Into the Glowlands

Two centuries ago, the world of Atrius ended. Its miraculous technologies went rogue, its machines exalting their new god of the Ironmind through coded war-prayers and gore-drenched massacres. Millions of souls perished, as gods fought and weapons of mass destruction shattered the land. In the aftermath, the Ironmind was banished to the divine realm of the Transcendent Circuit in a desperate gambit that saw the death of many gods, and Atrius was sowed with the nanomachine mixture of Vitium in a final bid by the gods to help its people survive.

This was the Unmaking, the end of the world.

The Glowlands was one such victim of the Ironmind; once a temperate land in Atrius’ north, nuclear winter and radioactive fallout reduced it to a blasted tundra laced with luminous atomic particles. Ice-choked ruins shiver through its long nights, and in its deepest reaches machine foundries clank and steam as they build new armies to finish the Ironmind’s murderous work.

Despite their considerable dangers, the Glowlands hold wealth for those willing to risk entering them; ancient technology, relic weapons and powerful magic can all be found under the ice. Hunting them are the Glowlanders, desperate souls risking it all to see what wealth they can uncover.

This place is not a place of honor. No highly esteemed deed is commemorated here. What is here is dangerous and repulsive. This place is best shunned and left uninhabited. This place is a hell, frozen over.

This place is the Glowlands.

What is Into the Glowlands?

Into the Glowlands is an RPG about perilous journeys into dangerous lands, filled with foes and terror. It is a game about combat; these dangers must often be faced head on, and while animals can be calmed and living foes reasoned with, the machines you fight are far less likely to listen. They are the butchers of an entire world, who slaughtered millions until they were slicked and oxidised with blood; what are a few more deaths to such beings?

The battles you face will be dangerous, and death will always be near. Combat in this game is focussed on tactical maneuvering and clever use of your abilities to win the day, with a risk-and-reward dynamic where every attack risks a brutal response from your enemies.

Into the Glowlands is also about the journey across the Glowlands. You must be careful with your supplies in this inhospitable land; safe havens and friendly faces are few and far between. You and your fellow glowlanders will have to keep an eye on your supplies, and must be prepared to deal with sudden disasters, be they natural, artificial or supernatural.

Primarily, however, Into the Glowlands is a roleplaying game about conflict and strategy, whether that is battling against machines or seeking the best route through the hostile landscape of the Glowlands. While this game can be used to run games focussed on political intrigue or complex, interpersonal drama, it would be dishonest of me to claim it’s good for doing this when there are many other games out there much more suited for that style of gameplay.