From publisher blurb:
Welcome to the Secret World...
Esoterica is a game about conflicts between mystics, magicians and occultists in the modern day world. Called Adepts, these people have come to understand that the mundane world is just a facet of the true, greater reality, hidden by a barrier called the Veil. They seek to Ascend through the Veil to a better life beyond, and to this end have learnt to master some of the energies that permeate through the barrier. But power comes at a great cost - a corruption of the mortal form. Only Soul Jars, mystical objects imbued with power, can keep this corruption at bay. But the secret of their construction is lost, so they must either be recovered from the past or stolen from those that hoard them.
Do have what it takes to Ascend?
Esoterica is about action, conflict and greed in a morally bankrupt world of modern occultism.
The Game
Esoterica is a tabletop roleplaying game of mystery, intrigue and action. In the game Players take of the roles of Adepts seeking to increase their power. This thrusts them into conflict with other Adepts also seeking to ascend and therefore hunting Soul Jars to contain their corruption, government agents who seek to either crush or control true occultists, and Hungers, beings from beyond the Veil who feed on corruption. Adepts spend their time trying to acquire Soul Jars by stealing them from those that hold them, or searching out lost Soul Jars from ancient ruins across the globe.
Adepts have access to occult powers that they may use to further their aims. Arts encompass the ability to manipulate others, push their bodies beyond normal limits and gain mystical insight. Mysteries are supernatural powers such as manipulating objects with the mind, setting objects on fire and astral projection, and Rituals are magical formulae that allow magical powers to be harnessed.
Drive Chain of Play
Esoterica, like all our games, features a unique drive chain of play to push the game forward and create dramatic tension. This outlined below:
Adepts wish to ascend.
To do this they must use their abilities to gain Power...
...this generates Corruption.
The Adept requires Soul Jars to remove this Corruption...
...putting them in conflict with other Adepts.
So they need to use their abilities to overcome their rivals, generating more Power...
...but also generating more corruption...
...requiring more Soul Jars, etc.
This drive chain pushes the game forward and gives Players a clear picture of what they are trying to achieve during play, making the Narrator's job all the easier.