This is the second half of a foreboding list of incidents, changes, and catastrophes you can use to populate the background of your TTRPG campaign. You'll find Part One here. While these are written with a fantasy slant, they can easily be adapted to other genres. If you'd like a pdf with the complete list, I've uploaded that to Dropbox. 

1. Ominous Portents: What is the nature of the signs spotted? Who claims to have the clearest reading of the signs? What group has tried to downplay or erase these omens?
2. Overturning Leadership: What faction, clan, or city has declared no confidence in or deposed their leadership? What event precipitated this event? How is this fall dangerous for another group?
3. People's Champion: What downtrodden group has a new defender? Who is this person and why have they made an impact? Who clearly perceives them as a threat?
4. Plague Spreads: What illness, once contained, has begun to spread rapidly to neighboring areas? What is different about this form of the sickness? What’s unusual about those who appear to be immune to its effects?
5. Plague of Locusts: What vermin has experienced a massive explosion in population? What new areas has it invaded or overrun? What do authorities fear will happen next?
6. Prohibitions: What new law has been enacted to suppress a popular practice, good, or service? How does the stated reason for this differ from the real reason? Who is most surprisingly against this?
7. Promotion to the Court: What lesser figure or voice from the outlands has been called to serve at the court? What seems to be the agenda for the authorities in doing this? What existing office is most threatened by this change?
8. Provocation: What deliberatively provocative action has a nation, faction, or group done towards another? What do they really hope to gain from this? Who will suffer, regardless of the outcome?
9. Public Ridicule: What powerful person has been subject to a campaign of ridicule? What form(s) has this taken (plays, poems, satirical images, whispering campaign, etc)? Have they reacted well or badly to these taunts and jeers?
10. Purifying Rite: What place, person, or event needs to be purified? How is this rite to be carried out? What dangers accompany this process?
11. A Quest Abandoned: What was the purpose and importance of the quest? What caused the company to falter? Who must now take up the burden?
12. Refugees: What group has fled into the region from horrors outside? How have they been greeted? What pursues them?
13. Return of the Dead: Who person or group has seemingly returned from the dead? What is known about this return—is it supernatural, did they fake their death, or something else? Who is most shaken by this return?
14. Revelation of a Spy: Who was being spied on? How was the spy revealed? What damage had they already done?
15. Revelation of Birthright: What house or group has been shaken by proof of a new senior heir to their power and wealth? What is most unusual about this new heir? Who seems to have been instrumental in keeping this secret?
16. Riots at the Mines: What set off the workers revolt at a vital mine? Besides the stated resources, what unique and possibly secret thing is produced there? How have the authorities over-reacted?
17. Ruination: What famous site has fallen into disrepair? What was the final straw in its collapse? Who is accepting or rejecting blame?
18. Secret College: What is the nature of this secret school? Who leads this hidden place of learning? How has it been exposed?
19. Secret Defenses: What group, clan, or faction has been secretly building unusual defenses? How and why have they concealed this? Who has suffered in the execution of this plan?
20. Secret Meddling: Who has had their behind the scenes manipulation of a group, clan, faction, or kingdom exposed? What were they trying to really achieve? What consequences did the exposer suffer?
21. Shocking Crime: What is most shocking about this crime which recently took place? Who is known or suspected to be behind it? What calls to action have been made as a response?
22. Sinister Alliance: What two persons, factions, or clans with a destructive or corrupting agenda have joined together? What has kept them from such an alliance before? Who stands in stark opposition to them?
23. Stockpiling: What group, faction, or family has been secretly stockpiling a valued resource? How have they managed to obtain this secretly? Who suffers the most from their surplus of this resource?
24. Storms: Where have powerful and unusual storms struck? What makes these storms different from normal weather? What portents appeared before the storm’s arrival?
25. Strange Arrival: What is the strange object, location, or relic which has mysterious appeared? What do the locals believe about it? How does this connect to another major event?
