01 Jul May I Introduce to You: HeXXen 1733
Hello Hunters,
It’s been some time since the Hellgate opened in the Black Forest and the forces of humanity turned their faith into weapons against the supernatural threats from Hell. However, those of us in the English-speaking territories haven’t heard much but secondhand accounts from our German colleagues on the front lines. I think it’s time we changed that, don’t you?
What is HeXXen 1733?
For those Hunters just joining us, HeXXen 1733 is a highly cinematic roleplaying game with fast-paced combat set in an alternate timeline of Baroque Europe. During the Thirty Years War, a portal to hell opened within the Black Forest and since then, humanity has been at war with demons, witches, werewolves, ghosts, and other supernatural creatures that have been borne into reality. Humanity hasn’t been left without any tools, however, as the strength of their conviction and faith has given some of them abilities beyond that of a human’s normal potential. Thus were a class of travelling warriors against the forces of darkness, the Hunters, formed.
These Hunters can be drawn from all walks of life: in the Core rulebook alone, Hunters can be created by a combination of 20 Motivations (Why they’ve become a Hunter) and 10 Roles (How they hunt). With 200 combinations, this makes it easy to represent any sort of character archetype. This eclectic collection of regular civilians called to the hunt, the faithful called to protect the flock, and occultists using their own tricks against them are unparalleled in their fields. Every Hunter in HeXXen 1733 is a cut above your average citizen, heroic and competent, capable of being the last line of defense between humanity and the supernatural.
Combat in HeXXen 1733
In this world of conflict, the Hunters often find themselves in situations that regular citizens would be unable to navigate. While not all combat needs to be fully fought in HeXXen 1733 (For instance, if a single guard decides to foolishly attack a group of Hunters, the guard would stand no chance against the finest fighters of the age.), when the forces against the Hunters are sufficiently deadly, and there’s no shortage of that in HeXXen’s Baroque Europe, then combat is handled with a swift, high energy, cinematic panache.
While the game may be set in the past, the design sensibilities of HeXXen 1733 are very much in the now. It doesn’t aim to be a simulation, but instead to create swashbuckling scenes straight out of film and video games. Rather than a grid, the game is visualized as clusters of engagements where the strongest frontline fighters pull many of the threats towards them, muskets remain far back and unengaged to pick off high priority targets and stragglers, and swift skirmishers identify and intercept threats before they can be a problem for their backline. This sleek engagement system is further supplemented by a bevy of different conditions to be applied and used against them in combat, creating a deep battlefield without resorting to a lot of number crunch. Dice rolls are made through a pool of d6s and the custom HeXXen 1733 dice set can make this quick combat even quicker, allowing you to see the results of your roll at a glance.
Entering the Hunt
I know that I’ve been practically thrumming with excitement at the prospect of being able to talk to people about HeXXen 1733 and I know that some of you have been waiting for news about its English release. While I can’t say anything specific to when you might be able to get your hands on the product just yet, I am excited to spotlight certain aspects of the game in the coming weeks. What would you like to see more of? What would you like to hear about? Come talk to me on the official Ulisses Spiele Discord and let me know what you’re most excited about and what you’d like to see spotlighted in coming articles!
Until next time, Hunters, Curtis.