Ultraviolet Empress (Ultraviolet Grasslands x Cloud Empress)

Overview

Cloud Empress (Rules-light d100 roll under post-apoc eco-horror RPG) expanded by Ultraviolet Grasslands (UVG) setting
Most of the game was played in UVG’s “world”, which much more an acid-house, 1980s Heavy Metal vibe.
UVG is specifically written to have no canon lore. Every campaign or session exists by itself, resolute and unique.
We covered a whole lot of story in 3 hours. Lots of things happening. I did worry about losing the thread more than once.

d100 roll under with advantage/disadv. was very straightforward.
Stress (10 point scale), Panic (roll over current Stress), Magic (various rules and consequences), gear and skills are all very straightforward, super-simple to pick up
Every PC has the same amount of Damage and Wounds, no hit points. Combat is lethal and the system inflicts Stress for instigating combat and killing things wantonly.
Art for both games are flippin’ stunning. 10/10 for art, both books.

UVG is barely a framework. It’s not an adventure, and it’s not a setting. It is 1,000 random tables with a concrete thread running throughout.
Not for the faint of heart. Probably not an intro GM choice. The lack of direction may take an experienced GM and some experienced players to create an emergent, self-directed plot.
The UVG caravan rules veer away from casual, story-first RPG to resource-management mini-game where time is counted in weeks. It literally comes with a flowchart/schematic that fills pages.

I didn’t use the map because I didn’t print it out.
The group never left the Violet City, but there was plenty stirring there between the Cat Lords and the porcelain-mask wearing lordlings.
I do really love the Cloud Empress magic rules, they’re vivid and simple. At no point did we have to look for more than a couple of seconds to clarify things.
Well designed and beautiful.

Cloud Empress is the stronger of the two RPGs. I could run a Cloud Empress game pretty easily. UVG takes a firm hand on the rudder.
Cloud Empress has a really, really open license and I’m intrigued by this. I don’t think I could create half as good a game as Empress. It’s a stunning work of eco-fiction disguised as an RPG.
Cloud Empress: Strongly recommend
UVG: Recommend with some reservations