I see this question come up a lot on many RPG forums and social groups: “What ready-made world settings are available for the Genesys RPG?” and it seems that most people assume there are none or only a few under-developed settings made by fans. This is far from the truth.
It’s true that the Genesys RPG started out as a single core book, giving the reader all the tools required to build their own home-brewed worlds. There was a lot left for the Gamemaster to fill in. Since then though, Fantasy Flight Games has released THREE official world settings for Genesys, fans have created or converted dozens of existing worlds, and especially since the Genesys Foundry was opened, us fans have a great number of ready-made, highly-developed and professional-grade settings to choose from.
This post is a list of the most prominent of these existing worlds (sorted by no specific metric), including the official worlds by FFG and Foundry-sold worlds by independent publishers. This is not an exhaustive list as more Foundry worlds pop up all the time, and who knows — we might get official new settings soon as well. I’ll attempt to keep this page updated with new settings as much as I can. If you want to add something to this list that you think is missing, let me know at info@rpgnarco.com or ping me on Facebook or Twitter.
Table of contents
Official Settings
Foundry Settings
Official Genesys Settings
1. Realms of Terrinoth
Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games.
Genre: Fantasy (Average to High).
Setting Specific Rules: Rune magic, Bardic magic, Heroic Abilities.
Link to official free adventure: The Haunted City
This is the official Fantasy land for Genesys, set in the world of Mennara, a setting used in many of Fantasy Flight Games’ board games such as Descent, Runebound, Legacy of Dragonholt and many more. This is the most developed official setting currently available for Genesys, especially thanks to independent authors such as Chris Markham and other contributors, continuing to publish many supplements and adventures for this rich and growing world. Ancient dungeons, haunted forests, rune wizards, a plethora of unique and menacing monsters – this world has everything a fantasy setting needs.
Realms of Terrinoth Supplements on DrivethruRPG.com
Manual of Mennara - Fantasy Flight Games | Genesys Foundry
This product is designed to be a supplemental campaign guidebook and atlas for GMs using the setting of the Realms of Terrinoth. While the sourcebook (RoT) was filled with lore, this work provides concise and condensed information in an easy to reference format and includes information GMs like myself will find useful. Beautiful new (and scaled) maps are also provided, created by Roy Altman, featuring additional information about these locations.
Trades of Terrinoth - Fantasy Flight Games | Genesys Foundry
The REALMS OF TERRINOTH sourcebook offers 8 career options for players. However, throughout the book, many more careers are casually mentioned such as: Bards, Runemasters, Knights, Necromancers, and Spiritspeakers.
Legendary Locations of Mennara - Fantasy Flight Games | Genesys Foundry
Mennara is filled with dangerous, awe-inspiring, and unique places. From the Black Citadel of Llovar, the founder of the Uthuk Y’llan, to the Den of Thieves in Al-Kalim, this book details (15) different unique locations which can serve as the basis for an adventure or an encounter. Each location is fully described along with unique qualities of the place and the types of foes the PCs may run into there.
2. Android: Shadow of the Beanstalk
Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games.
Genre: Cyberpunk/Sci-Fi.
Setting Specific Rules: Hacking, Favors, Cybernetics, Factions.
Link to official free adventure: Night on the Town
This is the official futuristic setting for Genesys (though there are rumors that an official Twilight Imperium setting is in the works by Edge Studio). Set in the popular Android setting, which is heavily developed in board games, the Netrunner card game and fiction. In the not so distant future of Earth, in the mega-city of New Angeles, this setting has everything a cyberpunk and early space exploration game needs and is also constantly expanded with new supplements available on the Genesys Foundry.
Android: Shadow of the Beanstalk Supplements on DrivethruRPG.com
Power Play: An Android Mini-Campaign - Fantasy Flight Games | Genesys Foundry
Mysterious cybernetic malfunctions are attracting unwanted attention to 8CMod, an advanced, thriving lunar black market cybernetics clinic. 8CMod is more than a problematic unlicensed medical practice, however. Investigators soon try to unravel a web of organized crime, corporate corruption, and ambitious individuals out to seize control of one of Heinlein's standout companies.
