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Hollow Earth Expedition RPG
Explore one of the world s greatest and most dangerous the Hollow Earth, a savage land filled with dinosaurs, lost civilizations, and ferocious savages! Players take on the roles of two-fisted adventurers, eager academics and intrepid journalists investigating the mysteries of the Hollow Earth. Meanwhile, on the surface, world powers and secret societies vie for control of what may be the most important discovery in all of human history. Set in the tense and tumultuous 1930s, the action-filled Hollow Earth Expedition is inspired by the literary works of genre giants Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The subterranean action is powered by Ubiquity, an innovative roleplaying system that emphasizes storytelling and cinematic action.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 12, 2014
This game was nominated by Origin for "Best Roleplaying game in 2007".
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I played it first at Kublacon 2007 and had a great time. Then I played it at Dundracon 2012 and realized I really needed to create an adventure for my favorite pulp setting. The unique dice are a nice touch but not necessary for play.
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Okay. So what's this game all about?
Think of pulp action stories.
If that doesn't ring a bell, think if movies like INDIANA JONES, JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, ROCKETEER, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, DOC SAVAGE, DICK TRACY, KING KONG, JURASSIC PARK, AT THE EARTH'S CORE, THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT, LOST HORIZON, SHE, THE SHADOW, LAND OF THE LOST, TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY, YOUNG INDIANA JONES and THE TIME MACHINE. Or, think of authors like Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne, H.P. Lovecraft, Philip Jose Farmer, H.G. Wells and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
You get the idea.
Action is meant to be fast and furious (you can use special dice that quicken the game), characters are always bigger than life, the villains are meant to also be bigger than life and extra evil (think black and white morality here which means lots of Nazis), the unbelievable becomes believable, science and magic/occult cross paths, dinosaurs walk the Hollow Earth with other types of long past creatures, history can be used or made into an alternative world (i.e. setting is typically early 1900s), various areas still remain unexplored (and are therefore ripe for holding the unknown) and, while Hollow Earth is the main setting, there's enough information here to do something different or even have adventures set in the surface world.
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What about characters? Think of fun archetypes from the movies (some here are listed in the core book): Indiana Jones, a cowboy, a big game hunter (who is bored with lions and wants to kill dinosaurs), a curious female reporter (in a man's world and out to prove she's the best), a snooty know it all professor, a dying rich industrialist (looking for the fountain of youth to cure him of his cancer or other disease), a peaceful missionary, a mad scientist, the imperiled actress, the fortune hunter, etc. All have special reasons for desiring to explore Hollow Earth.
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I would say the characters are balanced enough, especially if the GM doesn't make it all combat. Most of the characters start not with similar skill levels, of course, but with similar enough ability point distribution (and you can only go so high or low when picking your stats), so, when I played it, even the weakest characters had a fighting chance (though this was based more on surviving than wiping out a more powerful enemy).
Last on characters, there's a good spread of advantages and disadvantages in this game, as well as enough skills and sub specialties to make it interesting for a long term campaign.
Three special highlights of the game come to mind:
1. FLAWS: a flaw is something you play up in the game, like being overconfident in your field or stubborn to the point of it working against you or being a danger magnet (i.e. you attract bad things or go out seeking them). When you play this properly, you get a style point (see number 2).
2. STYLE POINTS: style points can absorb damage, increase your skill ability, sometimes affect the story, give you more of a chance of success in combat or be up to the GM for other matters. One basically gets it for playing their flaws properly, pursuing your motivation, being in character and/or adding to the quality of the game.
3. CHANCE DICE: when the chips are down and you're about to die or get into a very bad situation, you can call on more dice to increase your chances. The only problem is that the number of dice you select makes the obstacle harder to accomplish. As the chance is typically 5-10%, you really only want to use this if you are truly desperate.
OTHER NOTES: this game lets you take your average roll as a default to rolling. Think of it like "taking 10/20" in D.20/D&D. Another thing, similar to D.20/D&D, is that you can use your soft attributes (like intelligence and dexterity, per D&D) in combat with the right talent/advantage that lets you. That's a nice touch for the smart or agile types.
What about knowing the setting? There's some chapters on understanding The Hollow Earth as well as what was taking place in the USA and other countries (focused mostly on 1936 but with some basic overviews back to the very late 1800s). There are special resources in Hollow Earth and there are several organizations on the surface world who want to get them. The big problem is that Hollow Earth is very hard to get to and even harder to leave.
[image error]
The core book also starts you with NPC stats (villains and allies), a basic adventure, equipment (gotta love the "Tommy" submachine gun), and, of course, a bestiary (yes, it has a T-rex).
