Gen Con Continued: Equat10n; A Game Called Ustio

       Only one more day on the pics, I promise.  Technology is a two-edged sword, and I'm rolling 1s.

Equat10n:

        There's been a lot said about Hybrid Matrix Games and their subscription sci-fi RPG, Equat1on.  A lot of folks seem more curious than anything, and with that in mind, I had a long, pleasant chat with the folks at the Hybrid Matrix booth and picked up a copy of the main Equat10n rules and a 60-day subscription.  There's also a lengthy interview forthcoming, as soon as I finish transcribing it from the tape and making sure everyone's checked off on it.  But for now?  Equat10n seems to be a very hard-hitting sci-fi dice pool game, suitable for tabletops and LARPs, with well thought-out damage, armor, and character mechanics.  I'm working through the constructs part now--pretty much any item in this game can be built using the attribute framework they give you.  Heroesque in that regard, but not difficult at all.

        Bottom line for now--both in person and online, Hybrid Matrix has sold me that they are deadly serious not only about providing a solid game and great accessory support, but that they're also concerned their customers are taken care of.  A few bugs saw their initial production schedule thrown off, and they've made arrangements to give their subscribers from that period more time.  It's new, it's exciting, probably a little scary to subscriber and provider alike, but I truly think there's something to this.  You'll be seeing many more interviews, reviews, and news regarding Equat10n right here.

Full Void Studios:

        Many folks at Gen Con this year found stickers thrust into their hands that depicted a d20 with a circle and red line crossing it out.  These were to promote Ustio.  I ran into the gents from Full Void Studios, and what an enthusiastic bunch they turned out to be.  (Actually, as I write this, I see that I have a comment from them on-site).  Sadly, I didn't get into a demo of their new game Ustio: the Rebirth, but I was able to get plenty of information from the designers, and the game definitely bears watching.  As they describe it on their site, Ustio is a "Neo-fantasy, non-Tolkien role-playing game."  The creatures and races they've created are deliberately like nothing out there.  The resolution system uses 2d10 (hence the slashing the ol' d20), and the designers told me they like to have a very fluid resolution system that ensures no matter how powerful a character is, they can still have some equal competition.

        These guys were a blast to talk to, and I hope to hear from them again soon.  This looks like a product that would be a lot of fun to play and review.  So hold on to that Ustio sticker, and keep checking back at Full Void.

       (A little advice for vendors and game companies for Gen Con:  some of you could take a page from Ustio--while you may feel many games "sell themselves", just as many quality games do not.  A friendly associate and an enthusiastic attitude can make all the difference in getting a potential buyer's interest.  Heck, these guys didn't even have an official booth, and still did a better job than many much larger companies).

Comments

[Scott]

Awwww... we did get some love. :D

Thanks for the kind words and for putting a lot into your post-GenCon reviews and write-ups. Looking forward to seeing you again down the road (next time we'll drag you into a session).

- The Guys at Full Void Studios

[Dautrieve]

Yeah, speakin' as a d20 fiend, these guys were still freakin' amazing and damn near omnipresent. My friend Chris sat in on one of their afternoon sessions and said it eas unlike anything else he'd seen.

I'm still a Realms toadies, but I'm def getting this when it comes out.