Cybernetics & G-Mods - A Body Modification catalogue for use with ANDROID: SHADOW OF THE BEANSTALK - Fantasy Flight Games | Genesys Foundry
CYBERNETICS & G-MODS is a selection of Body Modifications for use with Android: Shadow of the Beanstalk, a supplement for the GENESYS roleplaying game. Within these pages you will find statistics and descriptions for numerous Cybernetic and G-Modded implants and their associated rules. This list includes and expands upon the body modifications presented on page 104 of Android: Shadow of the Beanstalk, and is designed for Players and Game Masters who are looking to expand their choices of cybernetic and genetic modifications for their characters and NPC’s.
Brain Drain: Android Genesys Adventure - Fantasy Flight Games | Genesys Foundry
In this adventure for Shadow of the Beanstalk, PCs race against time and other criminals to steal the data from an up-and-coming megacorp, NeuroNew, that may have developed technology that would disrupt the business of the major labor providers Jinteki and Haas Bioroid. Can the PCs learn all the secrets before the New Angeles Police Department arrive or will they cut and run before things get too out of hand?
3. Keyforge: Secrets of the Crucible
Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games.
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy.
Setting Specific Rules: Random Species Creation, Æmber, Æmbercraft and Æffects.
Link to official free adventure: Maw of Abraxas
Most recently published, this is an official setting for Genesys set in the same world as the super popular card game Keyforge. Robots, faeries, martians, demons, this world literally has it all, and all are vying to find precious Æmber to power their tech and magic. It sort of reminds me of Flash Gordon or 90s animated shows such as Thunder Cats. This roleplaying setting has already started to grow, with the official Mutant Invasion! expansion and supplements from independent authors on the Foundry such as Martian Mayhem! and Adventures in Eyeland.
Keyforge: Secrets of the Crucible Supplements on DrivethruRPG.com
Martian Mayhem!
Martian Mayhem! is an exciting collection of equipment, vehicles, and creatures used by the Martians on the Crucible, all derived from the Keyforge card game and brought to life for Genesys!
(GASP) Adventures in Eyeland - Visions in Æmber - Fantasy Flight Games | Genesys Foundry
Welcome to Eyeland! It’s full of Æmber, but just watch out for the Dis….and the Sanctum goons. Oh, there’s also those crazy Inspired monks wandering about. And I think Yikubo over there said he saw a flying saucer once? Also, don’t let me catch you trying to follow me to my sifts…I’ll blast you where you stand. Sorry—did you want something?
4. Star Wars*
Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games.
Genre: Sci-Fi (Space Opera).
Setting Specific Rules: Different dice*, The Force.
I know, I know. Don’t yell at me. The Star Wars RPG by FFG is a completely different game… BUT, it is 99.9% similar to Genesys, only with different dice and a few minor rule differences. The point is, if you really want to play Genesys in the Star Wars universe, well, just use the Star Wars RPG. FFG has got you covered with dozens of official source books covering every era and aspect of this franchise, set a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.
Official Genesys Settings on DrivethruRPG.com
Realms of Terrinoth - Fantasy Flight Games
Enter a World of Ancient Magics and Terrible Dangers! Ready your sword and spellbook for adventure in the fantasy land of Terrinoth! Using the Genesys Roleplaying System, this sourcebook allows players to explore the magical Runebound setting filled with tragedy and mystery. Terrinoth faces darkness on all sides—ghastly skeletal Reanimates, raging dragons, and even horrific demons—and heroic characters are needed more than ever to rise to its defense. With Realms of Terrinoth, you’ll be ready for the challenge!
Shadow of the Beanstalk - Fantasy Flight Games
In the not so-distant future, humanity has spread out across the solar system, unlocked the frontiers of cyberspace, and created millions of intelligent androids in its own image. At the heart of this progress stands a ladder leading to the riches of the stars—the massive space elevator called the Beanstalk. And at its base sprawls the biggest, meanest, and most exciting city on Earth: New Angeles.
