Eldritch Automata: From the Ashes

Humanity is on its last legs. The monsters are at our doors, and the only thing that can possibly stop them is you and a 2,000+ ton metal death machine with a whole lot of ammunition.

Bringing hard-hitting glorious mecha combat, horrifying eldritch abominations, and a system designed around trying not to lose your cool while piloting a 2000-ton metal colossus. Become a defender of humanity and bring horror to its knees.

In Eldritch Automata, you play one of humanity’s last defenders, facing down eldritch abominations that want to eat you, controlled by perfect angelic beings that want to control you, while piloting a massive monstrosity of a mech, that may or may not be the shell of a protogod from before humanity's conception.

Why is it Unique?

Piloting an Automata is a dangerous and stressful job. As you pilot your war machine against the Horrors and Seraphs, you will need to keep your eye on your Stress and Stability. With either one of them sending you into complete disaster if you're not careful. Fend off the impending dread of your life and your Automata by harnessing the power of your relationships with Strands providing narrative mechanics for building a source of friendships, rivalries, and romances in Eldritch Automata.

Can you maintain your morale in a world that is constantly trying to tear it away? Can you navigate the treacherous waters of a brave new world and survive the horrors that lurk around every corner? Become something more than a weapon? 

Horrors, creatures without empathy or care. The perfect killer. Formed from the amalgamation of human husks, they are the ultimate predators. They exist solely to hunt and kill. Without intervention, they will destroy everything we love. Controlled by the ever-powerful and mysterious Seraph, they will pursue you to the ends of the earth.

Rules for creating your own Horrors are included! 

The Seraph

Seraphs, alien beings mimicking angels. They can control the horrors and are apex predators of the setting. Each Seraph is a single being that is their own force of nature, a primordial force of the cosmos sent to eradicate this world. Each Seraph is a unique creature, each possessing its own set of special abilities and distinct characteristics that set them apart from a normal Horror. Living manifestations of alien terror and slightly divine, each of them is a facet of the one behind it all. 

Rules for creating your own Seraphs are included!

Flow of Play

Operations follow the Investigation, Combat, and Downtime cycle.

Investigation, in this phase you've gotten your orders (or have chosen something to investigate on your own) and deploy. Either in your Automata or on foot. Identify issues, and locate potential nesting grounds of Horrors. Once you've identified the risk of Horrors or Seraphs, it's time for the big robots.

Combat, mainly in your Automata but sometimes on foot as well. Fight Horrors using the weapons at your disposal. Manage your resources, across Stress, Stability, and Ego. Stress gives you extra dice but also can completely derail you at the worst possible moment. Stability goes down steadily, you hit 0 on that and you're going to enter Breakdown. Ego is the sense of self, what your Automata eats away from you as you use their fantastic abilities. Hit 0 or choose to give in and your Automata will enter into a state of Berserk granting you uncontrollable power. 

Downtime, if you manage to survive you'll have a ton of both physical and mental wounds to attend to. You have to make sure to rest and also engage with the world and characters around you. Form powerful bonds called Strands which can aid you in your die rolls. 

Enjoy the peace, it won't last.

Humanity has seen their earth torn apart and destroyed, survivors driven into isolation. Play through five of the of the pre-established still-standing nations or play among the endless wastelands. They took our world, take it back.

A Season of Mechs

Three spectacular books we are calling Season 1 of Eldritch Automata. Books armed with hours and hours of entertainment and everything you need to play in the world of Eldritch Automata.

Eldritch Automata: Core Rulebook - The core rulebook, everything you need to begin your cosmic action horror journey including 13 Automata Archetypes and 13 Pilot Archetypes for over 150+ combinations for your table.

Titans of the Deep - A full Operation for Eldritch Automata boasting new mechanics, new items, and a whole new deadly adventure to explore terror 30,000 feet deep. Comes with a copy of the standard rules for easy reference. For 2-3 sessions of Eldritch Automata. 

Renegade Alpha - A mega-dungeon operation for Eldritch Automata that comes bundled with special obsession mechanics, a massive 6-sector military base turned horror nest, and a brand new challenge mode for those who want to fight against the very best Renegade Alpha has to throw at them. 

What's in Each Book?

Our Story

Our story, while a disheartening one, is not an uncommon one. In 2024, we partnered with a publisher who we had worked with for the past 4 years prior to launch Eldritch Automata. Towards the end of development, the publisher pulled out and disappeared with the remaining funds leaving us unable to fulfill. In order to honor the Backers of the original campaign and to finally bring this game to shelves, we decided to launch this rescue campaign. With a new publisher and a 500+ member strong community, we have a chance to finish the game and right the wrongs. This is a rescue campaign: if funded, all new backers receive their rewards, AND every backer from the previous campaign will receive a copy of Eldritch Automata.

Returning Backers

While we cannot fulfill original pledges exactly, we are committed to delivering the core book and extra digital products as recompense. Stretch goals will help unlock original physical items like dossiers and pins. Nick has no access to previous funds but retains the original BackerKit data, so no eligibility verification is required. Your items will fulfill through the original BackerKit pledge manager and will only be charged shipping and handling.  Please see the FAQ section for more information. 

