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Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars

Created by Onyx Path

A tabletop roleplaying game of Steampunk Warfare

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Sneak Peek: Building Your Rig
over 1 year ago – Mon, Feb 17, 2025 at 07:18:37 AM

Hello Steam Warriors,

After spending the past two days digging out from a massive snow storm, I'd love nothing more than to be able to assemble a big steam rig to get the job done!

Today, I'll have a sneak peek at just a fraction of the parts that go into building your own Rig for a game of Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars. Backers will have access to the full text from this massive chapter tomorrow, but for today, we'll look at a couple of key elements.

Building Your Rig

A steam rig should be built by the players at the table. Even if the characters are from different alliances, they can be in the same rig as a special collaborative effort or for other reasons such as espionage. Wartime politics tend to be a bit messy with certain moments where adversaries are working together within limited constraints. 

Choose Headcab

The first step of building the steam rig is determining the style of headcab. All the headcabs are modelled after medieval and renaissance era helmets and impart the same style of armor to the overall steam rig. Each Alliance provides an alliance benefit to the headcabs they favor. Additionally, each headcab provides their own benefits.

Headcabs

On top of every steam rig is a giant helmet where the main controls are. Inside this headcab are the pilots and officers who command and control the tempo of the rig’s operation. Observers and pilots peer out the eyeports at what lies ahead on the battlefield. They communicate with the rest of the crew in the other parts of the rig through hollow communication tubes and engine order telegraphs. Pilots have levers, a steering wheel, and an engine telegraph that directs the amount of steam that goes to the engine. 

All personnel working in the headcab reach it by climbing ropes or ladders up the rig’s body. Once inside they are mostly protected from the elements (no headcabs have windows nor insulation) and can sit and enjoy the somewhat smooth ride. To direct the rig, whomever is sitting in the pilot’s chair, be it a Captain or Pilot, controls the levers that prompt the rest of the rig to start moving and direct the ambulators and boomsmen to start the walk cycle, and the Engineers to adjust the amount of steam. This is done as a Pilot or Leadership + appropriate Attribute, as agreed upon by Players and their Storyguide. 

The style of a headcab itself influences the overall style of the steam rug, regardless of the size class. Some styles are preferred by the Steam Forces of an Alliance and grant a unique Alliance benefit in addition to whatever unique benefit each style provides with its design.   

Armet Style

A headcab styled like the classic full face helmet from medieval Europe. The front visor is pinched forward and can be lifted to allow the crew better visibility than through the narrow slit in the eyeport. Some variations of the armet style have a raised fin along the top. 

Fulcrum benefit: Wing It. Steam Force crews of the Fulcrum have figured out how to cobble together solutions on the fly to keep their rigs fighting even when they are on their last gasp of steam. Once per session, when the rig is Ruptured and gains the Malfunctioning status effect, vent 2 steam dice to stave off the effects of the Complication for one more turn.

Armet Style: Rigs with armet style headcaps benefit from better stability. Once per session, when the rig is on the verge of being Toppled, you can vent two steam dice to maintain your feet.

Barbute Style

An Italian style of headcab resembling the 15th century barbute helmet. Barbute style headcabs feature a rounded headcab with a T- or Y-shaped eyeport that ends at the rig’s “chin”. Some variations of this style of headcab feature an open-faced form with an arched opening.

Confederation of the Sea benefit: Never See Us Coming.The Confederation of the Sea have discovered interesting ways to board enemy rigs. They’ve built rig to rig boarding equipment into their rigs, making it easier for them to take the fight inside of an enemy rig. Gain +1 to boarding actions. 

Barbute Style: Rigs with barbute style headcaps benefit from overfiring their engines to increase their steam pressure knowing that shifting the balance can result in catastrophic system failure. Once per session, double your steam dice to a maximum of ten. 

Capeline Style

Capeline headcabs resembled the capeline or lobster-tail helmets of the 17th century characterized by its long peak, extended tail shield, and most notably a sliding nasal bar gun elevator developed specifically to accommodate the first headcab artillery. There is a smokestack directly through the cab.

Confederation of the Sea benefit: Never See Us Coming. The Confederation of the Sea have discovered interesting ways to board enemy rigs. They’ve built rig to rig boarding equipment into their rigs, making it easier for them to take the fight inside of an enemy rig. Gain +1 to boarding actions. 

Capeline Style: Rigs with capeline style headcaps benefit from better ammunition management. Once per session, when the battlerig suffers Complications from weapons running out of ammunition or being jammed, you may ignore the first instance of the Complication until the end of combat but not subsequent Complications of the same type. 

Close-Burgonet Style

British style of steam rig named for the headcab’s resemblance to the open faced Renaissance helmet of the same name, characterized by a peak above the cab and rounded dome with comb.

Fulcrum benefit: Wing It. Steam Force crews of the Fulcrum have figured out how to cobble together solutions on the fly to keep their rigs fighting even when they are on their last gasp of steam. Once per session, when the rig is Ruptured and gains the Malfunctioning status effect, vent 2 steam dice to stave off the effects of the Complication for one more turn.

Close-Burgonet Style: Rigs with close-burgonet style headcaps benefit from being able to vent steam through stovepipes at the back of its neck. Once per session, when the rig would suffer a pernicious failure, treat it as a normal failure instead.

Select Rig Class

Rig class is the size of the rig and restricts the armaments that can be equipped. It also dictates how big of a crew is needed to operate it. 

