Carnival Row, a TV-series on Amazon Prime, debuted on August 30, 2019. A Victorian/Edwardian fantasy featuring fae, war, magic, steampunk, and more, it was immediately offered up as the setting for a variety of tabletop RPG systems by fans that wanted to play in Travis Beacham and René Echevarria’s world. The options touted included Cubicle 7’s Victoriana, R. Talsorian Games’ Castle Falkenstein, Battlefield Press’ Gaslight Victorian Fantasy, Christopher Helton’s Paranormal Friction, and more.
Less than two weeks after its debut, on September 9, 2019, The Nerdist shared the free, official tabletop RPG sourcebook for the series, Carnival Row: Role-Playing Guide | A Setting for the Cypher System. From tabletop powerhouse, Monte Cook Games, this might have settled the debate, but, in the brief period it was an open question, decisions were made. Since there’s no wrong way to game, I spoke with some of the creators to get their take on using their RPG for Carnival Row.
As to the official Carnival Row: RPG, I’ll review both the sourcebook and the Cypher System at a later date.
What is Carnival Row?
Amazon Studios describes the series as:
“Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne star in Carnival Row, a Victorian fantasy world filled with mythological immigrant creatures whose rich homelands were invaded by the empires of man. This growing immigrant population struggles to coexist with humans in the grimiest section of the city — forbidden to live, love, or fly with freedom. But even in darkness, hope lives, as a human detective, Rycroft Philostrate, and a refugee faerie named Vignette Stonemoss rekindle a dangerous affair despite an increasingly intolerant society. Vignette harbors a secret that endangers Philo’s standing during his most important case yet: a string of gruesome murders threatening the uneasy peace of the Row. As Philo investigates, he reveals a monster no one could imagine.”
The first episode synopsis from Amazon Prime:
“With a serial killer loose on Carnival Row, and a government that turns a blind eye to the deaths of its lower-class citizens, Rycroft Philostrate, a war-hardened investigator, is the only person willing to stop the murders and maintain the fragile peace. But when Vignette Stonemoss, a faerie refugee, turns up in the Burgue, she forces Philo to reckon with a past he’s tried to forget.”
What RPGs Can Be Found Along The Row?
Victoriana by Cubicle 7
Walt Ciechanowski, Cubicle 7 staff writer and developer for Victoriana Third Edition, shared his thoughts:
“I’m about mid-way through Carnival Row and, overall, I’m really enjoying it!
Victoriana is similar to Carnival Row. It’s a fantasy setting set on mid-Victorian Earth, except that magic and steampunk elements are prominent and “humanity” includes elves, dwarves, ogres, etc. in addition to standard Humans. The friction is more between social class than subspecies and the game supports many types of campaigns. In fact, with a little reskinning, you could totally do Carnival Row with the Victoriana ruleset!”
Victoriana synopsis from DriveThruRPG:
“Victoriana – a world of high adventure and intrigue in an age of sorcery and steam!
The year is 1856 and the world roils in the unseen conflict between Order and Entropy. As technology marches forward the Celestial Engine moves ever faster, and all our fates grow more precarious. Now is the time to act decisively and boldly, to seize control of your destiny and impose your will upon the world.
Your adventures will take you into an alternate history infused with fantasy and esoteric steam technology. Aerostats float across the sky as noble Eldren chat with industrial Dwarfs. The Age of Magic may be long gone, but the Guild keeps its embers alive while technologists create extraordinary mechanical marvels.
Victoriana offers an enormous and diverse game world deeply imbued with Victorian period feel, gothic fantasy magic and steampunk engineering.
Castle Falkenstein by R. Talsorian Games
J Gray, media ambassador of R. Talsorian Games and lead transcriber for Castle Falkenstein books from Fat Goblin Games,
“Unfortunately, I haven’t seen Carnival Row yet. It looks like a dark but compelling viewpoint on a Victorian fantasy world and I’m always excited to see more people digging deep into the genre. There are times when I feel like we, as geeks, play with the style without really exploring the world(s) which inspired it.
Falkenstein and Carnival Row certainly have similarities. Both take place in an alternative Victorian world where the fae are a daily part of life. In general, Carnival Row falls a bit more heavily on the “punk” side of the genre than Falkenstein, which focuses heavily on high adventure. That doesn’t mean the dark aspects aren’t there, however. Many of the themes in Carnival Row have been explored in Castle Falkenstein and can be the basis for a campaign: class-based societies where those not in power suffer due to their lack of it, steam lords and robber barons seeking to enrich themselves at the expense of the greater good, the shrinking of places where fae can live in the world due to the ever increasing reliance of humans on iron for everything from ships to railroad tracks, and the enslavement of fae by parties such as the Prussian Empire hoping to take advantage of their unique abilities as slave labor. Those themes are there and ready for people to explore and Castle Falkenstein itself is an easy to use, rules light system that is “in theme”, from the terminology (Adventure Entertainments instead of adventures, Dramatic Characters instead of PCs) to the rules, which work with playing cards in a system that borrows heavily from whist, the premiere game of the age. All that and you can take a ride on the Nautilus or solve a mystery with Sherlock Holmes, as well!
