Effekt

We interviewed Nils and Kosta on our YouTube Channel last week. We were going to include the recording in our episode next week, but so many people have already seen it on YouTube it might be old news for you loyal listeners by then. So instead we are going to have a reaction panel feature, and for those of you who prefer podcasting over YT, here is a slightly edited audio only version of the interview.

Effekt is brought to you by Fictionsuit and RPG Gods. Music is by Stars in a Black Sea, used with kind permission of Free League Publishing.
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Creators & Guests

Host
Dave Semark
Dave is co-host and writer on the podcast, and part of the writing team at Free League - he created the Xenos for Alien RPG and as been editor and writer on a number of further Alien and Vaesen books, as well as writing the majority the upcoming Better Worlds book. He has also been the Year Zero Engine consultant on War Stories and wrote the War Stories campaign, Rendezvous with Destiny.
Host
Matthew Tyler-Jones
Matthew is co host of the podcast, as well as writer, producer, senior editor, designer and all round top dog. He was also been involved a couple of project for Free League - writing credits include Alien RPG, Vaesen: Mythic Britain and Ireland, and Vaesen: Seasons of Mystery as well as a number of Free League Workshop products.

What is Effekt?

A fan podcast celebrating (mostly Swedish) RPGs including, but not limited to: Coriolis; Forbidden Lands; Symbaroum; Tales from the Loop; and, Alien.

Matthew:

We're in the company of Nils and Costa from Free League, which is absolutely brilliant. Isn't it Dave?

Dave:

It is. I was gonna say. So hello, and welcome to what is a very exciting and very special edition of Creators in the Hammam for effect here, with 2 of my favorite people in the gaming industry, Nils Carlyle and Kosta Kostoulas. Welcome, guys.

Nils:

Thank you.

Kosta:

Thank you.

Nils:

It's nice to be on the podcast. Yeah.

Dave:

Yeah. It's, it's lovely lovely to have you here. So so you're here to talk about some super thrilling news that you announced earlier today. But first, I just wanna very briefly and quickly take you back to May 2017 when Matthew and I started a little podcast that was called the Coriolis effect. We created that thanks to our love to over to, for a game called Coriolis the 3rd horizon.

Dave:

Here we are 7 years later. Now we're foaming at the mouth waiting to hear more about the new game Coriolis the great dark. So welcome to the show and tell us everything.

Nils:

Yeah. Is it that long ago? I didn't know it was 2017. That's a long

Dave:

time ago. 7 years. 7 years. I know.

Nils:

I remember you guys interviewed us in a pub in the old town in Stockholm.

Dave:

Yeah. Yep. The old Bishop's Arms in Gamlastan. Yeah. I remember that night really well.

Dave:

That was a great night. And you guys have regenerative paid for us, which was even better. Yeah.

Nils:

We did.

Matthew:

Which given Swedish beer prices that means something.

Dave:

Which meant we could get the plane home because otherwise we would have been stuck in Stockholm forever.

Matthew:

Yeah.

Kosta:

Yeah.

Nils:

But we're we're, like, super excited as well because for me and Costa, at least, Coriolis was the beginning of Free League.

Kosta:

For everybody was beginning.

Nils:

Yeah. For everybody, basically. I mean, as you know, Free League, the name is from the faction in the game. The logo is kind of related as well. Yeah.

Nils:

So it's kind of coming back full circle for us to be able to do, like, this new game for Coriolis.

Matthew:

Okay. Let's talk about this new game. Yeah. Let's ask you, Costa. How new is it?

Matthew:

You you you talk about it in your press release earlier today. You talk about it being a spiritual sequel. A

Dave:

spiritual sequel

Matthew:

... sequel to the 3rd horizon. Is it actually a sequel? Can I take my character from the 3rd horizon into the new lost horizon and play them there? You actually can.

Nils:

You actually can.

Kosta:

Yeah.

Nils:

It's kind of a long story how you do it, but you can. But it will be possible. Yes. With that said, it is a new setting. Yeah.

Nils:

This is not the 3rd horizon. It's very much tied into the 3rd horizon and the old game, and everything is like kind of extrapolated from that game. But it is a new horizon which we call the lost horizon, but you could call the 4th horizon. But, yes, the answer to your question is yes.

Dave:

And can you tell us anything about how how that has been found? Is there a a portal that takes you there? Is there something else in the backstory? How how do we get there?

