Halcyon is an

indie role-playing game An indie role-playing game is a role-playing game published by individuals or small press publishers, in contrast to games published by large corporations. Indie tabletop role-playing game designers participate in various game distribution netwo ...

, independently published by Neuwerld Studios among two editions. The ''Player Codex'' was released in 2008 in softcover format, replaced in 2010 by the illustrated ''Core Rulebook'' in

hardcover A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as casebound (At p. 247.)) book is one bookbinding, bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other clo ...

format.

Synopsis

The setting of the game is rooted within the fictional metropolitan city of Halcyon, a futuristic city that was constructed on Manhattan island from the ashes of the former

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The storyline exhibits themes that have received prominent attention from contemporary mainstream newscasts including such issues as the polarization of wealth, disappearing middle-class, decline of the Earth's ecosystem, abuses by the executive branch of the

United States Federal Government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...

, manipulation and control of the mass through the use of fear tactics, erosion of the United States economy and employment market, and the perils associated with plutocracy and corporate imperiousness. Gameplay begins in the year 2120, eight years after the Great

Tribulation In Christian eschatology, the Great Tribulation () is a period mentioned by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse as a sign that would occur in the time of the end. At , "the Great Tribulation" () is used to indicate the period spoken of by Jesus. u ...

, and includes the involvement of numerous governmental, militaristic, corporate, organizational, and independent factions as they converge upon the emerging city in struggles over power, money, and ideals.

Genres

The ''Halcyon''

fictional universe A fictional universe, also known as an imagined universe or a constructed universe, is the internally consistent fictional setting used in a narrative or a work of art. This concept is most commonly associated with works of fantasy and scie ...

comprises a fusion of several various genres that are popular among role-playing games. According to the introduction to the core rules handbook, equal attention was given to developing the elements of

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting said to focus on a combination of "low-life and high tech". It features futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyberwa ...

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, ...

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

, and

dystopia A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmen ...

Related fiction

''Money for Nothing'' was released in early fall 2009 at the

Gen Con Gen Con is the largest tabletop game convention in North America by both attendance and number of events. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, live action role-playing ...

convention annually held in Indianapolis. The novel is based in the Halcyon game setting and uses a traditional action storyline from the perspective of mercenaries.

References

Indie role-playing games Science fiction role-playing games Cyberpunk role-playing games Role-playing games introduced in 2008 {{rpg-stub