THE FLOODGATES OPEN: NEW RPGS HIT THE STORES!!
As we go to press many companies are releasing new RPG systems. These releases came to late to get quality reviews in this issue. The ease the suspense here are some overviews and initial impressions:
Traveller the New Era (GDW)
Yea, yea, I know: "Oh look, it's another Traveller game..." Just when you thought you bought the last book to complete your MegaTraveller Library, someone up and re-invents the game! Well, it's not quite that bad.
The crux of the system is very similar to GDW's Twillight 2000 2nd edition. So if you know that system, you should ease into TNE without much trouble. Your dice bag needs only a few D6, one or two D10 and a D20, and most of your rolling will be determined by x number of D6. Character generation is simpler and faster, after some practice, than its two predecessors.
As for the storyline in the game, ho-boy is it a doozy! Forget a good percentage of what you learned in MegaTraveller, and erase everything from memory if your last game was Classic Traveller. After the Hard Times, some systems are deserted or barren of all life. Picture that while the economic and social status of the known universe was in turmoil, somebody let loose a highly destructive techno-virus. This creation was so foul, that its effect spread as fast as unknowing carrier ships could go.
For many start systems, there was the solace of oblivion, others were thrown into such chaos that they have in 70 years been cast back to the Stone Age, and still others have been able to seek out existence without too much damage. The Imperium as you knew it is gone. Replacing it are the Wilds, a section of space that only the brave to - to die. Hivers have been the saviors of many a Humani world - liberating descendants of the post-Virus generation from a future of technological stagnancy via extensive schooling programs. But there are others out there who have not been saved, and still others who, through technological superiority, are becoming overlords at the expense of those not blessed with their advantages. Plus, that isn't even really scratching the surface of what's new in the Traveller universe.
With this in mind, the folds at GDW have taken the calculated risk of throwing away MegaTraveller to return us to days akin to those of Classic Traveller. The political structure has been altered, worlds have changed, there are new cultures and settings to explore, and players are free to unravel new mysteries in their travels. In fact, as a sort of bennie, there are some pre-generated adventures included within the middle of the book structured to help GMs guide players new to TNE into the game and its storyline
Theresa Verity
Earth Dawn (FASA)
FASA really wanted to do a good job with this one. It’s evident in the number of testers listed in the credits and the time they spent on the game while it was in the playtesting phase - OVER a year. This is a fatality of today's games, not enough testing before print.
Adventurers are born into a world several hundred years after the second known Scourge. In the first, only the dragons seemed to have survived. All that is known about the Scourge is that it happens when the world is inhabited by a certain amount of ambient magical essence; then, other beings known as the Horrors appear. Can you remember the creepy-crawlies from your most horrific nightmares? They probably are a good similarity to what a Horror is like. Now just think of how it might be if all these Horrors appear to consume every resource, whether on a physical, mental or magical level. Well, luckily everyone had forewarning of what was to come and the various nations and cities constructed their fortress-like kaers. This of a kaer as a sort of Noah's Ark. One day, after several hundred years of isolation. the Elders pronounce that the "outside" is to be explored despite of fears that it is yet too soon to leave. Magics inside the kaer have determined that the Horrors are disappearing, but disappearing hundreds of years before they were predicted to.
Horrows still inhabit certain areas according to some scout reports, others tell of kaers that either refuse to open, or are only inhabited by the wind - their peoples savaged by an unknown force leaving only the mystery of their passing. Some races have forged strong ties forming new nations in the wake of the Scourge, others have taken up arms over bitter memories of the past.
At this point players are introduced to the world of Earth Dawn. Write-ups on the history, religion and overall makeup of the storyline, plus a good short story, are excellent. They tell the players and GMs all they need to know and to start gaming immediately. Plus the gamemaster section holds some good general information that every aspiring GM should read.
I am fairly impressed with the whole book, and am happy that new dimensions were added to the non-human races. Dwarves finally take a place as a major political power; humans, trolls, ors and even elves seem to coexist to some degree; plus there are some new races available for players to try out, each with real qualities about them.
As with Traveller: The New Era and Earth Dawn, both will make an excellent addition to any gaming collection. My hope is that with the release of new support material that GMs will still be able to keep some flexibility and creativity alive with the developing shorelines.
Theresa Verity
Shatterzone (West End Games)
Space is Big! The adventure in the Shatterzone universe does not begin or end in the zone itself. The Shatterzone is only one part of the larger universe. The Armagons, the Fleet, the colonies, the aliens, the bolters, the technology, the MegaCorporations, and all the other fascinating and exciting dangers and treasures are all just parts of the next great age of exploration.
This is the universe of Shatterzone RPG by West End Games, based on their paperback series of the same name.
The Player’s Guide to Shatterzone: A 96 page book that contains complete details and information on creating characters for the Shatterzone RPG. This system is said to be quick and flexible. The point system allows each character to "build" a character which is unique and exciting but still balanced and playable.
The Universe Guide details the Shatterzone universe including the main alien races.
The Gamemaster's Guide to Shatterzone contains all the information needed to run the Shatterzone system. Included are rules for creating starships.
Underground (Mayfair)
Underground takes the player to earth in the year 2021. Genetically enhanced soldiers us their incredible abilities to carve out new nations and rework the corrupt world as they see fit. Will the players join the underground movement or do they hold an altogether different set of values? The future is entirely in their hands.