Kosta:

You actually have to to take a long voyage through flat space to reach the lost horizon. So there's no turning back.

Dave:

Right. Okay. Cool. And was was that saying

Matthew:

When when you say long voyage, is this like, the original, Nadir, the flights of the Nadir and the Zenith?

Nils:

Not really because there's and this is something we explore in the game. There is some kind of phenomena, that this fleet that leaves the 3rd horizon experiences that makes them come to this new horizon. And that's something that's one of the top points of the game, actually. And the people leaving the 3rd horizon, if you read the last episode of the campaign merge of the icons, it's all in there, when they leave.

Dave:

la. la. la. la la la la.

Dave:

I'm still playing that.

Kosta:

So it's actually the end.

Kosta:

Point in

Matthew:

Dave hasn't, and, and we haven't got round to actually starting that volume yet. So we've got we're gonna have to hurry now. We're gonna get a move on.

Nils:

It's not it's not very it's not a major plot point. No. It's

Kosta:

not a plot point to the story of the third part of Mercy. No. But it in the, what do you call it? The epilogue, we we discuss what happens

Dave:

after. Right. Right.

Matthew:

And these deals seem to be packed. I seem to remember that there's a particular fleet mentioned, and I wonder whether it'll be that fleet that goes for the 4th one. Excellent.

Nils:

Could be. Could be. Could be.

Kosta:

But but it's not as long as, if you remember, it took them half millennia to reach For from the first or the to the 3rd.

Nils:

Yep.

Kosta:

And it's not that, time span. No.

Dave:

Right. But I'd say there's there's there's no there's no quick way back. No. So if you wanted to go back to the 3rd horizon, you've gotta turn your ship around and fly back the same way. Yeah.

Dave:

Right. Cool.

Nils:

Yep.

Kosta:

And and the it's spiritual in the way that we continue we we close the arc that most of the icons was, and we move on to other enigmas this described in in Coriolis, the first edition.

Nils:

Maybe we could explain it a bit more because

Matthew:

Yeah.

Nils:

There was a blueprint for Coriolis of Third Horizon from the beginning back from 2008. And that was the mercy of the icon, meta plot. And when that was resolved, that was kind of the story that was envisioned for this setting. But as Costa said, there there are several big mysteries that is not resolved. We won't maybe mention all of them because that could be a a spoiler for if you haven't played a campaign. But, this game actually goes straight for those mysteries and and goes very much straight into them.

Nils:

And it's, the mystery. For us, one of the core things of Coriolis has been the mystery at the heart of the setting. It's mystery, sense of wonder, it's cultures and so on. And these kind of mysteries and secrets is what we're trying to explore even more in the great dark than we did in the horizon.

Kosta:

And we move into what we wanted to explore when we wrote, the Rimward Reach was that kind of mystery, and now we can move into that.

Dave:

Right. Right.

Matthew:

I was wondering whether, you know, this is a little bit ... because in a way, if I recall correctly, correct me if I'm wrong, you're a lot closer to this than I, that, the old the first incarnation of Jarnringen had kind of plotted out the campaign for mercy of the icons. Yeah. Yep. And back th en, you were just fans on a bulletin board enjoying the game and disappointed

Nils:

when,

Matthew:

Jarnringen one decided to hang up their coats and go back to their day jobs. And you you carried it on, but but, yeah, you did create the Rimward Reach, and that became very kind of firefly esque western style. I remember you mentioning Costa. Yeah. Is this now your expansion?

Matthew:

Is this, if you like, re league's version of Coriolis coming to the fore?

Nils:

Actually, no. I think because we have a third person, which is part of the core team, which is Martin Grib, and he was the original part of the original crew. So I would say this is actually yeah, it's much more. It's 50% original Yandere and 50% free league version. But this is kind of the true synthesis, how do you say?

Kosta:

Yeah. Some symbiosis. Yeah.

Dave:

Yeah. Yeah.

Nils:

Compared to well, we did the Free League version, which went more to a firefly esque way, as you said, and the original, which was quite a lot of intrigue and factional stuff, and and had a lot of different things going on. So we kind of

Kosta:

We're trying to marry those 2. Mhmm. And, actually, as you said, 7 years has has gone since then. Yeah. New ideas that Yeah.

Kosta:

You know, we we got a new influences too during the role.

Nils:

Yep.

Dave:

So in the new world of the lost horizon, do we still have the influence of the icons?