Classes of Fighting Rig 

Where headcabs determine the style of a steam rig’s appearance, the class determines the size, weight, crew size and possible armaments available. Rig classes tend to be named after mythic heroes and deities. Every rig is customized to the crew, while similarities exist between Alliance Steam Forces, each rig has ticks that crews must learn to navigate to keep their fighting rig at peak efficiency. Rig heights can vary by several feet between rigs of the same class based on load out and legs used.  

Achilles Class

Invented by Major Matthew Bedford Creed and pushed into prominence as a “strategic rig,” the achilles class is one of the smallest classes of steam rigs that suffers from an identity crisis. It has been noted as not being small enough to be fast nor big enough for decent armament. They are the most plentiful rigs found in the rig graveyard on the Manitoban border. 

Size: 3
Handling: 1
Armor: 2
Speed: 2
Height: 27 feet
Crew Size: 3 – 4
Armament Limits: Achilles rigs can employ up to one .30 machine gun in their torso.

Agincourt Class

A British class of steam rig equivalent to the American goliath class, the agincourt class steam rigs have additional armaments at midrig – midport and starboard. 

Size: 4
Handling: 2
Armor: 3
Speed: 2
Height: 90 feet
Crew: 25 – 35
Armament Limits: Agincourt Class can equip typically 37mm rapid fire cannons or .303 machine guns.

Ajax Class

One of the most popular rig classes for deployment on the battlefield for its lower maintenance and fielding costs than the larger rigs, providing efficient use of armor and fuel for its smaller crews. Additionally, it has a midrig walkway allowing crew additional access to the torso and providing another observation point and fighting platform for embarked marines to fire from. 

Size: 3
Handling: 1
Armor: 3
Speed: 2
Height: 45 – 48 feet
Crew: 8 – 10
Armament Limits: Ajax rigs can employ up to one 3” gun in the chest and one machine gun in its headcab.

Pick Booms

Booms are the arms of the steam rig. The type of suspension used on the arms provides different benefits based on how the rig might be used. 

Booms

Everyone needs a hand, luckily, steam rigs have multiple. The ones that count are the booms, which help balance the steam rig with an offset walk cycle. Some booms are better for more precise work while others are better for heavy loads and combat.

Heavy Chain

Heavy Chain supported booms are better suited for combat and handling heavy loads. These booms are more robust for performance in adverse conditions. But when the chains break, the risk of damaging the rest of the rig is high.

Heavy Combat: Heavy Chain Booms provide rigs with a benefit of reducing the cost of rig combat stunts by 1 hit to a minimum of 1 hit. If the boom breaks, it imposes the Moderate Complication Broken Linkthat does one damage to the rig every turn the boom is used until the chain is repaired or replaced if the Complication is not bought off.


Hidden Sword

There is wisdom in not allowing the enemy to readily identify what sorts of weapons your rig is equipped with. Japanese engineers have recently invented a pneumatic mechanism to deploy and retract a rig sized sword to use in rig to rig combat. These blades are sharp enough to slice through rig hulls, regardless of how thick the armor plates are. 

Retractable Blade: Hidden sword booms conceal a rig sized blade to be deployed from the boom to be used in rig to rig combat. Vent 1 steam die to deploy a rig sized sword with the Piercing and Sunder tags.

High Tension Cable

High tension cable booms are better for more precise and quick movements. They require more regular inspection and maintenance after battle to ensure there is no abrasion or breakage to weaken the cables. Despite needing more maintenance, these booms are cheaper to produce and maintain.

Dexterous Booms: High Tension Cable Booms provide rigs with a benefit of reducing difficulty of actions using the booms by 1. If the boom breaks, it imposes the Moderate Complication, Malfunctioning until the cable is repaired or replaced. If not bought off, that does one damage to the rig every turn the boom is used.

Pick Legs

Pick the style of legs for your steam rig. Many of these provide additional benefits for the rig’s mobility.

Legs

All rigs need to stand on their own two gigantic mechanical feet. Controlled from the ambulation chamber midrig, a rig walks in a counterbalance with its arms to keep upright. A good observer will keep the rig from accidentally wandering into a crevice or body of water too deep or slick for the rig to escape from. 

Barrel Sheath

Barrel sheath leg configurations are the most common, concealing the shins of the rig in a metal sheath. The gears in the hips can either be enclosed or exposed. These lower sheathes both protect the legs and make the rig more difficult for troops to scale. 

All About Scale: The barrel sheath imposes a Moderate Complication to boarding parties attempting to scale the steam rig. Failure to buy off the complication can result in the Dazed status effect if the steam rig is still or 1 Injury Level in motion (respectively) while the climbing attempt was made. 

Enclosed

This leg design for steam rigs is the baseline with all gears and mechanisms enclosed within a bipedal frame. They will get a steam rig from point A to point B and are often used for runabout class rigs. On larger battlerigs, enclosed boots are reinforced, to provide both stability and make kicks more impactful.  

Das Boot: Battlerigs with enclosed boots gain access to the Earth-Shaking Step trick and can buy Stomp for 1 hit instead of 2.

Pick Armaments

Based on the class of the steam rig your group has selected, will restrict how many and how big the armaments can be. 

Rig Armaments

Steam rigs employ a mixture of artillery, anti-rig, and anti-personnel heavy weapons. Most weapons are classified by the size or weight of the projectile it fires. Many are meant to penetrate and explode inside the body of an enemy rig and are devastating when used against personnel. All rig armaments work to Long range.

