Line #40 TabletopGame/TrinityUniverseWhiteWolf


1	[[quoteright:315:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aeon_society_logo_2101.png]]
2	%%[[caption-width-right:315:some caption text]]
3
4	A set of three linked tabletop [=RPG=]s from Creator/WhiteWolf, the people who brought you ''TabletopGame/TheWorldOfDarkness'' games. They're set in a science-based world where heroes with extraordinary powers arise during various eras, each time manifesting in a way that fits their era. Like most White Wolf games an edge of HeWhoFightsMonsters and WorldHalfEmpty form the periphery of the world view [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism to varying degrees]]. (It's almost entirely absent in ''Adventure!'', and most powerfully expressed in ''Aberrant''.)
5
6	'''Official game lines:'''
7	* ''TabletopGame/{{Adventure}}!'': Set in the 1920s, you play as one of various [[TwoFistedTales pulp archetypes]].
8	* ''TabletopGame/{{Aberrant}}'': In [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture the near future]], the explosion of the space station Galatea imbues people all over the world with superpowers, turning them into "novas".
9	* ''TabletopGame/{{Aeon}}'' or ''Trinity'': In the 22nd century, humanity is rebuilding from the Aberrant War under the guidance of the psi orders and the [=Æ=]on Trinity.
10
11	''Trinity'' and ''Aberrant'' both put out a number of supplements, but were eventually cancelled due to low sales. ''Adventure!'' only managed to get a corebook. [=D20=] versions of the corebooks were released in 2004.
12
13	All three games were acquired outright by Onyx Path Publishing, a company set up to handle WW's tabletop publishing side, who are bringing out new versions under the collective title of the Trinity Continuum, as well as exploring other time periods outside the main three.
14
15	Games for these new periods include:
16
17	* ''Trinity Continuum'' core: A modern-day setting in which you play a Talent, a supremely skilled or lucky person aiming to make the world a better place.
18	* ''Assassins'': The darker side of the core setting, where elite Assassins PayEvilUntoEvil.
19	* ''Anima'': Set in a time of rebuilding between ''Aberrant'' and ''[=Æ=]on'' in the 2080s, some of the era's Talents investigate the mysteries surrounding the shining city of Cascade, the popular fantasy MMO ''Terra Surge'', and the hidden connections between the two.
20	* ''Aether'': Set in the late Victorian era with elements of GaslampFantasy and {{Steampunk}}, where UsefulNotes/NikolaTesla has discovered a new energy source known as [[TitleDrop Aether]], capable of both [[RealityWarper warping existing realities]] and spinning new realities into existence. You play as one of the various types of Aethernauts, experimenting with the potential of what Aether can do, exploring the strange locations it opens up, and driving off the invading Martians who seek its secrets for their own. Incorporates public domain fictional characters appropriate to the era like Mina Harker, Henry Jekyll, James Moriarty and Captain Nemo alongside historical personages.
21	* ''Aegis'': Set in the Greek Dark Ages, following the Bronze Age Collapse (1200 BCE-900 BCE), when the fall of a sky chariot on Mount Olympus brings with it the mysterious golden liquid known as ambrosia, which transforms most living things it touches, granting them extraordinary powers. You play as one of the ambrosia-touched Inspired, dealing with the manifold changes the heavenly substance has brought to the world.
22
23	A Kickstarter for the ''Trinity Continuum'' and ''[=Æ=]on'' corebooks was successfully completed in February 2018, followed by a successful Kickstarter for ''Aberrant'' in July 2019 and a successful Kickstarter for ''Adventure!'' in April 2021. The first solo Kickstarter for a new game, ''Anima'', finished successfully in November 2021, with a successful Kickstarter for ''Aether'' following in August 2022, and a successful Backerkit campaign for ''Aegis'' in August 2023.
24
25	[-Not to be confused with the [[VideoGame/TrinityUniverse PS3 Game]] of the same name.-]
26
27	----
28	!!This RPG series provides examples of:
29
30	* AnachronicOrder: Of the three games, ''Trinity'' was released first and ''Adventure!'' last. The pattern holds for the new version, too.
31	* AncientConspiracy: The [=Æ=]on Society probably counts as this by ''Trinity''. In ''Aberrant'' it's only 80+ years old and in ''Adventure!'' it's about 2 years old.
32	* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler: This is the fate of most species in the revised timeline, in some form. What form the ascended species takes depends on their natural aptitudes.]]
33	* BadassNormal: Talents are ''not'' this; though they might look like it to an outside observer, their Inspiration involves a WindsOfDestinyChange caused by manipulating temporal flux. However, without extensive testing, it's very difficult to tell the difference between a Talent and an extraordinarily skilled normal human who does with skill, practice and determination what a Talent does with Inspiration.