Nils:

Yes. But not in the way you think.

Dave:

What what do I think?

Nils:

Well, it's it's a part of the of the of the plot and of the game, but it's it's, it's a post, icon setting if you if you if you will. Right. There's still icon worship. There's still people, tied to that faith

Dave:

Yeah.

Nils:

And religion and everything, but it's it's has taken another form. Yeah. It's not the same form as in the third horizon because some time has passed. Not that much time, but some time.

Kosta:

Yeah.

Matthew:

Yeah. So is there a prayer mechanic still? No. No. No.

Matthew:

We don't push through prayer. Oh, no. I'm walking out now.

Nils:

The game is not this game is not about that. This game is has a different, angle. Yeah.

Dave:

Right.

Matthew:

Now I did see in that blurb that hope, the word hope, had a capital letter. I'm wondering whether the push mechanic might be related to hope then in this new game.

Nils:

Yes. Yeah.

Kosta:

Yes. That wouldn't be a spoiler to say.

Nils:

No. No. Hope is hope is, it's it's a somewhat bleak setting, but it's about hope. And it's about building something and and finding a way forward.

Kosta:

Yeah. And working as a as a crew or as a group to overcome the obstacles that the game set in your path.

Nils:

Yeah. It's a very group centric collaborative game. It's some it's a game where you kind of if you for example, compared to Alien, we have these different agendas and you can backstyle each other. This is not a game. In this game, you need to help each other.

Nils:

You need to work together, and you need to kind of build your hope and strive forward. So it's a kind of an optimistic setting in one way, but it's also pretty bleak.

Matthew:

Right. So, this is a way I often describe one of your other games, although not not an original Free League game, but but the one ring. I often tell people it's a game about hope versus despair, and it sounds a little bit like this might also be a game about hope versus despair. Yeah.

Nils:

Yeah. Oh, you wouldn't be wrong. No. Yeah. It is.

Nils:

It's I mean, it's so much more as well. It's not it's it's one of the pillars. Absolutely.

Dave:

You also talk about wonder in the, in the press release. And again, is there is there is that a one of the key planks of t he game as well as hope? The, kind of exploring the wonders of the Yeah.

Kosta:

The lost the wonder feeling. We wanna we wanna, you know, we want you to explore new stuff that you haven't seen before and be old, but but but but what kind of stuff you can find in this lost horizon left by others?

Nils:

Yeah. It's it's a lot about sense of wonder in a classical sci fi sense when you read this kind of classic Rendezvous with Rama or, you know, these classics sci fi novels from the back from the fifties, but up till today. Yeah. And this kind of really sci fi thing where you kind of get your your hair stand on your arm and it's something like you couldn't imagine before. That's kind of a feeling we want to, dive into in this game a little bit more than the other game, which was more kind of like static in a way.

Nils:

In this way, we wanted to bring up the sci fi ness, the sense of wonder, the mysticism.

Kosta:

And that that existed too in in Yeah. It was the 3rd horizon. And we and we explored parts of that when we wrote the rimward reach. Yep. Because we've always been keen to those kind of themes,

Dave:

so to say.

Kosta:

Yeah. But the the big arc of the 3rd horizon was the Mercy of the icons.

Dave:

So maybe that wonder element didn't get quite as much time in the sunlight as you'd hoped for, and that's where the lost horizon is gonna fill that gap, hopefully.

Nils:

Yeah. And as Kosta said, I mean, the the Ringward Reach was really I would say it's kind of a blueprint in one way of this game. It's not at all. It's not identical in any way, but there are there are stuff there which is kind of followed to this game. Right.

Nils:

And then

Matthew:

if you

Nils:

have the the original Coriolis as well, of course.

Kosta:

I mean, that was far away from the core of the Kua system at the end of civilization, so I would say. And now we moved across flat space for tens of years to get to new place where nobody has been. Yeah.

Nils:

It's a much more it's a more frontier setting.

Matthew:

Right. Yeah. Now the so that touches on well, well, the first question I asked, can I take my old character? But are all the characters from the 3rd horizon? Or when we've traveled across flat space, do we meet some new character opportunities in the lost horizon?

Nils:

That that is well, how should we answer this? No. It's they are from the 3rd horizon.

