WRITTEN BY KEITH BAILEY WEB GAMES 85 PAGE RPG SYSTEM, & 204 PAGE SOURCEBOOK Look... Up on the shelf...It's a book... It's a game... It's an URPS? The above line, while corny, correctly conveys the feeling most people have when confronted with one of the new breed of Universal Role-Playing Systems (URPS). Those who don't profess ignorance usually go "Oh, Gawd. Not another GURPS wannabe." And, most of the time, they're right. The market's been flooded with companies trying to cash in on trends ranging from Magic to Vampire to GURPS. Still, every so often, a game comes through that's really worth taking off the shelf, and examining. Web Games' Webs may be worth that second glance. The basic rules are essentially a stripped down version of many other URP systems, with a core set of stars, some advantages and disadvantages, and a very well-done skill system (not perfect, but a hell of a lot better than most games of this type). The typesetting is very readable, a nice touch that many bigger companies seem to have forgotten; but the art is atrocious. Don't buy this system if you're an art fan. All in all, a nice game, but nothing to write home about... so far. But, if Web of Stars, their first sourcebook, is any indication of things to come, Web Games might have a fighting chance at a winner. The cover art is gorgeous, the background is filled in nicely (and it's not a conventional one at that), and it includes cyberspace rules (without the cyberpunk attitude). In short, while not perfect, it comes closer to the mark than most of the stuff I've seen these past few years. There are some discrepancies within the basic rules (Basic Rules Archetypes become Character Packages, for example) and, except for Earth, you're left to determine what form(s) of interstellar flight are used (rules for many types are given) and what types and level of tech each race uses. Minor quibbles, especially since most GMs want to personalize their universe to a greater or lesser degree. If you're looking for a replacement for the GURPS rules, or are in the market for an URPS for the first time, give Webs a chance. If the next sourcebook releases are as good as Web of Stars, this might be a much better deal than GURPS for people who want an URPS but aren't interested in specific (and expensive) high profile fiction backgrounds. Back to Shadis #23 Table of Contents Back to Shadis List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master List of Magazines © Copyright 1996 by Alderac Entertainment Group This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com