Энгель: Ролевая игра в постапокалиптической Европе

Engel (German for angel or angels) is a role playing game. The original German version uses a rule system in which the gamemaster and players draw associative, tarot like cards instead of rolling dice to determine the outcome of an event (this system is called the Arcana system in the original German version). The English version of Engel does not include the Arcana system at all; it is based on the d20 System instead. The German version includes d20 rules in addition to the Arcana system. The game was published by the German publisher Feder&Schwert (German for "Feather&Sword"), who also published the World of Darkness RPG series in Germany and used to publish the Dungeons & Dragons series.

In the flooded, quasi medieval Europe of 2654, massive islands are the domains of the orders of the Angelitic Church. The Engel, seemingly the angels of Judeo Christian belief, patrol the skies from their fortresslike Heavens, ceaselessly striving to defend the people of Europe against the hordes of the verminous [Dreamseed]. The eternally youthful Pontifex Maximus in Roma Æterna, in Italy, presides over a bureaucratic and autocratic church, having combined religious and secular power into a perfectly integrated whole. Within its dominion, dark riders take a tithe of every village's children for the unknown purposes of the church. Many of the cities have broken away from the direct command of the Church, coming under the sway of Junklords (Diadoches) who keep alive what remains of antediluvian technology. In the face of very real and very quantifiable evil, the people of Europe increasingly turn away from the direct political, cultural, and spiritual leadership of the church. As the numbers of the Engel plateau, players must navigate politics, war, and faith as the guardians of Europe.

The book follows the standard d20 System convention of six primary statistics, classes, levels, experience points, feats, and skills. Normal humans have access to only the aristocrat, commoner, expert, fighter, rogue, and warrior classes. The Engel have access to special classes and abilities restricted to their bands; unlike humans, they are incapable of multiclassing. There is no magic; there are only Potestas (powers), which work as skills restricted by the Engelic band the player chooses. Such powers drain the hit points of the Engel; a similar but less harmful mechanic is found in the Star Wars d20 Roleplaying Game. All core mechanics are included, in abbreviated form, in the Engel Corebook. Equipment of the quasi medieval setting of Engel is described, along with rules for pre Flood artifacts such as firearms, grenades, and ceramic armor. A small selection of NPCs and sample player characters is provided, along with a map of the new Europe and a more or less complete history of the World of Engel since the Flood. Certain sections are explicitly forbidden for players to read, as they contain spoilers about the overall plot. Nonhuman NPCs (the Dreamseed creatures) are only briefly detailed though frequently mentioned; they are detailed in the supplement Creatures of the Dreamseed, released in 2002.

Described by Shannon Appelcline as "Perhaps the most unusual d20 book published directly by White Wolf was Engel Corebook (2002), a very early OGL licensed release that took a German post apocalyptic fantasy game [ ] previously published by Feder & Schwert and converted it to d20." Appelcline stated that "It was notable as a rare German game that (sort of) made it to the American market, but ultimately failed because of a lack luster d20 conversion." Appelcline went on to say that "White Wolf's Engel Corebook (2000) had been the first real look at a German RPG in the US — except that White Wolf converted it to d20, which probably removed much of its novelty. Unfortunately, FanPro's The Dark Eye didn't make any waves either, perhaps because it was a fairly traditional FRPG. As a result, FanPro only supported the game with two supplements." Engel is no longer being actively supported by Sword & Sorcery Studios and the line was dropped in 2004, although copies of the Corebook are available in their online store. Creatures of the Dreamseed is not in stock and is only available through third parties. A graphic novel set in the world of Engel, Pandoramicum, details some of Engel's history leading up to the current events in the Engel Corebook. It too is out of print. Order Book: Michaelites, a supplement detailing one of the orders of Engel, was also released prior to the product line's cancellation. It is no longer in stock. The 2001 album Engel by the English duo In the Nursery was commissioned by Feder&Schwert as an album of music inspired by the game.