Kosta:

Right. Right. So so the people that colonized the lost horizon, the ones you start with, are all from the 3rd horizon, but a few generations have passed. So what was, factually in the 3rd horizon has become myth or legend or stuff that your grand grand daddy or Yeah. Grandmom talked about,

Dave:

which All the young all the youngsters kind of don't believe anymore. And yeah.

Nils:

This is actually one of the big points of this game that, the third horizon was was built around the concept that it was built on the myths from old Earth. And then you had this that kind of power the the mythology of the horizon. And in the great dark, the horizon has become myth in this setting, So it's kinda another step. So you still have those myths that they had in the, but it's kind of further removed, and you have all this stuff that happened in in the adventures you played. Those are kind of legends and myths now and have affected the society and the culture.

Dave:

So you talk about the great dark. Does that mean the darkness between the stars still has an important part to play in ...in the new edition?

Nils:

Very much so.

Matthew:

Yeah.

Nils:

Yes.

Kosta:

But

Kosta:

we won't go into how.

Nils:

No. But we're yeah. But the great dark is also kind of, in this game, we kind of see space as some as a vast ocean. It's very much inspired by, like, 19th century polar exploration where space is harsh and difficult, and yet it takes time to traverse it.

Dave:

Yeah.

Nils:

One thing we can, I think, spoil Yeah? Is that the lost horizon is called the lost horizon because the portals are dead. Yeah. So that's why it is a different horizon to, experience and explore. And that's one of the plot points Yeah.

Nils:

Of the setting.

Dave:

So you

Kosta:

have to set out on expeditions to reach new systems. You don't So travel jump.

Dave:

Yeah. So traveling between systems is is a big deal. It's not something you

Nils:

It's a big deal. It's possible, and you do it, but it's much more difficult, and it's a much more of an adventure. It's not this instant instantaneous, kind of teleportation that it is in the Federation.

Dave:

Yeah. Cool. So you then also talk about mighty great ships. Now presumably these are the ships that you traveled from the third horizon to the lost horizon in, And then these are the ships that you explore the lost horizon as your are they your base effectively? Your kind of like your community?

Dave:

No. No.

Kosta:

So they are a new thing that you built when you reach the lost horizon. Right. You'd be able to go on those long expeditions to find new systems.

Matthew:

Right.

Nils:

Yeah. So they're not they're not the same ships as the ones that you No. That they ride with. Yeah. And they're not at the same they're not like the Ark and the Mutant.

Nils:

They're they're your base. But what they are is they are, big ships that you went throughout on expeditions, and you have a larger pool of people on them, explorers. It could be crew. It could be different factions and so on. And they are a place for adventure.

Nils:

Yeah. So Okay. Actually, it's a way of when you're traveling out, you're still you're still gonna have intrigues and stuff on the great ships. So one of the major changes is it's less Firefliesque and more Yeah. The terror, maybe.

Matthew:

Right.

Nils:

Yeah.

Dave:

So are these great ships like miniature Coriolis', but they can fly around?

Nils:

Not really. Not really?

Kosta:

No? Okay. They're they're large tankers or, like, you know, 300 meters, 400 meters, something like that. Yeah. Like, bulk freighters in in large ships, but you need them to cross the space, to cross the new systems.

Nils:

Yeah. Right? The Coriolis of this setting, is actually it has a direct connection to Coriolis, the Coriolis station. Yeah. And that is the ship city.

Nils:

It is it is the the the capital, the station where everything is based from. And and that is where it's like an asteroid where you have the remains of the fleet that you have built like a society around which fills exactly the same purpose as Coriolis did. And it has kind of a vision of becoming the new Coriolis.

Kosta:

And and the banner you showed was actually the silhouette of ship city in the background.

Matthew:

So this is a splash page at the top of your press release.

Kosta:

Yep.

Matthew:

and so you're saying that this, in behind behind this

Dave:

The asteroid in the background.

Nils:

Yeah. That is ship city. Yeah.

Matthew:

That is the ship city. And that and that's Oolis in this new horizon?

Nils:

It is. Well, this is a long story. And it's because there are different factions in this game, and one of the factions in this game is called the Coriolites. And that is kind of a sect who kind of worships everything from the 3rd horizon. And it's really into all the mythology, all the old religion, all that stuff.

Matthew:

Right.

Nils:

And they're very important in this setting. So they have kind of they want to kind of bring the old into the new and so on. So they call this station for they have a long name for it, but one of the things is called Coriolis as well.

