The Empire series of books takes you on roleplaying adventures in the age of Napoleon! Inspired by the Sharpe and Hornblower books and TV series, players take the roles of a small band of British solders (in Duty and Honour) or a ship’s company (in Beat to Quarters) and … well, take the battle to the French!
Both games use a simple to learn playing card mechanic that resolves each outcome in a single flurry of card flopping that brings real tension to the table, and a mission system that blends GM-driven military plots with player-driven character plots and uses both to seed the game play with inspiration.
Duty and Honour (Pay What You Want @RPGNow.com)
Published 2008
128pp B&W Softcover
Rules for creating your character and your group’s regiment.
The Mission system: military and personal missions
The Empire card resolution system: tests, skirmishes and challenges
Combat, both single and massed!
Rules for cavalry, artillery and other variants
Guidance for running the game and planning a campaign
A potted guide to the flavour of Napoleonic military fiction
A bevvy of allies and enemies to slot into your game
Cheat’s guides to regiments and period names.
Beat to Quarters (Pay What You Want @RPGNow.com)
Published 2009
162pp B&W Softcover
Rules for creating your character and your group’s ship.
The Mission system: naval and personal missions
The Empire card resolution system: tests, skirmishes and challenges
Combat, both single and ship-to-ship
Rules for weather, grog, the Captain’s table and other matters nautical
Guidance for running the game and planning a campaign
A potted guide to the flavour of Napoleonic military fiction
A bevvy of allies and enemies, and their navies, to slot into your game
Cheat’s guides to ship and period names, nautical phrases and ship parts!
Duty and Honour Miscellany 1809 (Pay What You Want)
Published 2009
80pp B&W Softcover
Scoundrel enemies from within your own ranks!
A fully fledged regiment – the 5th Northumbrian – to add to your game
Spanish characters! Adding guerillas! Priests! …. women!
Additional rules for curios, class, previous experience and newspapers!
The sights and sounds of Georgian London!
Duelling – both pistol and sword
Three adventures: The Last Stand of the 22nd, Cadiz or Bust, and City of Vipers
Duty and Honour Miscellany 2010 (Pay What You Want)
Published 2010
78pp B&W Softcover
‘The Old Barky’ – a fully realised ship and crew for Beat to Quarters
Rules for the Black Brunswickers and Hessen Jagers for Duty and Honour
Seven despicable enemies for both games – Utter Bastards!
Guidance on creating traits and adding BtQ rules to D&H
The Irish Rover – a Beat to Quarters game like you have never seen before
Rescue the Lady – an adventure using both D&H and BtQ characters with whom you may be passingly familiar….
Treason and Gold – an adventure for Duty and Honour