Keep in mind this is the first item out. They are coming out with a GM screen in the spring, a section for surface world adventures, more on the Hollow Earth and some other projects not yet officially announced.
There is a "Secrets of the Surface World" as well which covers dealing with all the usual elements.
Overall, this is a superb game for getting into the spirit of pulp. It does use Hollow Earth as its setting but it implies/lists other settings, and, with all the supplements coming out, GMs can run their games in other settings.
Now I just need to convince my players to buy the core books, as well as the special dice. Heh.
ARTWORK: A minus; MECHANICS/APPLICATION: B plus to A minus; SETTING/DETAILS: B plus to A minus; EDITING/WRITING: A minus to A; WHEN READ: 2007 (revised review May 2012; 2nd revised review Jan. 2013); OVERALL GRADE: A minus.
img src="
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I played it first at Kublacon 2007 and had a great time. Then I played it at Dundracon 2012 and realized I really needed to create an adventure for my favorite pulp setting. The unique dice are a nice touch but not necessary for play.
img src="
Okay. So what's this game all about?
Think of pulp action stories.
If that doesn't ring a bell, think if movies like INDIANA JONES, JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, ROCKETEER, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, DOC SAVAGE, DICK TRACY, KING KONG, JURASSIC PARK, AT THE EARTH'S CORE, THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT, LOST HORIZON, SHE, THE SHADOW, LAND OF THE LOST, TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY, YOUNG INDIANA JONES and THE TIME MACHINE. Or, think of authors like Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne, H.P. Lovecraft, Philip Jose Farmer, H.G. Wells and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
You get the idea.
Action is meant to be fast and furious (you can use special dice that quicken the game), characters are always bigger than life, the villains are meant to also be bigger than life and extra evil (think black and white morality here which means lots of Nazis), the unbelievable becomes believable, science and magic/occult cross paths, dinosaurs walk the Hollow Earth with other types of long past creatures, history can be used or made into an alternative world (i.e. setting is typically early 1900s), various areas still remain unexplored (and are therefore ripe for holding the unknown) and, while Hollow Earth is the main setting, there's enough information here to do something different or even have adventures set in the surface world.
[image error]
What about characters? Think of fun archetypes from the movies (some here are listed in the core book): Indiana Jones, a cowboy, a big game hunter (who is bored with lions and wants to kill dinosaurs), a curious female reporter (in a man's world and out to prove she's the best), a snooty know it all professor, a dying rich industrialist (looking for the fountain of youth to cure him of his cancer or other disease), a peaceful missionary, a mad scientist, the imperiled actress, the fortune hunter, etc. All have special reasons for desiring to explore Hollow Earth.
[image error]
I would say the characters are balanced enough, especially if the GM doesn't make it all combat. Most of the characters start not with similar skill levels, of course, but with similar enough ability point distribution (and you can only go so high or low when picking your stats), so, when I played it, even the weakest characters had a fighting chance (though this was based more on surviving than wiping out a more powerful enemy).
Last on characters, there's a good spread of advantages and disadvantages in this game, as well as enough skills and sub specialties to make it interesting for a long term campaign.
Three special highlights of the game come to mind:
1. FLAWS: a flaw is something you play up in the game, like being overconfident in your field or stubborn to the point of it working against you or being a danger magnet (i.e. you attract bad things or go out seeking them). When you play this properly, you get a style point (see number 2).
2. STYLE POINTS: style points can absorb damage, increase your skill ability, sometimes affect the story, give you more of a chance of success in combat or be up to the GM for other matters. One basically gets it for playing their flaws properly, pursuing your motivation, being in character and/or adding to the quality of the game.
3. CHANCE DICE: when the chips are down and you're about to die or get into a very bad situation, you can call on more dice to increase your chances. The only problem is that the number of dice you select makes the obstacle harder to accomplish. As the chance is typically 5-10%, you really only want to use this if you are truly desperate.
OTHER NOTES: this game lets you take your average roll as a default to rolling. Think of it like "taking 10/20" in D.20/D&D. Another thing, similar to D.20/D&D, is that you can use your soft attributes (like intelligence and dexterity, per D&D) in combat with the right talent/advantage that lets you. That's a nice touch for the smart or agile types.
What about knowing the setting? There's some chapters on understanding The Hollow Earth as well as what was taking place in the USA and other countries (focused mostly on 1936 but with some basic overviews back to the very late 1800s). There are special resources in Hollow Earth and there are several organizations on the surface world who want to get them. The big problem is that Hollow Earth is very hard to get to and even harder to leave.
[image error]
The core book also starts you with NPC stats (villains and allies), a basic adventure, equipment (gotta love the "Tommy" submachine gun), and, of course, a bestiary (yes, it has a T-rex).
