Jovian Chronicles Rulebook

The Setting

The year is 2210. Mankind has been expanding into space since the beginning of the twenty-first century, establishing outposts in the solar system for resources and living space. Lagrange points are orbited by countless stations, factories and cylinder colonies, nearby planets have been explored and settled, and the terraformation of Venus and Mars has begun.

More than a hundred years ago, after centuries of environmental and social hardship, the global economy of Earth collapsed. Although it did not happen overnight, it did leave the planet in a state of turmoil and unable to properly care for its off-world colonies. They became independent, absorbing a steady flow of refugees from conflict-torn Earth and surviving as best they could. Through the twenty-second century, the former colonies became the settlements -- or countries -- of the solar system. The deceased United Nations reorganized under the name of United Solar Nations (USN) and was reinstated to serve as a neutral meeting ground for the governments of the various planets.

The resolution of the troubles on Earth in the late years of the century signaled the end of a dark period for all of humankind. The mother planet had risen from the ashes and, under the leadership of the Central Earth Government & Administration (CEGA), rebuilt itself into a political and military power. Regular contact between settlements slowly resumed as the twenty-second century drew to a close. It was thought to be the beginning of a new age of peace and prosperity -- but the events of the early months of 2210 would shatter that illusion.

The Odyssey

In the early 2200s, Terran scientist Doctor Agram Peyarje developed a "cyberlinkage" system for advanced control of machinery and vehicles. CEGA agents quickly realized that it could be used for military purposes and conscripted him. Fearful of CEGA's imperialistic plans, the scientist contacted Jovian operatives and requested political asylum. The Jovian Confederation's attempts to get Peyarje to their friendly shores launched a fantastic series of events that have come to be known as The Odyssey.

A small team of inexperienced Jovian Armed Forces pilots was sent to Venus, where the scientist was attending a seminar. They succeeded in helping Dr. Peyarje escape, but were discovered and pursued across the solar system by forces that were later revealed to be sponsored by both CEGA and Venusian interests. The fleeing group was helped first by Lunar-based rebels and later, by Martian sympathizers. The Earth forces proved tenacious, however, and tried to stop them regardless of the cost. The Martian orbital elevator prototype and Copernicus Dome on the Moon were both destroyed in the ensuing confusion, at the cost of many lives.

By the time the group reached Jovian territory, an entire battle fleet was at their heels, and a plot to destroy Elysée, the capital-station of the Jovian Confederation, was revealed. After what would later become known as the Battle of Elysée, the station was saved, an entire CEGA battle fleet was destroyed and one of the JAF's commanding officers, the very man who directed the Peyarje mission, was arrested as a traitor.

Months after the battle, the tension is building up between Earth and most of the settlements. CEGA officially declared its fleet to have temporarily gone rogue during the Odyssey and instigated a witch hunt to find the people responsible for the whole affair. For the first time in two hundred years, space is being militarized. You will now enter this world on the brink of war. Can you prevent the conflict? Or will you cause it?

Mood Of The Game

The twenty-third century is a time filled with excitement and promise as well as deadly phenomena. While humor certainly has its place, games taking place in the Jovian universe should be run with a serious outlook. Players must be aware that the consequences of a false move can very well be fatal to their character. Japanese animation (or "anime"), on which the Jovian Chronicles are partially inspired, is often based on four main elements: War, Death, Love, and Music. Your campaign may already contain the first three: just add a well-chosen soundtrack.

Readers must be aware that certain artistic liberties have been taken with history and science as we know them today. Although the Silhouette game engine is fairly realistic, the players will generally not have to deal with the "mundane" aspects of space life (fuel, oxygen, high radiation, orbits, etc.). These elements will come into play only if they move the plot along -- otherwise, they drag down the game and transform a cinematic, high-action adventure into an evening of dice-rolling, calculations and paperwork (see Campaign Styles, page 223, for a more thorough discussion on this).

Gaming in the Jovian Chronicles

This book includes introductory information on the Jovian Chronicles universe and the rules needed to play the game either as a roleplaying game, a tactical combat game, or a combination of the two. The layout of this manual was purposely made clear and simple for ease of reference during play, with reference icons and a detailed index.

Chapter 2: World Cyclopedia introduces the Chronicles' universe with a tour of the Solar System in the year 2210, while the third chapter describes six powerful organizations. The fourth chapter, Silhouette Basics, explains the game's basic mechanics and concepts. Character Design then describes the character generation process and the basic items and weapons that can be used by the characters during their adventures. It is immediately followed by Character Action, where all rules regarding roleplaying characters in the Jovian Chronicles universe can be found.

The Mechanical Action chapter explains the tactical rules for space, air and ground combat. Mechanical Catalog then examines the high technology of the twenty-third century, and also contains game statistics for many exo-armors, fighters and space ships. Gamemaster Resources contains ideas and tips to help you launch a Jovian Chronicles campaign right out of the book. The manual is rounded out by a ready-to-play campaign set on the mighty JSS Valiant strike carrier.

The Silhouette(tm) Game System

Why the name "Silhouette?" Because it evokes many things that we hoped to build into the rules. A silhouette is simple; so is the game system. A silhouette marks the outlines of an object; the rules outline the game, helping to give form and definition to all situations. A silhouette is a shadow as the game system should be, to the point where players are not aware of it anymore. A silhouette is flexible and can change shape; so can the rules.

All rule systems have to make a trade-off between extreme realism and playability Silhouette is in the middle ground -- it is based on true facts that were then simplified to the point where the game was fast-moving and fun to play. The system uses the traditional six-sided die to add a random element. The numbers and modifiers are small and easy to remember, and there are just enough of them to realistically represent any given situation.

General Tips And Suggestions

This book includes a complete gaming universe, a sample adventure/campaign (at the end of this book) and a host of pre-generated archetypes. It is not necessary to play the adventure or use the characters -- they are included as part of the background material -- but they ease the burden of pre-game preparations for the novice group and allow you to start playing right away. The Gamemaster's Resources chapter that starts on page 219 will prove useful to anyone running a Jovian Chronicles campaign, and is recommended reading.

Before starting an epic Jovian Chronicles saga, each player should familiarize himself with the Chronicles' background. The description in The Setting section on the previous page can be used, but feel free to use your own. Once play has begun, a short recap of the previous game session (or "episode") will suffice.

As stated before, the mood of the Jovian Chronicles leans toward the serious. Much like in the movies (and real life), people are going to get hurt and/or killed. Although supporting characters will often be the ones to buy the farm, a player's character will sometimes do something that will result in his death. If it fits into the story, it happens, but a character should never die because of poor dice-rolling. This is a cinematic roleplaying game, not a roll-playing game! The GM should certainly feel free to "fudge" the dice in critical situations.

Music will enhance your playing experience. An opening theme song is almost mandatory: we stronly recommend Force Ten from the popular Canadian rock group Rush, but you can use any song that is dynamic and fast-paced. The Top Gun soundtrack, another classic of the genre, comes to mind. In typical Japanimation fashion, the closing theme should be any moody and sentimental song: choose one that you like. Various fast-paced instrumental soundtracks can be used during play, especially during the fight scenes; the choice of music is of course left to the taste of the playing group. Sound effects can add great flavor too, if correctly done, although they should never slow down the pace of the game. Aside from this, low lighting is recommended as it reduces chatter among players and provides a great atmosphere.