Coriolis – The Third Horizon

The Dark Between the Stars

Overview

Coriolis: The Third Horizon (CTTH) is a science-fiction RPG from Free League Publishing. Published in 2016, it is one of the earliest implementations of the Year Zero Engine. Inspired by the cultures and aesthetics of Arabia and North Africa, it offers a refreshing alternative to the traditional space opera setting. The player characters are the crew of a starship: free traders, explorers, mercenaries, agents, or pilgrims. Bound together by debt, necessity, and ambition. Every job carries them deeper into the Third Horizon, a cluster of thirty-six star systems linked by mysterious Portals left behind by a vanished alien progenitor race.

Description

The game assumes the PCs are already together as the crew of a starship, though the nature of that crew is entirely up to the players. Characters begin with broad concepts such as Artist, Data Spider, Fugitive, Negotiator, Operative, Pilot, Preacher, Scientist, Ship Worker, Soldier, or Trailblazer. These are concepts and starting points rather than classes: a Soldier might be a legionnaire, a mercenary, a palace guard, or something entirely different.

Key features

The Year Zero Engine

The Year Zero Engine (YZE) is a dice pool system. Players collect six-sided dice based on their attributes, skills, and gear. The dice are rolled, and each 6 is a success. Normally, only one success is needed, with additional 6s indicating a greater degree of success or even triggering a critical effect. Some tasks require more than one success.

Skills & Talents

Characters possess both general and advanced skills, along with talents that distinguish them from one another. Talents may represent exceptional training, unique experience, or even mystical abilities such as reading another person's surface thoughts.

Pray to the Icons

Faith is central to the setting. Every character is born under one of the Nine Icons, each representing different ideals and granting a unique talent. When fortune turns against them, players may Pray to the Icons, rerolling failed dice in hopes of success. Every prayer, however, grants the Game Master a Darkness Point.

Darkness Points

Darkness Points are a resource for the GM, used to increase tension and complicate the story. They allow the GM to introduce narrative twists such as a PC's gun running out of ammunition, an NPC seizing the initiative, or an innocent bystander being placed in danger.

Combat & Criticals

Combat is fast and dangerous. While characters can absorb a fair amount of punishment, critical injuries are the greatest threat. Weapons have a Critical Rating that can trigger rolls on a d66 injury table, producing lasting wounds, or in the worst cases, sudden death.

Active games and players

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Shadowdark
Shadowdark
...
Mainz
Online
Frank Black
Hi folks. My name is Frank from germany and I am born in 1978. I started playing TTRPGs in the late 80s/early 90s (don't remember exactly) and had a hiatus between 2008 and 2016. In the early and mid 2000s I participated in the organization for a local convention of the german TTRPG Midgard. Most of my life I was the GM and to be honest I really liked it (probably more than beeing a player). At the moment I play in 2 local monthly goups (no GMing). I am not sure if I have to quit one of the groups I am currently playing in because I really dislike the system we are playing (Warhammer Fantasy 4E) and the group is not willing to change that in the near future. Besides of that I am more than curious to try out online gaming although I never did before. So please be patient with me. Old man incoming ;-) Today I enjoy OSR-games the most (Fantasy, SciFi and all other genres). The simplicity of it is just something I really embrace. I dislike extensive backstories for my PCs. I am convinced that it is more natural to build their personality as I play. I don't need characters that have already achieved everything in their backstories. Besides of that I am a gamer not a novelist ;-) I like my characters to go down in a big blow. They should not die of old age. The most memorable PCs I had are all dead :-) The worst thing that could happen to me as a player is if I recognize that the GM cheats just to safe me from certain death. DON'T DO THAT ;-) As a GM I roll openly and take the results as they roll. I don't balance encounters but I consider myself "fair" in regards of worldbuilding and player choices. I like when players don't optimize and just play without searching the solution on their character sheet. I will kill your character if they make bad choices or if fate demands it. I am not into voice acting or such things and I hate it to waste precious game time on playing out every-day-life of characters. The tavern evening with just talking, the 2 hour shopping tour with the local merchants, the chillout session in the public bath I've seen it all and I hated every single minute of it. Bring on the action, the adventure, thats the reason I play. As you may have noticed english is not my mothertounge. Especially my spoken english is probably not the best. But I think I could manage to be in an english speaking group. At least I would try it. I would love to find a group where I could try out online gaming as a player. I think I would not start online gaming as a GM right away but would love to evolve into that. I really don't care how to play online: VTT, Discord, Teams whatever. I really don't care at this point in time.
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Homebrew
Homebrew
...
Boston
Online
Adam
I’m an experienced GM, have run multiyear campaigns, and I regularly run games at local conventions. Preferred Systems: Mostly not D&D or similar traditional fantasy games.  Recent games include Agon, Unknown Armies, Call of Cthulhu, Delta Green, Mothership, Pendragon, Mythic Bastionland, Alien, Blade Runner, Symbaroum, Starforged, Over the Edge, Swords of the Serpentine, and Paranoia.  But I generally enjoy learning new systems Preferred Playstyle: Narrative and investigation are my first choice. I like roleplaying heavy games where choices carry weight and the setting matters: occult conspiracy, espionage, horror, gritty sci-fi, mythic adventure. Combat is fine when it’s brief, tense, and consequential rather than a grind. Character death in earned circumstances is fine.  I'm open to romance in games if the table is bought in.  I don't need a lot of rules but I care about the rules we agree on being consistent and well understood.  I enjoy and run both traditional RPGs and GMless story games. Preferred Tone: Serious stakes with room for humor. Warm, character-driven humor or dark humor works for me; contempt-driven or goofy comedy doesn’t.   I prefer a grounded game but pulp is fine as long as we're all on the same page. I’m happy to run a one-shot when the regular GM needs a break.
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DND5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
DND5.5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5.5E (2024)
...
St. Thomas
Nick
Tone chameleon The storyteller
I enjoy trying new systems, I typically GM but would also like to join games as a player. I often host in-person one-shots where other GMs and I try out new systems, if you're in the area and interested to run or play something let me know!
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Homebrew
Homebrew
...
Guildford
Online
Jon J
I've been playing for a while, but am really into story games (PbtA, CfB, FitD) these days, but open to just about any TTRPG (mostly Indie, though). I play on the Open Hearth gaming community, and am open to other online games, but am hoping to meet others face to face as well. I'm based in Surrey, but can get up to London reasonably easily. I like embracing Improv, play-to-find-out principles, and prefer games that also do so.
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CBPRED
Cyberpunk RED
...
Online
Kirdan
Forever GM since 1994.
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CoC
Call of Cthulhu
MOTHERSHIP
Mothership
...
Online
fictionalbeing
Long time gamer, played a variety of systems. Interested in the new and indie or the seasoned and traditional.
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