Keep in mind this is the first item out. They are coming out with a GM screen in the spring, a section for surface world adventures, more on the Hollow Earth and some other projects not yet officially announced.
There is a "Secrets of the Surface World" as well which covers dealing with all the usual elements.
Overall, this is a superb game for getting into the spirit of pulp. It does use Hollow Earth as its setting but it implies/lists other settings, and, with all the supplements coming out, GMs can run their games in other settings.
Now I just need to convince my players to buy the core books, as well as the special dice. Heh.
ARTWORK: A minus; MECHANICS/APPLICATION: B plus to A minus; SETTING/DETAILS: B plus to A minus; EDITING/WRITING: A minus to A; WHEN READ: 2007 (revised review May 2012; 2nd revised review Jan. 2013); OVERALL GRADE: A minus.
October 23, 2008
I'd give this 4.5/5 stars. Its an excellent RPG which fills a niche in the RPG world which I think is missing. If you are not familiar with it, the game takes place in a pulp fiction world, similar to the first 3 Indiana Jones movies. I don't want to give too much away, but for those who like this type of genre this game is probably for you!
Unfortunately, I have not been able to play yet but am hoping to soon. I'll give another review after I play a game.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to play yet but am hoping to soon. I'll give another review after I play a game.
June 7, 2015
This is a great RPG system for those wishing to play in the pulp world's of Edgar Rice Burroughs or Indiana Jones. While the setting is the Hollow Earth, the lost land at the center of the earth, it can just as easily be adapted for surface world adventures in the 30's. The thing that I like about this system is that it has a strong focus on story over mechanics, so for someone who doesn't want to waste a lot of time learning endless amounts of rules, this is perfect.
February 10, 2014
My only complaint is that my copy is beginning to lose pages.
Read
October 9, 2023How? Picked up randomly at the library.
What? A 1930s era pulp RPG focused on the Hollow Earth subgenre, sort of.
Yeah, so? I'm on the record as being somewhat bored by Pulp RPGs: pulp is sort of by its nature -- and by the nature of the audience of RPGs -- a known quantity. Sure, if you were really new to the nerd-space, the idea of intrepid adventurers going about doing daring acts with seaplanes might seem novel.
So I was about to critique this work as seeming mechanically older, like something out of the 2000s, when I checked the publishing date, which is 2006. OK then: this is not a throwback to an outdated mechanical system, it is very in line with that time period's more... opinionated systems.
So ultimately what you/I get is a system that feels overburdened with cases and options, for a setting that not only feels shopworn, but also treads on sensitive issues (like racism and colonialism) without exploring them.
All that said, I do have to point out that the pdfs for this game (including the supplements) are pretty good sellers online. Sigh....
What? A 1930s era pulp RPG focused on the Hollow Earth subgenre, sort of.
Yeah, so? I'm on the record as being somewhat bored by Pulp RPGs: pulp is sort of by its nature -- and by the nature of the audience of RPGs -- a known quantity. Sure, if you were really new to the nerd-space, the idea of intrepid adventurers going about doing daring acts with seaplanes might seem novel.
So I was about to critique this work as seeming mechanically older, like something out of the 2000s, when I checked the publishing date, which is 2006. OK then: this is not a throwback to an outdated mechanical system, it is very in line with that time period's more... opinionated systems.
So ultimately what you/I get is a system that feels overburdened with cases and options, for a setting that not only feels shopworn, but also treads on sensitive issues (like racism and colonialism) without exploring them.
All that said, I do have to point out that the pdfs for this game (including the supplements) are pretty good sellers online. Sigh....
May 7, 2020
An interesting pulp RPG marred by the very limited setting (a lost world type place inhabited by dinosaurs and primitive tribes). Later expansions would add other settings, such as the surface world and Mars, but if you are only using this book your options are limited unless you want to do some home brewing.
This game uses the Ubiquity system. The main mechanic itself is dead simple, and the game would actually be rules light except for all of the exceptions you have to keep track of (like using different defense ratings for different attacks, keeping the various fire, electricity, and hunger/thirst damage rules in mind, etc.).
This game uses the Ubiquity system. The main mechanic itself is dead simple, and the game would actually be rules light except for all of the exceptions you have to keep track of (like using different defense ratings for different attacks, keeping the various fire, electricity, and hunger/thirst damage rules in mind, etc.).
June 18, 2019
A solid rules-light RPG for the pulp era. The artwork in the book is particularly beautiful. "Secrets of the Surface World" is a nigh-essential buy if using this book, as it changes up how some things function in HEX (like explosives).
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews