From the introduction: This book provides everything you need to introduce players and Narrators to the setting and basic rules of Clockwork: Empire, a steampunk role playing game set in a Victorian world of gothic horror. Players take the role of exceptional individuals within the British Empire of 1896 as it strives to maintain tradition in the face of scientific advancement, powerful mystical practices, and the Pontus - the primordial chaos which is slowly reclaiming creation. Characters fight against the supernatural horrors of a decaying world, and fight to build or destroy reputations so that they may ascend the social hierarchy. Reality itself is crumbling while debutantes vie for social currency, bureaucrats backstab one another, pirates plunder the seas and skies, and a few honorable men and women fight back against the chaos that is consuming the world. Intuitive card-based mechanics keep the action fast and fluid, and a robust social conflict system enables high-stakes intrigues to be the centerpiece of your story.