After\\Burner
A downloadable RPG
<<<< After\\Burner is a tabletop roleplaying game focused on fast and positional starfighter combat and military sci-fi drama. >>>>
This game is Illuminated by LUMEN: expect rules-lite, power-fantasy stories about larger-than-life, heroic starfighter pilots with Success/Mixed/Failure outcomes. After\\Burner takes the system in the direction of the combat flight game - with some sprinkling of the more sober and serious space flight sim for flavor.
Your hero pilots crack wise and yammer over comms about their feelings. They fall in love/lust with their superior officers and enemies. They get into fist fights with the XO and weasel out of a court-martial. They soar at breakneck speed through trenches and superstructures with no regard to the “flight deck.” They live high-octane lives of danger and melodrama and they have absolutely no chill.
This game takes inspiration from: The X-Wing flight sim series, Ace Combat series, Elite: Dangerous, Battlestar Galactica (2003), and some obligatory Top Gun.
- 5 Character Archetypes\\ Ace, Maverick, Commander, Wingmate, and Rookie \\ Acquire up to 4 TALENTS to set you apart from your comrades
- 6 Fighter Types \\ Superiority, Interceptor, Bomber, Support, Assault, and Stealth
- 3 Phases \\ Fast, frenetic combat in the SORTIE PHASE \\ objective-focused roleplaying with thematic EXP awards during the R&R PHASE \\ Collaboratively built missions with objectives and perils in the PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFING PHASE
- Customize Your Fighter \\ Simple but deep fighter customization options before every sortie: pick 1 Secondary Weapon and up to 2 Modules
NOTE: As part of a Game Jam release this product is still in "Beta" and undergoing playtesting and periodic updates.
Purchase
In order to download this RPG you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $8 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Community Copy
Support this RPG at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.
Community Copy
Word has come down from High Command - free copies are available to the following:
- Folks who are in need and the cost would be an undue burden
- Folks reviewing the game for a jam or other outlet (and please do!)
- If you'd like to peruse first to see if this is something you'll want to play
Download demo
Development log
- After\\Burner in the Wild: Campaign Setting and APJul 15, 2024
- Version 0.3 Live & Lumen 2.0 PlansFeb 13, 2024
- Version 0.2 (Major Layout Overhaul) is live!Feb 28, 2023
- Miniatures for use with After\\BurnerDec 18, 2022
- What's Coming In v 0.2 - Preview: Settings Without ShieldsDec 16, 2022
- Companion Game Released: Red Air!Oct 28, 2022
- Introductory One-Shot Adventure ReleasedSep 06, 2022
- Version 0.02 is live!Jul 21, 2022
Comments
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Hi, its possible to have a community copies?
Absolutely! I usually re-up those after a significant update and forgot about it this time. Take a look now.
Thx a lot!
Just throwing it out there, but if you were to sell copies of the template for the Bandit stat cards I would definitely buy one. I use them a lot, and having the ability to make cards for my fancily named M.A.D.C.A.T.s or random homebrew would be cool.
Great idea! I'll be making some updates to these anyway for the 0.2 release. I can include some "blank" cards in the extras and might even take some time here to get a few templates prepped for software I can get my hands on (Affinity might be the only common one I can't do).
Darn, i missed out on the community copies. This would be nice to play alongside other LUMEN RPGs and heck even wargames that use D6s and Hexgrids, well aware of it.
I'm in the process of prepping a new release of the game with some major layout changes (gameplay tweaks here and there but mostly presentational). Once that's ready I'll re-up the number of community copies available.
Until then, I do have a Quick-Start solo session adventure available as well (There should still be a few community/review copies available) to give you a taste until version 0.2 is up.
https://theyoungking45.itch.io/operation-snowblind-for-afterburner
Though now you have me thinking on some optional rules for adapting to a traditional hex grid map...That might need to be included in a 0.3 update...
Oooo, looking forward to it. As for the hex map, not sure if its needed considering the nature of LUMEN RPGs but you never know. Personally im more on grids but afaik sci fi wargame using mechs or spaceships generally use hexes.
So I've found some decent space-fighter minis, but frankly I feel like I'm not looking in the right places, even a lot of the 3D print STLs I find are one-offs, with larger ranges being dedicated to Star Wars or Star Trek, neither of which are an ideal aesthetic for my purposes. Any recommendations?
Yes! I've been looking into this myself in the case I were ever to run demo games. I'm actually going to work up a more detailed answer as a Devlog post here shortly, for posterity. Thanks for getting me thinking on this topic!
You're a rockstar, thanks so much!
I'll be running a short campaign of this with some buddies over the holidays. Super excited to try it out. I'll report back with notes!
Fantastic! So glad the game is making it to your table. I'd love to hear all about how it goes!
Me and some close friends of mine played and just finished a tiny campaign in v0.01 of this game and we had a pretty good time. It was my first time actually running a game for them, but they all enjoyed themselves and the system itself. Interesting to see that power's been replaced for later versions, since we used it quite a bit in our game (it became really important against the final boss).
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing! It's exciting and rewarding to hear about folks playing the game, (especially as a first game to run for a group!) and to get a snapshot of how it went. I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know.
Hi! I'm getting ready to play this soon. I'm unsure on one rule, when attacking with either primary or secondary weapon, What do players roll? Can they still chose what attribute to use?
Yep! It is entirely up to the players (based on how they describe their attack) which attribute to roll. Missiles with +LockOn encourage the player to use GAUGE but they aren't forced to
The Starfighter VTT Tokens are too big when I try to add them to Tabletop Simulator. What should I do?
Ah! I made them a bit on the high-res side out of caution. I don't have TTS on my computer at the moment, but I recall you can right click objects and resize them.
Worst case, I'll hop in this evening or next and create some smaller versions of the tokens for easier use.
The map positioning mechanic is a touch of genius.
Thanks so much! It's been holding up nicely in playtesting thus far. I hope players will find it strategic and quick to understand.
when I dont use vpn it says it isnt available in my country
like not ALL russians are bad, i myself am disgusted at this war
I looked into why this might be but I'm not finding any solid answers. Have you had any trouble with other products on Itchi.io? My best guess was the fact that I built this document in Adobe InDesign. I know Adobe has ceased access to Creative Cloud in Russia....but I'm not sure why that would effect a PDF? Very sorry you had trouble with the download! If I can figure out what caused that I'll try and fix it in future updates.
thanks! that is very nice of you, sorry for thinking you blocked it to russians yourself
Excellent work capturing the vibe.
You are too kind.
Reading through this and loving every page. <3
Just a heads up, you have the singles and spreads switched in the downloads.
I especially love how the talents usually give you a thing to do in the sky and on the ground both.
Thanks so much for the feedback - and for letting me know about that goof with the naming! That's what I get for uploading at 2 am. Should be sorted out now.