Spaz Zone

Game Review

Reviewed by Philip Davis


Designed by Robert E. Mitchell, Jr.
Price: $6.99
Complexity: Beginner
Solitaire Suitability: None
**

Enter a world devastated by a prolonged biochemical war. Ride your personally designed combat vehicle across the mutated and primitive heart of the North American continent from the untouched city of Sanny Frisco to the blasted cities of the Eastern Seaboard. This is the premise of Spaz Zone, the first effort of designer Robert E. Mitchell, Jr.

For $6.99 you receive a 51/2 X 81/2 inch, 55page rule book illustrated in black and white in a style reminiscent of the popular Judge Dredd comic line. The package is filled out by the inclusion of three sheets of thin cardboard divided into various counters which need to be separated by a hobby knife or similar tool.

The first counter sheet consists of a collection of vehicles, also in the postholocaust punk style. This style seems to concern itself mostly with spikes, blades, and other instruments of mayhem. The second sheet contains various manmade or natural hazards and obstacles.

The third sheet consists of a clearly printed and useful movement template and this template is the most impressive part of the game system. Although the materials are minimal, my first complaint concerned the plastic bag which held them. This bag was too small and required my slitting it open in order to withdraw the materials without damaging them.

This game was an interesting onetime diversion. Those who played it and were already interested in other road combat games were willing to try to integrate the role-playing aspect but kept on with the other game. The role players of my group found the flavor to be interesting but wished to add that flavor to other games rather than attempt to establish a campaign based on this product alone.

The rules sections are logically developed; however, their placement leaves something to be desired. They are scattered among other rules sections thus requiring the referee to do a lot of page flipping. Role-playing rules are interspersed with sections on combat mechanics and vehicle construction. The game does have a limited index at the back of the book, and this does aid in finding specific rules.

The rules begin with a short background and description of the subject of the game. They then continue with the creation of characters. This involves the determination of seven characteristics by the rolling of four D6 with the lowest die being discarded.

The next rules section involves the purchase of skills, characteristic increases, or mindweb (psionic) abilities. Each character starts out with a basic allotment of skill points which can be augmented by either physical or mental character flaws. The usual explanations of the skills and powers shown follow the purchase process.

After this is the basic combat system.

This system is an obvious first generation system but does fulfill the needs of the game. Next a limited list of weapons and equipment is shown. These two sections are very limited and require a great deal of work by the referee before setting up a campaign based on this system. After these tables are two additions to the combat system. These are a full page explanation each of two forms of unarmed combat: Brawling and Wrestling. This positioning again forces the referee to flip from the basic combat and these two during play.

The next major rules section concerns itself with vehicle construction.. These basic rules are sufficient at least to begin the development of the many strange vehicles seen in this kind of game.

In the movement section, I found the best idea in the system. Movement is by means of a template with a large selection of possible maneuvers for vehicles printed on it. A vehicle moves one template, a 4', for every ten milesperhour which the vehicle moves in a turn. This highly efficient item is also used to resolve mishaps when attempting a too-tight turn or some other irregular maneuver.

This is the first game that I have seen which, by basic design, combines the road combat and role-playing areas of gaming. The mechanics used are neither outstanding nor innovative, but they are sufficiently logical and efficient to allow a referee to expand from them and create an effective campaign..

The flavor of this game is that of a decadent post-apocalyptic world where both the good guys and the bad guys are reflections of a culture where only pollution of the ecosystem is considered to be a crime by the state.

"Persons have the right to fight for their survival and to appropriate the means to that end; to fight and/or take lives of those of equal or greater strength in order to obtain livelihood." This quotation is from the Bill of Rights featured in the introduction to the rule book.

This game is for those who enjoy unabashed destruction and the hack'n slash style of roleplay, but there are better systems already on the market. I can only recommend this game for those already interested in this genre and possibly collectors in the hobby.

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© Copyright 1985 by Dana Lombardy.
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