The Æon Effect
Why you, a Mass Effect fan, should play Trinity Continuum: Æon
Warning! Spoilers ahead for both Mass Effect and Æon.
Back in 1997, White Wolf released a space opera tabletop RPG called Æon, shortly after renamed to Trinity due to a lawsuit from MTV. A d20 version was released in 2004.
Ten years later in 2007, BioWare and Demiurge Studios released the best-selling space opera action RPG Mass Effect. BioWare since released a number of sequels: Mass Effect 2 in 2010, Mass Effect 3 in 2012, Mass Effect: Andromeda in 2017. BioWare has announced a remaster of the original trilogy, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, for 2021, and an untitled “next Mass Effect” currently in production.
In 2012, Onyx Path Publishing purchased the rights to Æon, and in 2019 released a new edition: Trinity Continuum: Æon.
(I have heard reports that the development team for Mass Effect included some Æon fans, but those reports remain unconfirmed, so take them with a grain of salt.)
The two settings are different in many of the details, but the overall feel is quite similar. If you really wanted, you could ignore Æon’s own setting: almost all the ingredients are there for you to use it to play a game of Mass Effect. We think our setting’s pretty cool on its own, though, so feel free to mix and match to your taste.
In any case, if you’re a fan of Mass Effect and are looking for a tabletop RPG to play, I really think you’ll love Æon. Here are a few reasons why.
The Near-ish Future: Although a lot of the sci-fi genre typically takes place several centuries in the future (such as Dune’s 23,352 CE, or the Halo series 2550s, or Star Trek’s 2390s), Mass Effect takes place in the relatively near future: 2183, fewer than 200 years away. Æon likewise takes place in the 2100s, in 2123.
Empowerment: In Mass Effect, the presence of Element Zero, the root of the mass relay technology (the titular “mass effect”), causes humans and other races to develop biotic powers: mostly psychokinetic effects, arguably including asari telepathy. In Æon, the gift of biotech included the Prometheus Chambers, which unlocked psionic potential in humanity. Psions gain access to one of eight Aptitudes: psychokinesis and telepathy, but also electrokinesis, biokinesis, vitakinesis, quantakinesis, clairsentience, and teleportation.
Galactic Transit: In Mass Effect, the Normandy (a joint human-turian design) was recently developed, with an overpowered eezo core that allows it to travel around the galaxy much faster than any other comparable ship. In Æon, the Leviathan-class jump ships (a joint human-Qin design) were recently developed with the ability to teleport around the galaxy, provided they have a clear impression of the destination.
AI Outlawed: In Mass Effect, the Council races have generally outlawed the development of true Artificial Intelligence, due to historical cases of species like the geth who have turned on their creators. Instead, they rely on “virtual intelligences” (VIs), clever computer systems which do not have full self-awareness. In Æon, true artificial intelligence (AS, artificial sentience) has been outlawed due to the horrors of the recent Aberrant War. Instead, humans rely on “satisfactory intelligences” (SIs), clever computer systems which do not have full self-awareness.
Our Own Worst Enemy: In Mass Effect, many humans have been turned into Reaper husks, or worse creatures, and have been turned against us. In Æon, humans with the ability to control quantum energies — called Aberrants — were exiled from Earth 60 years ago, but are now returning, barely recognizable as having ever been human.
Ancient Civilizations: Humans encounter evidence of a number of extinct advanced civilizations: in Mass Effect, this primarily includes the Protheans. In Æon, while scattered evidence is found all over the galaxy, the most promising evidence includes a species dubbed the “Zeps,” so named because they had zeppelin-like gas-bags, and lived in a colony suspended in the atmosphere of a gas giant.
Alien Relations: Humans have friendly relations with most of the species they’ve encountered, and more violent relations with others. Among the most terrifying is a species with interest in humanity’s DNA — the Collectors of Mass Effect, and the Coalition in Æon.
Spreading Out: Humans have a number of colonies across the galaxy, with varying degrees of contact with (and friendly relations with) Earth.
Nomenclature: While reading Æon and other parts of the Trinity Continuum, you’ll see some names while will look very familiar if you’ve spent time reading the descriptions of worlds in Mass Effect’s galaxy map: Caestus, Pax, Antaeus, Pharos, Proteus, Utopia, Solveig, and more.
Spoilers for Mass Effect and Æon below:
Ancient Enemies: In Mass Effect, millions of years ago, the Reapers were created, and return to the galaxy every 50,000 years to purge it of all intelligent species. In Æon, the Doyen failed to fully “ascend” thousands of years ago, and destroy any species that threatens the Doyen position via mastery of an opposing form of energy.
Gifted Technology: In Mass Effect, Reapers created the mass relays and associated technologies, leaving them behind in order to guide the societal evolution of the intelligent species who arise between purges. In Æon, the Doyen gifted humanity with a new form of technology, called biotech, or sometimes bioware (yes, really), in order to guide their development in specific ways.
Uncharted: In Mass Effect, Sam Hulick’s “Uncharted Worlds” plays on repeat while you’re on the Galaxy Map, reading descriptions of all the planets you encounter. In Æon, I also listened to Uncharted Worlds on repeat as I was doing my development pass on Distant Worlds, our book of extra-solar planets and colonies to explore. (Okay maybe that one doesn’t count.)
Trinity Continuum: Æon is published by Onyx Path Publishing, and is available for order or purchase.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition is created by BioWare and published by EA, and is also available for purchase.
No intent to infringe on Mass Effect copyright is intended, and any connections drawn are simply for the purpose of comparison and do not necessarily indicate an intended association.
