A not-so-indepth overview of 3 fairly popular Chronicles of Darkness fanbooks, Chapter 3: Super Ultra Powerful Mesma Chan!
Princess!
There’s… not really as much backstory to talk about with this one? From what I can tell, It's a game that was originally built as a joke based on, not Madoka, which hadn’t come out yet! That’s how old we’re talking (though the edition I’m reading IS based on Madoka; I’ll explain in a second!), but instead, it was based on a popular fanfiction at the time, Sailor Nothing. Kinda just generic edgy slop, if I’m being honest, not particularly worth reading. Now, the version I’m reading is the Crystal Edition, the 4th edition. Different people made each edition, and this one apparently includes a lot of retrospective material from the first 3 editions and tries to be a sort of “Best of all Worlds” deal, from what I can gather. Some of the other editions are still getting updated, so if you wanna look through them, feel free. Maybe I’ll do a look at just Princess editions sometime, but as of right now, we’re only reading Crystal. Cool? Cool.
Now then, let’s get started!
Right off the bat I think this is probably the best formatted out of the 4 books we’re looking at, its very very tidy, and emulates the CofD book style nearly perfectly, no notes there!
Reading the introduction texts on themes and concepts. Well, ok, for one, I’m glad this one HAS an introduction on themes and ideas explored in the game; this game’s probably the most “Focused” and “Polished” one out of the bunch. Reading through the themes and concepts pages, this game has a very… interesting view of the World of Darkness. From what I gather, the original Princess the Hopefuls were more of a joke about putting magical girls in edgy scenarios, but this one’s much more nuanced. Its primary idea is that “The world of darkness is a world where magical girls feel out of place, which is exactly why it needs them”; it introduces the idea that Magical Girls bring with them a light and hope for the future that’s necessary in a world as bleak as the World of Darkness. Oh also, if you’ve followed me for a bit, you know I hate how every Magical Girl TTRPG has to have a requisite paragraph about the character’s genders and how “Magical Girl” is just a name; I criticize it as unnecessary, and how it often borders on misogynistic and virtue signalling, and how it often ignores the origins of the Magical Girl genre as something that was supposed to excite young girls in the same way that boys got their own exciting shows by dressing up these exciting concepts in a traditionally feminine shell. This game… it has the paragraph, but it's written in a much more nuanced way; I think it gets a pass because it, at the very least, acknowledges that origin, so I’ll give it a net neutral on this one.
After this, the game has a sort of weird choice here where, after the obligatory World of Darkness opener (If you’ve read any of these, you’d know what I'm talking about, but if you don’t: A lot of WoD games start with a short story written by someone who’s a member of whatever gameline you’re in, usually just them being in some sort of distress), the game just… hard cuts into the Callings? Which are your Clan equivalents. I’ll circle back to them because for now I wanna talk about the actual setting and world of Princess the Hopeful, and it's honestly fairly interesting!
The primary antagonist in this game is the All-Consuming Darkness, a corruptive force that whispers promises of a better life to its victims and takes them over, warping them mentally and often physically. It's also the metaphysical concept of Fear itself. Magical girls draw their power from an ancient world known as the Nameless Kingdom, now destroyed, but once a world where everyone could do magic and no one could feel fear. The most powerful people in that kingdom were its Kings, Queens, Princes, and Princesses, people with no fear and absolute magical power. That kingdom eventually collapsed due to a concerted effort from a bunch of evil queens who unleashed a plague of fear and paranoia upon its people, who succumbed to it, turning the people on themselves and causing a major catastrophe. After this was all said and done, the world was reset, this time with fear and darkness at its bedrock. Creating a sort of… chronicles of darkness. A bunch of stuff happened that ended with the queens being sealed inside the moon, and they were unleashed in 1969 when Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon for the first time, and then Buzz Aldrin stepped on it as the second man. But when they did that, they unleashed the queens and the denizens of the first world to be reincarnated into the new world. In 1992, the first true magical girl awakened. Princesses aren’t super organized; they gather in small squadrons called Nakama (No, I don’t like it either). Their biggest foe is the Nightscapes: humans who have fallen into true despair and created pocket dimensions of horror, and they're at a major tipping point in their history. Either they’ll save the world, or they'll be crushed underneath its weight.
