[Closed] Coriolis: The Great Dark

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OpenCoriolis (2e)Private3 / weekForeverDED
At the edge of known space, the survivors of a dying civilization have made their haven. In a hollowed-out asteroid they’ve named Ship City, the daring and the desperate plan their next journey into the Great Dark. They debate over the nature of the mysteries lurking in the uncharted void, whisper prayers for a better tomorrow, and engage in boasts and betrayals – all to secure a place on the next Greatship bound for the unknown.

You are one of those daring fools or bold heroes – whether ruin delver, artifact scavenger, or mystery hunter, depending on whom you ask. As agents of the Explorers Guild, your task is to venture where few dare to tread. Your goal: to uncover the secrets of the Lost Horizon’s enigmatic ruins and to solve its mysteries in the hopes of securing a future for your city and its people. Ship City is dying, but you and your fellow explorers can chart a path forward.

This is your mission. This is your destiny. Your creed: explore or perish!


Sep 18, 2026 1:24 am
https://www.dedzone.net/games/coriolis/images/coriolis-great-dark-cover.jpgUnfortunately, I've had attrition in my Coriolis: The Great Dark game (Coriolis: 2e) and now would like to add three people to make up for those losses. Two players didn’t vibe with the game while the third is taking time off from Gamers Plane.

The Great Dark differs greatly from the Third Horizon (1e). The "Arabian Nights in Space" vibe has been replaced by a dark setting wherein PCs explore the ruins of the Gate Builders in hopes of finding something to make survival for the hapless refugees from the Third Horizon easier. So if you’re a big fan of the original, there’s a good chance that this setting will be a buzzkill for you.

I’m really selling it, aren’t I?

Your characters are members of the Explorers Guild, an organization tasked with uncovering secrets and finding artifacts. Spelunking is a big part of the job, and there are things buried in the dark recesses of worlds that don’t want to be disturbed. There are also other factions who want to find these things for themselves.

Each team consists of five members: Delver, Burrower, Scout, Guard, and Archaeologist. We’re currently looking for a Delver, Scout, and Guard. We’ll work together to craft your character to fit one of those roles.

Delver: Leads the way down into the dark.
Scout: Probes ahead, discovering lurking dangers.
Guard: Protects the team against any and all adversaries.

Characters earn a monthly salary in addition to mission pay. Artifacts and shards brought back to the Explorers Guild are the big treasure items. Money is used to buy better gear and certain luxuries.

There is a fair amount of inventory tracking that must be done. Characters have supply points which account for air, water, food, ammunition, and batteries all rolled up in one stat. If you don’t bring enough supply for the mission and run out, it takes its toll on you and death becomes quite possible.

Game Mechanics: The game still uses the Year Zero Engine (YZE). You build a pool of D6s through Talents and Equipment and roll as many 6s as you can to succeed. Most of the time one 6 is all it takes.

What to Expect: Violence, death, mystery, intrigue, faction politics, despair, and accounting.

Game Duration: Open-ended. We finished the playtest adventure and are in the process of post-mission activities. I’d hoped to start the campaign (Flowers of Algorab), but since two players didn’t vibe with the game, it seems that grabbing newbies and throwing them into a campaign without any experience would be a mistake. We’d rather not get months into the campaign only to have players decide the game isn’t for them. So we’re going to try another one-off adventure and see how that goes. For the record, the playtest adventure took 7 months (not including chargen).

Post Frequency: Three times/week. More so during battles. Real life tends to get in the way of gaming. All I ask is that if you know that you're going to be away for a bit to let me know so that I can adjust the game flow accordingly. I don't mind waiting for someone who's got a family crisis, vacation, business trip, etc. I hate ghosting.

Player Experience Requirements: None. I’ll walk you through chargen and I’ve posted background info in the forums. I'll gladly answer any questions about the setting that PCs should know.

All are welcome, no matter your demographic or GP experience. If you're interested, post your interest below or PM me. If you have questions, feel free to post them below or PM me.
Last edited September 21, 2026 11:34 pm
Sep 18, 2026 1:47 am
I'm interested!

I have the books and have already GM'ed The Black Ziggurat and The Sky Machine from the Core Rulebook/Quickstart, so I already have a good feel for the system and its vibe. I'm particularly eager to try The Great Dark in PbP. The inventory tracking is probably easier here ;)

The only downside is that if you're planning to run those published adventures, I know those well enough that they would be spoiled for me. =(

Otherwise, I'd be very happy to join! Indeed, me and my tabletop group enjoyed the delving, but we preferred using this system for one-shots only. So I have never read Flowers of Algorab and playing the campaign (or another adventure) won't be a problem.
Sep 18, 2026 2:53 am
Argh. We just completed The Sky Machine, and The Black Ziggurat was going to be the next one we were going to use to break-in new people.

I was hoping that The Fractured Library was going to be out by now (as a possible alternative). FL said it was going to be late in the 3Q. Not sure how much later we can go in the 3Q.

But with you being well versed in it already makes skipping BZ possible so that we can go into Flowers of Algorab.

Don't give up yet. Let me see if there's anyone else on GP with experience.

If I get a mix of responses, there's the possibility of creating a mission.

Also have to see how the other two players feel about what to do.
Sep 18, 2026 2:55 am
I had the first edition of Coriolis for a longtime but I didn't get the opportunity to play it. I would love to try the 2nd edition but I have forgotten most of the rules and setting informations. Are there icons here?
Sep 18, 2026 4:52 pm
Stalker05 says:
I had the first edition of Coriolis for a longtime but I didn't get the opportunity to play it. I would love to try the 2nd edition but I have forgotten most of the rules and setting informations. Are there icons here?
No, the Icons were left behind at the Third Horizon (1e). There's still some worship of them by the Coriolite faction, but the Icons don't factor into PC gameplay.

This edition is focused on who the gate builders were and why did they disappear. When the refugees arrived in the "Lost Horizon," they found a gate, but it was ruined, contaminated by a substance referred to as the Blight. The Blight is a major foe/obstacle in this edition. It's some kind of fungus-like growth that afflicts both technology and people.

@Dreaming111 Welcome to GamersPlane! You should head on over to the Introductions forum and introduce yourself to the community (i.e. Tell us something about yourself and which games you like to play. That sort of thing.). :)
Sep 19, 2026 10:41 pm
This sounds interesting. I like your premise. I like the bluntness.

I have absolutely no knowledge of the system or setting, but it has an ambient feel of the Dune series. (the books not the movie remake with the awful part 2). I am very familiar with gaming and hopefully can still write well enough to be engaging.
Sep 21, 2026 2:38 pm
Hey DED! I am interested in playing this! I have both Coriolis core books but haven't played either so I am not tainted by a specific desire from the setting. The general themes of exploration and mystery for this edition sound fun though.
Sep 21, 2026 11:35 pm
Ok, I've closed the recruitment portion and will be sending out invites over the course of the week. Thanks to all who have shown interest.
Sep 25, 2026 1:45 am
Invites sent out. Thanks to all who expressed interest!

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