34	** It is worth noting that one of the developers for the second edition stated all humans to some ability have the ability to interact with flux, the source of Inspiration, and even claims Talents arguably are just more talented at that than other at doing so. [[https://theonyxpath.fandom.com/wiki/Talent]]
35	* {{BFG}}: A sufficiently strong Nova can wield a cut-down 30mm gatling gun (normally found on A-10s) as a (super)man-portable weapon. In ''Trinity'' the Chameleon [[AMechByAnyOtherName BioVARG]] is a 2 meter tall suit of PoweredArmor that can mount a single mecha-sized weapon.
36	* ChinaTakesOverTheWorld: Well, not quite. But they are by far the most powerful nation in settled space by ''Trinity''. At one point China held the Earth at their mercy with [[KillSat nuclear satellites]] to get the Aberrants to knock it off already, but they were good enough to disarm them once the Aberrants left Earth.
37	* CutShort: The psi order books ended prematurely when the ''Trinity'' line was cancelled - "Asia Ascendant", [[{{Telepathy}} the Ministry]] order book, had been written, but lacked art and official layout. White Wolf gave their permission to release the manuscript for free, and versions can be found floating around the net. ("India Underground", the Quantakinetic order book, is a fan supplement.)
38	** Likewise, there were plans for more ''Aberrant'' books before cancellation hit.
39	* {{Cyberpunk}}: ''Trinity'''s North America is basically a straight-up example. The rest of the world averts the trope.
40	* DoingInTheWizard: The publishers are quite adamant that the games -- especially ''Adventure!'' and ''Aberrant'' -- do not involve magic in any way, shape, or form. All superpowers possessed by the characters are due to the manipulation of new forms of energy ("Z-waves" in ''Adventure!'', "quantum" in ''Aberrant''). Given the properties ascribed to these energies, of course, it ends up working out basically the same way. Downplayed in ''Aether''; while objectively, everyone is spinning and unwinding Aether, mystical practices are as valid a means of doing so as technological devices.
41	* FanonDiscontinuity: {{Invoked}} in the ''Aberrant'' book. The writers made it very clear that they knew that players were going to ignore the part of the metaplot where most of the Aberrants turn on humanity, and expressly gave them permission to do so in the book.
42	** SchizoContinuity: The reboot games take it to the next level, [[http://theonyxpath.com/diving-into-the-continuum-trinity-continuum/ explicitly running]] on AlternateTimeline Continuity - e.g. ''[=Æ=]on'' has the Aberrant War as established history, but in ''Aberrant'' how things turn out, and whether the War even happens, depends on the individual game. Likewise, ''Aberrant'' is only a potential future of the present-day setting, and so on.
43	* HumansAreSpecial: [[spoiler: Humans are the only known race with the potential to develop [[PsychicPowers noetic]], [[QuantumMechanicsCanDoAnything quantum]], ''and'' [[WindsOfDestinyChange Inspired]] powers to their full potential.]]
44	* HumongousMecha: The Danguard Armored Warrior from ''Aberrant'', and the [=VARGs=] from ''Trinity''.
45	* LoveMakesYouEvil: Well, it didn't help Divis Mal's mental state much...
46	* {{Metaplot}}: A metaplot that stretched over three different game lines, no less!
47	** To explain: In the original games, a game line set earlier in the setting could reveal the origins of characters and events that would affect game lines set later. On top of that, ''Trinity'' and ''Aberrant'' both had a traditional advancing timeline metaplot, with supplements advancing the timeline and covering events that changed the game line's setting (such as the Upeo wa Macho's return in ''Trinity'').
48	** However, while the reboot games have a 'default timeline' that leads to ''[=Æ=]on'' and beyond, most of the individual game lines don't have an advancing timeline, remaining set at a particular point. (The exception is the present-day setting, which advances with the calendar.)
49	* OrganicTechnology: Any Psion can attune to powerful biotechnological devices. Also, the Eufiber used by Novas is actually living bacterial colonies which are extruded from the body of a powerful nova fashion designer.
50	* PhlebotinumDuJour: Each era has a predominant power source and form of powered individual, though Talents exist in all eras. In ''[=Æ=]on'', it's psions, who only exist in this era unless you're house-ruling; psiads are rare (though more powerful than in previous eras) and novas are believed to be insane Aberrants (though Superiors, a form of lesser nova, also come into existence in this era). In ''Aberrant'', most powered individuals are novas due to the ''Galatea'' event awakening them on a mass scale, while psiads are just as rare and usually seem to be unusually mentally-focused novas. The modern day setting and ''Anima'' are about Talents, with novas and psiads nonexistent or rare (and in ''Anima'', the former are hunted). And in ''Aether'', aetheric energies create Talents who operate in far stranger ways than the other time periods; Magogs in particular are Talents who look like a kind of nova. ''Adventure'' has prototypes of all three power sets active at once, but the local state of scientific knowledge believes that they're all facets of the same thing (which isn't true in later periods).
51	* PostCyberpunk: ''Aberrant'' provides a setting that's rapidly building towards a utopia, as novas use their abilities to rapidly advance science and technology, terraform the Sahara, and decide the fates of nations by shootfighting on global TV. Of course, all of this is set up so that it can be torn down in the Aberrant War. This was taken as a given in the original, but the reboot makes it only a possibility that the [=PCs=] can avert.
52	* ReedRichardsIsUseless: Averted quite fiercely in ''Aberrant'' -- superintelligent novas have revolutionized every industry you can think of (and several you probably can't), and any large corporation will have at least a few novas on their payroll. Not to mention that they've turned Ethiopia green, eliminated pollution, and generally done awesome stuff.
53	** Also averted in ''Trinity'': most industries have applied noetic science (the scientific theory behind psychic abilities) to their various fields in order to go further than would be possible without psionic talent. One of the Psionic Orders is a corporation, and yes, they do indeed make products for the mass market using psionics. Humanity in the 22nd Century has things like interstellar space travel and colonization solely because of psionic powers such as teleportation, including biotech "jump ships".
54	* RomanticismVersusEnlightenment: [[RuleOfThree Three times, no less.]] First the [=Æ=]on Society starts up to guide mankind to a beautiful future. They are betrayed from within (twice) and [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII history takes a]] [[UsefulNotes/ColdWar depressingly familiar route.]] (WordOfGod is things would have been ''worse'' if not for them, however.) Then the Novas arise and start turning Earth into a utopia. Sadly WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity and that and Project Proteus cause the Aberrant War. Millions die, several areas are rendered uninhabitable, telecommunications are set back 100 years and the Novas only leave because China threatens to nuke everything if they don't. Humanity recovers and begins to shoot for the stars, setting up colonies on other worlds and even making friends with an alien race. Then the Aberrants return, start blowing up space stations and [[ColonyDrop drop one such station on France, destroying most of it]] and two other less friendly alien races show up, intent on destruction and in one case rape. [[TheWorldIsAlwaysDoomed One wonders why humans bother anymore, really.]][[invoked]]
55	* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: Max Mercer is trying so hard, bless him...
56	** Not all fans agree on this. Some think he's a SelfFulfillingProphecy.
57	** More like Set Right What Will Go Wrong thanks to his TimeyWimeyBall powers.
58	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: ''Trinity'' takes a middle ground; it's about hope, sacrifice and unity in a CrapsackWorld, and the players really can make a difference. First edition ''Aberrant'', by contrast, is exceedingly cynical; the novas are destined to destroy the utopia that they were building through a combination of Taint, {{revenge}} and [[{{Pride}} plain old ego]]; second edition keeps that cynical conclusion as default, but also allows it to be averted. ''Adventure!'' tries to be idealistic (as befits the pulp atmosphere), but Max Mercer's noble effort still won't end well.
59	* TheyCalledMeMad: Trying to explain the principles behind Inspired Science to an un-Inspired mind doesn't work; the white paper will read like something out of Time Cube. In the ''Aberrant'' setting, the usual assumption is that the inventor's a nova and people will try to help them work their inspiration into a coherent theory (and a marketable product), but in other eras you can get this trope or worse.
60	* UnequalRites: In ''Aether'', the core of the Aethernauts' brotherhood are Squires (Talents). Gogs (who control Aether consciously through Apparatus) are seen as "Aether-drinkers" by the average Aethernaut and the general consensus is that they've gone too far in their studies, though the Martian invasion has made them too useful to shut out entirely. Magogs, who control Aether with no Apparatus at the cost of turning into monsters, get it even worse from most societies (except the Three Prongs), with some monster-hunters seeking the destruction of ''all'' Magogs.
61	* WeirdScience: Comes in three flavors, as discussed in the corebook. It should be noted that what's possible for mundanes changes over time; the Inspired Science of a pulp airship engineer can be significantly inferior to mundane modern aircraft.
62	** Advanced Science is science that was initially developed through Inspiration or power use and can't be initially developed by mundanes, but is itself mundane (if ten or more years ahead of its time), is firmly grounded in scientific laws, and can be reproduced and understood by mundanes.
63	** Inspired Science is classic "mad science." Anyone can operate a freeze ray or a personal jetpack with proper training, but the science they run on is literally incomprehensible to those without TheSparkOfGenius (from any power source). Only the empowered can build devices like these, [[ReedRichardsIsUseless they can't be mass-produced]], and attempting to write up the science behind them would [[TheyCalledMeMad come across as completely bonkers]].
64	** Powered Science can only be used by the creator (who must be a nova or psychic) and actually draws on their quantum or psi power to function.
65	* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Being a nova is awesome, until you acquire so much [[TheCorruption Taint]] that you either go crazy, turn into a [[OneWingedAngel hulking abomination]], or [[PowerIncontinence have your powers go wildly out of control]]. (Sometimes all three.) Of course, acquiring Taint is necessary for a nova to attain true power... or, at least that's what the Doyen and [=Æ=]on Trinity say. [[spoiler: Actually, it depends on the time period, the rulebook used, and the nova in question. Not all novas go insane, but most do, especially because accepting Taint is a far quicker road to power than trying to control it. Also, when The Colony returned to attack humanity, he only brought along novas who were as corrupt as he was.]]

Context TabletopGame / TrinityUniverseWhiteWolf