Secrets of the Crucible - Fantasy Flight Games
In the center of the universe hangs the Crucible, a gigantic artificial world created by the enigmatic Architects and home to countless beings and cultures. Here, impossibly advanced technologies mix with arcane powers to make for a setting unlike any other! Uncovering the secrets of this mysterious world will take all your skills—but the potential rewards are boundless…
Genesys Foundry Settings
5. Salvage
Publisher: Jarred Mathew.
Genre: Junkpunk (Survival Sci-Fi).
Setting Specific Rules: Psychic Powers, Cybernetics, Playable Sentient Androids, Salvaging.
Electrum sales award winner at DrivethruRPG.com, Salvage is set on the distant planet “Omega”, 400 years into the future, where the last survivors of the human race are trying to build a new home in the face of a harsh climate, dimensional rifts and ancient murderous robots. There is a reason this setting is always one of the top 3 sellers on the Foundry: It is original, evocative and gorgeous.
With the combination of lack of resources, crumbling alien ruins and many hostile factions – it’s never boring in Salvage. This is the setting our group plays in currently and we love every second. You check out our Salvage session reports one of my players graciously took the time to write.
Salvage: Genesys Sci-Fi Junkpunk Setting - Fantasy Flight Games | Genesys Foundry
Scorching sand hot enough to melt tires. Homicidal alien robots. Wondrous relics buried beneath mountains of junk. It’s all part of life on Omega, the last planet anyone would want to call home. Unfortunately, you don’t have a choice. What life will you salvage from the wreckage? Will you hunt down rusting mechanical monsters? Salvage valuable scrap from the wrecked starships of your ancestors? Discover mysterious technology within timeworn alien ruins? How will you build your destiny in this dangerous land?
6. Something Strange
Publisher: Scott Zumwalt.
Genre: Modern Horror.
Setting Specific Rules: Archetypes, Careers, Talents and more.
Another Electrum sales award winner, Something Strange is the perfect supplement for running modern urban horror adventures in the likes of shows such as Buffy, Supernatural and, oh, Stranger Things. Vampires, werewolves, and other super natural creatures lurk in the shadows of our world, forcing the characters to fight against the darkness or perhaps, join it? And there is even a published adventure: And the Stars Never Shine.
Something Strange: Genesys Modern Horror Setting - Fantasy Flight Games | Genesys Foundry
Something Strange is a modern horror setting that gives players and GMs options for vampires, werewolves, and other super natural creatures. Explore the supernatural that lurks in the shadows of our world. Will you fight against the darkness or will you join it?
7. Inquisition
Publisher: Guillaume Tardif.
Genre: Medieval Dark Low Fantasy.
Setting Specific Rules: Witch Hunters, Play as a monster (Werewolf, vampire, etc.).
Inquisition is an exceptional and immersive setting based on the dark ages of Europe, where a zealous religious organization is conducting a witch hunt. The characters face a dark and gritty world, with a constant threat of being branded heretics, or perhaps taking the other side of the conflict, as zealous templars. A published adventure is also available: Dying Light.
Inquisition: Genesys Medieval Dark Fantasy Setting - Fantasy Flight Games | Genesys Foundry
Inquisition is a dark low-fantasy setting that puts the players in a world where the main religious organization is conducting a witch hunt. This is not your typical fantasy setting: there are no elves, dwarves, goblins, dragons, wizards, nor clerics.
8. Starcana
Publisher: Studio 404 Games.
Genre: Science Fantasy (Space Exploration).
Setting Specific Rules: Interstellar travel, Many new talents, careers, items and vehicles.
Yet another Electrum sales award winner, Starcana throws the characters to the distant galaxy of Almacar, to make their way as explorers, pilots, soldiers, swindlers, and even magic-using starcanists. Warring interstellar nations, a persecuting Church, frontier planets with dark secrets, there is no shortage of places to explore in the Starcana setting. There is already a published expansion and adventure module.