Matthew:

So if you're a real fan of the old game and you're a little bit unsure about this new game, you're gonna be part of that faction, I guess.

Dave:

Yes. Yes.

Nils:

Yeah. Exactly. If you love if you if if you can't leave the third horizon behind, we have several solutions for you. But one of them is become

Dave:

Yeah. Nice.

Matthew:

Cool. So, so this blue ship in at the bottom of the and we ought to say, you haven't just announced the game, but you've announced the first part, I guess, or at least an adventure, if not the first part of the campaign.

Nils:

It's actually a complete campaign in the box. It's not the first part. It's a it's a campaign.

Kosta:

We're not gonna we're not gonna do 7 parts for 7 years.

Nils:

No. No. So this is this is a complete, campaign in a box, and it will explore possibly the biggest enigma in the Coriolis universe, which you may Which is my

Matthew:

enigma of the portal builders, surely.

Nils:

Well, it could be one of 2 things, I would say.

Matthew:

Well, if it's not the portal builders, it'll be the fate of the lost Nadir.

Nils:

Well, bingo. No. But seriously so, I would say that we have the portal builders is very, very, very essential to this game as well. Yeah. It's

Kosta:

it's So the mystery of art.

Dave:

The godlike creatures you're talking about Yeah. Are the portal builders presumably.

Nils:

Yes. Yeah.

Dave:

Cool.

Kosta:

One would assume.

Nils:

Yeah. One would assume.

Dave:

Yeah. Yeah.

Nils:

This is very much about exploring all the back story that is hinted at in the in the goal game, but this is kind of goes back to to the core of that. And, well, it's gonna, it's gonna be be something you explore in play.

Dave:

Yeah. So so you talked about the, the the Coriolites or Coriolis Coriolis Yep. The Coriolites, not the Coriolisites. Yeah. And obviously you say we're a few generations on from the people who left the 3rd horizon.

Dave:

Do we still have reflections of the old factions going on in the new game, or are they all now changed subtly or different if those factions died out?

Kosta:

They're sort of, mixed into other factions and into the Clarielites. And

Matthew:

So for

Dave:

so for fans of all the old factions, then you do get some of that still in in the new game.

Kosta:

Yeah. You you get new factions. Yep. But not as many.

Nils:

Yeah. And those the new factions are based on the old old ones, but they changed the names and so on. So it has been there's a whole they've taken the old ones, and we kind of extrapolated that.

Dave:

They've evolved. Yeah.

Nils:

Yeah. So it's another they're not called the same thing, but you will recognize parts and stuff everywhere. We have some really cool, I think, Easter eggs. For example, we have organizations from the 3rd horizon who has transformed very much,

Kosta:

in

Nils:

the new game, but it still kind of makes sense in the setting.

Kosta:

Organizations that were part of factions.

Dave:

Right. Okay. Factions. Yeah. Have kind of become factions themselves in the new game.

Dave:

Yeah. Nice.

Nils:

So it's a it's a I mean, Choreotus has has always been a lot about culture and kind of this melting pot thing. And and and the the Great Dark is the same, but it's not identical to the old one. We we try to evolve it, but still have the same feeling. So it's a lot of stuff is new, but you will recognize a lot of stuff. And there's all that back reference to the old stuff as well.

Kosta:

Yeah. Mhmm. If you're an old fan, you will find a lot of things to recognize, and you Yeah. Notice the Easter eggs. If you're a new fan, you have a whole new horizon to explore.

Dave:

If you're a new fan, you need to go back and get the original Coriolis after you've played dark dark, yeah, the great guy.

Matthew:

But, actually, I've seen, I've seen a lot of people on social media complaining they can't get, Coriolis the 3rd horizon. It's out of print here, there, and everywhere. Is that gonna see a reprint? Can you talk about these 2 games being standalone, or is now Coriolis the 3rd Horizon only only available to those of us that already have it?

Nils:

Or That's a good question. Yeah. I don't think we have a final answer to that. It will be available for sure. If it's in print or if it's a PDF or whatever form, we don't know.

Nils:

It will be available. It won't go away. And one thing we do as well will announce, or has announced when you here it is, is that we open up both Coriolis the great dark and Coriolis the federalism for to the open license. So

Matthew:

Tell us

Nils:

some more

Matthew:

about that. I was gonna ask you about that. Yeah. Obviously.

