We thank Meromorph Games for sending us a physical copy of Acts 1-3 (plus Interlude and Promo Card) of Atma: A Roleplaying Card Game and allowing us to write this review.

You can find the Complete Bundle for $130, the individual Acts for $35 / $45, and the Interlude for $15 at this link in English only, although it is clearly stated that for purchases outside the USA you will need to contact them directly for shipping.

After the incredible success of the Kickstarter campaign, we can now discover this tabletop roleplaying game whose mechanics are based on cards. Do you want to try it before deciding to buy it? Here is a free sample. Have you always preferred to sit at a table and internet sessions are not for you? You can legally download the file to print & play it. In short, there are no more excuses. But before diving into this new experience, at least finish reading this article so that you have a clear idea of ​​the product you are going to play.

What is Atma?

Atma is a tabletop RPG in which the players, together with the game master, create the narrative by playing their own characters. Therefore you can create a shared story in which the protagonists can do anything they can describe following the rules of common sense and logic. What distinguishes Atma from the games we already know? Preparation. In fact, the game master will not have to create a story before starting the session since it will be developed, as mentioned, with the players around the table thanks to the help of the cards. There will be no turn order, although it is strongly recommended to have everyone participate in the actions.

Each session will last approximately two hours and is designed for up to 4 players plus the master.

Atma Review: Cards at the Narrator’s Disposal

The narrator will have several cards at their disposal to guide the story. Let’s look at them together:

• Backdrop: describe the entire setting of the adventure. Lua Nova Terminal, for example, with its little problem of bioweapons escaped in the forest, will be available in the first Act.
• Story: they will tell you what your mission objectives will be. Only by achieving them will you be able to obtain victory and the appropriate rewards. For example, in Prisoners of the Mind, we will have to free the slave.
• Scene: represent the places where the story takes place. Here too, there will be one or two objectives. Only by solving them, the story can continue. There are three per game session. In Royalty Garage & Ironworks we will have to collect crucial information in a bar.
• Prop: rewards or dangers? Both, the narrator choses. Who wants a nice Frosty Daiquiri? What if I told you it could help you with a cryostasis formula? Suddenly, the item seems much more interesting.
• Twist: unexpected events that can shake up a story that needs it. What’s better to liven things up with a Poltergeist? I challenge you to answer!
• Extra: or non-player characters. They have a background and moves that can be used to hinder or agitate the protagonists. Such as the Uhlanga Armada Pirates, privateers who operate in no man’s lands.
• Star Extra: or how to add NPCs when we have already understood the basis of the game. They have one or two stars: the higher their number, the more important the character will be for the game. With two stars, the security chief Commander Verbeke can, for example, use an electrified fence and smoke bombs.

Card Usage Details

Prop, Twist, Extra and Star Extra have a cost that must be paid by the master to be inserted into the game. During the setup, some tokens that can be spent to insert the aforementioned cards will be made available. They can also be earned through the failures of the players.

The narrator will never roll the dice: it will be the events or the NPCs chosen that will eventually deal damage to the characters.

The Mineral That Changed the World

Once upon a time there was a world not too different from ours. Its history, however, was destined to change with the discovery of a new volcanic mineral: Atma. Its incredible properties gave power to the inhabitants of the planet but also had consequences on those who had already passed away. In a world already sufficiently confused, artificial intelligence developed clearly in the machines. Did you think that was everything? From some ruined satellites, a hostile form of alien life also arrived. In short, all that remains is to rely on some trustworthy adventurers to be able to give hope in such dark times.

This, in broad terms, is the science fiction setting in which your adventures in Atma will take place.

Atma Review: Characters

There are currently three Acts of Atma plus a prelude. Each Act will give you between 4 and 12 characters to choose from. Although each box is self-contained and does not require the others to continue the story, the characters are interchangeable.

Each of them will be delivered to you with a main character card that will indicate their appearance, their characteristic values ​​(Tough, Calm, Hasty, Bright and Sly), their vitality and their history. We will then have four Move cards, which will indicate our standard powers and three Super Move cards, containing a super move. At the beginning of the game we will have two basic moves and a super move. After completing three objectives of the Scene cards, we could unlock an additional move.

Among the available options we find for example bears with laser cannons, intelligent robots and humans with powers awakened by the Atma itself. In short, there is something for everyone.

Game Mechanics

And here they are, the blessing and curse of roleplayers: the dice. Yes, in every Atma box we will find two six-sided dice that we will use to make characteristic rolls. We will roll them and add the value marked on our character card. A 10 or more is an automatic success and inflicts damage (if possible), 7-9 is a success but gives a token to the Game Master. 6 or less is a guaranteed failure and you can only decide whether the characters want to narrate the reasons that led them to fail (giving the Game Master 2 tokens) or let the Master do it for them, although they could end up in a more uncomfortable situation (only 1 token).

What happens if we receive damage equal to our health? Our character will collapse: it is not expected that a player cannot continue playing at the table. Our characteristics will be temporarily lowered by one until we get food, medicine or bandages.

End of general mechanics. Perfect to explain in a few minutes, quick to set up.

Atma Review: Differences Among the Various Acts

If you are wondering if the rules change from one Act to the next, I can reassure you: they do not. You can therefore comfortably continue with your game group or change it from evening to evening with the certainty that the explanation will only take you 5 minutes. Everything you need to know will be written on the cards.

Act 1 contains 8 characters and 3 stages to play through, while Acts 2 and 3 grow in size, making 12 new characters and 4 stages available each. Interlude will instead have 4 characters and only one stage. As previously stated, they are unrelated to each other, making each Act a game in itself. So why buy them all? The compatibility of the Acts with each other allows for different plots and a greater variety of choices. Worried that after a few games it might become repetitive? At this link you will find monthly promo cards, offered completely free of charge. Nothing prevents you from inserting completely self-made scenarios that interact with what you have already purchased. Of course, this would be a bit against the spirit of not preparing anything in advance, but it is a possibility.

Conclusions of the Atma Review

We conclude our review of Atma: A Roleplaying Card Game by summarizing its features. It boasts immediacy in the preparation and in the explanation, also supported by a short duration and a compact box. It can be easily used as an introductory or simply to break the monotony of a group tired by too long sessions of other games. Perhaps the use of cards may seem limiting, although they have almost always been present in the world of roleplaying games and, recently, masters increasingly use decks to keep an eye on NPCs and basic rules. In any case, the first three Acts already put many possibilities on the table.

The author of the game, Kevin Bishop, together with his twin brother Matthew Bishop (illustrator of Atma) are the founders of Meromorph Games. A team effort, therefore, in which the graphic part is peculiar: the line, in fact, is not realistic like that of other fantasy or science fiction card games, but seems to draw inspiration from Franco-Belgian illustration.

The cards are of excellent workmanship, but I still want to make a clarification. In the boxes (except for the Interlude) there is enough space to store them even if they are sleeved. You will also find some dividers at your disposal to separate the decks easily.

Simplicity seems to be the watchword. A roleplaying game accessible to everyone, without time and commitment constraints. It will be up to you to create a story in which this simplicity does not turn into banality: in the box you will find everything you need to make this possible.

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