Starcana Campaign Setting - Fantasy Flight Games | Genesys Foundry
Gather your comrades and blast off to adventure in the Almacar Galaxy! Using the Genesys Roleplaying System, this sourcebook allows players to adventure through space discovering new worlds and riches, battle space pirates and raid the digital frontier, and unlock the mysteries of a newly discovered mystical power -- starcana. With an ancient threat emerging from the depths of space, the heroes of Starcana are in for a wild ride!
9. Ready….Fight!
Publisher: High Metric Games.
Genre: Martial Arts/Unarmed Combat Supplement.
Setting Specific Rules: Deeper unarmed combat rules including new Grappling rules.
Ready….Fight! is a unique and extremely popular (Gold seller award!) supplement for Genesys by Keith Ryan Kappel, a prominent FFG freelancer who has worked on official core books such as Keyforge: Secrets of the Crucible, Android: Shadow of the Beanstalk and The Genesys Expanded Player’s Guide. In addition to having new richer unarmed combat rules, new careers and over 40 new talents, this supplement also gives details of four new settings including the Kung-Fu Setting, Pro Wrestling Setting, Tournament Setting, and Street Brawler Setting. This supplement is complemented with several micro-expansions.
Ready....Fight! An Unarmed Combat Supplement for Genesys - Fantasy Flight Games | Genesys Foundry
Have you already leapt into the fun, fast-paced, rich narrative world of the Genesys Roleplaying Game? Add muscle to your game with Ready….Fight! An Unarmed Combat Supplement for Genesys! Developed by Fantasy Flight Games veteran freelancer Keith Ryan Kappel, this unarmed combat supplement offers new character options for players who specialize in a martial art, like Kung-Fu, Boxing, Mixed-Martial Arts, and more!
10. Sunfall
Publisher: Anastasia Steele.
Genre: Post-apocalyptic Gothic Fantasy.
Setting Specific Rules: Duelling, demonic possession, and exorcism.
Sunfall takes place in a baroque world of war, magic, and intrigue, where ruins of antiquity dot a frozen, starlit land as human civilization strives to survive among the desolation. Great city-states shelter their inhabitants through tithes and pacts with the spirit world, or wage an endless war against it. A truly original and thrilling setting that sends foolhardy adventurers into the Wastes in search of riches and glory.
Sunfall - Fantasy Flight Games | Genesys Foundry
Sunfall is a post-apocalyptic Gothic fantasy setting for the Genesys Role Playing System. In this 103 page sourcebook, you will find new rules, mechanics and options for character creation, advice for Game Masters, and a rich, baroque world of war, magic, and intrigue.
11. Familiar
Publisher: Chris Witt.
Genre: Quirky Fantasy.
Setting Specific Rules: Play as an animal species, new and unique rules for magic.
Written by one of the lovely hosts of The Forge: A Genesys Podcast, the Familiar setting puts the players in the part of cute, perhaps furry, woodland creatures who are touched by a magical bond to a mage. They are blessed with intelligence and a few magical tricks but are still animals, burdened with a lack of thumbs and animal instincts. I haven’t had a chance to personally play this but this sounds like a bunch of hilarious fun.
Familiar Setting Sourcebook - Fantasy Flight Games | Genesys Foundry
Familiar is a fantasy setting about being a hero who is also an animal. No, not a powerful bear or dire badger, or anything even remotely threatening. A small, cute, perhaps furry, woodland creature. But these animal heroes have one major distinction from their wild kin: they are familiars, touched by a magical bond to a mage. They are blessed with uplifted intelligence, arcane hardiness, and a few magical tricks; but they are still animals, burdened with a lack of thumbs and the conflicting nature of their lingering animal instincts.
12. The Gods of New Braemar
Publisher: Ajey Pandey.
Genre: Maritime/Steampunk.
Setting Specific Rules: Ichormancy (Blood Magic), Boat Building, Drinking, and more.
