Elisabetta Golzio
Here is our review of Deep Sky Ballad, which was made possible thanks to the digital copy kindly sent to us by Winged Lion Games. Authors Marco Calesella and Aurora Torchia catapult us into a universe where two apparently distant worlds come together: science fiction and the Western. A combination that has been well-tested in several films and series, starting in the film world with Cowboys & Aliens, passing by the acclaimed anime Cowboy Bebop and concluding with the TV series Firefly, to name a few of the most famous. If you are passionate about at least one of these products, you can set up a campaign inspired by them.
The naivety of the human race has allowed it to reach for the stars.
Its blindness brought it back into the darkest of darkness.
You will find the manual in English and Italian at the following link for $15. You will also have a completely free demo at your disposal to get a deeper insight.
For the lazy ones, as always, we are here with our review of Deep Sky Ballad!
Deep Sky Ballad World Chronology Review
If you are a lover of timelines illustrating the events of your setting step by step, I am afraid I must disappoint you: in Deep Sky Ballad there is no historical certainty. I will therefore limit myself to explaining the course of events without dates, later revealing the reason for this choice. Keep in mind that the period in which your adventures will take place is around the 20th century.
One of mankind’s greatest technological achievements was the creation of an engine capable of catapulting us into deep space, opening up new possibilities and new worlds. Its creator, whose information has been lost for centuries now, founded a company of which only the logo (G.E.) on some space wreckage remains today. From then on, there was only one purpose for those who wished to try their luck elsewhere: to get their hands on one of these ships. Unfortunately, colonising other planets proved to be anything but easy. Many died during the journey itself, others encountered treacherous and unfertile territories and still others ended up prey to native alien beasts.
Eventually, however, human stubbornness prevailed and the first communities began to grow outside their home planet.natio.
The Net
It therefore became indispensable to be able to maintain communication over such large distances. It was at this time that the Net was born. A company specialising in satellite launching created this innovative data exchange system that was able to overcome the onerous problem.
It took about a decade for the Net to spread across the galaxy, storing valuable information and allowing settlers to exchange tips on how to overcome the adversities of space. Almost all the technology used in the settlements depended on it, making its use indispensable for survival. This was, in retrospect, the biggest mistake they could have made.
Review of Deep Sky Ballad: The United Galaxy
Initially, the home planet took the question of distance from its colonies lightly, thinking that they would follow the directives given. It soon became apparent that reaching a new frontier had instilled an idea of freedom and independence that made orders from governments too far away almost useless. It was also too great a waste of time and money to go there in person to make sure they were heard.
For a long time, wars on the homeworld between states that competed for the last remaining resources roiled the surface. Many feared that the human race would not survive. We will never be certain what happened, but a precarious equilibrium was found under the cause of a single administration. It was only then that it was proposed to unite the colonies and Earth into one great alliance, the United Galaxy. Needless to say, this subjugation was in stark contrast to the wishes of the inhabitants of the new planets. Far from the homeland, they had no intention of submitting to the laws and regulations of someone who did not even have the difficulties of their new lives in mind.
The Tumour
In order to eliminate any form of control, given the planet’s obvious technological supremacy that would lead the United Galaxy to crush the colonists scattered across the universe, a group of extremists among the rebels designed an AI capable of attacking the Net. The project seemed to be going well until it repeatedly reproduced itself within the communication system with disastrous effects. Humanity, now so accustomed to the use of technology, risked disappearing. Spaceships suddenly stopped working, entire outposts ran out of oxygen, and induced gravity reverted to natural physics. A catastrophe that suppressed every achievement made up to that point. And for this reason, there is no more accurate data on the setting’s past.
The survivors again had to adapt to the environment, resorting to the use of analogue technology to make up for the shortcomings. The Tumour, this is the name given to the artificial intelligence that still roams the Web today, left no chance to reacquaint itself with the established apparatus. That was the beginning of a rough life and a return to the old ways. Life in the Wild West was back, more relevant than ever.
Review of Deep Sky Ballad: the Posse and the Unions
But which characters can we decide to play in Deep Sky Ballad? Centuries have now passed since the advent of the Tumour, and the confines of space are increasingly a popular destination for adventurers. However, the spirit of discovery does not prevail over common sense, prompting more and more explorers to join forces in the journey between galaxies.
To this end, the Posse was born. They are a kind of second family made up of the most disparate individuals who need each other in order to achieve their goals. The spaceships themselves need special figures to enable maintenance and safety while on the move, making the creation of the Posse a priority. Although the relationship is initially pure and simple practicality, the relationships created between its members will become extremely important within the story. In the game, this is called Emotional Bonding and will affect your performance.
Our characters can also belong to one of eight syndicates, criminal institutions that speculate on space travel. Whether you decide to join the Wild Hunt to search for coveted alien prey or the Galantines to engage in smuggling, the syndicates will provide the master with plenty of game cues to make your journey through the stars more interesting.
During the creation of your alter ego, you will be given some Creation Points (CP) to distribute among Attributes (inherent abilities), Skills (accumulated experience), Peculiarities (characterisation elements) and Vigour (hit points). Knowing how to spend them well will be the key to your survival.
Review of Deep Sky Ballad‘s Black Jack System
During your raids, your group will necessarily face trials that will put your skills and abilities on the line. This is where a big difference from other role-playing games comes in: the Black Jack System.
Each player will have at his disposal a poker deck from which
cards and jokers are removed. The draw from that deck will identify the success or failure of actions.
After declaring the action to be performed, the narrator will tell us which attribute and skill to refer to. Then we must take into account any situational bonuses and maluses in the scene. Finally, we shuffle the deck and draw the first two cards, while the next ones will be revealed one by one until we reach the number indicated by the attribute modifier (if the modifier is 3, we will have three more cards to draw after the first 2). We can interrupt this phase before the indicated card limit if the value of the cards added together is already higher than the desired result. In the next phase, we can remove cards for a maximum number indicated again by our modifiers. After that, we compare the result with the following table:
- 14: Very Easy
- 16: Easy
- 18: Medium
- 19: Difficult
- 20: Very Difficult
- 21: Extreme
If we fall within or exceed the correct range, our action is successful. If we exceed 21, however, our action will be a critical failure.
In this regard, the creators of Deep Sky Ballad have created a video tutorial to better understand their game system. There is also, for those accustomed to Discord, an official bot for the Black Jack System, which is useful to see if it is the right type of game for you.
Final Considerations
The illustrations were taken care of by Alessandro Borio, who uses a simple, no-frills style as well as very dark tones to emphasise the harshness of the setting. Interspersed with them are some Western-themed photographs taken especially for the manual. The font is simple but readable, the colours of the page border turn brown as a reminder of the setting.
Deep Sky Ballad is a peculiar role-playing game right from the setting and continues to be so thanks to a particular system such as the Black Jack system. The chronology of the story has several ‘black holes’ that can be a challenge for experienced masters, but perhaps discourage those who are used to being more supported in the development of the plot.
My advice is to take advantage of the quickstart, the bot and the explanation video for the use of the pack of cards to try out a GdR that could entertain your group of players in a different way.
