Vermissian Black Ops cover

VERMISSIAN BLACK OPS PREVIEW

Posted on March 10, 2020 in News, Project Updates

Weโ€™re doing previews of all of the sourcebooks that are launching along side the core rules for Heart. This week, weโ€™re focusing on VERMISSIAN BLACK OPS.

The Vermissian is a centuries-old cursed mass transit network that pierced the Heart Itself and, as a result, got jam-packed with the sort of predatory twisting unreality that really makes it hard to catch the train to work. Walled over and long-abandoned, the Vermissian is now home to no end of dissolute weirdos, illegal wizards and mad scholars – and, as it happens, highly-trained squads of operatives in the service of The Ministry of Our Hidden Mistress, a secret paramilitary cult who have sworn to break the aelfir rule of Spire through misdirection, subterfuge and assassination.

You can find details on infamous Vermissian stations throughout the book

In Vermissian Black Ops, you’ll play those operatives. We’re using Heart rules to power the game (even though you’re playing Ministry operatives) because they’re focused around combat and exploration rather than revolution, social maneuvering and audacious gambits.

WHAT’S IN THE BOOK?

ALTERNATIVE RULES for running Ministry spec ops games, including streamlined healing and advancement mechanics and a bunch of new fallout results intended to represent paramilitary, cult and espionage threats, such as FLANKED, NO EXIT, SHOCK AND AWE, BURNED and SACRIFICE.

The Goddess has some strange desires

Advice on BUILDING OPERATIONS as a group – structuring them around a central core Major objective and supplementing that with Minor objectives.

Some of the suggested operations from the book

A guide to each of the FIVE LINES OF THE VERMISSIAN: the ramshackle Candle Line that runs the length of the city from top to bottom, the submerged Fathom line which served the lower city, the twisting and unpredictable Spiral line in the middle city;
the aelfir-only Loft line on top of Spire, and the nightmarish Pulse line that connects the network to the Heart Itself.

Features which might help or hinder Black Ops teams are detailed in each section

Stats and motivations for the different FACTIONS at work with and against you: the Ministry of Our Hidden Mistress, the sanctified Paladins of the Autumn Church, the mysterious Vermissian Collective, the Spiral Council, and the, uh, Gutterkin, who are also there:

They’re doing their best

If youโ€™re interested in learning more about Heart, you can check out our (finished)ย Kickstarter hereย or pre-order a copy from ourย Backerkit storeย here.

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