The Age of Decadence
Release Date: 14 Oct, 2015
The Age of Decadence, our first but hopefully not the last RPG, is now available. If you've been following it or playing it in Early Access, you know what to expect. If you've just discovered it, "stay awhile and listen". The most commonly asked question is:
It’s a very different game than anything you’ve ever played. I’m sure you’ve noticed that the RPG genre hasn’t really been explored yet and most RPGs follow the formula that didn’t change in 20 years. While there were always games that strayed off the beaten path – Darklands, Planescape: Torment, King of Dragon Pass – such games were the exceptions that only reinforced the rule.
The Age of Decadence is an experiment, an attempt to explore a different direction, taking you back to the PnP roots of the genre. It doesn’t mean that the game is awesome. In fact, there is a good chance that you won’t like it, precisely because we took too many liberties with the established design.
So What Sets The Age of Decadence Apart From Other Games?
Traditionally, many fantasy RPGs are about killing things, clearing up dungeons, and being a hero. There is nothing wrong with mindless fun and wish fulfillment, but we want to offer you something different. To quote Tom Chick (Quarter to Three's game critic):
"But Age of Decadence wants nothing to do with kobolds, just as it wants nothing to do with Doo-dads of Unimaginable Power. The overarching idea is a crumbling society divided among three noble Houses, each fumbling around in its own version of darkness to comprehend what destroyed the world. That’s the central mystery. It plays out like noir in that you are the detective, piecing together what really happened from differing accounts, all vividly written with clear voices and efficient prose. And like a detective in a noir yarn, you can’t help but become part of the central mystery, effecting an outcome you might not have intended."
The Age of Decadence is not a game about killing monsters or exploring mystical lands, but rather, surviving amid the greed and brutality of your fellow humans and carving out a name for yourself. Good and bad are purely relative. It’s a world of scheming and backstabbing in which your words and actions have the potential to forge alliances and sow discord, and your path is never certain.
You get to play with seven different factions: three Noble Houses and four 'professional' guilds: merchants, assassins, thieves, and the army, all fighting for power or influence; over 100 named characters, over 750 ‘generic’ characters with unique IDs taking part in violent take-overs, assassinations, and power grabs, and over 600,000 words of dialogue: a well-developed and thought through world, believable characters, realistic motivations, but no elves, dwarves, magic, and wizards in fashionable, pointy hats.
Another design aspect worth mentioning is combat difficulty. It’s a hard game.
Combat difficulty is integrated into the setting. You can’t say that the world is harsh and unforgiving and then let the player kill everyone who looks at him or her funny. The game has to be hard, dying should be easy, and you should have reasons to pick your fights.
You aren’t a powerful hero who can defeat anyone and save the world and it is the difficulty that reinforces this notion. Make the game easier and we’re back to the powerful hero setup. So unless you’re a natural born killer, watch what you say and think before you act or you’ll end up dead before you can blink.
Choices are what the game is all about - crafting your own narrative via a variety of choices that alter the story, playing field, and your options down the road. From multiple quest solutions to branching questlines you'll have plenty decisions to make and consequences of said decisions to deal with, which is what makes the game incredibly replayable.
Starting the game as a mercenary and joining the Imperial Guards will give a completely different experience, different quests, different content and points of view than, say, playing the game as a merchant (less buying low and selling high, more scheming and plotting to gain advantages for the guild), a praetor serving a Noble House, or an assassin.
The questlines are interwoven, forming a large, overarching story, so playing the game only once will be like witnessing events from a single perspective, which is limited by default. You will have to play the game several times to better understand what’s going on, piece everything together, and see the full effect of the choices you make.
What Kind of Game Is It?
It’s a very different game than anything you’ve ever played. I’m sure you’ve noticed that the RPG genre hasn’t really been explored yet and most RPGs follow the formula that didn’t change in 20 years. While there were always games that strayed off the beaten path – Darklands, Planescape: Torment, King of Dragon Pass – such games were the exceptions that only reinforced the rule.
