# Elegy tags: #game/rpg/elegy ![[Elegy (cover).jpg]] ![[Elegy 4e Beta (v3) (cover).jpg]] So you've decided to embrace the darkness and become a creature of the night, have you? Well, look no further than **Elegy**, the solo-first vampire RPG that lets you live out your bloodsucking fantasies without the inconvenience of finding other people to play with. Inspired by the likes of **[[Vampire - The Masquerade V6 Playtest Player Packet|Vampire: The Masquerade]]** and **[[Vampire the Requiem|Vampire: The Requiem]]**, it plunges you into the seedy underbelly of a modern city where you'll navigate the treacherous politics of vampire society while trying to keep your insatiable bloodlust in check. It's all the brooding and melodrama you could ever want, with a healthy dose of existential dread thrown in for good measure. It's built on the **[[Ironsworn]]** engine (with a touch of Fate), which means the solo play just works — you ask the oracles, make the moves, and let the dice decide how badly your humanity is doing tonight. The whole thing is CC BY 4.0 and free as a 4e Beta, which is the hobby being unusually generous. ## Setting Elegy takes place in a world much like our own — except vampires exist. They survive by feeding on human blood, keep their existence secret by blending among mortals, and live in a treacherous society where power, status, and influence are paramount. You are a **young vampire**, turned barely a year ago: inexperienced and weaker than most of your kind, but holding great potential and the determination to pursue it. You seek renown among your peers, fight to remain human, and uncover the secrets of a dark, unfamiliar world through the Connections you form and the Missions you take on. The city you inhabit is its own character — full of political groups and power figures, and ringed by supernatural players who don't always keep to the masquerade: **witches** and covens, **werewolves** and packs, the **fey**, and the hunter types who'd rather stake you than talk. It's a game about being a scary creature in a scary city, but also about humanity and the drive to survive — the tension that keeps a vampire from just becoming another monster. Alongside the character, you build your own underworld through the **World Sheet**: factions, power figures, and the truths of how vampires work in your version of the city. ## Core Mechanics The core of **Elegy** is the action roll, which has been through a wringer of editions. The v3.5 version, heavily based on **Ironsworn**, rolled two d10s and compared them to one of five stats (Force, Dexter, Glamour, Intellect, or Heart): beat both for a "strong hit," beat one for a "weak hit," beat neither for a "miss," with "focus" burned to improve your odds. The v4 playtest shifted to adding your attribute to a 2d10 total against thresholds — 15+ a "Stylish Success," 10–14 a "Flat Success," 9 or less a "Failure" — and swapped "focus" for "Rush." The **4e Beta** (currently on v3 of the manual) keeps the Ironsworn DNA but rebuilds the roll. You roll an **action die (1d6)** and two **challenge dice (2d10)**, add your attribute — now the four of **Body, Mind, Charm, and Soul** — plus any bonuses, and compare your action score to each challenge die individually (it must be *greater* than a die to beat it). Beat both for a **Stylish Success** (you get what you want, the way you want), beat one for a **Flat Success** (you get it, but with side effects or a moderate cost), and beat neither for a **Failure** (pay the price). **Rush** — ranging from −6 to +10 — is the momentum resource you spend to replace a middling action score with your Rush value, resetting to your base (+2) when you cool it. When both challenge dice come up the same number, that's a **match**, and something special happens: a neutral Twist on a Stylish Success, a Misfortune on a Failure, or, if your predatory nature takes over, an Impulse. The game runs on a handful of **basic actions** — Face Danger, Secure an Advantage, Compel, Gather Information, and Hunt — plus a catch-all Generic Action Roll, with **Aspects** (Expertise, Gift, Edge, Mystery, Connection, and Burden) granting Rush and special effects. Your resources are **Health, Clarity, Blood, and Rush**, and suffering is handled by a d100 "Pay the Price" table that loves to drain one of them. ### Character Creation Creation is quick and moves Aspects before the numbers: 1. **Background** — her Occupation in Life and Apparent Age. 2. **Turning** — who turned her and why (roll the Turning tables or invent it). 3. **Aspects** — pick **three innate Gifts** (or swap any one-for-one for a **Mystery** if she dabbles in magic) plus **three Expertises/Edges** reflecting her life and undeath. 4. **Connections** — begin with **two Connections**, one of which must be her mentor/progenitor, each with a Rank. 5. **Attributes** — distribute **+3, +2, +2, +1** across Body, Mind, Charm, and Soul. 6. **Identity** — Looks and Vibe, Possessions, Name, Home. 7. **Finishing touches** — Max Rush 10, Base Rush 2, current Rush 2; Health 5, Clarity 5, Blood 4; note each Aspect's starting ability. The 4e Beta is still a work in progress, and it shows — the manual is free of the final book's flavour text and art, and the comments are full of people politely pointing out rough edges. But the bones are there, and the shift back toward a challenge-die structure makes it feel a little less punishing and a lot more like the solo vampire chronicle it's always wanted to be. ## Editions **Elegy** is by Moro de Oliveira (a.k.a. Miracle M). The Books library holds the full run, all linked in Calibre as one version-family (`#version` + `#related`): - **v2** — rulebook. - **v3** — rulebook (plus print and spreads variants) with companion sheets (Truths, Moves, Oracles, Assets, Character Sheet A5). - **v3.5** — rulebook (standard, printer-friendly, spreads, ePub) with companion documents. - **v4 playtest 1.0** — rulebook with Sheets, Edge Cards, and Reference. - **4e Beta** (*current*) — manual + sheets + reference booklet, iterated through v1.1.2 → v1.2 → v2 → **v3**. The itch.io release now serves the full **4e Beta v3** bundle (Manual, Reference Booklet, Sheets). Companion documents (sheets, reference booklets, assets) are linked to the same-version rulebook as related docs rather than treated as separate editions. ## References - [Elegy - The Official Website](https://elegyvampirerpg.com/) - [Elegy on DriveThruRPG - Where to Buy](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/456053/elegy) - [Elegy on Itch.io - Where to Buy (includes the free 4e Beta)](https://miraclem.itch.io/elegy) - [Elegy 4e Beta Playtest Example Playthrough - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jfnl4L6jmZ8) - [Reddit discussion on Elegy - r/Ironsworn](https://www.reddit.com/r/Ironsworn/comments/1dbhwh4/anyone_playing_elegy/) - [Elegy Playtest Review and Example Playthrough - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPQCMAQqBXw) - [RPG Freebies: Elegy, A Rules-Light Solo Vampire RPG (PWYW) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElesEKV9P70)