MW2039

More on MW2039.

So I want lots of pulpiness to be included in this setting. What's more pulp than Cthulhu? Now in CthulhuTech, humans finally have a fighting chance. However in MW2039, it will still be a dicey encounter as the more ancient creatures will be more than a match even for the advanced technology of Tesla. And of course in any encounter, losing your sanity is a possibility. But as humanity reaches further into the galaxy, they begin to encounter the creatures of the Mythos more and more often.

Of course I'll have to get permission from the Chaosium to use Cthulhu...MW2039 is still in the early stages of development.

I'm hoping to have something concrete for next years con season, and run some games next year in my setting.

Reminiscing about Comic Con

Did a bunch of stuff around the house after 10 hours at work, then say down for a little Old Republic.

I will update tomorrow.

If anyone remembers going to Comic Con in the OLD Days, you might be interested in the Comic Fest at the El Cortez taking place later this year. First time I went was in 1986, still a teenager, but man was it different from today. I remember one year getting a sketch and autograph from Wendy Pini at a walk-up booth on the floor. How times change.

We actually took the boys one day when they were 3 years old in 2002. Next time we took them was in 2006, they remember that trip...heh. 

Gamex Report

Well GameX was a fun day on Sunday. First and foremost, walking with without having been pre-registered, getting the boys and I in took all of maybe 1 minute. The con was laid out with lots of room, we never made it to all the different areas as they were laid out all over the hotel. However it was simple to find what we were looking for as they had nice signage pointing to the different areas. Very well-run con, can't wait to hit it in September.

We got to play some Traveller on Sunday morning (9AM slot) with Mongoose Cadet: Nicholas Hallsey. Murder on Achates IV. The adventure was a murder mystery set in the Imperium. We arrived on a transport, and as the only ones at at the starport that arrived after the murder we were quickly recruited to solve the mystery. We blew through the content, moving to immediately check the security footage of the crime, which of course had been tampered with. While we were under psion assault it wasn't hard to see something was afoot, We finished with nearly an hour to spare. I enjoyed myself and I'll let the boys say what they thought of the game and have them post in the comments.

We headed down to the dealer hall after the game to get a lay of the land as to what was for sale and what new stuff was going on there, first I picked up Dominion: Intrigue for $40, not bad. After we went and played some Infinite City, we got a $5 coupon for the AEG booth, So combined with the con special, I was able to pick up L5R War of Honor for $45! Which was like 25% off.

We hit the 2PM timeslot ready to rock, Ian decided he wanted to play something on his own, without Sean & I. So he headed to another Traveller game with Nicholas Hallsey. "On Board the Sun Tzu". Sean and I headed to a Castle Falkenstein hack for Malifaux, run by James Forest of plustentoawesome.
 It was EPIC! and fully captured the feel of Malifaux. Several members of the Guild return to the mining town to find it under assault by ghouls, which had of course stolen the huge shipment of soulstones. This was my first encounter with the Castle Falkenstein RPG, and I must say it's a rather nice fit for Malifaux. I wish it wasn't so out of print, I'd love to get my hands on a copy of it.

Pictures to follow tomorrow.

Strategicon - Gamex 2012

We're heading to Strategicon tomorrow. Now since we're just going for one day it's going to be a bit of a chore, early rise, long drive, FUN FUN FUN, long drive and late to bed...

BUT it should TOTALLY be worth it.

MW2039 System

So now I need to make the decision about what I want my game to be based upon. It's pulpy so something cinematic, but I kind of want stats to be in there. I also love aspects.

Now as far as OGL systems, there's Pathfinder/d20 system of course, but not really what I want, as I want the game to be a bit more simplistic, actually a lot more simplistic.

FATE has a lot of what I'm looking for, but no stats. It definitely has aspects.

Savage Worlds isn't OGL, but for a free setting, there wouldn't be an issue of course. Savage Worlds doesn't have aspects, but that's something easily modified....

Legend is OGL, but I'm not sure how well it would work for a sci-fi setting. I'm sure it's been done somewhere, I just haven't found it yet.

Decisions....decisions....

any input?

Gamex Inbound!

Gamex is coming up this weekend, while it's not San Diego Local, it is within driving distance. I've never been, but Chris Czerniak keeps telling me I should go!! So if everything works out this weekend, I'll try and head there this weekend at least for one day.

