Eclipse Phase is a d100 sci-fi/transhumanist/cyberpunk/post-apocalyptic/post-scarcity/horror RPG published by Posthuman studios. The game is a skill-based d100 game with some interesting dice mechanics and large trait and gear lists (think Shadowrun, but more streamlined.) The real draw of the game is its highly detailed and unique setting. The game takes place in the nearish-future (couple hundred years or so) after an uprising by super-intelligent AI led to earth becoming effectively uninhabitable and the development of new transhuman societies across the solar system. There are multiple campaign frameworks, but the most prominent/recommended has players as members of Firewall, a decentralized but secretive collective dedicated to protecting transhumanity from extinction (X-risks).

A key development, one that drives both the setting and character creation, are morphs. Transhuman society is defined by the ability to transfer the human (and other sapient) consciousnesses through digital means, allowing the transfer of minds between bodies. In the corporate-dominated inner system, this has lead to the enslavement of millions of “infugees” people who were unable to evacuate their bodies off earth, only transferring their minds which are now indentured to the hypercorporations storing them. As the principles of faster than light travel have not yet been worked out (it’s possible through mysterious alien gates), travel throughout the solar system is often accomplished by far-casting one’s consciousness into new bodies on far-away planets and stations. This means that players will end up switching morphs throughout the campaign (as well upgrading into morphs to better fit the needs of their mission). While this was pretty darn complex in the 1st edition of the game, the 2nd edition streamlined the process immensely, along with other aspects of the game, mainly by introducing metacurrencies separate from the core skill system. While there are plenty of different morphs, ranging from non-mechanical bio-morphs, mechanical synths, and hybrid “pods,” I wanted to highlight the uplifts (unfortunately, support for neo-whales is not in the core rulebook 😿).

Overall, the game is very crunchy, but not as bad as Shadowrun. The authors are anarchists/socialists of some variety (I don’t dig too deep into these things), and the anarchist and socialist factions in the setting are written as the good guys. The entire game is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, so game materials are actually 100% free/legal to share (DM me if you want a copy).