26. Strange Festivals: Travelers have caught glimpses of strange folk festivals—what have they seen? What legends surround the place(s) where this has happened? What have local authorities said or done in response?
27. Summons from the Court: Who has suddenly been called to present themselves at court? How have they reacted to this summons? What seems to be the true agenda for this demand?
28. Surprise Testimony: What event, long thought closed, has been re-opened by new testimony about it? Who has given the testimony and in what form (speech, writing, last will)? Who has moved most swiftly to quash this?
29. Symbol Shattered: What important symbolic place or object is broken or damaged in some way? How are people interpreting this break? What means, if any, are people suggesting to restore it?
30. Take Advantage of Weakness: What faction, clan, or group has moved decisively against an old rival, now weakened? What happened to reduce their target’s power? What significant figure of the shattered group remains?
31. Test of Honor: Who has been challenged on their honor or adherence to an established code of behavior? How has this breech of the code gone beyond what is usually ignored by the powerful? Who seems to be behind this challenge?
32. Theses Nailed to the Door: What provocative document has recently gained attention? Why did it take some time between the posting and now for it to gain attention? What has happened to the creator(s) of this incendiary text?
33. Timely Festivities: What festival or event has provided a welcome respite from the troubles ailing a region? What relief does it provide—symbolic, material, magical, etc.? Who is providing the wealth for this event?
34. Tournament: What kind of competition is this? What unique prize or honors will the victors gain? Who has sanctioned or banned this event?
35. Traveling Merchants: Where do these foreign traders hail from? What rare, novel, or dangerous goods do they have on offer? What secret agenda do they have?
36. Treachery Exposed: What conspiracy of betrayal has been exposed? Who led the revelation of this plotting? Who has managed to escape capture for their role in this?
37. Treasure Found: What kinds of valuables have been uncovered? Who has declared a new claim to this wealth? What makes this discovery most unusual?
38. Tribute: What faction, clan, warlord, or nation has demanded tribute from another group? What unusual demand are they making? What have they threatened if the tribute is not given?
39. True Artistry: What art undergoing a clash between schools or styles? How has this spilled over into open, physical conflict? What groups are using this as a proxy war?
40. A United House: What previously divided faction, clan, or group has suddenly resolved their differences? Who is endangered by this new alliance? What is the real truth behind this apparent resolution of old debts?
41. Unexpected Confrontation: What person or group has ambushed another? Is the confrontation physical, political, military, or some kind of mix? What supposed ally has backed away from one of the parties involved?
42. Unnatural Disaster: What unprecedented natural disaster has happened—volcano, earthquake, tornado, sinkhole? Where did it strike and why is the event so unexpected? Why is the official response to the disaster weak?
43. Unprecedented Migrations: What kind of animals or monsters have begun a mass migration and towards what? What is most threatened or has already been destroyed by their passage? What do people say is the reason behind the movement?
44. Unseasonable Weather: What has the usual seasonal weather drastically shifted to? What warnings or omens occurred before this? Who vanished after saying they had a solution?
45. Urban Fire: What city suffered a devastating fire and how large was the conflagration? What place of sacred or cultural importance was lost in the blaze? Who is most taking advantage of the destruction?
46. Vanishing: What town or outpost is found apparently abandoned? What made this place unique? What evidence about what happened has been hidden away?
47. Vengeance Enacted: Who executed their plan of revenge? How does this change the balance of power or alliances? Who secretly aided them in this plot?
48. Visions of Doom: What is the nature of this vision? Who has had it and how has word of it spread? Who seems to be most frightened by the implications of this prophecy?
49. Witch Hunt: What group, faction, or clan has decided to scapegoat a marginalized or ‘outsider’ group? What fantastic propaganda are they spreading to support their campaign? Who has stepped up to defend the victims?
50. Wounded in Battle: What hero or popular figure has been badly wounded? Why is this wound so terrible? How does this tie into warnings or prophecies? 

If you’re running a grand scale ttrpg--Godbound, Legacy, Fellowship, Legend of the Five Rings, Kingdom—it’s useful to have a living and active backdrop. Random events—uncovered by the players, picked up via rumors, or broadly announced, can be a useful tool.

