Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura Preview

I have to admit that I can barely wait for Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magick Obscura from Troika Studios. The demo really proved that the developers were right about all they announced (which you can read in my earlier preview) and that they are out to score one big hit. The original idea to merge a fantasy world with a dark industrial atmosphere seemed interesting and refreshing on the current RPG market. The game contains many well-known features from Infinity engine games, but it also introduces a lot of new things.

It is done - he said, and whipped his ass.

Excuse me, sir. Do you know the way to McDonald's?

The first thing you encounter is the original character creation system. Apart from the several pre-generated characters with fixed backgrounds, you can choose to create a new one. The pre-defined characters will control the development of their abilities through game themselves, and are thus less interesting to players who are after some real Role Playing. Unfortunately, the demo version featured male characters only, so that you will have to wait for the full game if you really want to play a female character.

Available races include: Human, Elf, Half-Elf, Half-Orc, Gnome, Dwarf, Halfling and Half-Ogre. Each of the races has its own upsides and downsides like in all RPGs. The most interesting thing here is the initial background you get to choose for your character. You get to choose your character's primary characteristic that will influence the whole course of the game. I have to mention some of these backgrounds which I found to be most interesting: Bully (you have been a bully in school, so you gain -1 Intelligence and +1 Strength); Hyperactive (your speed is higher than normal +1, but most people find you annoying - 1 Charisma; Army training (you received some army training during your youth, but were discharged for having flat feet - you gain bonuses to Strength +1, +1 Bow, +1 Mêlée but have a penalty to Dexterity - 1; Beaten with an Ugly Stick (You are ugly. There is just no better word for it, unless you find hideous a more suitable term. Children flee from you in terror and even the kindest souls find it difficult to stand your presence for long. You take extreme penalty to beauty - 6, but because you have had to defend yourself from frequent attacks you gain +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity and all of your Combat skills +1; Lady's man (women swoon whenever are near you, you gain bonus to beauty +6, unfortunately, all that primping and powdering has you lacking in - Constitution -2, Strength -2, Dexterity -2. Apart from these backgrounds you can also choose somewhat weirder things as escaped lunatic, Nietzsche foster child, sold your soul, magic allergy, agoraphobic, hydrophobic, etc. Highly original, and a great plus for Troika Studios.

The clash between Magic and Technology presents the essence of the game. As time passes, technology strives to diminish magic, and the animosity between two groups increases. Your character will, of course, have to choose which group he will join. You will be able to choose your basic magic and technological skills during character creation, and you will advance these as you progress through the game. The sorcerers and technicians in game will react to the progress path you choose for your character.