Games is the Memorial Day weekend session of the Strategicon series of Gaming conventions!

Strategicon.net

There's so many role-playing events, it's like a real GameCon!!! I love KingdomCon, it's a blast I just wish there was more RP events that people play...Check out the list of events and Gamex!!!

At the Door Registration

Convention Registration Hours

• Friday, Noon - 8:30 pm
• Saturday, 8:00 am - 8:30 pm
• Sunday, 8:00 am - 8:30 pm
• Monday, 8:00 am - 3:00 pm

Entry Fees

$50.00	Full Con Pass
$30.00	One Day Pass (Saturday/Sunday)
$10.00	One Day Pass (Friday/Monday)
$90.00	Season Pass (Next 3 Shows)
$50.00	Family Day Pass (Preregister)
$450.00	V.I.P. Pass (Preregister)
$5.00	Children 12 and under (with Adult admission)
Free	Shoppers Pass
Free	Become a Volunteer!

Warriors in Time update

Sean and I did some brainstorming on his game today. He also decided to use an existing system rather than creating a system from scratch. So I asked which OGL system he thought he wanted to work with, FATE, d20, or Legend, he decided on Legend. I think it's a pretty solid choice to emulate all the variances of a genre that can span from playing a caveman to a 25th century homo superior. I need to work with him on whether the system will work with space age weaponry.

One thing he plans on allowing is magic for those of ancient times, and psionics for those of future times.

One solid thing he's decided is that the characters will come from pretty much any era.

I think the game has promise, I want Sean to write his first piece of fiction for it soon.

Moderne World of 2039 Ramblings

Remember all of this is still owned by me under CCNA-SA, so if you want to make derivative works, obviously link back here. 


Does this sound like a game you'd want to play in?

So I'm still designing this in my head, it's definitely not Deadlands Noir, it's more of a Flash Gordon modernized (not like the SyFy version most recently....better). As in take the old serials, project that technology into the future. Now combine it with some flappers, Metropolis, Caravan Palace, the roaring 20's that lasted over 100 years, while alcohol was eventually re-legalized, drinking in public wasn't, so the 'speak easy' survived as private clubs which require memberships to attend. Unlicensed 'Speeks' are still raided all the time. Needless to say, memberships aren't cheap, nor are the licenses to open a Private Club, so hundreds of 'Speeks' come and go in every city of the 7 colonies.

The 7 colonies. When mankind left Earth, they expanded to 7 habitable locales (soft science pulp habitable, forget reality). Mars, the Moon, Venus, Titan, (Three other colonies tbd).

There won't be rayguns that you're used to seeing, but there will be lasers. Imagine a Tommy Gun shooting lasers...but with a pseudo scientific explanation as to why...Now imagine that same Tommy gun all chromed out and sporting some nice micronized neon tubes...

Cap 1 Industries is the largest and most powerful company in the world of 2039, in the galaxy for that matter. GioNova Intergalactic is their largest rival. Each G-Corp (originally known as Gang Corporations by the feds). Obviously Cap 1 Industries was started by Al Capone's organization, and GiaNova was started by the Giovanni Crime Syndicate.

The Federal Earth Government still tries to keep the peace between the G-Corps, but, since nearly every cop has their pockets lined with G-creds, it's hard to find honest cops. Dicks form the largest independent mercenary force. (Think private eyes turned shadow runner). These guys are paid real good to investigate other G-Corps, and bring evidence to light to cost rival G-Corps serious cred.

With the exploration of the Galaxy, came new adventure, and of course, intergalactic intrigue in the form of alien races. Once alien races where found, brown skin didn't mean much compared to 4 arms.

Dexter M. Rey is the biggest voice in Radio, Video and Satelo. His voice spans the 7 Colonies via Satelo, one of Nikola Tesla's greatest inventions (Besides his RoboForm bodies) Satelo allows near instantaneous communication across the galaxy. (Soft Sci-Fi). TelStar is the leading technology company, though other companies employ Dicks to attempt to steal research from rivals. Cap 1 Industries has several shady companies under the radar, back engineering, and redesigning TelStar's work to to patent. Yes, Nikola Tesla is still alive....sort of...as an Advanced RoboForm, though he's gone a bit mad, he is still constantly inventing, but he never talks, he just creates new technology 24/7, teams engineers watch him around the clock, trying to see what he's doing, but many times new items come out of Tesla's lab, and no one knows what they do, how they work or anything.