The Age of Decadence is an experiment, an attempt to explore a different direction, taking you back to the PnP roots of the genre. It doesn’t mean that the game is awesome. In fact, there is a good chance that you won’t like it, precisely because we took too many liberties with the established design.
So What Sets The Age of Decadence Apart From Other Games?
1. The Setup
Traditionally, many fantasy RPGs are about killing things, clearing up dungeons, and being a hero. There is nothing wrong with mindless fun and wish fulfillment, but we want to offer you something different. To quote Tom Chick (Quarter to Three's game critic):
"But Age of Decadence wants nothing to do with kobolds, just as it wants nothing to do with Doo-dads of Unimaginable Power. The overarching idea is a crumbling society divided among three noble Houses, each fumbling around in its own version of darkness to comprehend what destroyed the world. That’s the central mystery. It plays out like noir in that you are the detective, piecing together what really happened from differing accounts, all vividly written with clear voices and efficient prose. And like a detective in a noir yarn, you can’t help but become part of the central mystery, effecting an outcome you might not have intended."
The Age of Decadence is not a game about killing monsters or exploring mystical lands, but rather, surviving amid the greed and brutality of your fellow humans and carving out a name for yourself. Good and bad are purely relative. It’s a world of scheming and backstabbing in which your words and actions have the potential to forge alliances and sow discord, and your path is never certain.
You get to play with seven different factions: three Noble Houses and four 'professional' guilds: merchants, assassins, thieves, and the army, all fighting for power or influence; over 100 named characters, over 750 ‘generic’ characters with unique IDs taking part in violent take-overs, assassinations, and power grabs, and over 600,000 words of dialogue: a well-developed and thought through world, believable characters, realistic motivations, but no elves, dwarves, magic, and wizards in fashionable, pointy hats.
2. Combat difficulty
Another design aspect worth mentioning is combat difficulty. It’s a hard game.
Combat difficulty is integrated into the setting. You can’t say that the world is harsh and unforgiving and then let the player kill everyone who looks at him or her funny. The game has to be hard, dying should be easy, and you should have reasons to pick your fights.
You aren’t a powerful hero who can defeat anyone and save the world and it is the difficulty that reinforces this notion. Make the game easier and we’re back to the powerful hero setup. So unless you’re a natural born killer, watch what you say and think before you act or you’ll end up dead before you can blink.
3. Choices & Consequences
Choices are what the game is all about - crafting your own narrative via a variety of choices that alter the story, playing field, and your options down the road. From multiple quest solutions to branching questlines you'll have plenty decisions to make and consequences of said decisions to deal with, which is what makes the game incredibly replayable.
Starting the game as a mercenary and joining the Imperial Guards will give a completely different experience, different quests, different content and points of view than, say, playing the game as a merchant (less buying low and selling high, more scheming and plotting to gain advantages for the guild), a praetor serving a Noble House, or an assassin.
The questlines are interwoven, forming a large, overarching story, so playing the game only once will be like witnessing events from a single perspective, which is limited by default. You will have to play the game several times to better understand what’s going on, piece everything together, and see the full effect of the choices you make.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Windows
Minimum:
- OS: Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8/Windows 10
- Processor: 2 GHz Processor or better
- Memory: 3 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia Geforce GTS 250 / Radeon HD 4770 (1Gb) or better
- DirectX: Version 9.0c
- Storage: 1900 MB available space
Recommended:
- OS: Windows 7/Windows 8/Windows 10
- Processor: 2.5 GHz Processor or better
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia Geforce GTS 450 / Radeon HD 4870 (1Gb) or better
- DirectX: Version 9.0c
- Storage: 1900 MB available space
"Is Life Always This Hard?"
Died in the first fight.
The City of All Cities
Visit Maadoran - the largest city in the known world.
Mercenary
Complete the first quest as a mercenary.
Loremaster
Complete the first quest as a loremaster.
Assassin
Complete the first quest as an assassin.