Armstrong Whitworth Recoil Carriage

Allows for a machine gun to be mounted in the headcabs of steam rigs larger than the achilles class. Its recoil to be absorbed so it does not disrupt the balance of the rig or require additional weight for absorption.

Range: Long

Tags:
Armor Piercing: A rapid volley of molten lead cuts through a rig’s armor, inflicting Ruin to a battlerig despite its armor plating.
Rupturing: Gain access to the Rupture Trick when making attacks with this weapon. Armor negates this effect.
  • Rupture (1 hits):Inflict the Faulty Valve status effect (p. XX) on your target.

Special Rules: Cramped: This carriage may be mounted in any steam rig larger than Achilles Class. The addition of a Recoil Carriage to a headcab reduces the amount of space within, imposing a Minor Complication which if not bought off causes the crew to bump into each other. Continual collisions with the rest of the crew in the headcab can shift the attitudes toward the crew member negatively. Firing a Recoil Carriage adds 1 steam die every other turn it is fired. 

Field Gun

Field guns are a type of field artillery that fire a heavy shell to provide long range fire support and counter battery fire. Typically referred to by the weight or size of their shells. Recoil of the weapon is reduced by drag shoes placed under the wheels and secured to the deck of the steam rigs with chains and cables. These can be mounted on battlerigs or used by troops outside battlerigs — when used by troops, each field gun gains this additional tag:

Long Range: (Ranged) This weapon can be used to make attacks out to Long range.

10 Pounder

A muzzle loaded field gun capable of firing a 2.9in (74mm) or 3 in (76mm) diameter shell weighing up to 10 lbs.

Range: Long

Tags:
Brutal: The weapon inflicts massive damage. Reduce the number of hits required to purchase the Critical Trick by 1.
Wrecking: This weapon gains access to the Destroy Object Trick. When purchasing the Destroy Object Trick on an attack with this weapon, you may destroy any armor.



Again, we're just scratching the surface of the options presented in Chapter 4. Backers will have access to the full draft manuscript chapter tomorrow!

Sneak Peek: Rig Stations
over 1 year ago – Thu, Feb 13, 2025 at 05:51:04 AM

Hello Steam Warriors,

I'm currently taking a break from operating my own war rig - or, at least pretending my snowblower is a giant mechanized marvel. While I warm up with some hot chocolate before heading back out to attack the bottom half of the driveway, I wanted to share another sneak peek from the biggest chapter in the book - a look at the steam-powered war machines themselves.

Remember, backers will have access to the full draft version of this chapter next Tuesday, when Chapter 4 becomes available. Until then, let's take a look at Rig Stations...

Rig Stations

A rig requires its crew to work together in order to function. This isn’t a mere platitude. Without the ambulators, the rig doesn’t go anywhere. Without the pilot guiding their steps, it runs the risk of shuffling in circles. Without the stokers, nothing moves. Every station is essential to the mech’s operation, and even when there’s rivalry between roles or grumbling among the lower ranks about how their higher-ups in the headcab run things, in combat a good crew will put those aside and do their jobs. They can complain over drinks when they go low.

On smaller rigs, characters may fill multiple roles as needed. Some Ajax-class rigs only have room for one person in the headcab, so that crew member acts as captain, pilot, and navigator all rolled into one. The Storyguide and players should discuss which stations the characters will be responsible for on their rigs, and tailor the stations’ responsibilities if the situation or group composition calls for it.

Each station has a number of Skills associated with it. Rolls using those Skills at that station gain +1 Enhancement. Additionally, certain Roles gain access to Enhancements when a character with that Role is at the associated station. While a particular character might be most familiar with the demands of their regular station, crew members often have at least basic knowledge of how the various stations work in case they need to fill in in a pinch. An envoy operating the ambulators might mean the rig’s gait has a bit of a stagger to it, but at least it’s moving.  

Steam rigs are big, complex machines. If something goes wrong in one part of the rig, the effects might be felt in another. Damage to a crane arm might cause gears in the chest to decouple. The cranesman’s not going to get in there and fix them; the engineer’s better suited to crawl around in the mech’s guts and get everything back in working order. Mechanically, this means that some Complications can only be bought off by certain stations, even if they were generated elsewhere on the rig. This encourages teamwork, giving players an opportunity to come up with solutions that play to every character’s strengths.

The duties and Tricks listed for each station below can be used as a starting point. Storyguides should feel free to add or alter them to fit their tables’ needs.

Head

Skills: Leadership, Persuasion, Pilot, Survival
Roles: Captain, Navigator, Envoy, Pilot

The rig’s headcab grants a bird’s eye view of the surrounding terrain. It’s from this position that crew members can assess the other combatants on the field, develop battle strategies, and guide the rig out of danger — or steer straight into it. The headcab is also the primary hub for communications with other rigs, military escorts, and allies in the vicinity. Some rigs have radio equipment installed, while others rely on older methods from flag signals to morse code to good old-fashioned shouting.

Possible duties at this action station include issuing orders to the crew, steering the rig, charting the rig’s path across difficult terrain, and negotiating with opposing rigs’ officers.

Enhancements

Captain: Gain +1 Enhancement on actions to inspire your crew to action.

Envoy: Gain +1 Enhancement on influence actions when communicating with someone who isn’t part of the rig’s usual crew, such as another rig’s captain, a dignitary riding along in the headcab, or a guard in a watchtower.

