Epyllion: A Dragon Epic

[Zavvnao]

I have recently gotten the rulebook and a few others works for Epyllion. I want to know if anyone else here is familiar with this game and how it is or was for them. And I also want to know if anyone is intersted in playing, as the player books are available for free by the company online (as opposed to the bigger rulebook for the dm). The main page for it also has a lot of starting info I have the updated ones in the rulebook I had bought that came both phsysically and in pdf format. I could set up a thread here, or a game on discord if not.

It is very freeform, and uses the Powered by the Apocalypse system, meaning it can be changed up however the group needs to. The PBTA system is based more on both generic and signature moves for the different roles and input from the players and dm and not a preset world like dnd.

Epyllion

Basically, you make a drake, a young dragon, using one of the two-page playerbooks for one of 12 different roles (6 in the base game), choose what House your dragon is a member of, and introduce yourself to the others, saying who you are and your relation to your clutchmates, which is the other players.

You all start off as drakes, in a world made for older dragons, being told what to do, and growing into the world with age. It is more light-hearted in tone, with noticably dark things if people want things to get like that or just from background stuff, but it does not have to be, as this is very much group choice here.

It is on the Continent of Dragonia, which for now is at peace, but was once under attack from the Darkness, which is like a tremendously less deadly, but could still be, version of Chaos, corrupting dragons and trapping them in their fears, pain, and anger. It corrupted the land, plants, animals. It tainted places and objects. However, it was beaten back in the end, and while there is always going to be darkness in the hearts of dragons, there is also the capability for good and healing, that if one of the players or npcs falls to the darkness, then their clutchmates can pull them out of it.
However much they may disagree or fight like any other family, your clutch is there for you, and you them, in a wonderful world that is made for bigger dragons and full of dangerous creatures.

 

[Zavvnao]

The Setting:

Dragonia:

It is a continent that still has a lot of mysteries on a planet that not much else is known about.
It is large, and been inhabited by dragons for many countless years, but is still has a lot to be discovered.
It is almost impossible to leave as large, dragon-eating krakens live in the sea around it, and prevent anyone
they see from leaving Dragonia.

There is a continent map, but it is left blank for the players and the dm for everyone to fill in locations as
the game is played. Like the dm may fill in a plot location, or a player's character may know o a place or had
been somewhere/heard of the location.

Creatures:

The creatures tend to be as varied in appearance as dragons themselves, if not more so,
often appearing as hybrids of two or more species of those you'd see on earth, including
hybridized mythical creatures.
They may or may not be magical all the time, but it is not what you'd expect on earth,
and even the dragons don't know everything with how deep and large the biomes are.

The animals that are just one species tend to be oversized or menacing, and are usually
considered monsters. They stick out in a bad way compared to most life there, like a spider
that is just purely a spider may be gigantic and very intelligent, possibly affected by the Darkness.
That is not to say it is all true and there could be some prejudice here by dragons and native wildlife
(as even the "normal" flora/fauna/what-is-that beings feel something is off).

Again, a lot of these creatures are left vague for group world-building.

The Capitol:

Wherever it is written as being, however it is described,
the capitol is the heart of dragon history, culture, and organization
on dragonia.

It is built, like most places, for gigantic, older dragons. Young drakes like
players at the start will often have to jump, climb, and fly about to get onto seats, tables, and so on,
as Dragonia is a place of seniority and tradition.

Many dragons have been here at least a few times in their life, often more regularly.
The council meets here, and oftentimes, task are left to drakes and other young dragons,
as even though older dragons are very specialized, drakes are considered the jake-of-all-trades
that can do anything an everything.

It is a maze of towers, streets, and buildings, made for creatures that fly and live for centuries, if not longer.
Above in the air, at the ground, and probably below as well, there is more to do in a lifetime even for one long-lived dragon.

The Great Houses:

When dragons are hatched, the plant-like Guardians that raise them somehow know, through knowledge or prophecy, which of the six Great Houses
that the young one will belong to.

The Houses are Institutions philosophies, and ways of life, each owning strongholds and managing the land in different ways.
each is dedication to the betterment of Dragonia in a unique way, oftentimes disagreeing, but still committed to Dragonkin and
Dragonia.

They might change over a long period of time, but for the most part, they are the beating heart of Dragonia, full of history and traditions,
and even young, rebellious drakes going against their House and Elders take their responsibility and traditions seriously.

Clutchmates are often from different houses. Not always, and there may be dissagreements, but the clutch stays together most of the time.

From the game's page online, an image describing the six houses in spoiler format.

Spoiler

​

 

[Zavvnao]

I edited the info I put earlier. Is anyanything else I should add?

Maybe someone else should have posted this info here, but I think the game deserves be given more exposure.

 

[Matsci]

It's an older PbtA game, a suffers for that.

A lot of refinement over how you need to mold the moves and such to fit your game has been developed since it was released.

I played in a short game of it, and it did suffer from X does this better syndrome.

 

[Zavvnao]

A lot of refinement over how you need to mold the moves and such to fit your game has been developed since it was released.

Click to shrink...

Thank you. you mean moves in other games developed better?

 

[Matsci]

Thank you. you mean moves in other games developed better?

Click to shrink...

Yeah. For example, the despite being a game where friendship is magic, the aid another move is exactly the same as apoc world, a game about infighting and drama over scarcity.

Epyllion Help or Hinder move

When you help or hinder a clutchmate after they have rolled, roll +Friendship Gems (max +3).
On a hit, you add +1 or -2 to their roll.
On a 7-9, you expose yourself to cost, complication, or harm.