One of the earlier entries to the Foundry, The Gods of New Braemar is robust with details of an original world of sailing, haunted marshes, blood magic and wage-stealing factory owners. This source book is filled with meaty information including new backgrounds, careers, talents, adversaries and more.
The Gods of New Braemar (1st ed.) - Fantasy Flight Games | Genesys Foundry
Sail the domains of unseen gods, wander haunted marshes and forests, and use blood magic to address wage-stealing factory owners.
Genesys Foundry honorable mentions:
Superheroics! - Fantasy Flight Games | Genesys Foundry
SUPERHEROICS! is a compact superhero campaign setting for the Genesys roleplaying game. It includes the basics needed to get started and 10 new talents.
To Protect and Serve - Fantasy Flight Games | Genesys Foundry
A starter's kit for running a story centered around law enforcement. Several arcehtype abilities, new careers, gear, and 20 new adversaries for a Modern setting.
Hope Prep School Freshman Handbook - Genesys Edition - Fantasy Flight Games | Hope Preparatory School | Genesys Foundry
Hope Preparatory School is a privately funded institution dedicated to preparing tomorrow's metahumans for whatever paths might lie ahead. With a tradition that stretches back over 60 years, a world-renowned faculty, and affiliations with all of the best universities, HPS is the place to send your child to prepare him or her for life.
The next time someone asks what settings are available for Genesys – just send them here 😉
On the next post in this series I will give a list of the prominent fan-made and fan-converted world settings for Genesys.
Stay tuned and good health.
About The Author
Roy,
I think this is great, I think the authors are doing a great job of generating settings to help fill out the Genesys universe. I think where Genesys is failing is the lack of availability of one-shots or micro adventures, at least to me there is a lack of availability.
Now that I have said that let me explain where I am coming from. I am an avid player of Keyforge (the card game), when I heard there is going to be a Keyforge RPG setting I got excited. I have never played an RPG before the announcing of Keyforge RPG. I asked my game shop if there was anyone locally that plays Genesys they didn’t know of anyone (they didn’t realize that Star Wars and Genesys were 95% the same at that time), but they hooked me up with a group of D&D players and the D&D gaming has been super fun. I said okay cool, order me the core book and preorder the Keyforge book. After reading thorough the majority of the books I started to look for one-shots or micro adventures, I couldn’t find anything from FFG. After about 6 month of poking around I found this website, the Genesys reddit, discord server, and the foundry.
I still haven’t had a chance to play an actual session to put what I have read into practice, I’m struggling to wrap my head around character generation (although all the folks on the reddit and discord say how easy is it). I really wish I could find a simple walk through via youtube or even a written article that explains how to do it step by step WITH AN EXAMPLE to follow along with.
Honestly, if I wasn’t a stubborn person I probably would have ditched Genesys a while ago. I want to learn it, but as someone who has only played a few D&D sessions (2 chapters of a D&D campaign) I feel I’m not in a position to generate an adventure. As a new RPG player I think Genesys could only benefit from having several one-shots and micro adventures for newer players to use as a stepping stone to get into the Genesys universe. If you have any advice or if you are aware of any resources to help out new players please let me know.
Best wishes,
Daniel
P.S. Sorry about the multiple posts I’m trying to fix the formatting.
Hi Daniel and thanks for writing! I know exactly what you mean – I am in the process of making tutorial videos of how to play Genesys and about why I think it’s different (and better) than more traditional RPGs. Character creation will be included. But these will take some time to make…
Regarding one-shot adventures – I’ve linked to some adventures above (for the official settings and a couple of independent ones) and there are several others on the Genesys Foundry but I’m not sure any of them are step by step guidelines for beginning Gamemasters. I recommend you listen or watch some live play podcasts/channels to really get a hang of how to play roleplaying games in general, and then use the a rules system that fit your style and needs.
You’re absolutely right, all of the settings that are currently on the Foundry are amazing! And I don’t want to diminish anyone’s work. I know the campaign I tried to start and wrote a lot for when my group was playing Star Wars, takes blood sweat and tears to work on it took me several years to get it just the way I wanted it. And they never made an effort to understand the prequel story.