Each event below has three questions the players can build on collaboratively or the GM can answer themselves. You can have the table help develop what happens when “Time Passes.” These might also be useful GM reactions, foreshadowing problems and threats. These are written with a fantasy setting in mind, but could easily be adapted to something like Dune, Urban Shadows, Apocalypse World, or Coriolis.

1. Alliance Offer: Who has extended an offer of alliance to their rival? What makes this even more unexpected than it first appears? Who doesn’t want such an alliance to happen?
2. Allies Become Enemies: Who broke off the alliance first? What event led to the breakdown? What stands in the way of rapprochement?
3. Ancient Ruin Uncovered: What rumors swirl around this lost site? Who has control of it now? Who desperately wants access to it?
4. Appearance of a Prophet: What dangerous prophecy does this figure speak of? What do they say can be done to prevent or mitigate it? What in the backstory of this prophet makes them especially worrying?
5. Assassination of Hero: What important public figure has been slain? Who is suspected to be behind this? Why will it be difficult to replace them?
6. Banishment: What well-loved person has been banished by an authority? What is their real crime? How does this put others in jeopardy?
7. Birth of an Heir: Who has given birth? Why is this birth a surprise? Who stands to lose from the arrival of this child?
8. Boon Harvest: What particular crop has experienced a bountiful year? Who will most benefit from this? What crop at the same time has experienced a decline?
9. Border Dispute: What city or region is the flashpoint for this dispute? What has happened to escalate tensions? Who is inserting themselves into the affair?
10. A Charlatan: Who is this con artist? Who have the fooled? What additional danger does this trickery conceal?
11. Class Tensions: What region or city is currently experiencing unrest from one class against another? What incident kicked this off? What history parallels or goes against what’s happening now?
12. Conscription without Authority: Who has undertaken to press persons into service? Why are they gathering troops or subjects? Who did they make the mistake off trying to shackle?
13. Construction of a Wonder: What is the nature of the wonder being created? Who is undertaking this and why? What have they hidden about the nature of the project?
14. Corruption Discovered: Who has been corrupted? What is the full nature of the corruption? Who uncovered the corruption and what price did they pay?
15. Crackdown: What activity, event, or ritual has an authority decided to suppress? What have they chosen to do this now? What will those targeted do in response?
16. Crop Blight: What vital crop has been struck by illness? Who will most be hurt by this? What changes will have to be made to deal with this loss?
17. Cursed Gift: What was the nature of the gift? Why do some believe the receiver of this dark offering deserves it? Who do people think is truly behind this plot?
18. Dangerous Love: Who has become entangled in an affair across lines or boundaries? How was the relationship exposed? What has happened after the revelation?
19. Dangers Haunt the Roads: What strange and dangerous forces have begun to haunt the roads? Where is this taking place—across the realm or in a specific region? Who claims to know the secrets behind this?
20. Daring Theft: What makes the theft of this valuable thing so daring? Beyond its obvious value, what secret worth does the stolen item hold? Who has claimed credit for the theft?
21. Dark Experiments: Who conducts these dangerous practices? What is their justification for them—power, someone’s command, pursuit of knowledge, etc? What has kept outsiders from bringing them to a halt after their revelation?
22. Demagogue: Who does this figure claim to speak for? What are they actually speaking against? Why haven’t key people involved acted against their firebrand speeches?
23. A Divided House: What faction, clan, or group has become splintered? Who has emerged as a singular figure in this? Who else may get drawn into this conflict?
24. Drought: How long has this drought been going on and why is it a tipping point now? Whose position is threatened by the drought? Who waits in the wings to take advantage of this?
25. Embargo: What good or trade has been given an official ban? Who is behind this move? Who will be made vulnerable by this policy?