Click to shrink...

Apocalypse World 1e Help or Hinder move

When you help or interfere with someone who's making a roll, roll+History.
On a hit, they take +1 (help) or -2 (interfere) now.
On a 7–9, you also expose yourself to fire, danger, retribution or cost.

Click to shrink...

Mechanically, you will rarely be a position to really help or hinder someone.

In Apocalypse world, that's a goal. The drama from seeing someone on the tipping point, and taking a risk to push them one way or another. It also helps keep down the usage of the move,as player will be frequently working at cross purposes. Even the fact that hurting is stronger than helping is pulled from the intent of the setting

In Epyllion , it doesn't work as well, because the base assumptions about the setting are all wrong.

 

[Zavvnao]

Yeah. For example, the despite being a game where friendship is magic, the aid another move is exactly the same as apoc world, a game about infighting and drama over scarcity.

Epyllion Help or Hinder move


Apocalypse World 1e Help or Hinder move


Mechanically, you will rarely be a position to really help or hinder someone.

In Apocalypse world, that's a goal. The drama from seeing someone on the tipping point, and taking a risk to push them one way or another. It also helps keep down the usage of the move,as player will be frequently working at cross purposes. Even the fact that hurting is stronger than helping is pulled from the intent of the setting

In Epyllion , it doesn't work as well, because the base assumptions about the setting are all wrong.

Click to shrink...

I had not thought about that as I had not played Apocalypse World. Though I did not know tbeu copy-pasted moves like that into Epyllion.

(no need to read this unless you want to)
But the session I am in had picked up and is fun for me actually;

The clutch is very, very new, with me as a trickster of House Tessith teamed up with a Seer, Crafter, and Daredevil. We where sent out on our first tasl by an Elder dragon to assist a researcher in some ruins.

A string of stressful things lead some stuff I never thought would happen.

our seer to have a vision of someone dying, and was scared and traumatized right after this, I think.

This is because our daredevil, who was hungry and exhausted after we all nearly died in game to a pack of monstrous wolves (and there could of been two deaths if I had not done moon magic) and lost half our food the night before, was pissed enough to grab the seer by the neck and throw them right when I tried to calm the scared dragon down.

It is a very new clutch compared to how is set upin the base game, so no one knew each other that well yet. But still, even a playful and carefree dragon like my trickster is from Tessith, the house all about teamwork and friendship, was very upset at this, and would of taken action if the two did not fly in different directions, the two thinking the other one serves the Darkness

Me and the crafter split up, and went after them, with me going after the Seer.
It turned out that the vision was of me being killed by a giant snake, and it almost did grab me before I flew off with the seer back to the othrs.

A lot more has happened, but it is pickimg up well.

 

[Mosshadow95]

Recently I came across this game and read through the rulebook. I'm not familiar with the Apocalypse ruleset but I was more interested in getting a general idea for creating a game about playing dragons because I wanted to make a quest.

I have some pretty strong issues with the game's setting, there isn't anything for your characters to do. There is dragons who rule, a vague amount of Avatar-esque dangerous animals and the Shadow. There is no tension for your characters.

I've heard it described as being like My Little Pony, but that undersells MLP which had other nations, that could invade or do invade during the course of an episode. There's other intelligent races that ponies will probably be racist too. There is a variety of dangerous magical artifacts to screw other ponies over with and quite a few assholes and megalomaniacs to cause disasters ranging from the township level to national emergency level.

If you compare it to Spyro's PS2 era games, despite being very threadbare on the plot and generic fantasy you still had a focal point in each game for a villain. You had Cynder, then the ape guy then Malefor so there is a focus for the generic evilness.

In Epyllion the Shadow doesn't have any information about it other than how it can affect your character. A long time ago there were dragons who turned evil thanks to it, but they are all gone now and there is no description of them. There are no other intelligence creature that could be a threat to you or other factions of dragons.

Also I find that the whole Dre- replacement of pronoun words is just annoying.

 

[Zavvnao]

Recently I came across this game and read through the rulebook. I'm not familiar with the Apocalypse ruleset but I was more interested in getting a general idea for creating a game about playing dragons because I wanted to make a quest.

I have some pretty strong issues with the game's setting, there isn't anything for your characters to do. There is dragons who rule, a vague amount of Avatar-esque dangerous animals and the Shadow. There is no tension for your characters.

I've heard it described as being like My Little Pony, but that undersells MLP which had other nations, that could invade or do invade during the course of an episode. There's other intelligent races that ponies will probably be racist too. There is a variety of dangerous magical artifacts to screw other ponies over with and quite a few assholes and megalomaniacs to cause disasters ranging from the township level to national emergency level.

If you compare it to Spyro's PS2 era games, despite being very threadbare on the plot and generic fantasy you still had a focal point in each game for a villain. You had Cynder, then the ape guy then Malefor so there is a focus for the generic evilness.

In Epyllion the Shadow doesn't have any information about it other than how it can affect your character. A long time ago there were dragons who turned evil thanks to it, but they are all gone now and there is no description of them. There are no other intelligence creature that could be a threat to you or other factions of dragons.

Also I find that the whole Dre- replacement of pronoun words is just annoying.

Click to shrink...

There was a prototype with male and female dragons.

There was even a prototype with hp and armor.

It feels like they rushed this and dulled it down for a faster release.

It ks dissapointing, as there is potential they never used.