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ncovering the secrets of the “abnormal”: What amazing science is hidden behind these superpowers?
In the 1999 role-playing game Aberrant, players will enter a world of excitement and contradictions. Created by White Wolf Game Studios, the game is set in 2008 and tells the story of how a super-powered human appears in 1998 and affects the world. As the middle setting of the trilogy universe, it takes over the story of "Adventure!" and paves the way for the subsequent "Trinity/Aeon".
With the emergence of "abnormal people", the entire social structure and human morality have been impacted, and the player's super-powered characters (called "novas") must find their place in such a world.
Context of setting
Aberrant is an important part of the trilogy universe, depicting the conflicts and cooperation between human societies and organizations before and after the emergence of the new star. The setting expands on the future history of superpowers in Trinity, while Adventure! looks back at the early stories in the 1920s.
The game is unique in that it does not use traditional character classes or classes, but is based around a "path" or "focus" that players create their own character.
The Science of Superpowers
The super powers of the Novas come from their ability to manipulate energy at the "quantum" level. The limitations of this ability stem from their understanding of quantum mechanics, and are usually tied to a specific focus, such as elemental, shapeshifting, or immortality.
For example, a new star named Anteus can teleport through trees and has the ability to create new species, all of which are based on his deep understanding of nature.
The impact of the mutation
As Nova's powers grow, they begin to experience "Taint", a side effect of manipulating enormous amounts of energy. These side effects may cause the nova to suffer physical or psychological defects, such as growing tentacles, or developing psychosis.
Game of Power
The game's storyline often revolves around the interaction between various forces. Important forces include the "Utopia Project", an organization that promotes cooperation between Nova and humans, and the "Proteus Project", which focuses on "clean-up work".
Teragen is a group of Nova who share a common philosophy, they claim that Nova are biologically superior to humans and seek to free themselves from the constraints of human laws.
System Operation
Aberrant uses a modified narrator system where a character's attributes and skills (or abilities) are added together and then a ten-sided die is rolled. Take Nova for example, they have special "Mega attributes" that can significantly increase the chance of success.
Each power has different levels. As the power level increases, the Nova's ability and influence will also increase. Higher levels of ability can reach the point of being almost omnipotent.
Future Development
Although the original game was discontinued in 2002, the launch of Trinity Continuum: Aberrant has brought the universe back to life. This new version makes some major changes to the settings and provides a detailed review of the superpower ecosystem.
In the new version, the vicious conspiracy elements have been reduced, and gameplay guidance across a variety of superhero media sub-genres has been introduced, making the game richer.
Aberrant is not just a role-playing game, it also explores the moral dilemmas and complexity of human nature under super powers. As classics in the gaming industry, these stories provide us with a wealth of material for reflection, which makes us wonder: After having super powers, how will our choices affect the boundaries of humanity and morality?