Navigator: Gain +1 Enhancement on actions to guide the rig through dangerous or unfamiliar terrain.

Pilot: Gain +1 Enhancement on movement actions during combat.

Tricks

A Clear Path (1 hit): With a glance at the ground ahead, you know the safest way forward. Reduce any increased difficulty on Pilot actions at the Head and Legs stations by 1.

Evasive Maneuvers (1-3 hits):Each hit spent on this Trick increases the rig’s Defense by 1.

Inspiring Speech (Hold 1-3 steam dice): Your voice rings out through the speaking tubes, encouraging your crew to grit their teeth, push a little harder, and win the day. Each steam die held on this Trick allows one character who hears the speech to increase the intensity of a bond of their choosing by 1, or to forge a new bond with another crew member. Players may also choose to deepen their characters’ rig bond (see below).

Loud and Clear (Vent 1 or 3 steam dice): Whether you’re whispering in a diplomat guest’s ear or shouting over artillery fire to the captain on a nearby rig, there’s no mistaking the intent of your words. For 1 steam die, inflict the Confused or Refreshed status effect on the target. For 3 steam dice, the target gains either the Guilt-Ridden or Inspired status effect.


Legs

Skills: Athletics, Technology
Roles: Engineer, Navigator

Ambulators get the rig moving. Controlling the ambulation levers to lift, move, and place the rig’s massive boot takes both strength and coordination. To keep the rig’s stride smooth, both ambulators need to work together to establish its gait. If the rig staggers along, the rest of the crew’s jobs get tougher: the gunners’ aim may be off, the navigator can’t get a steady view of the terrain, and the cranesmen have to compensate to keep the rig in balance. As with the arms, some daring leggers push their control over their stations to allow the rigs to do more than they were technically built for. Sure, a rig can run when it’s full steam ahead, but the bulky machines aren’t made to jump. That doesn’t stop a determined ambulation team from figuring out how to do it.

Possible duties at this action station include managing the rig’s gait and speed, controlling defensive maneuvers, navigating the rig around difficult terrain, carrying out combat maneuvers, moving in formation with other rigs.

Enhancement

Engineer: Gain +1 Enhancement on actions controlling the rig’s ambulation.

Navigator: Gain +1 Enhancement on actions to traverse difficult terrain.

Tricks

Dancer’s Grace (Hold 1 steam die): The ambulators work in perfect unison, maneuvering around the battlefield as though they were dancers in a ballroom. Reduce area effect Complications involving difficult terrain by 1, such as Overgrowth, Quaking, or Sinking.

Earth-Shaking Step (1 hit): The ambulators lift one boot and bring it crashing to the ground, throwing everything in the surrounding area off balance. Impose the Quaking area effect on all opponents this round.

Mighty Leap (Vent 2 steam dice): The ambulators crouch the rig down low, then spring into the air with a great hiss of steam and straining pistons. Move 1 additional range band beyond the normal limit.

Pivot (Vent 1 steam die): A rig’s momentum makes it hard to turn on a dime, but the engineers know how to pull it off. An ally of your choice gains 1 hit to spend on another Combat Trick.

Stomp (2 hits): Another rig has you grappled, but that doesn’t mean you’re helpless. The rig’s stomp crushes its opponent’s boot, dealing an additional damage on a Close Combat attack. 

Guns

Skills: Close Combat, Larceny, Ranged Combat
Roles: Gunner 

Gunners control the rig’s weapons, managing its munitions and choosing which targets to aim for on the field. It’s not always about taking out an enemy rig; sometimes the target is a building the opposing side uses for cover, or stopping a runaway train from careening through a town. Gunners learn to draw fire in addition to providing it. Their station’s location depends on the style of rig: most have a chest port, but larger rigs also have stations midrig, atop the headcab, on the epaulets, and the like. 

Due to their easy access to the rig’s external structures, gunners also train to repel boarding parties trying to gain access to their rig. In cases where their own crew attempts to board an opponent’s rig, gunners are the first ones reaching for the enemy’s grab bars. 

Possible duties at this action station include firing at enemy rigs, providing covering fire for allies, managing ordnance, coordinating ranged assaults, defending the rig from would-be boarders, and leading forays onto other rigs.

Enhancements

Gunner: Gain +1 Enhancement on ranged combat attacks using the rig’s weaponry.

Tricks

Draw Fire (Hold 1 steam die): Your shots ping off an opponent rig’s chassis, forcing that rig’s gunners to concentrate on you and allowing an ally’s actions to go unnoticed. The target suffers +2 difficulty on any actions that don’t focus on your rig until the end of your next turn.

Explosive Ordnance (Vent 1 steam die): The ammunition you selected has been altered in some way. Maybe it packs an extra punch thanks to a thin coating of condensed coal, or its shape can tear a hole clean through even the thickest chassis walls. Inflict 1 additional damage on the target.

Steady Hands (1 hit): Your character has learned to adjust her aim in time with the rig’s motions. Whether it’s just barely cooking or full steam ahead, her barrel never wavers. Reduce the difficulty of a ranged combat action by 1.

Unshakeable (2 hits): Whether climbing around outside your own rig or clinging to the side of an opponent’s, your character holds on tight and keeps her footing no matter what. By purchasing this Trick, the character can’t be the target of movement-based Complications this round.

