RPG Spotlight - Hellas: Worlds of Sun and Stone

One of the RPGs I picked up at GameStorm 11 was a really cool game called Hellas: Worlds of Sun and Stone. Quite simply, this is Greek Myth in a sci-fi setting. The setting is pure Space Opera but with a mythological bent. But the game is much more complex than that.

At the core of this game is a very workable, functional system that allows for quick and simple action resolution. All tasks are based on trying to his a target number of 11 for a success. To do this you simply add Ability + Skill + Modifiers and roll a D20 to see if you hit that target number. The result of your roll determines the degree of success or failure, allowing for marginal successes, failures and critical results at either end of the spectrum.

Characters are generated through a life path system that allows for you to work out background and skills all at once. The cool thing about the life path system is that it really enriches the character generation and can create some truly interesting character ideas.

Races in Hellas are numerous and mimic the people and species of myth and history but in creative and imaginative ways. For example, the Myrmidons are not simply another race of man with a mythological origin as uplifted insects, they ARE uplifted insects. Centaurs are represented by the Zintar, who are an invertebrate race of cephalopods who interact with Hellan society through mechanical suits - their battlesuits are centauroid constructs. There are many more races in the main book, each one being an interesting take on some mythological race or creature.

One of the interesting points about characters in Hellas is that a player is not going to play just a single character in the course of a campaign. Hellas is designed to tell the tales of the epic journeys through the heroes' lineages. So, you will create your basic character and then you will create his descendants later in play. The success of one character, reflects in the next as you build on the glory of your previous characters until you are a true hero and leave the universe to reside with the gods.

The setting is what really make Hellas a cool game. The mythic Greek angle is reflected in every aspect of the universe. Everything is derived from something in classical Greek culture, history, literature, etc. Even the area of space is intentionally designed to look like the Greek world. On the map, you can see Troy is where it should be in relation to the other Greek cities. The universe is rich and full of interesting places and denizens. There is a full background for the universe which lays out the history and many mysteries which will be invoked during game play.

I am looking forward to running a Hellas campaign very much. The ability to combine science fiction and a classical Greek myth setting together is just too inviting. If you are looking for something different and new, I strongly suggest Hellas from Khepera Publishing.

If anyone picks this up or is playing it already, I'd love to hear your thoughts, so don't be shy.

Thanks,

-Eli