Shadows Over Sol: Second Edition is in the works, being prepared for a Summer 2025 kickstarter. This is the first of a series of blog posts highlighting the upcoming game's features, as well as its various changes compared to the first edition.
Shadows Over Sol 2e uses the Saga Machine Unified system. It is quick and easy to learn!
Shadows Over Sol 2e offers two great ways to play: either using a few ten-sided dice (d10’s) or a deck of playing cards!
Action resolution is quick and straightforward. Just roll a die, add the relevant stat and compare this total to a target number—the higher the better! If your character has a relevant skill, you can add that too. This easy-to-grasp mechanic forms the building blocks of everything from combat, to spaceship battles, to chases and social challenges.
Finneus is trying to lift a heavy piece of rebar, which has pinned one of his companions. The GM calls for a Strength test of average difficulty (TN 10). Finneus has Strength 7. He rolls a d10, getting a 5. Adding these two values together gives him a total of 12. The action is a success and he lifts the rebar, allowing his companion to escape.
Sometimes it might be necessary to figure out how successful or how much of a failure an action was. To do this, simply take the difference between the target number and the total.
While attempting to track a suspect, Milos makes a Perception (TN 10) test, getting a total of 13. Since the target number was 10, he achieved a success with Margin 3.
Circumstances can make some tests easier or harder. Positive circumstances may grant one or more boons (⊕), while negative circumstances impose one or more banes (⊖). For each of these, roll an extra d10 when resolving an action.
Boons allow you to use the higher of the die values to determine your total. They also allow you to make pairs (see below). Banes, on the other hand, force you to use the lower of the die values. You also run the risk of critical failure if you get two or more 1’s when making a test with a bane.
If a test has both boons and banes, each boon cancels out a bane and vice versa.
Mylia is attempting to decipher particularly convoluted computer code, and the GM has awarded her a ⊕ due to an earlier attempt. Because of this boon, she rolls an extra d10, getting a 4 and an 8. Since she has a ⊕, she uses the higher of the two values to resolve the action: the 8.
If multiple dice are rolled due to boons and have matching values, you may choose to add the values of two of the matching dice together. This is called a pair.
Dado is attempting to intimidate a hostile gang and benefits from a ⊕ due to his allies outnumbering the enemy. He rolls an 8 and an 8. Because these values match, he may add their values together to get a total of 16!
Using a deck of playing cards to resolve actions should be familiar to fans of Shadows Over Sol's first edition. It works much like the dice mechanic, only each player gets a hand of cards. Cards are played in lieu of dice, either from hand or from the top of the deck.
Ace through 10 are worth the value printed on the card. Face cards (jack, queen and king) are worth 4, 5 and 6, respectively. Any time a joker is used to resolve an action, the result is a critical failure. That means the GM gets to declare that something extra bad happens. Afterwards, draw cards until you have a full hand.
Mylia has snuck into a corporate office, where she is attempting to use the computer systems. The GM calls for an Intelligence (TN 12) test. Mylia has Intelligence 6, plus her Academics (Computers) 3 skill. She flips a card off of the top of the deck, revealing 8♣. Adding these together, she gets a total of 17: a success! With practiced skill, she accesses the encrypted network.
Shadows Over Sol is an award-winning sci-fi horror tabletop RPG where you and your team venture into the hungry void of outer space. You'll explore derelict spaceships, make deals with shady corporations and try to survive the indescribable horrors encroaching upon your every move.
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