Additional Steam Rig Systems

Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars assumes that a rig has everything it needs in terms of the rig’s weaponry, ammunition reserves, and fuel. However, Storyguides may adjust their availability or limit the rig’s reserves to heighten the tension and encourage roleplay. When the crew is running low on coal and ammunition with a hundred miles to the next friendly outpost, do they take the long way around an enemy encampment and risk running out of fuel to avoid the fight, or is it worth hoping they have the bullets to defeat the enemy and steal their coal reserves?

Following are optional systems Storyguides can use to track various rig resources.

Weaponry

Each rig is outfitted with standard weapons according to its class. See Chapter XX for information on specific weapon types and statistics. Optional weapons systems include:

  • Heat Regulation: The rig’s guns risk overheating if fired too many times in rapid succession, forcing the gunner to switch between turrets while the weapon cools. When the players end the rig crew’s turn with the maximum number of steam dice across all the crew’s pools, roll them as a single pool against difficulty 2 with a Minor Complication. If the Complication isn’t resolved, the gun can’t be used until it receives maintenance.

  • Prototype Arsenal: The rig has been outfitted with cutting edge weapons, which means they may fail on occasion. If a ranged combat roll ends in a pernicious failure, reveal one of the following Flaws in the weapon: 

  • Backlash: The weapon is unstable. Whenever it is used as part of an action, it imposes a Minor Complication. If not bought off, the weapon causes 1 damage or creates some strange effect, at the Storyguide’s discretion.
  • Unstable: The weapon is unstable and unpredictable. Once per scene when used, the item imposes a Moderate Complication. If not bought off, it creates an area effect determined by the Storyguide centered on the user. 
  • Weakened: The weapon is weaker than it should be. The Sunder Trick costs 1 fewer hit to purchase against it.


Alright, that's it for me today. Once more, out into the nasty weather to dig a path back to civilization.

I'll have one more sneak peek at some of the systems used to actually build your rig for the game next week, and then the full chapter available for backers to download on Tuesday!

#TrinityContinuumSteamWars

Stretch Goal in Range! Full Steam Ahead! [Backer Manuscript Preview Download Part 3]
over 1 year ago – Tue, Feb 11, 2025 at 06:23:56 AM

Hello Steam Warriors,

We've moved forward over the past week, funding the project and setting up some stretch goals. I know Steam Wars® creator Larry Blamire is excited at the potential of the Kaiju curveball, as he's been working on some inspirational sketches since we funded this project!




At $17,000 in Funding - TRINITY CONTINUUM: STEAM WARS - LEVIATHAN SUPPLEMENT 

We will create a PDF supplement introducing a new threat for the war rigs to face - titanic beasts that rise from the depths. Delving into the origin of these monsters, this supplement will be released for purchase on DriveThruRPG and added as a free bonus reward to all backers receiving the Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars hardcover book as part of their rewards. [Captain reward tier+]

I've also updated my wardrobe since we've now crossed our funding target and Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars will become a published book in the future!



Matthew has also continued working on a project inspired by the TC: Steam Wars setting...

As part of the Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars crowdfunder, I’ve had the great pleasure to write and record some “war diaries” and “letters home” in the style I recall fondly from the Ken Burns’ Civil War documentary series. Throughout the campaign check out our Onyx Path YouTube channel for more of these pieces of narrated correspondence, but for now, here’s a couple:




I've got another manuscript preview for backers today. We've looked at the setting and the Paths that differentiates characters, but now we're going full steam into the system part of the game. The divergent setting of Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars has given the developers an opportunity to bring in the Storypath Ultra rules set, and today's chapter will give us the mechanics of the game itself!

Some quick things to note before we get into the manuscript.

Shipping Costs will be Collected in the Pledge Manager

First up, it's amazingly expensive to ship, especially from Onyx Path's home base in the US. And that's as of today - we're all in the dark about how things will look in 2 years. We get that, but there's not much we can do at this time. Onyx Path is in a difficult space where the company is big enough that they're not saving money by fulfilling out of Rich's garage, but small enough that they haven't been able to set up ongoing international partners to handle portions of the fulfillment. So we are where we are - for now.

The best we can do at this point is to plan carefully, advise everyone up front that international shipping will likely be expensive (see our projections on the main page) and only charge what it costs us when the time comes. We’ll be charging for shipping in the Pledge Manager once the books are being printed and we can deal with the actual shipping charges rather than using our best-guesses this far out. If you live outside the US and aren't sure you want the hardcover or other physical items, you can pledge to the PDF tier now and upgrade your pledge in the Pledge Manager once we know the final shipping costs.



Draft Manuscript Previews

Over the course of these 4 weeks, backers are receiving the entire current draft manuscript for Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars, but not all in one go. The previews will come out in bite-sized sections throughout the campaign. This helps me seem interesting over these 30 days, but it's more about guiding the conversation and helping steer feedback for the developers.

Because they want your feedback! These manuscript previews are of the current draft manuscript – the document in its latest, approved form. This may not be the final form after editing and any additional development, but you can consider it about 95% finished, so keep that in mind.

In fact, you can help guide the team through the next stages of development by providing feedback on these manuscript previews! The Onyx Path team has set up a special Feedback Form just for campaign backers for this very purpose: <Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars Feedback Form>



You can use this Feedback Form to shrea your thoughts directly with the TC: Steam Wars developers and help guide them through the next rounds of development and editing.