[You can learn more at] R. Talsorian Games’ website for Castle Falkenstein. The game can be purchased in your friendly local game store, from us directly, and DriveThruRPG.”
Castle Falkenstein synopsis from DriveThruRPG:
“SPELLNAPPED!
When computer game designer Tom Olam found himself sorcerously shanghaied by a rogue Wizard and a Faerie Lord, little did he suspect that he would soon become the pivotal force in the struggle to control an alternate Victorian Universe. But before the deadly game could end, he would first have to battle gigantic Landfortresses, outwit Dragons, romance a beautiful Adventuress, and defeat the Evil legions of a Dark Court determined to destroy him at all costs.
Then maybe, just maybe, he could find a way home again …
It’s a novel. It’s a game. It’s both. It’s Castle Falkenstein™, an amazing journey into another universe just a few steps away from our own: a place where Dragons and Steampower rule the skies, Faerie Lords duel atop the battlements, and where the forces of Wizardry and Magick meet the gaslight streets of the Victorian Age. But with Castle Falkenstein™, the story never ends, as you too take up saber and spell to adventure in a distant world on the other side of the mysterious Faerie Veil: a world” of Swashbuckling Fantasy, High Romance, and Magickal Technology. The world of—Castle Falkenstein™”
Paranormal Friction by Christopher Helton
Christopher Helton, creator of Paranormal Friction (you can pick up this RPG through his Patreon), sees how his RPG would recreate the show.
“So far, I have only had the chance to watch the first episode of Carnival Row. I am trying to catch up on some other programs, so I spend the time on watching the show closely. The first episode was really good and had a higher level of world building than you see in a lot of genre television. I am really looking forward to watching the rest of the show, it looks like it is going to be engaging television.
The relationship between Vignette and Philostrate, as well as with other of the characters, are pretty central to the story of Carnival Row, and one of the ideas of Paranormal Friction is that relationships should be important to your character. Those relationships motivate your character and drive them through the story that the group is creating in the game. One character’s feelings for another character might not necessarily be positive, but they still motivate your character. This is an important element of fiction, and I think it should drive role-playing games as well. Being based upon the Fate engine, characters in Paranormal Friction are well balanced against each other, because the importance is placed on the narrative impact of your character’s actions. When you have a world like in Carnival Row where you can have characters that are human alongside of fae characters with a number of special abilities, it is important that everyone in a character group can contribute to the action of the story.”
Gaslight Victorian Fantasy for Savage Worlds by Battlefield Press
Jonathan M. Thompson, owner of Battlefield Press and co-author of Gaslight Victorian Fantasy for Savage Worlds, shared this:
“I have not seen Carnival Row, so not sure I am going to be helpful. However, there has been some talk on the Savage Worlds FB group about using Gaslight for it.”
Gaslight Victorian Fantasy for Savage Worlds synopsis from DriveThruRPG:
“A Victorian Fantasy where technology meets sorcery, where fantasy meets history. A world where Humans co-exist with Vampires, where fantasy meets history. Beast Men, Werewolves and Wildlings. A land of secret organizations and hidden agendas. Welcome to a Victorian world of magic, non-humans and technology all trying to take their rightful place in society. Meet Vampire Detectives, Beast Men Sheriffs, and Wildling Rogues. Non-humans in society exist from their counterparts in Victorian literature. An interesting and unique setting for Savage Worlds.”
Blades in the Dark by Evil Hat Productions
Blades in the Dark synopsis from DriveThruRPG:
“Winner: 2015 Golden Geek, RPG of the Year
Winner: 2016 Indie RPG Award, Game of the Year (also Best Production and Best Support)
Blades in the Dark is a tabletop role-playing game about a crew of daring scoundrels seeking their fortunes on the haunted streets of an industrial-fantasy city. There are heists, chases, occult mysteries, dangerous bargains, bloody skirmishes, and, above all, riches to be had — if you’re bold enough to seize them.
You and your fledgling crew must thrive amidst the threats of rival gangs, powerful noble families, vengeful ghosts, the Bluecoats of the city watch, and the siren song of your scoundrel’s own vices. Will you rise to power in the criminal underworld? What are you willing to do to get to the top?”
Obviously, if you’re a fan of Carnival Row, and you have a preferred RPG, there’s support for your choice. But, if you’re looking for the official option, it’s free and more than worth checking out.
Carnival Row: Role-Playing Guide | A Setting for the Cypher System by Monte Cook Games
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