Ok. That was a lot of lore, but we can finally get to the different callings and queens! They’re pretty fun, so I’ll actually spend some time on them. Each calling has 2 favoured “Charms” to choose from, an extra dot in 2 stats when they’re transformed, and all princesses get a free favour in the Buster charm, plus a wildcard charm of their choice. Charms are the “Discipline” equivalents of this game, giving you special abilities to use while transformed. I’ll elaborate on them later. Additionally, each calling has a number of “Oaths” they must uphold while transformed, incurring penalties if they break them
Starting with the callings, the first one is the Champion. Champions are the most bog-standard magical girls; they’re what you imagine when you hear “Protector of Mankind.” In the dream world, they were Warriors, athletes, and even builders! They gain strength or resolve dots and Charms based around combat and martial prowess (specifically Kiai and Force); they’re your most simple “Combat” guys. Their oaths mostly revolve around saving people, fighting harder, and never backing down from a challenge. A very Goku-esque calling
The second calling is Grace, your smooth-talkers of the party. In the dreamworld, they were diplomats, merchants, and newscasters, with a general vibe of talking down to their enemies rather than defeating them. They get dots in Presence or Wits, and have a natural affinity for the Plea and Conjure charms. Their sample oaths focus on honesty, openness, and conflict avoidance. They’re a very… peaceful group of magical girls, wanting more to talk and rationalize than defeat enemies- a good calling if you prefer musical numbers over blades
Menders are your doctor-kinds; they help people by treating their injuries and making them feel better. They were Doctors and Physicians in the Dreamworld, and want to help people by shielding and restoring their wounds. They gain a stat dot in Intelligence or Stamina and have access to the Ward and Restoration charms; their oaths somewhat resemble the Hippocratic Oath: never harm someone under your care, never refuse a call for help, etc. A group of magical girls for those who prefer to shield and heal over fighting
Seekers are… well, seekers of truth! They help people by uncovering hidden truths and exposing that which the darkness wishes to hide. In the dreamworld, they were scientists and treasure hunters. When transformed, they gain dots in Dexterity or Composure, and gain the Detect and Step charms, which give perception and movement abilities, respectively. Their oaths mostly focus on honesty, tirelessly searching for knowledge, and helping anyone trying to gather information. They’re best played by players who wish to support allies by gathering information and revealing weaknesses.
Finally, the Troubadours! They were artists and performers in the dreamworld, and they help people by keeping their morale up and bringing out the inner strength they know they have inside of them. They gain dots in Manipulation or Resolve when transformed, and have affinity for the Anthem (music supports) and Illusion charms. Their oaths primarily focus on being open and honest and uplifting others. Ever watch Macross 7? It's like Macross 7.
On to the queens!
There's a little lore around the queens; they’re guiding mentor figures who can't give straightforward answers, instead wanting to equip their students with the tools to figure things out on their own. While this is partly ideological, it's also a severe condition of theirs; they can’t tell dreams and reality apart, so they never have enough info to give you a full answer. The Queens each give a player a dot in a specific stat, and a Signet (the element they control)
The first queen is the Queen of Currents; she represents the love of curiosity, the suit of Hearts and the element of Water, and grants an extra dot in Intelligence, Wits, or Resolve. She has a more sci-fi-esque motif, being the cool, calm, and collected queen for thinkers and philosophers. Followers of the Queen of Currents tend to lean towards nerds, not just scientists, but those willing to learn and willing to teach. She’s described as someone who’s cool, calm, and collected… until you get her talking about something she’s enthusiastic about, at which point her enthusiasm and joy flow like a river! Her followers are known as Illuminators. They’re your wacky inventor-kind characters, eccentric scientists, truth seekers, and inventors… oh no, I’m getting bad genius flashbacks now!