DRAFT MANUSCRIPT PREVIEWS - BACKERS ONLY

Remember, thanks to BackerKit magic, these download links are visible to Backers only - you must be logged in and reading this on the website to have access to the manuscript preview links. So, if you're reading this via e-mail, click that "Learn More" button on the bottom and I'll see you below this title treatment.



Sneak Peek: Large Scale Units in Combat!
over 1 year ago – Fri, Feb 07, 2025 at 08:12:39 AM

Hello Steam Warriors,

I don't want to stray too much from the main setting for our book - giant war rigs battling it out in the late 1800s - but I am also excited about the curveball presented in our first Stretch Goal target. Steam Wars® creator Larry Blamire is also excited and created this cool sketch banner while dreaming about new threats to the war rigs.





At $17,000 in Funding - TRINITY CONTINUUM: STEAM WARS - LEVIATHAN SUPPLEMENT 

We will create a PDF supplement introducing a new threat for the war rigs to face - titanic beasts that rise from the depths. Delving into the origin of these monsters, this supplement will be released for purchase on DriveThruRPG and added as a free bonus reward to all backers receiving the Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars hardcover book as part of their rewards. [Captain reward tier+]



We're gaining ground on our first target, and it's fun to have kaiju daydreams, but it's time to get back to our current project and talk about Large Scale Units!



Boarding Parties and Defenders

Sometimes, battle strategy calls for getting aboard an opponent’s rig. Perhaps the best way to disable the target is to get behind its controls or sabotage its machinery. The enemy might have a hostage the crew needs to rescue, or an asset they want to capture. Or maybe the rig itself is the target worth acquiring, to gain access to an opponent’s rig yards and bases, or simply to scavenge for parts.

In general, boarding party actions happen on the enemy rig’s turn. However, Storyguides should feel free to allow them to go on their home rig’s turn if serves the story and the players’ plans. For example, the gunner may be waiting for the boarding party’s signal to take a shot, or the boarding party leader can’t send the rescued scientist back to their home rig until the pilot brings the headcab close.

Boarding parties can consist of any number of characters, from stealthier one- or two-crew member missions to swarms of riggers ziplining across to a Behemoth’s midrig railings. Larger rigs’ boarding holds can contain dozens of marines. If the party consists of Storyguide characters accompanying player characters, focus on the player characters’ actions as party leaders or pursuing their individual objectives. Storyguides may wish to narrate the Storyguide characters’ actions, or allow players to control them using the Large-Scale Combat system below.

These rules also apply to the player characters’ rig should an enemy boarding party gain access. In this case, the Storyguide controls the enemy rig’s boarding party, while an appropriate player decides how the additional (non-player) crew carries out its defense. While the captain’s player is a good default choice for this role, anyone can control the rig’s LSU. This can change from round to round as the enemy gains access to different parts of the rig. Maybe the engineer rallies the stokers to make a stand against anyone getting past the chest compartment, or the navigator leads civilian passengers in a daring mission.

To represent skirmishes against an enemy rig’s troops, the Storyguide may wish to quickly create an LSU representing those troops. Remember that boarding parties consist of individuals, so the “Shooting at Steam Rigs” sidebar still applies to them. However, individual player characters or boarding party LSUs that gain access to an enemy rig may target its internal systems or disable the human operators those systems rely on, imposing Complications or increasing the difficulty of that rig’s actions.

Large-Scale Combat

Large-scale units, or LSUs, are abstractions of a battle unit’s capabilities. Each LSU is treated as a character. When assigning traits to an LSU, the Storyguide should apply a threat level to the unit and create them as you would make an antagonist character. Though these traits are rooted in the antagonist rules, players may also control boarding parties in a large-scale combat scenario, representing them with an LSU. Player-controlled boarding parties use the same traits as those controlled by the Storyguide. 

Each LSU has the following traits to define its capabilities in combat:

Primary Pool: This pool represents the LSU’s greatest skills and assets. This is the LSU’s main purpose and what the unit is best at. LSUs assign their primary pool to one of the action types detailed on p. XX.

Secondary Pool: This pool represents areas of battle the LSU is competent with but are not their areas of greatest strength. LSUs assign their secondary pool to two of the action types. 

Desperation Pool: This pool represents the action type the LSU is least competent in. Any action not represented by the primary pool or secondary pool uses the desperation pool. When LSUs defend against individuals in large-scale combat (p. XX), their desperation pool acts as their resistance value for all actions not resisted by Defense. An LSU applies its relevant area of Advantage to any such resistances. For an individual to overcome that Advantage, they must either be able to leverage that Advantage on their own or gain access to it through the Lend Advantage Trick (p. XX).

Enhancements: This is the amount of Enhancement the LSU applies to their primary pool and secondary pool rolls. This Enhancement may only be used to purchase Tricks from the action types listed in those pools.

Defense: This is the difficulty of all attacks against the LSU. If something would affect the LSU’s armor rating or Defense, apply it directly to this Defense rating.

Integrity: Like Defense, this is the difficulty for all social actions against the LSU.

Injuries: This is the amount of damage the LSU can withstand. When an LSU is reduced to half its Injuries (rounded down), the unit suffers the Demoralized status effect. If the LSU loses all its Injuries, it is Taken Out. Any surviving individuals within the unit escape if possible or are detained or killed by the victors.

Resolution: This status effect resolves when the LSU loses all Injuries, the LSU regains enough Injuries to bring their total above half their maximum (rounded down), or the scene ends.

