From Hamster Press, $14.99 plus shipping Finally a Matrix Game product for mass distribution! "It was a dark and stormy night…" So begins another tale of horror as a group of unsuspecting teens walk up to yet another haunted house. "Dark Portals" allows you to find out what happens. But unlike other games DP is a Matrix Game so no two games are ever alike. So if you like teen scream queens and movies that give you nightmares, you'll love "Dark Portals". WHAT IS A MATRIX GAME? Invented in 1988, Matrix Games are the latest addition to the short list of real basic games: miniature wargames, board games, role play games, and card games. Matrix Games allow you to game situations previously undoable. As future products come out you will be able to run spy games, do murder mysteries (where even the referee doesn't know who done it!), include love and romance, planning and problem solving and learn an entirely new way of looking at the world. Matrix Game players are in charge of their games because each turn they quite literally "Make up" what happens next. Players do this by making arguments about what they want to see next. A player acting as referee rules on how strong the arguments are and then players roll dice to see if they happen. Slowly, bit by bit, a story is told. So simple a child can play, yet so subtle that the British army has used them to do military planning! ADVENTURE MATRIX GAMES "Dark Portals" is the first Adventure Matrix Game. This kind of Matrix Game focuses on action stories in which the heroes are confronted by challenge after challenge. If they fall, trouble swoops down on them. DP is a horror adventure but other adventures can be played using the same rules. Adventure Matrix Games are leading off the Hamster Press line of Matrix Games because they are very good at teaching new players the basic skills: how to make up an argument and how to resolve turns. They also introduce players to the world matrix that is at the heart of all Matrix Games. Adventure Matrix Games (like DP) are just the first. Soon they will be followed up by basic rules sets for spy games, murder mysteries, political intrigues and much, much more. Each new set of rules opens the door to hundreds of games. Scenarios, like "Dark Portals", will eventually exist in by the score for each of the basic sets of rules. They are all ready to go. WHAT DO YOU GET FOR YOUR DOLLARS? "Dark Portals" comes packaged in a clear plastic box that can just fit into a person's pants pocket. Inside the box is a lurid color picture of a young blonde screaming, a twenty page booklet of how to play Adventure Matrix Games, an information brochure on "Weird Mansion", 13 character cards (such as Amanda Killer the bad girl, Noah Life the nerd, Zeke the geek, and Rex the dog), 34 challenge cards (like you see a ghost and the larder of slaughtered dogs), 6 trouble cards (like fear and fight for your life), and a humorous back blurb that describes what the game is all about. The game does not include a die – players will need one six sided die to play. "Dark Portals" is a very simple game. It can be played anywhere at any time. A game lasts around an hour and can include two to twelve players (thought it is best with between five to eight players). Children as young as six can play – but if they do, please, keep the stories to "Goosebumps" level – remember Matrix Games allow you to put into it what you want! So keep it clean for the kids! EXAMPLE OF PLAY Shelly, the referee, pulls a card from the challenge deck. "The sun is setting. You get three arguments to get some light or you will be in the dark. Remember, if you have left over arguments you can use them for story telling." ZEKE THE GEEK: "I pull out a flash light. After all, what else do I carry about this book bag for?" REF: "Sounds strong to me. You'll succeed on a roll of 3 to 6." AMANDA KILLER: "I pull out my lighter and light a cigarette. I don't have to solve this problem. I'll let some man do it for me." REF: "Oh, very strong! It doesn't solve the problem but it sets up so guy to do it for you. You'll succeed on a roll of 2 to 6." REX THE DOG: "I'm a dog. I have good night vision. I don't need light." REF: "Hummm...Average. Even dogs can make mistakes in the dark. You succeed on a roll of 4 to 6." ROCKY THE BAD BOY: "I turn to Zeke. Hit him in the shoulder and steal his flashlight! Get your own, freak! POW!" REF: "Hum, would Rocky bully a whimp? Sure! Strong, and your argument is inconsistent with Zeke's." Shelly asks Amanda and Rex to roll for their arguments. Amanda rolls a 2 and succeeds. Rex rolls a 3 and fails. Shelly then asks Rocky and Zeke to do a dice rolling contest. They individually roll for their arguments. In the first round Zeke rolls a 3 and Rocky rolls a 4, both are still in play. In the second round both players roll 2's and go out, but since one must happen, they both come back into play and the contest goes on. Rocky rolls a 4 and Zeke rolls a 2. Rocky wins and takes the flashlight away. While Zeke rubs his shoulder. "Ouch." "Okay," Shelly says, "Now make your second arguments. We have one more round after this to solve the dark or everyone is in the dark except Rocky." In the next round of arguments Amanda guilt trips Rocky into providing light for her to. Rex tries the see in the dark argument again and succeeds and Zeke turns on the light switch "Hey look guys! The lights work." Which solves the problem for everyone. The challenge is solved so the players use their last argument to advance the story of the game. Zeke tells of a previous adventure he had in the house. Amanda argument to distract Rocky from what he is doing is inconsistent with Rocky's attempt to break open a desk – Amanda wins the dice rolling contest so Rocky is transfixed by her flirting. Meanwhile Rex establishes that he has an exceptional sense of smell – because he's a dog! The game goes on in this way, card after card until the players are satisfied that they have told the story they want to. HOW TO ORDER "DARK PORTALS" Send $14.99 plus shipping (plus 5% tax for Indiana residents) to Chris Engle 313 Hickory Drive Ellettsville, Indiana 47429 Make checks out to Chris Engle or Hamster Press. I'm afraid I'll need to have it in US currency but I do accept personal checks. People wanting to buy copies for resale should contact me at the above address or by email at hamster@io.com so we can work out a discount. I am not set up to take credit cards at this time. But if you would be interested in doing purchases this way please let me know – if there are enough potential orders I'll get the credit card machine now rather than later. Please pass this review on to other people! Especially store owners! Thanks! Back to Table of Contents -- Matrix Gamer #2 To Matrix Gamer List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1999 by Chris Engle. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com