Mechanical Dream

Mechanical Dream is a role playing game designed by Francis Larose & Benjamin Paquette. It was originally published in 2002 by SteamLogic until the company's bankruptcy in 2004, after which Larose and Paquette started a new company under the name SteamLogic Editions in 2004.

Characters reside in the world of the dual world of Kaïnas and Naakinis, a 30,000 mile disk lit by a sun like orb called the Pendulum. This disk is surrounded by the Sofe, a 40 mile tall wall of black ether that few, if any, have ever returned from. Kaïnas (the rational world) and Naakinis (the mythic world) exist with overlapping topography and ecosystems. Flora and fauna of Kainas are scaled normally by real world standards, while Naakinis exists on a much larger scale (such as the "Kioux" trees that reach many miles in height). In general, the word "Kaïnas" denotes the disk illuminated by the Pendulum, but "Naakinis" extends further and includes whatever lies in and beyond the Sofe.

The Pendulum spends roughly ten of each day's thirty hours beyond the Sofe, creating night like darkness. During this time, a phenomenon called "The Dream" manifests, becoming stronger as less and less light permeates Kaïnas. The Dream is a fabulous and dangerous world that overlaps with reality. It is initially hazy and hallucinatory, becoming as solid as reality during the darkest parts of the night. Areas where the Pendulum does not shine are affected by permanent manifestations of the Dream. The Aran world is a separate existence, accessible only in places the Pendulums' light cannot reach (underground or deep underwater). It is fiercely primordial, rejecting inorganic matter and operating by rules entirely different from reality. The creatures inhabiting Aran are unpredictable and poorly understood.

The vast majority of the setting's population depends on the weekly consumption of the orpee fruit to survive. Without orpee, a rapid and excruciating death is guaranteed. Orpee naturally concentrates a life force called "eflow" that fuels life. The politics and economics of Kaïnas are primarily driven by the collection and distribution of orpee, as it is an absolute requirement for life.

The heroes of Kaïnas are called Echoes. Able to harness eflow to produce miraculous effect using their "Gifts," they are also able to gain information and insight through a "Whisper," the so called voice of eflow that speaks to each Echo. There exist many different "vocations" for Echoes, castes that delineate their personalities and abilities:

Awakener: Healers and animators of the inanimate. Guardians: Marksmen and defenders. Judge: Champions of social order and fair justice. Judicator: Brutal warriors who police other Echoes. Mind Chemist: Psychics able to enter the minds of others. Nightmare: Violent predators who become one with the Dream. Overlord: Overseers who seek and succeed at control over others. Truth Crafter: Scholars and storytellers with the power of illusion. Walker: Hardened drifters and explorers. War Engine: Masters of all things martial.