The Queen of Flowers represents the love of harmony, the suit of Clubs and the element of Wood, and grants an extra dot in Stamina, Resolve, or Composure; her motif is very nature-ey, focusing on flowers, ivies, and leaves. She’s described as much more matronly than the other queens, with followers from varied backgrounds and interests; most have a loose interest in forests and conservation but are generally scattered. The Queen herself is described as a matronly older woman, with a habit of going into long, unrelated tangents during conversations, telling stories of her travels and the many people she’s been. An interesting tidbit is that the Court of Flowers is much more accepting of the Darkness, believing it to be a fundamental part of reality, and that the way to stop the darkness is to give humans the tools to stop it themselves.
The Queen of Jewels represents the love of pride, the suit of Diamonds and the element of Earth, and grants an extra dot in Presence, Manipulation, or Composure; her court most resembles an ACTUAL judicial court, full of documents, records, shuffling papers, and muttered conversations. She is well connected and always knows who to call for help. Her followers tend to be people who were already politically powerful, be it corporate heirs, lawyers, etc. The court has a very Art Deco fancy style; they dress in traditional formal wear, adorning themselves in large amounts of jewelry. They’re the designated Rich Kid archetype like the Ven- wait, can’t say mainline games here, shit. Like the Directors from Genius.
The Queen of Spades (Don’t.) represents the love of joy, the suit of Guess, and the Element of Wind, and grants a dot in Dexterity, Wits, or Manipulation. Their motif is master thieves, clowns, and Gambling, and their “Court” is more of an idea than an actual place; their royal palace is a giant Airship, the Blackjack II, named after Setzer’s Airship from Final Fantasy 6, one of my favourite games. The queen herself is described as a sun-tanned woman with wispy, cirrus hair and an extreme amount of energy, and it's said that what she does can barely be described as “Ruling”, as she mostly just advises people who are then free to do whatever they wish, and it's said you don’t really ask her for advice, but rather you ask her to solve problems, and most of the problems she solves are “Someone’s being a killjoy”. They mostly involve “Free spirits and People who really need to be free spirits”; if that sounds like everyone, that’s the joke. They’re the designated Anarchist Archetype, like the Bru- Nu from Leviathan.
The Queen of Swords represent the love from Passion, the suit of Spades, and the element of Fire, and grants an extra dot in Strength, Intelligence, or Presence. Their motif can range from military soldiers to sukeban delinquents, anyone willing to get into a fight for what they really believe in, and their court is a beautiful stone temple hidden underneath a dense jungle. The Queen of Swords herself is usually not even in her temple; instead, she's off on some adventure, fighting strong foes or making friends in unlikely places. Their members tend to be passionate and adventurous, though honestly, all princesses are, so I guess they get a Participation prize.
And that’s all of them!... Well, there are actually 3 more “Twilight” queens; they’re not usually available to players, but I think they’re interesting, so we’ll touch on them. TL;DR: these are the more morally dubious queens, inspired by Sailor Nothing, who don’t fight fear with love, but instead with further fear, each of them having a different way in which they’re unable to feel love, and they’re usually the source of the villainous magical girls you might occasionally fight. They have player-side stat blocks, and the reasoning given is that most Twilight magical girls actually don’t hate the Radiant! They see them as ideological opponents who can be shown the ‘true light’... the same way the Radiant view the Twilight! Which is pretty creative!
The first Twilight Queen is the Queen of Tears; she represents Love tied up in Sorrow. She resides in the fallen city of Alhambra, the last remnant of the ancient dreamworld. Alhambra is open to all the Radiant (the umbrella term for Princesses and Queens). This is because the Queen doesn’t actually dislike the Radiant; she sees them as confused people who will eventually see the inevitability of her ideology. As such, Ravens, the term for the Court of Tears, are the most common type of Twilight Magical Girl to turn to the good guy side. She has a predictably gothic heraldry and primarily recruits people who are desperate and have fallen into sorrow.
The second Twilight Queen is the Queen of Storms; she represents Love tied up in Hatred. She resides in… Dunno! It just says she resides in the Wreckage of Gonel, so I’m assuming she’s kinda like the Queen of Spades; she has a broken-down, wandering ship in the dark world. The Queen of Storms’ main flaw is that she hates the Aggressors more than she loves the victims. She cares little to actually help people; she just wants to slaughter the darkness, destroy it at its root, then deal with the consequences after that’s done. Her heraldry leans towards battle-damaged armour, with acid green and steel grey motifs.