New Backers

Welcome! By joining us, you get a premier action-horror TTRPG and help us overcome the previous publisher's injustice while nabbing the core rulebook, operations, and some additional goodies for yourself! Join the ever growing community and Eldritch Automata  We are ready to finally close that chapter and bring this game to life together. 

My Promise

My promise here to you is to consistently show updates (at least once a month). To show progress whether that's through screenshots or other media, and let you know where your money is going to every step of the way. Eldritch Automata has survived thanks to the grace and support of the community around it. 

Our Timeline

Pledge Levels

• Receive a copy of the Eldritch Automata: Core Rulebook in PDF form. 

• Receive a copy of Titans of the Deep in physical print and PDF form. 

• Receive a copy of Renegade Alpha in physical print and PDF form. 

• Receive a copy of Titans of the Deep in PDF form. 
• Receive a copy of Renegade Alpha in PDF form.
• Receive a copy of the Eldritch Automata: Core Rulebook in PDF form. 

• Receive a copy of the Eldritch Automata: Core Rulebook in physical print and PDF form. 

• Receive a copy of Titans of the Deep in physical print and PDF form. 
• Receive a copy of Renegade Alpha in physical print and PDF form. 

• Receive a copy of Titans of the Deep in physical print and PDF form. 
• Receive a copy of Renegade Alpha in physical print and PDF form. 
• Receive a copy of the Eldritch Automata: Core Rulebook in physical print and PDF form.

• Receive a copy of Titans of the Deep in physical print and PDF form. 
• Receive a copy of Renegade Alpha in physical print and PDF form. 
• Receive a copy of the Eldritch Automata: Core Rulebook in physical print and PDF form.
• An NPC in Renegade Alpha that players all around the world will get to interact (and possibly fight).
• Your name in Renegade Alpha as a special contributor. 

• Receive a copy of Titans of the Deep in physical print and PDF form. 
• Receive a copy of Renegade Alpha in physical print and PDF form. 
• Receive a copy of the Eldritch Automata: Core Rulebook in physical print and PDF form.
• Receive all achieved rescue goals at no extra cost. 
• Your name in Renegade Alpha as a special contributor. 
• The ultimate prize, your submitted Pilot will become an alternative pre-generated character that players of Renegade Alpha will be able to play. 
• A 3-4 hour oneshot ran by the creator, Nick Francia, for you and up to four of your friends in either Dark Passenger, Titans of the Deep, or Renegade Alpha. 

Rescue Goals

Our Rescue Goals not only save their equivalent items in the original campaign but also unlock as additional items and goodies that new Backers can acquire for an additional cost. These are the extra items we otherwise would not be able to produce. 

Actual Plays

Why YZE?

Accessible. Fast. High Risk, High Reward.

These are the principles of not only the Year Zero Engine* but of Eldritch Automata. Create dice pools using one of your four Attributes paired up with one of your twelve Skills. 6 means success and additional successes increase the effectiveness of your roll using Stunts, which vary from skill to skill. That's it. 

From the games that the Year Zero Engine has been based on whether it's Alien RPG, Blade Runner RPG, or Coriolis has shown us that Year Zero Engine is perfect or tense, explosive, and high-stakes combat. We aimed to create a mech-based horror system that could feel like a power-fantasy one round and a horror game. Accumulate too much stress and you'll panic sending your pilot screaming and emptying their weapon into the nearest target. With zone-based combat means combat is easy to keep track of, positioning is simple, and if you so desire you can do away with battle maps all together. 

As a long time player of the Year Zero Engine, we've added plenty of mechanics that still keep the core theme of Year Zero while feeling different and fresh. Dual archetype class-based progression, mechanics that cause major shift in player agency during battle, and a full on relationship building system for characters to have friends, rivals, and romantic interests alike.

*This game is not affiliated with, sponsored, or endorsed by Fria Ligan AB. The Year Zero Engine System Reference Document is used under Fria Ligan AB’s Free Tabletop License. Official license can be found here.

Inspirations

Eldritch Automata is a game birthed from the inspirations and influences of many different video games, anime, film, novels, and other tabletop roleplaying games. Without the influence of source material around us, Eldritch Automata wouldn't be the game we know it as today. Here is a sample of the inspirations that drove us to create this game. 

The Team

Lead Designer: Nick Francia

Art Direction: Paladin Mendenhall

Artists: Amiel Nobelza, Andre Moreira, Eriko Niko Pedojan, Gio Manning, Madison Johnson

Editors: Courteney Penney, Tori Queeno

Writers: Avalyn Ramsay, Ave Kaye, Chris Handley, Conri Purcell, DeAngelo Murillo, Erykah Fassett, Jay Gellerman, Jon Mendoza, Josh Domanski, Michelle Y. Kim, Rue V. Dickey

Our Publisher

Eldritch Automata is proudly published by Hexed. 

Shipping

Shipping will be charged at the time of shipment processing. Please estimate around $10-15 for US shipping, international shipping will vary.

Community

If you would like to join the Official Discord for Eldritch Automata, you can do so here!

No Generative AI

Zero Generative A.I. : Art by humans. Not training data.