For me, I want to know more about the world. The campaign sourcebook like Realms of Terrinoth, Shadow of the Beanstalk or Secrets of the Crucible are great starts, but for example, I want to know more about the Star Alliance in KeyForge; planets, cities, weapons, technology, movers and shakers, heroes and villains. Works to be picked through at the GMs discretion. For example, look at Pathfinder, each book describes a different part of the world or gods, or magic, etc., and I think that is why people say that Genesys doesn’t really have a pre-made setting or settings are underdeveloped, and so on. I want to sink my teeth into a world and realize that everything that I assumed (assuming chosen for the saying) I knew was wrong.
Again, love Genesys, love the works that these awesome authors, creators, artists have put out and shared with us.
I can tell you that my days of reading hundreds of pages for a world setting are over 🤷♂️😉. After reading and studying, all through my life, thousands of years of made-up history and thousands of pages of fake cultures… well, I’m over it 🙂 Since a lot of that material rarely comes up in a specific session anyway…
I can really appreciate it when an author succeeds to give you just the right amount of mechanical information and fluff to spark up your imagination and get you going on a journey. Having a hundred pages of gods descriptions isn’t always the most thrilling read. On the other hand, sometimes a few well crafted sentences can spark a campaign spanning dozens of sessions. It’s all about how evoking and exciting is the material for you and your group. From my experience, knowing the entire history and cultures of the Forgotten Realms, or the Old World (Warhammer), wasn’t what made our play sessions better — It actually used to burn me out a lot.
BTW, love this discussion! Thank you!
Not saying you are incorrect, but I would like to see some of those authors expand on what they’ve created already. A setting book is great, but what makes a setting a setting is additional source material. A paragraph or two of one faction is not the entirety of that faction. A capital city doesn’t cover everything in one chapter. Look at other great games, Cyberpunk, Shadowrun, and Ars Magica and their works. They have a bunch of material to help expand on their world. And while they may say some settings are underdeveloped, well…I can’t say that they’re entirely wrong.
Now, you and I have talked at length in Twitter DMs and you know I love Genesys, so I am not knocking the game. This is my favorite game right now. Even above other great games like Shadowrun, Cyberpunk 2020 and Red, and Ars Magica. But, one sourcebook does not do the world justice and that’s kind of a problem. Warring factions, Guilds, worldly threats, secret societies, etc. Until the authors expand on what they’ve written, they’re all underdeveloped.
I am not knocking authors in any way, they have stuff up on the Foundry, I do not. I’m nowhere close to being that good. But the authors need to be invested in their world, not kind of one trick pony and call it good. Yes, people will change what authors write, because of GM’s personality, they may or may not like a way a thing is portrayed, but that is the nature of gaming. As an example, can the Galactic Empire of Star Wars have everything told about it in a single paragraph or chapter and what about Middle Earth?
As you’ve written, these are great starts to great settings, all of these great authors have put in a lot of love and labor into writing them, but to be a truly robust setting, they need to be expanded on.
Keep up the great work, keep up the great articles, and keep up the great products!
Thanks a lot! 🙂 I love your enthusiasm – it’s very encouraging!
I think that the Foundry published works I listed, while some may not be high in quantity (page count) are definitely high in quality. Most are very highly rated on DrivethruRPG as well.
For example, from my experience, the Salvage world supplement is
only80 pages long but managed to produce months of exciting game sessions for us – with little additional work done by me except tailor the story with the group. This is because the author gave exactly the right amount and type of material required to conjure up this world at your table – not too much or too little details. The rest of the Foundry settings on the list are also very thought out and original and I’m sure they can give you many many sessions of fun.This is all without even considering these are all works from independent authors that get little compensation compared with the amount of time and resources they invested. But obviously I would love to see more of everything.
Look on the bright side – only 1 year ago we had hardly two published settings – now we have 12+ 😀