Nils:

So so all of both the old setting and the new setting will be completely free to produce settings for, not setting material

Kosta:

Setting material.

Nils:

Modules, adventures, sell, and do whatever you want. Exactly as for Dragonbane.

Dave:

Yeah. Mhmm. Nice.

Nils:

Very nice.

Matthew:

So we will Dragon Bayn Dragon Bayn license, and you'll have a made for Coriolis

Nils:

Yes. Yeah.

Matthew:

Logo that people can use.

Nils:

And that will affect both the old game and the new game. We will focus on Coriolis the great dark. That's kind of the focus we're taking right now. The the 3rd horizon will still exist. You can still play in it, and we hope that, you know, fans still make stuff for that.

Nils:

So it's gonna be open.

Kosta:

Because, I mean, it doesn't the third horizon doesn't end with, Marshall, the icons, but we won't explore it anymore. Yeah. But it's open to all the people that played there to explore it and continue the saga.

Nils:

Yeah.

Matthew:

There are People have created their own settings a bit like you did with the Rimward reach. They can now publish those those bits of the 3rd horizon, themselves. Oh, great fun. Brilliant.

Dave:

Yeah. Yeah. We've got tons of stuff we've done over the years. You should package that up and get it out.

Kosta:

Yeah.

Matthew:

Yeah. As I'm just quickly going through you you've answered most of my questions. Oh, no. But but the except for the big one. You talk about this being a revised version of the year zero engine, especially made like you always do for the game.

Matthew:

What are some of the changes that we can see, between this version of I mean, obviously, we've already discussed prayer not being a mechanic anymore, but what are some of the other differences between the new version and the old rules for Coriolis the 3rd horizon?

Nils:

It's quite a lot.

Matthew:

Yeah.

Nils:

Okay. It it is a more streamlined engine, than the 3rd horizon. I mean, what you should know is that the 3rd horizon engine was the second iteration of the year series engine we ever did. And even though it's lots of good things in it, it has some stuff that worked less well. In this iteration, we've done we tried to really emulate kind of the feeling and the world and the setting we're going for.

Nils:

So it's a it's a more streamlined core engine, which means that it's a bit less crunch, a bit more fast and fluid gameplay. And we put some crunch in, the bits where we think is very important for this game, and that's especially exploration, delving.

Kosta:

Yeah. Expeditions.

Nils:

Yep. And, also, we have, mystical powers, which are they're different in this game than the last game.

Dave:

That was my next question. Do we still have it? Yeah. Just can you say anything else about the the new evolution of the mystical power side of the game? Or maybe we'll lead that.

Nils:

It's yeah. It's, okay.

Dave:

We're onto something here because I don't I don't wanna talk. So

Nils:

No. But it's the, actually, the mystical powers is as if you played the the old game, and we can't spoil too much, but they have, like, a story reason for existing. Yeah. And, that reason is not the same in this horizon. There is a reason, and it has another expression, another

Kosta:

Not not game mechanic, but another way.

Dave:

Yeah. Okay.

Nils:

But they we we we can say one thing, and that is that, we you might have seen on the on the images that some of them have birds in them. Yes.

Matthew:

There's a lot of birds in in in

Nils:

Those birds are very special, and those birds have some special powers. Yeah. And that's part of the of the background and of the setting. So

Dave:

So are these mystical birds, or are these birds that have been discovered in the lost horizon? Is there something else you can tell us about that?

Nils:

They've been discovered there.

Kosta:

Yeah. Yeah. Right.

Nils:

So you were there. They're very strange birds.

Dave:

Yeah. So if that does bring you onto another question I was gonna ask, which is so are the so are they supernatural in the way that the, some of the creatures in your Coriolis the 3rd horizon were were supernatural.

Nils:

No. I know.

Kosta:

Genie and stuff.

Dave:

Yeah. Yeah. And and do those still exist? Those kind of djinn and, dark morph creatures. Do they still exist in your, in the lost horizon?

Nils:

In a way. In a way. I mean,

Dave:

they're they're mystical

Kosta:

the way that, Arthur c Clark said that, technology would seem like magic to

Dave:

me. Yeah.

Kosta:

Yeah.

Dave:

Okay. Oh, maybe. Interesting. Interesting.

