gorgeous, the game mechanics fit the tone of the game world like a glove, the writing is wonderful, and the game world is enchanting." In the November–December 1994 edition of ''
Shadis ''Shadis'' is an independent gaming magazine that was published in 1990–1998 by Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG). It initially focused on role-playing games. Publication history Shadis was conceived and started by Jolly Blackburn as an inde ...
'' (Issue 16), Ken Cox called this "what has to be one of the most exciting games in the industry." Cox complimented the presentation, commenting, "With its incredible artwork and layout the book fairly transports you into the realms of the world, while not taking away from the exchange of information." He concluded with a strong recommendation, saying, "A sure-fire system with a fantastic world of adventure: isn't that just what we all have been looking for?" Rich Warren reviewed ''Castle Falkenstein'' in ''
White Wolf Inphobia ''White Wolf'' was a game magazine, published by White Wolf Publishing from 1986 to 1995. History While still in high school, Stewart Wieck and Steve Wieck decided to self-publish their own magazine, and Steve chose the name "White Wolf" after ...
'' #51 (Jan., 1995), rating it a 4 out of 5 and stated that "Perhaps it's personal preference, but this stereotyping is the only aspect of the game that I actively dislike. Admittedly, it's a problem that can be overcome. Given the game's several good point, I give it four stars." In the February 1995 edition of ''
Dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...
'' (Issue 214),
Rick Swan Rick Swan is a game designer and author who worked for TSR. His work for TSR, mostly for ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'', appeared from 1989 to 1995. Swan also wrote '' The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games'' (1990), published by St. Martin' ...
was enthusiastic about the game, calling it "an alternative reality that’s one part fact, ten parts fun house... a crazy quilt of steam-age technology and social anarchy." He recommended the game, saying, "This is about as good as it gets." In a 1996 reader poll conducted by the British game magazine ''Arcane'' to determine the 50 most popular role-playing games of all time, ''Castle Falkenstein'' was ranked 45th. Editor Paul Pettengale commented: "''Castle Falkenstein'' is one of those games that people tend to either love or hate. It has a unique atmosphere, combining alternate history, Celtic mythology, steampunk and a somewhat whimsical, fairy-tale feel. Likewise, the rulebook itself is quite different from many, being laid out as a novel, with important information pulled out in sidebars, and the rules coming later. This reflects the main thrust of the system, which is heavily geared towards roleplaying and storytelling over game mechanics and numbers, and drops dice in favour of a couple of packs of playing cards." In his 2023 book ''Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground'', RPG historian Stu Horvath noted, "Here be dragons, high adventure, and clear lines between good and evil. In he 1990s,a grim and gritty decade of moral dilemmas ... ''Falkenstein'' is a startling (and perhaps lone) splash of bright, uncomplicated color." Horvath concluded, "The relatively simple card-based system allows the game to focus on its world and its narrative themes, which ... wind up being some of the few bright and sunny patches in a gritty decade of overcast skies and steady drizzles."


Awards

*''Best Roleplaying Rules of 1994''
Origins Award The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the gaming industry. They are presented by the Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for games released in the preceding year. For example, t ...
, ''Castle Falkenstein'',
R. Talsorian Games R. Talsorian Games (RTG) is a designer and publisher of role-playing game books and accessories. Originally based in Berkeley, California, the company was moved to Renton, Washington, in 1997. Their titles include the ''Cyberpunk'' series and sev ...
, ''
Mike Pondsmith Michael Alyn Pondsmith is an American Role-playing game, roleplaying, Board game, board, and video game designer. He founded the publisher R. Talsorian Games in 1982, where he developed a majority of the company's role-playing game lines. Pondsm ...
'' *''Best Role-Playing Product of 1995'' Nigel D. Findley Memorial Award, ''Castle Falkenstein''


References


External links


''Castle Falkenstein''
at the R. Talsorian Blog
''Castle Falkenstein''
at the Fat Goblin Games website.

NEW official web site (now offline; link points to archive.org copy)
''Castle Falkenstein''
OLD official web site (now offline; link points to archive.org copy) {{Authority control Fantasy role-playing games Mike Pondsmith games Origins Award winners R. Talsorian Games games Role-playing games introduced in 1994 Steampunk role-playing games Steve Jackson Games games Role-playing game systems Science fantasy role-playing games