After the front matter material, the Ecryme Player’s Guide is divided into parts. The complete list of parts is
Part I A Crumbling World
Part II From Traverses To City
Part III Journey On The Lattice
Part IV The Pilot’s Handbook
Part V Daily Life On The Lattice
Part VI Doctrines And Religions
Part VII The Ecryme System
Part VIII Supplementary Mechanics

The book finishes with a General Glossary.

Whilst I am impressed with the fact that Ecryme takes its time with developing the setting for the game, as I stated before, this is by far the largest amount of setting material before game rules I have ever encountered in an RPG!

Once you get stuck in, however, the subsections are quite small and easily read and none of it feels like a slog. There is a very interesting narrative device set up from the outset and an epistolary style to each part that allows for different ‘voices’ in the narrative.

Each Part follows a similar structure. The outermost layer of the narrative is a group of rogue Encyclopedists that are chased down by Metropolites (the police in this world). This outer-shell narrative switches from multiple points of view between the scattered Encylopedists and the Metropolite that is hunting them down, Koursko. As Koursko goes through an archive of discs, each section is told from the viewpoint of someone in the world of Ecryeme. There are side bars with soliloquies as well, each from a particular person talking about the subject but I don’t think included in the disc Koursko is listening to.

This nested structure, at first a little confusing to me, actually makes it very immersive to read, as you are getting the personal biases of each individual throughout Koursko’s investigation. And as a result the reader learns about the world as a greater mystery unfolds within the narrative. Neat!

PART I: A CRUMBLING WORLD

The Properties Of The Ecryme
The ecryme is a viscous, acidic ocean with toxic fumes that covers this alternate Earth. Its color varies depending on the season and while it does exhibit something like a tidal pattern, it is otherwise perfectly still.

The ecryme is lethal and highly corrosive. Only glass, stone, and metals such as iron and copper seem able to resist it, and even then it’s not permanent. In the end, the ecryme seems to eat through everything.

Estimates Regarding The Origins Of The Ecryme
No good post apocalyptic investigative game worth its salt would be complete without a set of mysteries and myths as to how the current state of affairs came to be!

Was the ecryme the result of a biological attack? A science experiment gone wrong? A mutation? While there is no one, clear answer, the accepted belief is that scientists tampered in God’s Domain and unleashed this hell on earth. As a result, any further scientific discovery is now met with intense skepticism, dogma, and anything from intense regulation to outright persecution. From alchemists to physical scientists, people claim to know the secret of ecryeme, where it came from and its properties both real and imagined.

From the Mid Ecryme To The Industrial Revolution
Remember when I said that “ecryeme” can mean several things, including time periods?

This section includes a chronology from the period known as Antecryme (Year 0)until the Present (Year 1131).

The first cities were organized and built by survivors scratching out existence on islands surrounded by the ecryme. Eventually they became aware of each others’ presence and set forth to create mighty bridges connecting the islands.

These bridges are called Traverses and form a network known as the Lattice. All traverses built during the same time period to form a network are called Wefts. The first weft dates back to the Mid Ecryme and is made of stone. The second weft are mostly made of iron. The third weft is made up of private traverses.

The Events Of The Acrymony Wars
With the growth of the traverses, cities came in contact with each other. Most cites were developing in rather anarchic way, but not Lansk. Lansk developed in a highly organized and militaristic way and had dreams of expansion. Unified and prepared for war, whilst other cities were endeavoring to explore the world, Lansk was making plans to conquer it.

The so-called Acrymony Wars began in 1102 and lasted approximately 10 years, ultimately ending with an armistice signed in Vienna. The map making up the Lattice was redrawn at this time and the city nations retreated to their corners.

True empires now sprung up centered on these cities.

The Empires Of The Lattice
This section gives a brief overview of major power of the Lattice. There are eleven in total. These nations include:
Antipolia
Gloriana
Istania
Itinerance
Lansk
The Marches
Nordania
Pentapolia
The Traverse Principalities of Olmune
The Rhodesian Provinces
Vencie

The Power Game
This section briefly outlines the power structure on the Lattice. Lodges control specific knowledge and particular education in specific trades and fields. Konzerns rule over mass production, transport, and mining. And Ministries regulate and coordinate both.

Lodges are, for all intents and purposes, like secret societies and knowledge is obfuscated with elaborate rituals and occulting of information. Oaths are required and everything has a quasi-religious air about it (think Freemasonry).