The Last Queen is the Queen of Mirrors; she represents love tied up in raw delusion. She resides in the Crystal Tower of Heril, a tower that was once said to always reflect the most beautiful part of a person, an attraction that drew attention but still made them always about the user. Until the cataclysm, wherein the Queen shattered like her namesake, she went mad, as she thought that she wasn’t strong enough to lead her people, and began searching for the True Heir, the person who is the ACTUAL queen of mirrors, as she clearly couldn’t be it! She bestows endless amounts of praise on her followers because she believes them to be the true heir, and the followers, in turn, also believe this! Their princesses tend to be spoiled and bratty, and their heraldry leans toward being overly bedazzled and decorated, like you just kept layering shit on top of an already finished design.
Woof! That’s all the queens. This game is DENSE if you can’t tell, and I’m honestly missing out on a lot of stuff here! Like, I didn’t even mention the game’s Humanity style system, where your character has different Oaths that, if broken, can make you lose hope until you eventually break down! Or the system where characters get rewarded for playing into both their greatest fears and their strongly held ideals! Or the fact that your character can theoretically become a Queen if you become too powerful! Or the in-depth Regalia system so your magical girl doesn’t need to rely on mundane equipment! This game has a LOT of stuff, is what I mean, and spoilers for my thoughts. I do highly recommend you read this one yourself.
Ok, last thing, I’ll do a quick summary of each of the charms; you’ll just have to trust me that I’m being accurate on these because I don’t want to go into detail- this one’s long enough already!
Anthem: Musical Support magic! Buster: BIG LASERS, every magical girl gets this one! Conjure: Summoning! Detect: Scouting Force: Telekinesis Illusion: Duh Kiai: Weapon arts Plea: Dialogue Restoration: Healing Step: Go Fast Ward: Shielding
There are also Signets, special magics exclusive to each queen; you can generally gather what they do from the queen’s elements!
On to Character creation, I guess!
As usual, we start with basic COFD character creation. This time I wanna make my old Magical Girl OC, a bug-obsessed nerdy girl named Sally Vespa, this sheet needs a concept so we’re doing “Bug-Obsessed Princess”, we’re giving her the “Naked and Unafraid” drive, it's supposed to be for uh. Exhibitionists and the overly passionate, and I’ll just say she’s passionate about bugs. And an exhibitionist, coincidentally. We’re also giving her the “Dead Weight” fear, which makes her afraid of being useless. For her stats, we’re focusing on Mental, then Physical, and last Social, so she’ll think good, fight ok, and talk bad, you’ll see her specific stat spread soon, but the only notable thing is I put all her social skills into Composure. Her skills follow the same as her stats, and her specialties are Animal Ken (Bugs), Occult (South East Asian Occultism, she had a phase), and Academics (Biology). Now for her calling, I’ll actually give her Seeker, she’s a bug hunter, though obviously she doesn’t pin them like butterflies, she might keep some in terrariums though, and her Queen is the Queen of Flowers, obviously. Her bonus calling is gonna be Conjure. For merits, we’re giving her 3 Resource dot, 3 dots in queen mentor, then finally using 2 dots to make her part of a Hobbyist Clique, the rest of her dots are going to Longer Transformation, she’s spry! Some derivative stats later and… she’s done!
And that's it! Not actually, there’s still Charm-making, but that’d make this already lengthy review around twice as long. It's a very in-depth system! Based on how Mages make spells, and I don’t think I fully understand it myself. But I do imagine its fairly intuitive once you get the basics down. Oh! There's also Regalia creation, which is VERY simple, I just opted not to do it out of laziness. But it mostly consists of you just getting a budget to upgrade your gear.
Final Thoughts: Princess is good! I was honestly very surprised with how much I ended up falling in love with its setting and themes. It feels a lot more nuanced than most western magical girl media, it feels in dialogue with madoka, but not worshipping of it. It clearly sees madoka as A inspiration, and not the whole of what it is.
As for the gameplay, its solid! Making a princess feels fairly intuitive, and the transformation mechanics feel fairly fun. I think the charm making could maybe be better explained but otherwise I really did enjoy it