# Unknown Armies tags: #game/rpg/unknown-armies ![[Unknown Armies (cover).png]] ## Summary **Unknown Armies** is an occult-themed roleplaying game by John Scott Tynes and Greg Stolze, published by **Atlas Games**. The game is set in a postmodernist occult underground where characters wield magick by personal belief. It's a world where reality is shaped by the Invisible Clergy, a group of 333 people dedicated to certain attributes. Players navigate this world, trying to fix what is broken while dealing with their own deteriorating sanity and various occult threats. ## Core Die Resolution Mechanics The core mechanic of **Unknown Armies** uses a percentile dice system. Players roll two 10-sided dice (d100) to determine the outcome of their actions. The goal is to roll under a target number, with a roll of 1 being a critical success and a roll of 00 (100) being a critical failure. This system is known for its elegant simplicity and flexibility, allowing players to create their own skills and abilities based on their character's obsessions. In the **Third Edition**, the game introduces **Identities** instead of traditional attributes and skills : r/unknownarmies - Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/unknownarmies/comments/oymmnv/new_to_unknown_armies_differences_in_editions/). Characters have three to four broad career, job, or hobby aspects called identities, each with three to four qualities : r/unknownarmies - Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/unknownarmies/comments/oymmnv/new_to_unknown_armies_differences_in_editions/). Supernatural or magical identities generally have one to two qualities but access magical effects and/or qualities : r/unknownarmies - Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/unknownarmies/comments/oymmnv/new_to_unknown_armies_differences_in_editions/). The five **Shock Gauges** don't only measure psychological trauma as they did in the Second Edition : r/unknownarmies - Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/unknownarmies/comments/oymmnv/new_to_unknown_armies_differences_in_editions/). Each of the five gauges is tied to two associated abilities : r/unknownarmies - Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/unknownarmies/comments/oymmnv/new_to_unknown_armies_differences_in_editions/). As the character becomes harder to that category of trauma, one of the two abilities goes up and the other goes down : r/unknownarmies - Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/unknownarmies/comments/oymmnv/new_to_unknown_armies_differences_in_editions/). So, if you get immune to violence, your ability to empathize is reduced but your ability to be violent increases : r/unknownarmies - Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/unknownarmies/comments/oymmnv/new_to_unknown_armies_differences_in_editions/). ## Editions and Changes - **First Edition (1998)**: Introduced the core mechanics and setting. - **Second Edition (2002)**: Refinement of the first edition, with improved mechanics and additional content. - **Third Edition (2017)**: Major overhaul, introducing new concepts like Identities and Shock Gauges, replacing the traditional attributes and skills system. ## References - [Atlas Games - Unknown Armies](https://www.atlas-games.com/unknownarmies/) - [Wikipedia - Unknown Armies](https://www.onarmiesunknown.com/reference/known-armies-index-everything/) - [Reddit - Differences in Editions](https://www.reddit.com/r/unknownarmies/comments/oymmnv/new_to_unknown_armies_differences_in_editions/) > [!note] Editor's Note > > I'm going to be straight up with you. The price that they're asking for **Unknown Armies** at this point is balls to the wall insane, and there's no way that you should shell out [$40 for a corebook in PDF](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/207965/unknown-armies-third-edition-book-one-play-digital). Just don't do it. Have more self-respect than that.