Review & Commentary On Warpland Rpg by Gavriel Quiroga For Your 2d6 Science Fantasy or Sword & Sorcery Campaigns

 "An original dark sci-fantasy setting by Gavriel Quiroga, creator of the critically acclaimed Neurocity.

Enter the Land of the Warp at your own risk! A dark world where technology and science are anathema and dark magick is just being discovered!"


Warpland's by Gavriel Quiroga kickstarter came & went ages ago. We moved on or so it was my understanding but Warpland get's under your skin. So about a week or so ago the book arrived & I was stunned. The setting & game system are 2d6, now that's where things get interesting because this is a very   Baroque dark fantasy setting. Imagine 2d6  Sword & Sorcery meets high fantasy weirdness in back alley with lots of Heavy Metal European influences. The book itself is sweet! The production values here are extremely high. 

Now Warpland is both setting, role playing game, & rpg system all wrapped up under a weird AD2000 comics style cover. The system allows the players to really cusomize their PC's; "Characters using this system have Agility, Might, Lore, and Wits as Attributes, &  they start at 5 as a default and you can distribute 8 points among them. To perform an action you roll equal to or lower than your Attribute. If you don’t have the appropriate skill you have -2 modifier. Additionally, the Game Master can apply other modifiers ranging from +1 to -3."

But what makes Warpland is the setting of the game! The original gonzo fantasy world that is part science fiction, part science fantasy, & all originality from the twisted mind of its creator. Dan Davenport of The Hard Boiled Gumshoe blog did a Q&A with  Gavriel Quiroga here & they go into the essence of  a small seething part of Warpland here; "

"[23-Feb-21 07:36 PM] Gavriel#9659
"Great question. Well they are both Science Fantasy I believe. But warpland is oriented more towards Sword & Sorcery, there is advanced technology but it is very rare and considered anathema. In both settings there are mutants, but in Warpland you also got demons and warlocks.

[23-Feb-21 07:36 PM] saintnexan#6715
So is there magic in this setting?

[23-Feb-21 07:37 PM] Henry#3418
Is this game its own system or more its own setting?

[23-Feb-21 07:37 PM] Gavriel#9659
There is Dark Magic. Gifts from the Void, the demonic entities from the other side. Its similar to Michael Moorcock in that sense."

Is Warpland really worth the expense of eight dollars for the PDF?! Well in a word, 'Yes'. Because of three factors, One Warpland is thick with solid gonzo Science Fantasy,Swords & Sorcery,  or Science Fiction campaign potential or as the Warpland author describes it, "I guess it is a science fantasy and sword & sorcery mash up. My friends say it is He-Man on a bad acid trip in the middle of Patagonia." There's another excellent interview of Warpland's rpg over at the Red Room.  Two the Warpland is very well developed unto itself as a rpg & setting. Three the 2d6 Sword & Sorcery aspect is strong within Warpland. 

Now this being said, I don't agree with the following; "GQ: The scene here is big, but it is dull and lacks courage. Most are just content with playing official mainstream RPG products. Brazil has the edge. With Diogo Nogueira as the spearhead. There is zero interest for my work in my own country!

RR: For most people the hobby is still Dungeons & Dragons and then all the rest, isn’t it?

GQ: Is it? I don’t know. I feel so alienated from those products that they feel from another dimension. Everyone I know is into the OSR independent scene. I love it."

There's enough room in my mind for both the independant scene & the OSR to co exist. We see more then enough evidence  of a strong OSR scene with the 2d6 Cepheus Engine rpg makers & players on social media. Especially within the Cepheus Engine rpg facebook & Cepheus Engine rpg Me We group.

We've already seen Warpland combined with Barbaric rpg by the Some Might Be Gazbo's blog here. What would we do with Warpland's by Gavriel Quiroga?! There's a ton of potential with Warpland as a Sword & Sorcery campaign setting. What about Warpland  as a 2d6 Science Fantasy campaign setting? What would happen if Warpland was a planetary sector property?! Well as I said in the beginning of this review the setting is in my mind Warpland is a Baroque very dark fantasy. But a very  Baroque Science Fantasy setting has been published for the Cepheus Engine rpg! Zozer Games Godstar is a perfect contrast to the Barorque dark fantasy of Warpland. 

 


 The fiefdom of Aurelia, but it has many enemies & the dark powers,  mutations, etc.  of Warpland are a perfect contrast to the Dune like political powers of the Godstar rpg. There's the fact Warpland is complete & utterly untamed. And it's an incredibly dangerous world setting. And even force fields & swords are not gonna even the playing field. This is a credit to the  Warpland's by Gavriel Quiroga artwork, design, writing, and art. There is a true setting & campaign vision accredited  to  Warpland's by Gavriel Quiroga.