Nils:

I think I think what this game does a bit more than the third horizon does is maybe tie everything together, in the back end. So there's a much more kind of, I wouldn't say metaplot. That's wrong because that's another thing. But it's a it's a it's a structure to it. There's a logical reason to it, and it has some kind of sense of wonder thing behind this kind of

Kosta:

But so there are definitely mystical, ideas and or properties to a lot of stuff going on that people will learn by playing the campaign.

Dave:

Yeah. And and some of that sorry. Nils. Go on.

Nils:

No. No. Go ahead.

Dave:

No. I was just gonna say say some of that, like you were saying, Kosta, the the idea that it looks mystical to to us as the players and the characters, but actually there might be a technological reason behind it that's so advanced we can't tell the difference. Yeah. Might be.

Nils:

Might be. Yeah. I mean, that that's part of the of the game. You're kind of delving into that and where where everything comes from. And and so it's it's a a lot about uncovering mysteries

Matthew:

Yeah.

Nils:

And mysteries within mysteries.

Kosta:

Yeah. Mhmm.

Nils:

Like Russian dolls.

Kosta:

Yeah. We don't wanna spoil everything. You know? No. No.

Kosta:

No.

Dave:

No. No. We just want a scoop. That's what, you know. Yeah.

Dave:

So I do have another question. So in in Coriolis, the 3rd horizon, you don't really have anything in the way of alien species that you come across. You know, you have things like the Skevara and the

Matthew:

The semi intelligences.

Dave:

Yeah. The the Nekatra, the like. Are there gonna be alien species in the third in the lost horizon?

Nils:

That's also a plot point.

Dave:

Yeah. I believe that. Yeah.

Nils:

I believe that. Actually, I think that's one of the core things of the game. We we want to make the the kind of the cool things in the setting be something you explore in play, like Yeah. Almost from the start. Yeah.

Nils:

So it's a bit less front loaded maybe than Corio also said Verizon, but it's a lot more, you know, in the back. There's lots of stuff here waiting to be explored. Yeah. Yeah. So there might be, there might be not.

Kosta:

I mean, there there are not any aliens in Ship City. No. Living in dams Yeah. As humans.

Nils:

It's a very much a human centric setting. Yeah. Yeah.

Dave:

Yeah. But there might be alien life out there to be discovered.

Nils:

I mean, one of the big things, and this is not a spoiler, is that, there's a big, big exploration, part of the game, and that is, exploring ruins left by the builders,

Kosta:

which is

Nils:

you can imagine who they are called in the. Yeah. And that's kind of, that's one of the major things you do is kind of, find out stuff about them. Yeah. So there's remnants of something that is not human, definitely.

Nils:

Yeah.

Dave:

Yeah. So so if could we could we kinda liken, you know, the the the portal builder remnants in the 3rd horizon are kind of like, you know, the the odd archaeological find. The remnants in the lost horizon is more like Pompeii or Herculaneum where there's a lot more to uncover.

Nils:

It's Right. Much, much closer to home. It's much closer to the center of where they came from.

Dave:

Right. Cool. Now that that sounds Very darn good.

Kosta:

Not spoil too much.

Matthew:

Mhmm. Alright. There'd be there'd be

Kosta:

a lot of ruins and monuments to find. Yeah. In the That's superb.

Matthew:

Excellent. I so obviously, we've we've got the scoop with this one, but, I'm sure lots of people watching this have got questions they're around to ask you. We should say that if they're watching this on Tuesday, then tomorrow, Wednesday, they can join the Free League Lounge with Eleanor.

Kosta:

Yeah. Yeah.

Matthew:

Are are you both gonna be on that show as well?

Nils:

We're both gonna be on that one, and we're gonna take all the questions. So so we're gonna have to answer everything. Yeah.

Matthew:

And if you're That was 2 weeks ago, mate. You've lost it.

Kosta:

Yeah.

Dave:

Cool.

Matthew:

I think I have one final question for Kosta. But before I ask that, I just wanna check, Dave, whether you've got anything else you're welcome.

Dave:

Yeah. It's a bit obvious what his question is, isn't it? He's asked it I don't know how many times over the years. Yeah. No.

Dave:

I think, I think I think that's all my questions today, but, you know, absolutely, you know, delighted to hear this announcement. Brilliant stuff. We've been waiting for it for a long time. And, yeah, all the very best best with it. But, yeah, let's let's go over to Matti's really obvious and boring final question.

Matthew:

Kosta, is there gonna be a cookbook for this new edition of Coriolis?

Kosta:

Well, we'll have to wait and see.

