KULT: Divinity Lost Review

 

In KULT: Divinity Lost, the world around us is a lie. Mankind is trapped in an Illusion. We do not see the great citadels of Metropolis towering over our highest skyscrapers. We do not hear the screams from the forgotten cellar where hidden stairs take us to Inferno. We do not smell the blood and burnt flesh from those sacrificed to long forgotten Gods. But some of us see glimpses from beyond the veil. We have this strange feeling that something is not right—the ramblings of a madman in the subway seems to carry a hidden message, and, when thinking about it, our reclusive neighbor doesn’t appear to be completely human when we pass in the hallway. By slowly discovering the truth about our prison, our captors, and our hidden pasts, we can finally awaken from our induced sleep and take control of our destiny.

This is the first review of an RPG that I upload in English. I will try to bring more content of this type of games in English.

This product has been provided by Nosolorol to perform this analysis

The book begins with a declaration of intentions, since when we begin to read it we will find phrases and images that indicate what we can find in the book. This is divided into three sections. Let's start with the first:

THE LIE

They give us a brief introduction to the background. Humanity is trapped in a prison controlled by a creature called the Demiurge. We don't know anything about him, but he has plunged humanity into an illusion. This jailer suddenly disappears and the fabric of this illusion weakens and gaps begin to appear, causing some humans to see reality as it is.

The rules of the game are simple, they go with movements. When a player wants to make a move (perform an action such as engage in combat) he will roll two 10-dice and add the corresponding attribute. A result of 15 or more will be a complete success. A result between 10 and 14 is a complicated success, the player does what he intended, but there is a complicating factor that can occur on the spot or later. Lastly, a result of 9 or less will be a failure and will have negative consequences.

After this comes character creation. It is based on a system of archetypes. This is just a sample of everything we can do. We will find academics, law enforcement officers, criminals, etc. They offer us a prototype to start our characters and they give us suggestions, but in case we don't like it they give us rules to create our own archetypes. After these they will tell us about the advantages and disadvantages, when creating the character we will choose 3 advantages and two disadvantages that can change throughout the game.

One of the key points of character creation are dark secrets. Thanks to these, the characters have discovered that everything is a hoax. They will be the central engine of the personal history of the players.

After that we have character moves, dramatic hooks, experience, and an armory. This would end the book(section) 1 which would be the player's book. The other two sections would be for the gamemaster.

THE MADNESS

This section focuses on the role of the gamemaster giving us advice and directions. The first chapter will tell us how to run a game with a variety of tips, scenes and moves, conflicts, the terror contract and when to break the illusion. In later chapters we will talk about how to handle opponents, how to face the first session, how to create and handle intrigue maps and the creation of modules, from single session adventures to campaigns.

THE TRUTH

The last section of the book, and the largest, is devoted to the setting and background of KULT. I don't want to go too far into this section to avoid spoilers because this is for the eyes of the gamemaster only. The only thing I can tell you is that this chapter is superb. He tells us about the different archons, their abodes, their servants, important locations, etc.

CONCLUSIONS

Let's start with the game art. The artistic section is disturbing and horrible. The bestiary should be highlighted in this regard. Not only does the game art get you into the setting, but the layout clearly shows you what you're getting into.

This game shows us a different horror. Like all games of this type it will try to terrify you, but we are not talking about a family horror. We talked about getting up from the table feeling drained and jaded. We are talking about the paranoia that surrounds a world of conspiracies surrounded by paranormal phenomena. KULT is not a comfortable game to play, but that is exactly what you are looking for.

The rules are fast, simple and fit perfectly with the horror theme. As a player your real focus is portraying your character. This is a narrative game. The stories are about the characters. It's about their secrets and the horrors they face when the illusion crumbles. The entire system reflects this.

The background section gives us all the necessary information to set the game as we want. They give the right dose of information, you are not going to miss anything, but it gives me the feeling that at any moment they can release a book expanding specific chapters in this section.

While reading the book and writing this review, the same question always came to my mind. Can I recommend this game to a newbie? The rules are simple and the gamemaster section is the best I've ever seen. Since it is designed for those who take a role manual for the first time, although it is also for those who take the KULT rulebook for the first time. On the contrary, the background is complicated and convoluted, when making the game you must take many things into account. If the game is a complete unknown to your group, you should talk first about the topics they deal with. Sex, violence, drugs, etc. It is not a game for all groups.

An outstanding RPG for those who want to see horror differently. It stands out in the setting and in the rules. If you like the genre it should be on your shelves. On the other hand, it is not a game suitable for everyone and the game director will have a lot of work and will have to do a deep reading of the background.

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