26. Fall of the House: What well known family has suffered self-inflicted death and destruction? What horror stories have come out of this event? Who is the notable survivor of this collapse?
27. False Accusations: Who was accused of crimes or betrayal? What happened to them in the wake of these accusations? How were these allegations disproven?
28. Forced Retirement: What senior person has been pushed to cede their post? What act triggered this? Who is mostly likely to take up their post?
29. Gates Open: What is the nature of these strange gates? Where have they appeared? Who is moving to take advantage of them?
30. A General Falls: Who is the famed military leader who died? What is ignominious or suspicious about their death? How does this change the balance of power?
31. Grand Ball: Who is putting on a grand party that everyone of importance must attend? What is the theme or style for this event? Who or what has warned the host that something strange will come of this gathering?
32. Guild War: Which organizations have come into conflict over a shared authority or trade? How do those involved want the guild system to change? Which guild holds the most sway among the public?
33. Heretics Cause Strife: What is the history behind the heresy? What specific practice is the establishment most opposed to? What faith or philosophy seems ready to embrace the heretics?
34. Hold the Roads: Who has seize control of major routes of travel? How to they plan on maintaining their control? What is the real goal of their occupation?
35. Hostile Spirits: What has caused anger and disruption among the spirits? How has most been cursed by their lashing out? Who may be secretly behind this?
36. Illegitimacy: What person with inherited power has been revealed to have a “false” birthright? How was this exposed? Who knew about this and what did they do to conceal it?
37. The Law: What powerful figure has issued a challenge to authorities based on the key legal structures or document? What do they hoped will come from this—gaining power, downfall of a ruler, change in laws? Who most strangely has stated violent opposition to this?
38. Manpower Shortage: What site or industry desperately needs workers? What is keeping them away? How far have groups said they will go to solve the issue?
39. Lucky Find: What unique item was recovered by someone ordinary? How have they benefited or suffer as a result? Who is making secret plans to claim this thing?
40. Madness of a Lord: Which leader has begun to behave erratically, even beyond the usual license of eccentricities given to the powerful? What’s the most strange thing they have done? Who has stepped forward to squash anyone speaking against the declining figure?
41. Marriage: Why is the announcement of this upcoming marriage a shock? Who else had been competing for the hand of one of the parties? Is this a wedding of love, convenience, politics, or something else?
42. Master Artist: What art is practiced by this newly emerging or arriving artist? How do other artisans in the same field react to this? Who or what does the art seem to be subtly referencing?
43. The Missing: What group or kind of people have been mysteriously disappearing? What sign is left behind after these vanishings? Who has been accused of being involved with this?
44. Midnight Hunt: How do people describe this strange force that seems to be stalking the land? What signs or warnings does this hunt give? Who is rumored to be the next target?
45. Mysterious Beast: What is the nature of the unique and previously unseen beast which has appeared? What do people believe it is an omen of? Why have hunts to pursue it failed?
46. Necessary Intervention: Who has intervened in the affairs or conflicts on another party? Why has they declared that this is necessary? How has the subject of their intervention responded?
47. New Champion: Who is the new and potent figure who has been put forward as the champion of a faction, clan, or order? What powerful strengths do they possess? What happened to the previous champion?
48. New Powers Revealed: What faction or group has revealed hitherto unseen powers? How did they demonstrate the extent of these powers? What forbidden sources or arts do people suspect they are using?
49. New Resource: What unique and potent new resource has been discovered? Who has control of the location or discovery? Who will potentially suffer the most as a result of this?
50. Occult Crimes: What is signs reveal an occult nature to these crimes? Who seems to be targeted by these attacks? How is this linked to something from the past? 