Liegeman (House Daratan)
Pledge your fealty to House Daratan, swearing to serve Lord Antidas
The Holy City
Visit Ganezzar
The House of Wisdom
Visit the Library of Saross
Drifter
Complete the first quest as a drifter.
Praetor
Complete the first quest as a praetor.
Manipulator
Talk the raiders into attacking the Aurelian outpost for you to kill two birds with one stone.
Arch of the Covenant
Visit an ancient arch - a site of many miracles
Urban Explorer
Find a way into Maadoran's sewers
Dead River
Visit Dead River settlement
The Eye of the Desert
Visit Inferiae
Hellgate
Visit Hellgate and live to tell the tale
Legionary (Imperial Guards)
Join the Imperial Guards to be All You Can Be.
Pulling the Strings
Complete the Merchants Guild's questline in Teron.
Well-Trained
Receive training from five different people in the course of one game.
Hidden from the World
Visit a monastery up in the mountains
Collector of Rarities
Acquire five different relics of the past, without having any idea what most of them are for.
The Highest Peak
Visit Harran's Pass.
Merchant
Complete the first quest as a merchant.
Interrogator
Have a heart to heart conversation with loremaster Sohrab and make him tell you everything he knows.
The City in the Sky
Hey, did you see that?
Champion of the Arena
Fight your way to the top and become the new Champion of the Arena.
The Birthplace of the Gods
Visit the ruins of Al-Akia
It's a Thing of Honor...
Complete the Assassins Guild's questline in Teron.
Under New Management
Complete the Imperial Guards' questline in Teron.
The Men of the Plains
Visit an Ordu camp beyond the mountains.
The Pax Imperium
Discover a long forgotten underground hangar
The Chosen One
Convince a preacher from Ganezzar that you're the Chosen One, sent by the gods to lead mankind out of darkness.
Grifter
You completed the first quest as a grifter.
Thief
Complete the first quest as a thief.
Computer Literate
Learn how to use the ancient consoles
Liegeman (House Aurelian)
Pledge your fealty to House Aurelian, swearing to serve Lord Gaelius
Novus Ordo Seclorum
Bring a new world order
A Trip Into The Past
Explore the Tower of Zamedi.
Killed More People Than Malaria
Kill a hundred people in the course of one game.
Infiltrator
Infiltrate House Daratan’s compound and discuss employment opportunities with Lord Antidas
My Vision is Augmented
Improve your eyesight with a fashionable mechanical eye
On His Lordship’s Secret Service
Complete the Praetor's questline in Teron.
Take Heed And Bear Witness
Discover and read the ancient tablets - the warning of the Magi
Centurion (Imperial Guards)
Get promoted to the rank of Centurion.
Gazed Into The Abyss
Explore the very heart of the Abyss.
The Game of Thrones
Complete the Merchants Guild's questline in Maadoran.
Hero of Harran’s Pass
Complete the Imperial Guards' questline in Maadoran.
The Great Cart Robbery
Complete the Thieves Guild's questline in Teron.
Godless World
Kill Agathoth to protect mankind
Legatus (Imperial Guards)
Get promoted to the rank of Legatus.
Kingslayer
Provoke Lord Antidas to attack the Imperial Guards delegation and kill him
Sleeping Dogs
Let sleeping dogs lie
300!
Defeat the Ordu army at a narrow mountain pass and live to tell the tale.
Airworthy!
Take the flying fortress for a spin
The Nameless One
Die a hundred times and live again.
MR. FIXIT
Fix the machines in the buried tower.
To Serve and Protect
Complete the Assassins Guild's questline in Maadoran, serving Lord Gaelius and killing his enemies
Mage-Killer
Kill Faelan the Thrice Blessed
The Lich
Acquire a rare extract of Amaranthus, use to make an elixir and drink it.
The Right Thing
Do the right thing. You'll know what it is.
Never Felt Better
Take a ride in an ancient healing machine.
Terminator
Deal with the raiders and the Aurelian outpost by killing everyone. Not very subtle, but extremely effective.
