Today we are pleased to show you the review of Era the Consortium, by Ed Jowett. First of all we want to thank Shades of Vengeance for providing us with a physical copy of the corebook, in softcover version. Era the Consortium is a sci-fi RPG, with original setting and rules.
The physical volume, 292 pages, is available on the official Shades of Vengeance store at a cost of 39.99 dollars (just over 39 euros). The digital version costs $ 12.99 instead. If you want the hardcover version, you can purchase it for just over 46 euros (pdf included).
A particular aspect of Era the Consortium is that it is a multimedia project; in addition to the basic manual and the various expansion modules there are in fact several comics. In general it is therefore possible to play a well-rounded, ever-expanding setting. The latter is in fact the strong point of Era the Consortium, widely developed and designed to be playable in every aspect.

Review of Era the Consortium: the Volume
Era the Consortium has 292 pages; the paper is quite thick, helping to make it particularly bulky. Overall the binding is also quite robust, but we are talking about a particularly large format manual with softcover. And the flexible cover not only fits poorly in such bulky volumes, but it does it even worse when it comes to a tome that requires frequent consultation. In short, the manual is solid, but to better survive the hands of the players we recommend the hardcover version. By the way you can choose between the cheaper and the sturdier version, and choosing is always great!
The internal illustrations are of a good standard. Besides being an author, Jowett is also the art director of Era the Consortium; and has beautifully harmonized the style of the various illustrators. Unlike the art sector, however, the layout has some issues. The choice of keeping the text in a single column on such a large volume is really impractical and makes reading more difficult. Keeping the page border with a different frame for each chapter is certainly a practical choice, but having used different motifs the final result is not beautiful when the manual is closed.
The choice to use flow charts instead of the more classic examples (after the explanation of many rules) certainly has its charm, especially for a sci-fi game. The problem is that it becomes a cumbersome solution, and often even inconvenient since to consult many diagrams it is necessary to rotate the manual. More classic examples would have been less suggestive, but certainly more practical. In general, the manual would have benefited a lot from greater care, thinking a little more about who would use it and less about making it particular.

The Game Setting
The setting is the real strength of Era the Consortium; after all, it occupies the first 135 pages of the manual. The connection is perhaps a bit pretext; the way in which humanity has completely lost memory of the Earth and its past is really an unnecessarily forced passage. From there however the contents improve, offering many interesting ideas. Era the Consortium deals with a large historical period (more or less 500 years), mostly described through stories and accounts that make the reading more appealing: otherwise it could have been boring and it would not have been easy to keep the interest of the reader high. And it’s not just about the background. Era the Consortium was conceived to be playable in all its historical phases; an interesting approach, which allows you to make each campaign unique.
The consequence that makes it even more interesting is that Era the Consortium allows you to play various types of science fiction. So you can face the exploration of unknown planets, the confrontation with alien races or the conflict with them, situations that are more purely warlike. There is also space for cyberpunk, even if mostly that with social implications: in the world of Era the Consortium mega corporations rule the society. Transhumanism finds little space, left almost entirely to some bionic enhancement. Maybe a pity, but it must be said that there are already other games that do this task in an excellent way. Avoid something redundant has therefore been a smart idea.

The Protagonists of the Adventures: the Characters
Character creation is quite simple. First of all you choose one of the four main races, compatibly with the historical period you want to play. Importantly, the expansion manuals add many new species, but the corebook is perfectly sufficient for playing Era the Consortium; the other volumes, however, introduce new options and varieties.
Humans are, as can be guessed, the simplest race to approach, and certainly the most widespread. These are the descendants of the inhabitants of the Earth (past of which they have no memory) who expand in space regulated according to the consortium will.
The Elutians are a kind of alien squid, graceful and intelligent creatures; to interact with other non-aquatic species they move in synthetic bodies, which replicate the appearance of a human being.
The Ximians are insectoids that only vaguely resemble a humanoid figure. Strong and resilient, they have a penchant for scientific studies, and for decades they have been enslaved by humans after a conflict. Their freedom is a relatively recent event.
Finally, the Vilithii are a sentient plant species with moderate mutation abilities, perhaps the most “alien-minded” race.

Review of Era the Consortium Rules
Era the Consortium rules are pretty simple, with a blatant inspiration from the Storyteller System used by the World of Darkness. There are no character classes, just backgrounds, and the development is free. Points are used to “buy” attributes, which determine their secondary statistics, and skills. The flexible skill system is interesting: you can use them with various attributes, as long as you find a consistent use. It must be said that the pool to choose from is a bit too small. It becomes difficult to characterize the characters well, when you have skills with too many uses.
The underlying mechanic involves rolling a pool of ten-sided dice equal to characteristic plus skill. Actions difficulty determines the minimum value to be obtained on the roll, the number of successes obtained determines the quality of the action.
The fight, unfortunately, gets a little too crunchy to my taste. Nothing impossible to manage, but it certainly reveals how Era the Consortium is a game with a bit dated conception. To try to make this approach versatile for the sci-fi genre that characterizes it, it ends up creating many complications. It is no coincidence that a considerable portion of the manual is dedicated to equipment and vehicles. Not to the point of becoming fan service, but certainly some more universal and leaner application rules would have improved the overall work.

Conclusions of Era the Consortium Review
Ultimately, Era the Consortium is not a game so innovative as to change your life, but it is not to be discarded either. Aside from these flaws, many could be unhappy that it looks like a large sci-fi patchwork. Both the setting and the rules are original; in both cases, however, there are many sources of inspiration that are too much evident for the lovers of this genre. A science fiction enthusiast will surely notice many elements already seen elsewhere. Similarly, an experienced player will surely find himself smiling at the mechanical similarities with other games.
However, Era the Consortium deserves respect. Precisely this being a job of cut and sew makes it very adaptable, covering that slice of sci-fi games that are not particularly popular. That is those with a more generalist approach, not aimed at creating a gaming experience particularly focused on specific aspects. If you are passionate about science fiction and are looking for a game that allows you to vary between the various subgenres, Era the Consortium will certainly do its job; in this way it will guarantee you hours of fun at the gaming table.