Other Related Posts:
Age of Ravens: Factions in Action
​Age of Ravens: Arcana Innominata
​Age of Ravens: Free from the Yoke Rokugan
Age of Ravens: Conspiracy Sandbox

Silk & Steam is a silkpunk setting for Hearts of Wulin. The Lord of Iron has united the five kingdoms and technological breakthroughs are changing the landscape, but some are ready to use innovations from the elements themselves to reclaim their cultural identity. 

By Kienna Shaw. This is a dynamite fantasy setting, inspired by the works of Ken Liu. It considers real Chinese innovations, technology as a double-edged sword, and the impact of colonialism and imperialism. It “...focuses heavily on the “punk” aspect: rebelling and working against oppressive and imperialist forces. 

The setting material establishes the history of a fictional land: locations, technology, factions. It keeps the mechanical core of Hearts of Wulin, instead offering a new campaign twist and framework. Unique entanglements for the setting and scenario starters reinforce that. 

The Villain is a new playbook for Hearts of Wulin. Not all wulin "Heroes" are heroes with a capital H. Some start in a darker place…

This is the first new “core” playbook, inspired by Word of Honor and The Untamed. You can be a Nemesis, Reformed, Accused, Substitute (if you’re playing a Courtly game), or Reborn (if you’re playing a Fantastic game). It has a new set of playbook moves (though a couple of tweaks from elsewhere in HoW). I posted an earlier version of this on the blog, but this is its final form.  

Numberless Secrets is a new set of rules for telling mystery/investigation stories in Hearts of Wulin. It uses an adaptation of the innovative mystery system found in Brindlewood Bay. 

I wanted a set of mechanics for playing out wuxia detective stories. The series Ancient Detective is its most direct inspiration, but others like Detective Dee, Legend of the Demon Cat, and The Four work with this as well. This offers new moves, a procedure for handling the mystery map, and new roles for each of the playbooks. It includes a sample mystery, with two others available online.  

Additional Setting Material for the core game, including wulin heroes, factions, and 10 setting generation tables. 

Hearts of Wulin: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/365014/Hearts-of-Wulin
Hearts of Wulin Worlds: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/385007/Hearts-of-Wulin-Worlds

I have a few video game series that I’ve seriously invested in—played heavily, thought about a ton, and even been angry about. I want to analyze a few of those. I’m focusing on series with at least three installments which I’ve played. If I had to rank the top five among those it would include Civilization & Alpha Centauri, since the game play loop is so similar for the early iterations; Yakuza, a game I have infinite love for and which I’ve worked through from Zero to 5 and beyond; the Shin Megami Tensai games, with special attention to Persona, Nocturne, and Digital Devil Saga; and Rock Band, a game I’ve spent way too much money on for DLC songs.

And then there’s Xenoblade Chronicles. There’s only three games in this series (more if you count Xenogears, which I played, and Xenosaga, which I skipped—but I don’t count these.) It’s a short series but each game is rich, dense, and extremely long. I love them. And I hate them. And I want to steal ttrpg stuff from them. That’s what I’m going to talk about today.
​

XENOBLADE CHRONICLES X
This game is completely unrelated to the first one—and that’s clear out of the gate with the more realistic look to the people and environments. Earth has been destroyed by an alien coalition for unknown reasons. Your colony ship manages to escape and crash land on a hostile and unknown world. You have to figure out how to live here and prepare yourselves for the eventual arrival of your pursuers…but not everything is as it seems.

LOVE
I dig being able to make up your own character, rather than playing with a set protagonist. XCX has a solid character maker program. It does mean you get some generic reactions and voices for your character outside of combat grunts, but I like having my own head canon about who I am. Plus you’re surrounded by a large number of interesting and not so interesting characters. It takes a page from Dragon Age, with each of these fleshed out with side stories and missions. Choosing your team and swapping them around to see how they interact is fun.

It’s a little thing, but you can jump and fall from any height and not take any damage. I can’t tell you how great that is, especially in a game with so many different levels and vertical environments.

The storyline has real stakes and combines that with a solid sense of exploring a place no one has been. You can set out in any direction at the start in your exploration and your experience will vary depending on where you head first. The stakes escalate throughout the game and weird stuff keeps building up, but it always feels in genre. Plus there are several twists I didn’t see coming, including one moment early on which had me gasp (though Sherri had figured it out already).

Eventually you get mechs. This comes past the midway mark of the game and it’s kind of perfect. You’ve explored all over the place and hit spots you couldn’t reach or which had too heavy opposition. Your mech opens up the world though not completely. But then a chapter or two later, once you’re getting used to your mech, you get the ability to fly and that changes everything again. Add to that immense customization for your mechs—with different frames and different roles. You can have multiples and assign them to your NPCs as you see fit.