Working again makes it tough to post EVERY day, but hopefully with Summer coming up we can get the Epic Twins posting some stuff as well. 

Legend

Picked up the Legend RPG from Mongoose. (This is effectively RuneQuestII rules, crunhed into an OGL format...which is pretty sweet I think).

The core rulebook which is using a smaller format similar to the Savage World's explorer edition except this one is over 200 pages. On DrivethruRPG.com it's only $1, as Mongoose doesn't have an SRD up for Legend, so for $1 you get all the rules and the art (which isn't OGL). So effectively you're paying for the art and getting the book free...Anyway, I downloaded an Eberron Conversion for it, so I think the boys and I are going to try it out with a setting I already know.

News! Pinnacle's new secret setting revealed!

NEWS FLASH!

OK, as you've seen I had just been working on my ideas for a Free RPG...well here is one of the genres I had been kicking around in my head...Noir...

I must say I'm quite excited....I've been shying away from the whole PFRPG thing lately, I guess I'm just tired of the massive amount of stuff again...prolly just a phase, but I'm really enjoying reading other games and settings. Don't get me wrong I'm still going to pick up the Advanced Races Guide, but y'know just checking out other games, I think one reason is because I love FATE so much, and learning new systems has always given me ideas for tweaks to any game. Anyway, check out the kickstarter, I'm heading over there now!

Deadlands Noir—The Secret Setting Revealed!

The year is 1935. New Orleans is one tough lady of a town. Some say her blood-red lipstick hides a heart of gold, others say it’s black as a killin’ bruise. Colorful, but a smart man don’t say nothin’ if he can avoid it—best to let the deadly secrets of the streets roll down the gutters like dirty rainwater.

This hard-boiled new setting brings the gritty history of the Deadlands world into the 1930s, giving you the shades of gray only a world of noir can deliver. Study the dangerous art of private detection in the city of New Orleans, solve whodunnits where both suspects and victims shoot back, venture into the gator-filled sludge of Louisiana’s deadly bayous, and learn just what the killer known only as “Stone” is doing in the Big Easy.

Deadlands Noir is also our first foray into Kickstarter. Even if you’re somehow not interested in the dizzying array of fabulous perks available, be sure to check out the first installment of the illustrated audio drama Hard Boiled in the Big Easy.

Since we first leaked a teaser about the new setting last Tuesday, we’ve been running a contest on our Facebook page to guess the name of the new setting. Give it a look-seefor an explanation of the various clues and whether anyone guessed it correctly.

Far West Combat Update

Here's another update on Far West, the first (and so far only Kickstarter I've contributed to.) Copied from the Far West homepage:

Our preview of the rules of the Far West Adventure Game continues, this time with a look at the combat system. When you’re doing a game of furious kung fu and blazing sixguns, combat is a critical component of the system, and it was the one part of the rules where we felt it most important to bring across the “feel” of wuxia action.
To talk about combat, though, we need to give you a brief rundown of the core system: a d20 roll, plus modifiers, versus a Difficulty (either static or an opposed roll). The most commonly-encountered die rolls in Far West are Stunts, Saves, and Bouts. 

Modifiers
The usual modifier affecting a die roll is the character’s ability bonus. There are also situational modifiers based on the particular circumstances (determined by the Narrator). A character’s rank also bestows a bonus (+2 for Novice, +4 Initiate, +6 for Master and +8 for Legend). In addition, a character can add their rank bonus multiple times, if they have an appropriate Area of Knowledge, or have tagged an appropriate Aspect.
Example: An Initiate hero riding a horse would make a die roll based on their Dexterity ability bonus, +4 for their rank. If the same character had “riding” as an AOK, they’d add another +4. If the same character also had an Aspect called “born in the saddle”, they’d get another +4 if they brought it into play. You can see that somebody so specialized is starting from a position of great advantage just from the bonuses, even before a die is rolled. 

