All good things must come to an end. We’d like to thank the cast, the crew and most importantly, the fans for their heartfelt messages regarding the final episode of Shield of Tomorrow. The USS Sally Ride may be warping off into the sunset, but Eric Campbell and his crew of expert roleplayers will be returning to space soon enough with a brand new show, setting, and game system. Eric gave us a glimpse of what’s on the horizon in their new show: Callisto 6!

In the world of Callisto 6, Los Angeles died on June 19th, 2078.

Forty years have passed since the day the coastline of southern California crumbled under the shockwaves of a freak, catastrophic earthquake, killing millions and pulling swaths of the city under the waves of the Pacific Ocean. Seizing the opportunities that calamity provides, the largest corporate giants in the world came together and in their “benevolence”, offered to help with the costs of reconstruction as well as provide humanitarian aid.

In return, they asked for unprecedented levels of autonomy in order to provide the medicine, shelter, jobs and infrastructure the population so desperately needed in its darkest hour. No red tape. No oversight. And from the rubble arose a new city.

The year is now 2119 and Los Angeles has become a megacity of glittering silver skyscrapers and incredible technology. Its citizens enjoy healthcare, innovative environmental engineering, and prosperity not seen anywhere else on the planet. And the price for this utopia? The pleasant opiate of oppression from their saviors, the Oligarchs.

“I love settings that take the world we know and show us a new vision,” said Eric Campbell. “We see this in Overwatch, Big Hero 6 and often in RPG worlds, where they take something that’s familiar to us and then remove what we think we can expect. With this game, I wanted to infuse it with that same concept but draw upon real issues that we are facing today, so that I could build what our world might look like and how it would be coping with the “sins of the father” so to speak. But I still wanted that idealism, that feeling that all was not lost and that in this landscape where the wounds we cause today are being healed… though that healing is being threatened.”

For the system to run this new game, Eric looked to one of our other shows, Starter Kit. Those players recently found themselves in the Ninth World of Numenera powered by Monte Cook Games’ Cypher System. Eric liked what he saw and decided to use it as the backbone of the adventures in this new world.

“Cypher is one of the most elegant game systems I’ve ever seen,” said Campbell. “I’ve played a lot of brilliantly crafted RPGs and many of them have tried to make their rules set applicable to any genre you can imagine. What we’ve learned now, as a group, is that we not only wanted to play a system that leaned hard into narrative, but something that would be easy for the group to grasp and would work well in terms of pacing on a live stream. Cypher is a perfect fit for this group. The Corebook and Expanded Worlds supplement throw open the doors for us to do whatever we want.”

Eric (and Sam de Leve, who co-created the world and will be Eric’s GM assistant on the show) found creating the world of Callisto easy enough with the Cypher System rules. But their Geek & Sundry connections allowed to draw upon a unique resource very few GMs have a direct line to contacting when planning their next campaign; Monte Cook himself.

“Monte made himself a resource to us and it’s been enlightening hearing his suggestions. He’s given guidance on how we can use the rules to craft what we want, but more importantly, he’s given insight on how to infuse home brewed rules with “soul”. More than just making a mechanic that will serve a balanced dice roll, he’s got us asking what we want to do narrative and building our rules from there. But also… it’s Monte Cook. The dude is a legend in the tabletop world. I’m giddy as hell that I get to conspire with him.”

New campaigns are often a chance not just for GMs to build a new world and take on stories that didn’t fit in the last campaign, but also for players to change things a bit on their own. Performers love new challenges, and the players under Campbell’s directions are excited to roll out some new characters for the fans to connect with. When asked which player he’s most excited for fans to see in their new role, he could barely contain himself.

“SAAAMMMMMM,” said Campbell. “Sam is playing something so totally opposite of Junil Rue and I can’t wait to watch them in action. Sam’s become one of our most beloved hosts at G&S and beyond being a light for everyone, they’re one of the most engaging players I’ve had the fortune of running a game for. In truth, everyone is bringing something new to the table. I can’t wait for everyone to see what they’ve all created!”

Keep checking out the site for more information on the new adventures of Callisto 6. We’ll reveal more information about Lindy, Cass, Anton, Lacy, Oya and Luma as it becomes declassified!

Who’s your favorite superhero? Tell us in the comments! And be sure to tune into the premiere of Callisto 6 on Friday, August 17 on Twitch and Alpha!

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Rob Wieland is an author, game designer and professional nerd. He’s worked on dozens of different tabletop games ranging from Star Wars and Firefly to his own creations like CAMELOT Trigger. He can be hired as a professional Dungeon Master for in-person or remote games. His Twitter is here. You can watch him livestream RPGs here. His meat body can be found in scenic Milwaukee, WI.