Advantages: This lists the LSU’s Advantages in the areas of Durability, Intellect, Power, Social, and Speed. LSUs begin with 1 in all areas of Advantage and receive a pool of additional Advantage points to distribute among these areas based on their threat level.

Vulnerabilities: Each LSU has vulnerabilities that can be exploited by enemies. LSUs begin with vulnerabilities equal to their desperation pool. Each vulnerability includes a word or phrase that describes the vulnerability and an area of Advantage that vulnerability applies to. Enemy units may claim 1 additional Advantage when acting in that area of Advantage against the target and exploiting the vulnerability. Alternatively, the enemy unit may leverage the vulnerability on their opponent’s turn, adding +2 difficulty to relevant rolls.



An LSU must identify a vulnerability before they can act on it and must declare that they’re leveraging that vulnerability before rolling any dice for the turn. Once the LSU decides how they will leverage a vulnerability, they must do so the same way for the remainder of the combat. An LSU can leverage multiple vulnerabilities at once but must declare all the vulnerabilities they are leveraging at the beginning of their turn (for additional Advantage) or at the beginning of their opponent’s turn (for added difficulty).

Vulnerabilities can be any quality the Storyguide or player chooses but must be chosen at the beginning of the conflict. Example vulnerabilities include:

  • Concerned for Environment (Power): The LSU wishes to contain collateral damage as much as possible.
  • Inferior Parts (Any): Some parts of the LSU have a significantly lower Advantage than the unit in the affected area of Advantage.
  • Speaking Tubes (Intellect): The LSU relies on speaking tubes within the rig to disperse orders and execute tactics. These communications can be interfered with or intercepted, providing a tactical opportunity for enemy LSUs.
  • Target-Rich (Durability): The LSU contains several small units that tend to clump together, creating a higher vulnerability to high-powered and area attacks.

LSUs In Action

Boarding parties operate differently than individual combatants. Each die roll represents several exchanges of fire, movements within the enemy rig, and defensive maneuvers. Rather than narrate every exchange, the Storyguide describes the general results of the boarding party’s actions at the end of the round once all actions are resolved.

Large-scale combat uses four action types, which limit and define the kinds of actions the unit can take. Each round, every LSU involved in the combat makes a single roll. Hits achieved on that roll are divided among the four action types.

  • Assess: Assess actions allow the LSU to gauge the capabilities and weaknesses of enemy units, including enemy rig crews or the rigs themselves.
  • Attack: Attack actions target enemy LSUs, systems within a rig, or objects on the battlefield to deal damage.
  • Maneuver: Maneuver actions are defensive in nature. This can include simple evasive maneuvers or attacking enemy LSUs in ways that don’t affect the target’s Injuries, instead reducing their effectiveness in combat.
  • Reinforce: Reinforce actions allow the LSU to recover from Injuries and to overcome interference inflicted by enemy LSUs.

Each round of combat, an LSU must declare which dice pool they use for the round. 

The LSU may buy Tricks from among any of the action types each round, regardless of which pool they roll. However, LSUs rolling a primary or secondary pool must spend half their hits (rounding up) on an action type they’ve assigned to that pool, prior to applying Enhancement. The remaining hits may be divided among other action types at the controller’s discretion. Enhancement applies only to the action types listed in the LSUs primary and secondary pools, though Advantage applies to any action, regardless of the associated pool.



Large-Scale Combat Tricks

Large-scale combat relies on Tricks to describe what each unit can accomplish over the course of a round. Large-scale Combat Tricks sharing a name with an existing Trick elsewhere in the rules supersede and replace that Trick with the rules listed here. In addition, increases to hit costs on these Tricks can exceed 3.

Assess Tricks

These Tricks can be purchased using Assess hits. They may only benefit from the LSU’s Enhancement if the LSU has Assess for their primary or secondary pool.

Fog of War (1-3 hits): By taking advantage of the chaotic nature of the battlefield, you impose Complications on an enemy LSU’s next action at a value equal to the number of hits you spend on this Trick. Any levels of Complication that aren’t resolved in the enemy’s next action are applied as damage to the enemy LSU. This can represent damage due to friendly fire, collision with obstacles, or any other hazardous battlefield impediments. You may not spend more hits on this Trick than your LSU’s Intellect Advantage.

Identify Vulnerability (2 hits): The LSU collects and processes combat data on the components of an enemy LSU to determine the enemy’s vulnerabilities. This action uses the LSU’s Intellect Advantage. If the party using this Trick has a higher Intellect Advantage than their target, they gain +2 Enhancement per level of Intellect Advantage they enjoy above their target’s Intellect Advantage. If the target has a higher Intellect Advantage, increase the base cost of this Trick by 1 per level of difference. Identifying a single vulnerability costs 2 hits, and this Trick can be purchased multiple times to identify additional vulnerabilities. Once identified, the vulnerability can be leveraged on subsequent turns.

Attack Tricks

These Tricks can be purchased using Attack hits. They may only benefit from the LSU’s Enhancement if the LSU has selected Attack for their primary or secondary pool.

Critical (3 hits): Deal an additional 1 damage on your target. This Trick may be purchased twice.

Inflict Damage (0 hits): Inflict 1 damage on your target. You may purchase this Trick once for each level of Power Advantage you can exert over the target’s Durability Advantage.

Maneuver Tricks

These Tricks can be purchased using Maneuver hits. They may only benefit from the LSU’s Enhancement if the LSU has selected Maneuver for their primary or secondary pool.