HATE
I love paper-dolling characters. The first Xenoblade has this, but Chronicles X amps that up. You have tons of great armor pieces to find, craft and then mix & match. But many of the armor designs, especially for the ladies, are questionable at best. Some of the male sets have bare midriffs and open shirts, but their sexualization pales next to the number of skimpy women’s outfits. Oh, and most of the women’s outfits (and the designs for any humanoid female aliens) feature high heels. Why?

There are several, maybe even many plot points—especially for many of the sidequests-- which make no sense whatsoever. There’s a whole set of stories with villains motivated by greed and human avarice. Which, I repeat, makes no sense…like there is no place to spend stolen goods. It gains you absolutely nothing. Take just a minute to think about the situation you’re in: steal a cache of lost treasure does you NO GOOD AT ALL. So dumb.

I don’t think it’s a huge spoiler to say the ending is unsatisfying. You achieve your major goals and there’s a good resolution to the main plot, but then the game presents a twist which changes things up. It leaves many questions that feel like they would have been answered in a DLC release…which never came.

The combat system is even more involved than the first Xenoblade. You have lots of paths for development—rather than having classes, each weapon has a track with different skills. But they are long tracks and while it is worth learning all of them, you’ll find yourself choosing one weapon and sticking with that rather than switching around.

There is such a thing as too much customization for gear.

STEAL
Xenoblade Chronicles X is a hexcrawl. It’s a huge, wondrous, open world hexcrawl. The map is literally done in hexes. On the Wii U pad controller, you always have access to the map and can fast travel to certain beacons. Each hex has a variety elements and monsters—some you’ll be able to take on and some you have to avoid. And you can avoid those beasts in part because the game displays icons showing how it senses foes: visual, motion, noise, etc. It pushes you to learn and engage with the environment.

The map provides the outline of each region and as you explore you get further little markers—indications that you might find something in this hex, but you have to get there. There’s always something further out to explore and uncover. The risk and reward set up within this is dynamite.

So yeah, a colony sci-fi hexcrawl is a very cool thing.
​

XENOBLADE CHRONICLES 2
Despite the name, there’s no substantial connection between this and XC1 (or XCX). That’s a missed opportunity and a smart choice that keeps the original story fully intact. The world of XC2 echoes the first, with all of the towns and lands perched atop massive titans who move through something called the Cloud Sea. But titans die, they take whole peoples with them. As the game starts several have died and are reaching the end of their lifespan. That pushes a struggle for land and resources. The protagonists gets caught up in a conspiracy not to save the world, but to destroy it.

LOVE
You have five party members by the end, of which three can be in the active party. That’s a classic jrpg problem. XC2 tweaks that by giving each person three helpers, called Blades, who each party member can switch through. You only control one party member, but the AI does a decent job of swapping through Blades. Different Blades have different skills, special attacks, elements, and voices. And you end up with many Blades. While you can tweak your character with some level ups and equipment, most of the powering up comes from developing your Blades.

Blades come in two types: Common and Unique. Common Blades share a look, but differ in element, weapon, and form (male, female, animal, giant). These are randomized when you get them. (I’ll talk a little bit about the nature of these Blades in a bit). Unique Blades are just that: uniquely designed characters with novel skills, voice acting, cool character design, and sometimes new weapons. Each of Unique Blade has been drawn up by a different artist so you get wildly divergent looks among them. Gathering Blades and playing with them is a real joy in the game.

There’s a ton to do in XC2. You want to talk to everyone. Each town has a development level based on effort you put into it (mostly by spending money). As that increases, new stories open up and you can invest in individual shops (which give passive benefits). Every town and locale has sidequests and new ones pop up all the time. Plus each Unique Blade has a short mission arc exploring their background and personality. You have to track these down and they’re all fun and different.

The game has interesting sprawling environments, though they don’t feel as connected as in the other two games. Some of that comes from the loading screens. But some of the lands are inside the Titans and some of them are on a Titan’s back, with legs and other appendages in the distant horizon. It does a great job of providing a distinct feel beyond “this is the snow zone,” “this is the jungle level,” etc.