Dave:

That's no, isn't it? That's a big joke.

Nils:

You should observe that it is not a no.

Matthew:

Okay. It's not a no.

Kosta:

New it's a new. New it's a new.

Dave:

New it's a new.

Nils:

Yeah. Okay.

Matthew:

And I guess we should briefly say that this then you're you're kick starting this, if people haven't seen the press release, you're kick starting this from the 19th March. Right?

Nils:

Yes. Yep. And, actually, when we kick start it, there will be a fully playable, quick start as well with an adventure and very trimmed down version of the rules and a very, very trimmed down version of the setting. So already, like, in a month, you will be able to kind of do your first delve into the. Yeah.

Dave:

Ex I

Nils:

mean, the lost.

Dave:

Oh, that's a bit we can, hang on. We can edit that bit out. Yeah. It's very easy.

Kosta:

And and then we'll we'll release an alpha PDF later Yep. With all the stuff.

Dave:

Yep. Excellent.

Matthew:

Yeah. Before we Brilliant.

Nils:

Yeah. And then, we're gonna release the the core book and the campaign box at the same time. So there will be a campaign playable from day 1. Nice. And, yeah.

Nils:

So we're very looking forward to kind of letting players explore this setting now. Yeah.

Matthew:

Really. Yeah. We're very excited to explore it. And Yeah. Oh, we do.

Matthew:

We do.

Nils:

I should I should also add one thing. It's it's this has been kind of a passion project for me and Kosta and Martin Gripp Yeah. For the last, like, couple of years.

Kosta:

Yeah.

Nils:

And it's been, like, so much fun to work with. And it's been, like, you know, we dive into all the old stuff, and we looked at our old, you know, notes and adventures and and tried to see where we could take it. Yeah. And I think, that this is a really cool game.

Kosta:

Yeah. It is. It is. So a lot of stuff we thought about in 2017 and, you know, haven't used. Yeah.

Kosta:

Yeah. Which should be with us.

Dave:

Yeah. Nice. Nice.

Matthew:

I mean, we've kept the faith, but I know there are people on social media have been saying, oh, you know, they they've got board of Coriolis. They're never gonna update it again. And No. Dave and I, we've always known that, you know, this is your first love, a bit like it's ours now. You know?

Nils:

Yeah. Yeah.

Dave:

10 years

Nils:

ago. I think you're not gonna give Coriolis. No. No. We're gonna not gonna give it up.

Nils:

And I think one of the beauties with, with having the 3rd horizon and now the lost horizon is this kind of expands the setting, and it's kind of makes it much more it's it's both like a vast scope of the setting, but also that the history you play the history in the third horizon, and then you play the future kind of in this game Yeah. And it ties together. And there's lots of thing that ties together. And it's kind of, I think, makes it like a setting which has some kind of depth to it there. Mhmm.

Dave:

Just building on the kind of the mythology all the way. Yeah.

Nils:

Yeah.

Dave:

Yeah. Yeah. Nice. I love it.

Nils:

So there we we haven't scrapped anything. It's all the the old thing old stuff is there. It's just in another light.

Kosta:

Yeah. Mhmm. But but if you're a new player, you can start straight with the great tar. Yep. You don't have to you know?

Kosta:

No. You're not front loaded by having to read all the old stuff to

Dave:

No. Yeah. Because you've got you've got tar too. Yeah. Because you get the what you need of the myths and the legends from the 3rd horizon in the setting background for

Matthew:

Yeah.

Dave:

The lost horizon. Yeah. Yeah. And then and then once you play that, you can buy Coriolis the 3rd horizon and go back and play

Nils:

all that. Yeah. Yes. Yes.

Dave:

It's a win win win for everyone.

Nils:

Like a never ending loop. Yeah. Exactly.

Matthew:

Oh, brilliant. Been a real pleasure talking with you again, Niels Acosta. We're really looking forward to it. Yeah. What else can we say, Dave?

Dave:

Other than thanks for coming on the show, guys. It's been a delight to chat to you as always. And, yeah, if you need us to help you give any more scoops, over the next few months, then, you know, we are here to help.

Nils:

Yeah. From the direction.

Dave:

That sounds cool. Brilliant. Thanks so much for joining us, guys.

Nils:

Thanks for having

Kosta:

us. Thanks. Yeah.

Nils:

Really.

Dave:

You have been listening to the Effect podcast