Checks and Balances
Help Lord Darganus keep the rabble at bay
Peacemaker
Convince Belgutai to join Khan Thorgul and unite the Ordu tribe.
"Good Morrow To You, Magistrate!"
Outmaneuver your opponents and make Strabos the new magistratus of Maadoran.
Ordu New Champion
Kill Belgutai to impress the Ordu with your martial prowess.
Demonbane
Enter a wizard's tower and slay the demon that dwells within it, cleansing the tower from evil.
Iron Man
Acquire Power Armor and fully charge it
Unto the Breach
Charge into the breach during the siege of Ganezzar
The Imperial Army
Complete the Imperial Guards' questline in Ganezzar, siding with House Aurelian
Friends on the Other Side
Make new friends and learn how to influence people
Rough Men Standing Ready To Do Violence
Complete the Praetor of House Aurelian's questline in Maadoran.
Antiquities Expert
Acquire ten different artefacts to start a collection.
Anyone Can Be Killed
Complete the Thieves Guild's questline in Maadoran.
Diplomat
Broker an alliance between House Daratan and the Imperial Guards.
Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts
Complete the Praetor of House Daratan's questline in Maadoran.
The Opium of the People
Complete the Merchants Guild's questline in Ganezzar, embracing Meru's Creed
Extremely Persuasive
Convince Lord Antidas to have Commander Carrinas killed without producing any proof.
Kingmaker
Broker an alliance between House Daratan and convince Commander Carrinas to proclaim Antidas an Emperor.
The Guildsman
Complete the Assassins' Guild's questline in Ganezzar, staying true to the guild
Delenda Est
Complete the Praetor of House Aurelian's questline in Ganezzar
Corporate Interests
Complete the Merchants Guild's questline in Ganezzar as per Strabos' orders
The Gods Shalt Walk Among Us
Complete the Praetor of House Crassus' questline in Ganezzar
It’s Just Business. Nothing Personal...
Complete the Assassins Guild's questline in Maadoran, double-crossing your Guildmaster
Power to the People
Help Hector achieve his goals
The One God
Ascend
Killer of Men
Fight your way out of Teron, leaving nothing but corpses behind.
Matters of Faith
Complete the Praetor of House Daratan's questline in Ganezzar
The Inquisitor
Complete the Assassins Guild's questline in Ganezzar, siding with Varro
Deal with the Devil
Make a deal with Legatus Carbo, promising him a worthy enemy and a war he’s always dreamt of.
Aggressive Negotiations
Complete the Thieves Guild's questline in Ganezzar, double-crossing Glabrio
My Precious…
Recover Darius’ helmet but keep such a valuable relic for yourself.
Once a Traitor…
You have a dangerous habit of betraying your masters.
Personal Magnetism
Convince Centurion Flavius to introduce you to Lord Antidas.
Knights of the Temple
Complete the Imperial Guards' questline in Ganezzar, siding with House Crassus
Silver-Tongued Devil
Fast-talk your way out of Teron, getting past every obstacle standing between you and the open road.
Fire in the Hole!
Destroy Al-Akia
Grim Reaper
Kill 200 people in the course of one game.
Explosion Expert
Use an improvised explosive device to ambush the shipment and steal the gold.
The Lord of Lowtown
Complete the Thieves Guild's questline in Ganezzar, siding with Glabrio
Stone-Cold Killer
Kill the Guildmaster of the Assassins Guild and Lord Gaelius during an audience at his own palace.
Kingdom of God
Bring God's Kingdom to Earth
A Magus!
Acquire powerful artefacts and learn how to use them.
Patriot Militia Sponsor
Make a generous contribution to Regulus' campaign, funding a new militia to keep the city 'safe'
Desperate Times
You know what you have to do
The First Sword
Complete the Imperial Guards' questline in Ganezzar with the help of Commander Carrinas
Burn it
Some Men Just Want to Watch the World Burn
Miltiades
Antidas
Belgutai
Brandir
Darista
Iola
Levir
Pavola
Zamedi Demon