Darkurthe Legends FRPG (Black Dragon Press)
Darkurthe Legends is a new FRPG from Black Dragon Press. This fantasy game focuses on the story and the characters, stressing character individuality. In the game, Wizards create their own spells, and Fighters create special combat moves to compliment combat styles. Also includes new race/monster creation and everything needed to play in one book.
Metascape RPG: Guild Space (Game Lords Ltd)
This innovative new role-playing game incorporates unique die mechanics, an exciting super-science setting, and rules geared toward playability and instant, ad-lib gaming.
In the Guild Space Setting, your characters may explore a new galaxy filled with dangers, wonders, and heroic adventure.
You may play an Anthropos - the genetically-advanced descendant of modern humans; a Draca Warrior, Cybermetically enhanced for battle; or a catlike member of the Zin-Shee species, whose females command the secrets of psionic power, and whose males are agile, tough fighters. Other player races include the insectoid Kryll, masters of biotechnology; the Calemora, the finesse warriors in the galaxy; and the mysterious Shanask, who wield the ancient power known only as The Sorce.
As new members of the House of Dha, your characters are the elite of the galaxy, members of the most advanced fighting force in history! Their opponents are the totalitarian forces of The Empire, raiders of the Dark Alliance, and the mysterious alien Horde. These enemies are fierce and ruthless, and the House of Dha is still small and untested. Your characters will decide, one and for all, whether the forces of violence and destruction will defeat civilization or not.
Comes with Rulebook, Setting Guide, Equipment Manual, Character Manual, a complete adventure, 16-sided die, six metal miniatures, counter sheet and information on Metascape's national ranking system.
Amazing Engine (TSR)
Bughunters & For Faerie, Queen & Country
From the company that started it all comes a new multi-genre RPG system. With the core rules (System Guide) you create a character that can easily be adapted to any genre. You can create wizards, mercenaries, alien technologist, xenoform thieves - virtually any kind of character form any genera. All you need is the core rules and the appropriate Universe Book for the Genre you are playing. BUGHUNTERS (a thinly veiled Aliens Setting - minus the licensing agreement) is a sci-fi rules for Amazing Engine. Players seek out and battle inimitable alien creatures while trying to piece together the secret of a horrifying galactic threat!
FAERIE, QUEEN & COUNTRY is a fantasy setting for the AMAZING ENGINE. The setting is Victorian England.
Journeyman (Infinity Games)
Journeyman is a highly workable merging of hard science and role-playing. The rules and background of the game show the extensive research that went in to the product, yet the game is very simple to play and understand, and no extensive scientific knowledge is required. In fact, Journeyman can support any amount of science and campaigns can range from "pure" science fiction to space opera or science fantasy.
Journeyman's scope goes far beyond mere action and adventure. The scientist and engineer professions are actually viable characters. Campaigns can revolve around corporate intrigue, exploration and discovery, or even political strife.
Journeyman technology is fantastic and yet utterly believable. Some of the thins allowed by Journeyman technology include: computer chips implanted in the brain, sentient robots, cloning, genetic engineering, "true" cyborgs where a living brain is placed in a custom-built robotic body, supercomputers the size of a paperback and cybernetic limbs and organs.
Spacecraft construction - finally, a system where you don't need a degree in math to build a spacecraft. No keeping track of megawatts produced by power plants and consumed by components; no messing with mass vs. displacement; and, at last, no need to take square or cube roots to find out how much computer you need. All these variables are built into the straightforward and simple formulas used to put together very believable spacecraft. The ship generation rules let you construct everything from chemically fueled space shuttles to the slick gravitic-driven vessels of more modern Journeyman societies.
If you're a serious gamer, love science fiction, or just want to try something new and exciting, take a look at Journeyman.
RIFTS: Africa (Palladium Books)
Although RIFTS is not a new system, the AFRICA source book expands the RIFTS universe. If you are wondering why a book on AFRICA - Kevin Siembieda's introduction to the book does an outstanding job of answering that question. In fact, it leaves one pondering on why no one ever thought to do it sooner.
That's it for the new releases - my apologies to those game companies that were missed. Either I didn't receive a copy of the game or I didn't get a press release. No one was intentionally dropped form the list. - JRB
RPG Shareware!!
In case you didn't know it there are thousands of Computer RPG aids and games out there FREE for the asking. Being SHAREWARE, you only need pay if you find the program useful. You can get a catalog of available SHAREWARE form DISQUIRX, Rt. 4 Lot 315, Lake Piomingo, Tupelo, MS 38802. Tell them SHADIS sent you!!
Barcode Battles: Here's a novel gaming concept! Irwin Toy, Ltd has just released an electronic game called "Barcode Battler" that builds monsters, warriors and wizards by scanning the bar codes on standard commercial products. The game works by basing character attributes on the bar code data off of packaging and translating the data into the electronic game where the newly created creatures slug it out. The machine might translate the code of a bar of soap into a super-human hero or a can of soda might become a powerful wizard. What makes the game unique is that no one knows what products will produce the best characters. In Japan, where the game is very popular a certain brand of soap sold out through word of mouth when it was learned its barcode would create an extremely powerful dragon. Irwin Toys will release the product in the U.S. for Christmas ($54.99).
For information call (800) 268-1733.
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© Copyright 1993 by Alderac Group
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