(RPG PDF Spotlight) Umdaar: Rebel Broadcast Edition

RPG PDF Spotlights is our daily look at a recent release for a new tabletop roleplaying game, supplement or scenario, or solo journaling game, that has caught my eye. This isn’t a review, although I hope we can start offering reviews in addition to our news coverage in the future, more of a “hey guys, check this out!” shoutout.

Umdaar: Rebel Broadcast Edition

Core Rulebook by Evil Hat Productions

Several thousand years ago, a new order arose! The malevolent Masters unearthed ancient technology and strange weapons. Today these despots rule over the Dread Domains! Only the foolish or the brave dare oppose them. Which are you?

Umdaar. Planet of Swords, Super-Science, and Sorcery!

In this standalone game powered by Fate, you play Champions of Umdaar. Join forces to defend the Freelands, break the Masters’ control, and explore the ferocious wonders of the Wildernexus. 

Whether you’re a fan of He-Man, She-Ra, Thundercats, One Piece, or Legend of Korra, you’ll find something to love in this massive game of magic, super-science, and righteous rebellion!

Based on the 2015 Fate World of Adventure by Dave Joria, this new 464-page adaptation greatly expands upon the world, the character options, and the thrilling challenges that lurk under the canopies and crags of Umdaar.

Inside you’ll find:

• Fourteen Archetypes and fifteen Bio-forms. Pick one Archetype and add a Bio-form to customize your Champion’s strengths and powers. Play a Mutabeast Warrior, Necroid, Runekeeper, Cyborg Infiltrator, or hundreds of other combinations!

• Four different Banners. Set the tone and style of your party. Unite your Champions under a banner of Dignitaries, Rebels, Pathfinders, or Archaeonauts.

• 196 Stunts. Unlock different abilities for Banners, Bioforms, Archetypes, Magic Items, Weapons, and more!

• Four sample Adventures. Journey to Mount Muk, explore the Laya Factory, delve the ruins of the Perplexopolis, or work to win royal favors in the Freelands. Any one of these scenarios is Ideal for a brief one-shot or as a quick way to kickstart a longer campaign!

• The World of Umdaar. Explore the leaders, communities, and exotic locations of this fantastic and mysterious planet. Information on resources, dangers, and lost technology helps you understand the stakes of this strange world.

• Plus tools for making it your own! Toolkits, tables, and dice-based generators help customize the world to your group and give you the ability to quickly craft your own unique items, traps, and enemies – even whole continents!

Umdaar contains the full rules for deploying the power of Fate at your table, plus conversion rules for using Fate Accelerated. No prior knowledge of the 2015 Fate World Masters of Umdaar is required. All the game material you need is included, along with worksheets and reference pages to help keep it all organized. 

Please note that after years of development, the ambitious vision we had for this game outstripped our production budget. Given the funds Evil Hat has already invested, we couldn’t see a path to profitability under a standard commercial release. But we don’t want all the incredible work that went into Umdaar to go to waste. So we’ve pulled back on our plans to commission the prodigious amount of art a 450+ page book would require and decided to release this Rebel Broadcast Edition of Umdaar on a Pay What You Want basis. While Umdaar is unlikely to see a full print release, if there is sufficient interest—and your download of the game is certainly a sign of that!—we may create a print-on-demand (POD) offering after we’ve collected and corrected those pesky typos. Stay tuned.

All that said, we’re proud of the effort put in here by the many contributors to Umdaar. The game is fully playable and loaded with stunts, stat blocks, and inspirational tools to bring your pulpiest science-fantasy and planetary romance stories to life. 

So grasp the Runestone of Light, point your Star-Sword toward the sky, and unleash your battlecry! The fate of Umdaar rests in your hand!

Umdaar: Rebel Broadcast Edition is available through DriveThru RPG in PDF.