Hot off the internet, it seems as though WotC/Archetype Entertainment has released two books for the Exodus tabletop RPG. Check ’em out!
Exodus is an upcoming sci-fi RPG video game from Archetype Entertainment, the WotC-backed studio run by former Bioware legend James Ohlen. In addition to working on this game of space travel, uplifted bears, and Matthew McConaughey, Archetype Entertainment (and Ohlen) has also released several D&D books, including most recently the Chains of Asmodeus. At least until today—when the two core rulebooks for the Exodus tabletop RPG dropped on their webstore.
The Exodus RPG is Out Now, And Has Some Heavy Hitters on Its Team
The Exodus RPG has a pretty hefty pedigree to its design team. Of course, little wonder, given the folks that Ohlen has previously tapped to work on projects like Chains of Asmodeus. For instance, Adrian Tchaikovsky, of Children of Time fame is one of the authors on the RPG. As is Ohlen himself, and even Peter F. Hamilton who wrote both Judas Unchained, and much more recently a novel set in the Exodus universe with another due out very soon.
All that to say, a talented team was at work on this book. But you can see it in action for yourself. Earlier this year, Ohlen ran a tabletop actual play of the Exodus RPG, with a few guests BoLS readers are likely to know. You’ll see Brian Villalobos, whom you might recognize as Lodi from the recent Destiny 2 expansion, as well as Elizabeth Maxwell, who’s voiced everything from Persona to My Hero Academia to Gundam and back. And they put the system through its paces, you can find the first episode below.
But what about the books? There are two core books you can find either individually or as part of a bundle. There’s the core rulebook, called the Traveler’s Handbook, which has everything you need to create a character and start playing the Exodus RPG. Meanwhile the Exodus Encyclopedia is there for all you GMs. It’s full of lore, new alien stat blocks. Of particular interest might be the 8 Celestials. In Exodus, these are the most powerful enemy in the galaxy. Let’s take a closer look!
The Traveler’s Handbook
“The EXODUS Traveler’s Handbook is your gateway to exploring the world of EXODUS through tabletop roleplaying, set in the same sci-fi universe as the upcoming video game from Archetype Entertainment.
Whether you are heading out on your first mission or shaping the future of a sprawling Traveler Dynasty, this book gives you everything you need to forge unforgettable characters and play out epic tabletop adventures in the Centauri Cluster!”
In this book, you’ll play as a new Traveler (not to be confused with Traveller, the original sci-fi RPG or The Traveler, the big ball we all love in Destiny 2) of your own creation. You’ll pick from an Origin and a Class, including options like Hotshots and Cataphracts too give you a taste of what might await you in the video game, too. The Exodus RPG is full of new ways to explore the unknown.
Over the course of a session you might salvage Remnant Tech, forge a Dynasty (with a bit of time dilation shenanigans) and of course, get new stuff. All of it, using a “streamlined version of the updated 2024 D&D rules with ability checks, new skills suited for a sci-fi universe, exciting tactical combat, and narrative rules tailored to interstellar exploration.” So you know, 5.5E but in space.
The Exodus Encyclopedia – The Exodus RPG’s Monster Manual
“The EXODUS Encyclopedia is the essential guide to the strange and expansive universe awaiting intrepid Travelers. Inside, Game Masters and players alike will uncover the remarkable, terrifying, and mysterious beings that inhabit abandoned starships, forgotten ruins, and uncharted worlds.
From powerful Celestials to rare and elusive Remnants, this book is packed with everything you need to enrich your tabletop adventures across the Centauri Cluster!”
This is a much more GM-centric book. It’s full of both lore and stat blocks for enemies and NPCs to populate your games with. You can learn more about the world of Exodus and then figure out how it will try to kill the player characters as they go n adventures in the Centauri Cluster.
Within you’ll find new stat blocks detailing the powerful “Celestials” who are billed as the most dangerous enemy in the universe. Their lore gets spoiled here, and you’ll also find rules for tons of creations of Celestial design, including androids, war machines, and something known as Ghosts. (But not to be confused with Destiny’s Ghosts).
Both books are available individually or as part of a bundle, which you can find linked below in the Exodus RPG webstore. The game itself is due out sometime next year—which ought to be exciting. In the meantime, however, there’s a whole new 5.5E-based system to start sinking your teeth into. If you want to get a taste of the story and the lore that awaits you in the video game, this is your first thread down the rabbit hole.
See you in the McConaughey cinematic universe!
Bell of Lost Souls Staff Writer and DM, J.R. covers RPGs of all stripes and on occasion eats sandwiches. You can ask him about either at [email protected]