Evasive Maneuvers (2 hits): Increase your Defense by 1 for one round; this Trick can be purchased multiple times. This is influenced by the relative Speed Advantage between you and your opponent LSUs. If your Speed Advantage is higher, you gain Enhancement on this Trick, but if your opponent’s Speed Advantage is higher, the difference in Speed Advantage is applied as a +1 difficulty per level of Advantage difference.

Target Visuals (2 hits): This Trick can represent any sensory interference deployed by the LSU so long as the interference affects only the targeted LSU. This could represent baffling lights, a section of the rig plunged into sudden darkness, or an area filled with steam. Increase the cost of your target’s Assess Tricks by 1. You may purchase this Trick a number of times up to your Intellect Advantage. The effects of this Trick persist until the end of the scene or until the target uses the Fresh Intel Trick.

Reinforce Tricks

These Tricks can be purchased using Reinforce hits. They may only benefit from the LSU’s Enhancement if the LSU has selected Reinforce for their primary or secondary pool.

Fresh Intel (2 hits): If the LSU has suffered from the Target Visuals Trick, they may use this Trick to gain fresh military intelligence. This can also represent data fed up the chain of command to inform adjusted tactics. This Trick allows the LSU to regain 1 lost Enhancement, and can be purchased a number of times up to the LSU’s Intellect Advantage.

Repair and Bolster (2 hits): The LSU distributes repair teams to address damage to craft and apply first aid or other medical care to living members of the LSU. This can also reflect reinforcements called in to supplement the LSU. Regain 1 Injury. The LSU may purchase this Trick a number of times up to the LSU’s Durability Advantage.


As always, this sneak peek is just a small preview from stuff coming in a few weeks when backers have access to the entire contents of Chapter 4! I'll have a few more previews dealing with these massive war machines -looking at Rig Stations and also looking at the components that come into play when you build your own rig! 

But before we get to those meaty bits from Chapter 4, backers will have access to the system that powers the game rather than their war rigs, the Storypath Ultra system. Next Tuesday, backers will have access to the rules chapter for this game! It's good stuff!

So let's keep spreading the word and recruiting new backers to our crew and see if we can't unlock some kaiju expansion material within the next week!

FUNDED! Now let's set up some Stretch Goal Targets!
over 1 year ago – Wed, Feb 05, 2025 at 06:40:59 AM

Hello Steam Warriors!

Well, many brave souls heard the call yesterday! Shortly after I sent out the update noting we were very close to hitting our funding target (I think we were about $50 shy at that point), many many amazing backers joined in on our project and helped us achieve our funding goal.

That's right - we've all come together to support Onyx Path's efforts to make this quirky, cool game and now the project is officially FUNDED!


Before we get into talk about possible Stretch Goals, however, I've got one other bit of interest to share with you today!

Over on Onyx Path's Youtube channel, you can hear the first of their Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars "Letters from the Front," dipping into the lives and world of the people in this alternate history. An amazing bit of setting introduction! Check it out!

Letters from the Front Part 1: Jake Pulaski



As we increase the overall funding and support for the project, we’re able to add additional resources to the project, expand the rewards listed, and add in new offers and opportunities. Each Stretch Goal will have a target that, once reached, will add a project to the reward list for backers of the relevant Reward Level Pledge Role. Whenever we achieve a stretch goal, the listing will be updated to reflect the achievement.

[LOCKED] At $17,000 in Funding - TRINITY CONTINUUM: STEAM WARS - LEVIATHAN SUPPLEMENT 

We will create a PDF supplement introducing a new threat for the war rigs to face - titanic beasts that rise from the depths. Delving into the origin of these monsters, this supplement will be released for purchase on DriveThruRPG and added as a free bonus reward to all backers receiving the Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars hardcover book as part of their rewards. [Captain reward tier+]
 

[LOCKED] At $18,000 in Funding - DIGITAL WALLPAPER

Fantastic TC: Steam Wars artwork will be used to create a wallpaper for your computer desktop. This digital wallpaper will be added as a free bonus reward for all backers supporting this project. [Envoy reward tier+]

I know that we're only in the earliest days of this campaign and backers have just had access to the first two chapters so far, and we've still got lots of content to come our way... but it's always fun to think about what else we could do with the game.

While there's tons of material and many, many game sessions you can run with the stuff included in the Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars book ... what if your Steam Rigs also had the threat of giant kaiju? This potential supplement would introduce a new monstrous threat for our War Rigs and can be used to take the game in entirely new directions. In fact, just the thought of these creatures has begun inspiring intrepid Steam Wars® creator and artist on this project, Larry Blamire, to begin some sketches!



Again, nothing is written and this Stretch Goal supplement is only at the very initial concept stage, but will become a reality if we unlock that first Sretch Goal funding target!

So please continue to spread the word! Share the message in your social circles and on your social media! This project is now funded, so the Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars book will become a fully-developed reality. New backers will be able to read along with the manuscript downloads as they come out, know that the project will happen, and help us add even more content and potential rewards for backers!


While we continue to recruit new backers, we're also going to keep getting sneak previews from upcoming chapters! Later this week, we'll take a look at some rules for Boarding Parties and a peek at Large Scale Combat!

And next Tuesday we'll have our chapter outlining the Storypath Ultra system for TC: Steam Wars! 

#TrinityContinuumSteamWars