HATE
The navigation marker in the game will send you into rages. There’s no specified north. When you get a marker location, a little wheel pops up with a distance in it. If there’s an arrow, it shifts around but doesn’t indicate anything. Instead of pointing to the direction you need to go, it only marks if the location is above or below your present site. So sometimes, no a lot, you have to do this weird triangulation movement to figure out where you’re going OR you have to pull up the big map which moves you into a sub-menu and then you have to back out of that. In fact the button/menu choices throughout are sub-optimal.

The Blades are cool—getting new ones is cool. But except for some story-driven moments where you get new ones, obtaining Blades is randomized. It is, in fact, a kind of gashapon game. You spin the dial and maybe you’ll get a Unique Blade or maybe you’ll get a weak Common Blade. The Cores you find which create Blades have three different rarities, but you can end up burning through a ton of them and not get what you want. Which send you back to farm for more. It’s especially frustrating when you need a certain Blade type to help out with a mission or interact with a feature.

I like a rich, crunchy character development system. I’m a Final Fantasy vet so I’ve attached items to learn abilities, worked through an interconnected job track, filled out sprawling boards, and drawn magic from creatures all in order to level my characters. Xenoblade 2 ups that by having a multi-track development tree with 20-50 nodes for each Blade. These don’t level up with experience. Instead they open up when you do certain things: collect X things, use this ability X times, view this conversation, kill this monster. And most of the time, later nodes don’t register those things until the earlier ones have opened. Meaning for each Blade you enjoy, you might have to spend hours running around and backtracking to finish their chart. It is overwhelming.

BUT the biggest, most glaring, most prominent problem with XCX is this: women’s bodies don’t work like that. The weird, unnatural breast design happens on several of the female characters, including the set ones you have to have in your party. There’s a lots of hypersexualization, which is especially incongruous given that the main hero is coded very young and the general aesthetic is brighter and more cartoony than the previous two. It’s Bayonetta+ level in some places. And there’s no equal opportunity for male characters as in the previous games. Dudes have cool clothing, women get breast-hoisting outfits.

There’s also a running gag with the comedic character and a robot Blade he dresses in a maid outfit which gets weirder and more gross as the game progresses.

STEAL
The existential implications of the Blades are striking. I’m heading into some spoiler territory here. Blades come from Core Crystals. If someone with the talent to be a “Driver” touches a Core Crystal, they resonate with it and transform it into a Blade. That establishes a connection between them. It doesn’t seem like the Driver controls the Blade, but there are some hints that the Driver’s personality may impact the Blade. But we do see Blades disobeying Drivers or even killing them, as well as Blades doing evil at their Driver’s behest. We also learn that there can be romantic relationships between Blades and Drivers, which is a whole can of worms.

The game shows that Blades come into the world with fully formed personalities, super distinct in the case of the Unique Blades. It doesn’t explain how these come about. But the most important thing here is the question of memories. Blades have a personality but start as blank slates and are aware that they have no memories. But it is a little darker than that.

Blades are connected to their Drivers. When a Driver dies, the Blade seemingly “dies.” But actually the Blade reverts back to being a Core Crystal. And when someone re-bonds with that crystal, the Blade has no memory of their past lives. They’ve forgotten everything and often they know how much they have lost. Several times in the game, allies or enemies die and leave behind these crystals which you then add to your party, with no memory of all that.
​
It’s striking and moving and sets up a really different relationship between the PCs and the NPCs and followers. I’m not sure exactly how you’d translate that into an rpg, but it’s worth exploring. It’s some amazing world-building with deep implications.

Here’s a bonus thing I’d steal for a TTRPG: eventually you become in charge of a mercenary company in this game, less a military group and more a problem solving one. You get to dispatch Blades you aren’t taking into active play. Missions they go on have different requirements, so it incentivizes having lots of different kinds of Blades. I love this idea and set up—a kind of community building phase which you could add to something like FitD. It would be cool to write this up as a sub-system for play. ​