"One of you wants to destroy the world. Everyone else is the fellowship that stops them."
Fellowship is an Apocalypse Engine game in the vein of The Lord of the Rings and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders. One player is the Overlord, a maniacal being who has become a Threat to the World; everyone else is a fellowship of heroes, each a champion of their own people. Its heart is the bonds between heroes and the fact that every player decides who their people are. The second edition comes from Liberi Gothica Games and credits Vel Mini as author (its 2019 Kickstarter ran under the name Jacob Randolph).
- you want a Lord of the Rings-style quest against a single great villain
- one player would love to be the villainous Overlord instead of a neutral GM
- your group likes inventing their own peoples and building bonds between heroes
- your GM prefers to be a neutral referee rather than the villain
- you want dungeon crawling for loot with tactical fights
- your players dislike making up their people's culture and lore on the spot
The world is built fresh each time: play the Elf and you decide what elves are, what they value and how they relate to everyone else. The Overlord creates a character just like everyone else, commands the forces of evil and pursues a Master Plan — seize a source of power, destroy a community. The game is about the journey, the peoples you meet and saving the day.
An Overlord instead of a GM
The GM is a character too: the Overlord, with their own Principles, Cuts (soft and hard) and a Master Plan that advances while the heroes rest. They're the villain, but they must be a fan of the heroes.
Bonds
A Bond is one sentence about what ties you to someone, never more than three per person. Heroes with Bonds roll with Hope when working together; with none, they roll with Despair. Bonding with an outsider makes them a Companion, and harming an ally erases a Bond with them.
How you win picks the stat
Five stats: Blood, Courage, Grace, Sense, Wisdom. Finish Them needs an advantage, and the stat depends on your aim: kill — Blood, drive off — Courage, outsmart — Grace, knock out — Sense, show them the error of their ways — Wisdom (and Forge a Bond with them).
Damage marks a stat
No hit points: when you take damage you mark a stat, and rolls with it are made in Despair. Take damage with every stat marked and you're Taken Out. At session's end the fellowship answers three questions, and each "yes" buys healing, refreshed gear or a level up.
Open in Session Zero to let every player vote and see the results.