The daring drama of the clash of steel. The thrill of the rubber meeting the road. The forlorn silence of a decadent garden after a lover's quarrel. In Sword Opera, you play as skilled paragons balancing their own ambitions and their loyalty to a Circle of allies, seeking to dominate a wondrous underworld that you build throughout play. You conjure grand romances, tense banter, strange powers, dramatic twists, and harrowing finales. You play to find out if the Circle can shine in a world full of danger: rival Circles, determined Nemeses, fatal flaws, imminent peril, and the tension between desire and duty. These complex, volatile stories play out in three underworlds included in the rules: San Mercurio, a Mediterranean island surrounded by an everlasting storm and the burgeoning Renaissance beyond. It's The Tempest meets The Three Musketeers. Hot Town, an international criminal ring network centered on the French Quarter of an alternate-reality 1970s New Orleans. It's John Wick meets The Get Down. A Lingering of Lilac, a provincial jiānghú clasped between the sorrows of swordmasters and the decadence of their desires. It's The Apothecary Diaries meets The Wire. Sword Opera uses a d6 dice pool system and distinct phases of play inspired by the Forged in the Dark design framework. We take that concept and run with it, reinforcing the relationship between individual and community. Play big, bold characters who take high-powered actions and dealing with whatever consequences come their way.
