Skies of Belief

KICKSTARTER :

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/beyondcataclysmgames/skies-of-belief-ttrpg

What is Skies of Belief?

An engrossing low fantasy world with subtle supernatural elements.
Explore unique cultures, strange lands and diverse traditions.
Test your character’s beliefs and motivations as much as their skills.
Multiple modes of play, including sandbox, solo and a rich story-campaign for the GM’s eyes only.

The Setting:

Since the ancient sundering of the world, ten divergent human cultures have developed, each moulded by their distinct environments and remnant supernatural talents.

In a world all but devoid of metals, each of these extraordinary civilisations has developed alternative technologies and armaments, like advanced ceramics and glasswork—even solar energy.

Now the Global Republic seeks to end hostilities between nations and unify these disparate peoples in the name of peace, unity and tolerance, employing the player characters as Stewards to advance these high ideals.

With flavourful and concise writing, the setting material is sculpted for easy reference and low-prep discovery at the table.

The System:

Narrative-focussed and rules-light, the A.N.G.E.L.S system is built on a foundation of 2D8 rolls. A single result easily determines the degree of success or failure, whilst doubles deal out unexpected complications and benefits.

The streamlined combat has a true-to-life level of threat that drives rational decision-making without being complex or too simulationist. With a focus on wits and diplomacy over violence, player characters are unlikely to die but permanent wounds and trauma are always possible.

The core book contains everything you need to play, with ten cultures, evocative Player sections and GM-only areas full of secrets and hidden lore. Packed with non-prescriptive ideas to help you run campaigns, fire off one-shots and play the game you want to play.

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More Information

An engrossing low fantasy world with subtle supernatural elements.

In this realistic world, the focus is on human cultures and beliefs. The history-like low fantasy feel encourages a logical and rational playstyle which is easy for beginners to engage with. You won’t encounter a myriad of sentient species like elves, dwarves, orcs and dragons. Nor will you find powerful wizards, world-shattering magic items, or magical monsters like Illithid and beholders.

However, in each nation, a different remnant supernatural talent exists within the people, this faint power has shaped their society and everyday lives. For example, in the Hailing Straits, the people can preternaturally sense the emotions of others, while in the Ravines the people heal at twice the normal rate.

Explore unique cultures, strange lands and diverse traditions.

One of the most interesting elements of history and reading about foreign lands in the real world is the difference in culture and traditions that arise from unique environmental conditions, religious beliefs, resources and technology available. The limitations of foodstuffs and materials will change society. In the Skies of Beleif setting the ten nations have been shaped by their environment as well as their supernatural abilities. For example, in the Hailing Straits where rocks rain down often, homes are sturdy and hospitality is an essential part of their culture. The hail also kills any creature that does not have a shell. Therefore, the fauna possess thick chitin exteriors which are harvested by the people to make the armour they live in every day. Another example is the Mizraim nation which sits within the planet’s equivalent of the Arctic Circle. The months without daylight and months without night, as well as the freezing conditions, have a huge impact on how the people live and what they believe.

Test your character’s beliefs and motivations as much as their skills.

All good stories, at their heart, are human stories. Tales where a character struggles with what they believe, what they value and whom they can trust. Why a character does what they do is central to any good narrative, and a TTRPG is no different. In the A.N.G.E.L.S. system, a character’s beliefs and motivations are foundational and will be challenged throughout the campaign, leading to meaningful character development beyond extra skill points.

Multiple modes of play.

The default game will be a multiplier campaign focusing on the players’ group of Republic Heralds visiting diverse locations and striving to bring peace and order to nuanced situations through diplomacy or more physical means. However, the broad and exciting lands are ripe for other stories and adventures, whether in a gaming group or as a solo journaling exploration supported by multiple tables and separated GM information that can be referenced as and when required.

A huge advantage of this original game is that it is not built on an existing novel series, game world or other IP that the players will already know about out of character. The first section of the setting book will only reveal what is common knowledge to the players, (and they only need to read about their own culture before playing). The GM-only section is separate and will give more in-depth information about the various locations, religions, and events that are not common knowledge for players to discover both IC and OC. Not needing to feign ignorance of OC information means that players can enjoy uncovering new philosophies, secrets and conspiracies in real-time.

A great example of this would be if a character was a representative of a certain religion, the GM can give that player the extra information in the GM section about the topic and then in uptime, the other characters would have to ask them IC about what they believe, how the religion works etc, allowing players to become engrossed in a meaningful IC conversation.

Kickstarter in 2025

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