This Meeting of the Committee is Called to Order...
You braved crocodiles, Nazis, necromancy, and devolved ape men to find the mythical city and the secrets it holds. You tested your skills and resolve to their limits, driven by a secret desire that motivates you to greater deeds just as it blinds you to possible pitfalls.
Now you have returned from your expedition and must report to your peers on your daring exploits, proving to the hardened adventurers, geniuses, and polymaths gathered before you that you are worthy of their respect in your every endeavor. You’ve gone into danger and survived driven by your desire—now is the time to bring it to fruition.
The Committee for the Exploration of Mysteries is a storytelling game of exploration and adventure inspired by the pulps. Playable in a single evening or over multiple sessions, it allows you and your friends to tell tales of harrowing danger, daring deeds, and furious action with freeform narration and pulse-pounding timed conflict resolution. No pre-game preparation is required, so grab your hat, your whip, and your .45 and get going!
"It's like Agon meets The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen, on the clock!"
- Fred Hicks, author of Don't Rest Your Head and co-author of Spirit of the Century
"The Committee for the Exploration of Mysteries provides a fresh and interesting new take on pulp roleplaying. . . . This game combines some of the best ideas other small press games have put forward and mixes them together to create a really fun looking game."
- Christopher W. Richeson, RPG.Net Review
"It takes a lot of things I enjoy about games and storytelling and spins them in an interesting, different direction. . . . It really captured my fancy." - Paul Tevis, Have Games, Will Travel (Naming The Committee an Honorable Mention for Top New RPG)
Read an actual play report of a harrowing expedition to the Golden Arch by Malcolm Craig, author of Cold City and a|state. More actual play searching for mythical El Dorado can be read here and here.
Order Now!
At IPR or at Lulu - available both as a 116 page perfect bound softcover book and as a PDF.
Check out a preview of the game, discussing the structure of play and character creation.
Resources
Grab the updated character sheet and adventure worksheet for use in your games. The original character sheet is still available as well--thanks to Fred Hicks for the design on both!
Need a copy of the rules summary at the back of the book? We got you covered here.
Interested in demoing The Committee for others? Grab the character sheets for Lord Melvin, Bric Taylor, Zarbon the Illusionist, and Dr. Jane McGrute, as well as a demo script and sample adventure worksheet.
Carl Rigney has hacked the key phrases to play the game as a retelling of a Shadowrun op. Did it go smooth as synth-leather or was it frakked-up from the start--that's up to how you tell the tale.
Paolo Robino has translated the key phrases to Italian. Thanks for the international support!
Ask any questions or share comments at my sub-forum at The Forge and post about your actual play experiences at The Forge, too.
Coming Soon(ish)
I'm currently designing a hack of The Committee tailored to the gritty world of espionage. Sigma Section Debrief will let you particpate in the debriefing after an op gone wrong. Each of your highly-trained operatives will get a chance to tell their version of key events, losing credibility and gaining suspicion all the while. By the end, Control will have made her decision and one of you will be branded a traitor - will imprisonment or a 9mm retirement plan await?
Watch this space and my design blog for updates on Sigma Section Debrief.
Image used under License from OtherWorld Creations, Inc.