sorcerer

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Sorcerer

Sorcerer cover
Designer	Ron Edwards
Publisher	Adept Press
Publication date	2002
Genre(s)	Horror, Fantasy
System	Custom

Sorcerer is an occult-themed indy role-playing game written by Ron Edwards and published through Adept Press. The game focuses on sorcerers who summon, bind, and interact with demons, which are powerful non-human entities who work with and against the sorcerer.

Setting

The game has no definite default setting beyond a few guidelines, such as that the true nature and origin of demons remains completely unknown and that authorities would not even consider the possibility of the supernatural existing. The rules examples, however, assume a modern fantasy world which to mundane people resembles our own.

System

Demons

Demons are defined by the group, which can range from the classical demons to high powered AI robots to sentient artifacts of power.

They are divided into five basic types^[1]:

1. Inconspicuous demons are hard to perceive, either from being small or from utilizing some kind of invisibility. They cannot remain hidden if they take actions against someone.
2. Object demons are physical artifacts of power, for example a sword or a computer. They are sentient with a will of their own that doesn't always correspond to the sorcerer's.
3. Parasite demons inhabit the body of the sorcerer, another human or an animal and most of their powers are conferred to the host.
4. Passing demons look like ordinary humans or animals. Examples are doppelgangers, cyborgs or clones. Their powers are always conferred to themselves.
5. Possessor demons completely take over the body of a host instead of the symbiotic relationship of parasitic demons. Their powers are conferred to themselves alone.

Demons in a specific game can push a unified agenda or can be driven by some personal goal, but they are always hard on the sorcerer's Humanity as they usually embrace concepts that are counter to the ruling Humanity definition.

Humanity

Play focuses on a particular theme defined by each group as Humanity. Players make conscious decisions throughout play to commit their characters towards actions that support or negate Humanity, often risking it in the process of acquiring or utilizing the power of demons. Through doing so, players are making strong thematic statements about the issue defined by Humanity.

Bang

A bang is a situation that requires a choice from the player as how the character will respond to the situation.^[2] The choice will often be thematically relevant, based on the Humanity definition and earlier events in the game. For a bang to be effective, the game master shouldn't force a specific choice, and the player doing nothing should also have consequences.

The game master should prepare a number of bangs for each session in what Edwards calls a bandolier of bangs, but be prepared to alter them on-the-fly or discard them if necessary. A bang doesn't have to be initiated by the game master, another player or even the player himself could identify a bang situation that requires a choice.

The term was introduced by Edwards in the Sorcerer book.

Kicker

A kicker is a player-authored "first bang", a situation that turns the player's character's world upside down.^[2] It's supposed to be the start of the story of the character, and the upcoming events will eventually reach the conclusion of the kicker. The player will then update the character according to rules found in the Sorcerer rules and write a new kicker for the character. The game master should use the event in the kicker and add pressure on the character, to enable the group to make a thematic statement through the resolution of the kicker.

History

Sorcerer was first self-published on-line as a free text document. It gradually built up an audience, made a profit at every stage of its growth, and is currently published as a hard-cover book with three soft-cover supplements. Sorcerer has received numerous reviews on various web forums, such as RPGnet, and in print magazines, such as Realms of Fantasy. It played a substantial part in Ron Edwards' receipt of the "Diana Jones Award" in 2002.^[3]

Main rulebook and supplements

• Sorcerer

The core rulebook. (Hardcover) ISBN 0-9709176-0-0

• Sorcerer & Sword

A supplement for adapating the Sword and sorcery sub-genre and Sorcerer to each other. (Paperback) ISBN 0-9709176-1-9)

• The Sorcerer's Soul

Re-examines Humanity and demons and introduces angels. (Paperback) ISBN 0-9709176-2-7

• Sex and Sorcerer

A look at player interactions, gender and story creation in the game. (Paperback) ISBN 0-9709176-3-5

Mini-supplements

Edwards employs a system for smaller official and fan-written supplements where the author keeps all earnings as long as Edwards has editorial control and the mini-supplement is sold in PDF format at the Adept Press website.^[4] A mini-supplement can include rule tweaks, new setting information other variations of the basic Sorcerer concept.

List of mini-supplements

• Charnel Gods by Scott Knipe

A supplement to the Sorcerer & Sword supplement in which Sorcerers wield demon-infested weapons at the end of the world.

• Demon Cops by Ron Edwards

An urban anime-style police-setting.

• Electric Ghosts by Ravenscrye Daegmorgan

Demons infest technology, and communicates through the sound of electrical devices.

• Hellbound by Dav Harnish

Humanity is the Sorcerer's immortal soul, something that can be sold or traded.

• Schism, by Jared A. Sorensen

A psychic powers Cronenberg-inspired setting where Sorcerers are telepaths and clairvoyants.

• Urge by Clinton R. Nixon

Sorcerers are people infested with an animal spirit, and has to fight the animal urges to remain human. The full text is available online under a Creative Commons license.

References

1. ^ See Sorcerer: ISBN 0-9709176-0-0.
2. ^ ^{a b} See the Forge glossary.
3. ^ The Diana Jones Award website (accessed: 2007-09-08).
4. ^ Mini-supplements on the Adept Press website.

External links

Official sites

• The Sorcerer RPG website
• The Adept Press forum on The Forge website with discussions on Sorcerer, moderated by Ron Edwards

Reviews

• RPGnet - Lisa Padol
• RPGnet - Eric Brennan

Related sites

• A somewhat out-of-date preview version
• A Sorcerer wiki
• A Sorcerer “Quick Reference”