Stunts
In Far West, virtually everything you do is a stunt. You must roll a stunt check whenever the outcome for the action you’re taking is uncertain. Routine actions do not require a roll.
Stunt checks are rolled with the appropriate ability bonus, as well as any situational modifiers, and can be modified by Stunt Dice connected with that ability. Stunt Dice are bonus dice gained through Edges (for example “Catlike Reflexes” gives stunt dice to Dexterity stunts) and range from d4 to d12. You can attempt stunts for which you have no stunt die; you just don’t get any additional bonus for them.
A stunt check takes into account your training (stunt die bonus, AOK bonus, applicable Aspect bonus), natural aptitude (ability modifier, applicable Aspect bonus), and luck (the die roll). In most circumstances, you’re either trying to match or exceed a Difficulty Class (DC) determined by the Narrator, or looking to beat all opposing stunt check results (called an “opposed roll”). Opposed stunt checks are best used for “one-shot” circumstances, where the end result is simple. If the situation is one where there will be a great deal of back-and-forth between the participants (a debate, for example, or a race, or a drinking contest, etc.), it is better to use a Bout (see below). 

SavesSaves are, essentially, reactive stunts — rolls made to avoid when something is happening to you, or being directed at you. Any attribute can have a save associated with it: for example, leaping clear of an explosion would be a Dex save; resisting the effects of poison would be a Con save, etc. As with stunts, if the situation is one where there will be a drawn-out exchange between participants, it is better to use a Bout. 

Bouts
Combat in Far West is handled through a set of die rolls collectively referred to as a Bout. Bouts come in two varieties, contested and uncontested.
Contested Bouts
Contested bouts can only be undertaken by ranked characters with available Spirit. The only exception to this is a special circumstance when multiple unranked characters act together in unison (referred to as a Gang), in which case they are treated as if they were a ranked character (this allows contested bouts between a single hero and large group of attackers, for example).
In a contested bout, two (or more) characters will vie back and forth, performing one outrageous action after another in attempt to best the opponent. These scenes feature a great deal of action and reaction: the flurry of strikes and blocks until a telling blow gets through, for example.
The object of a contested bout is to reduce your opponent’s key ability pool to zero, in order to deliver the result you seek. You provide a context and a goal for the bout, and the Narrator decides the key ability (and thus the ability pool and related stunt) used — for example a shootout would be Dex-based, a drinking contest Con-based, a debate would be Cha-based, etc.
Both parties alternate rolling a stunt check on their respective turn in a sequence, with the contest’s initiator having the first roll. Anyone can choose not to roll stunt die for himself if wishes, perhaps saving the option for something else if suspecting trickery. The DC for the stunt is the opponent’s key ability pool.
The “damage” on a successful stunt check is equal to your key ability bonus + stunt bonus, with a minimum 1 point of damage. The target subtracts the amount from their key ability pool. Yes, you’re essentially “attacking” the opponent’s ability pool, though such “bout damage” is neither permanent nor temporary, but just a means to keep track of how closely one is to winning or losing. It does not actually affect anything or reduce the stunt DC “to hit.” The ability pool refreshes when the bout is over (although some particularly nasty kung fu styles can change that — making your targets ability pool refresh at a slower rate).
If the ability pool drops it to zero, a character is unable to continue and loses the contest. Otherwise, repeat the process (representing the back-and-forth between the participants) until there’s a winner.
With the Narrator’s consent, you can use another key ability in place of the original at any point of a contest. This reflects adopting a clever ploy or improvising on the fly. For example, if you’re obviously the lightweight in a drinking contest, you might want to use deception to just pretend you’re drinking–which turns your roll into a Charisma stunt instead of Constitution stunt, which can tilt the odds to your favor (providing you have a better stunt die in Charisma). Or, you might want to slip a little something into the opponent’s cup to expedite his passing out, in which case you’ll be rolling a Dexterity stunt. A shootout using Dex might not be to your advantage, so you choose to rush into close combat with your kung fu, if you have better stunt die in Strength.
You can also choose to roll your stunt versus multiple opponents, the same opponent more than once, or any combination thereof. There are limits to how many stunts you can perform per turn, based on your rank (and modified by some Edges), and this choice also makes success more difficult – but makes the results of that success potentially devastating.
The winner of the contest determines how the contest ends: Direct delivery of real damage, knocking the target unconscious, humiliation of the target, gaining some benefit for yourself, or other effects. The Narrator should use the accrued stunt bonuses as a general guideline as to what the winner can and cannot do. In general, the higher the final bonus the more likely the desired result is achieved — the accrued stunt bonuses also modify damage delivered, making long bouts particularly dangerous. 

Much more detail on contested bouts can be found in Chapter IX: Furious Action.
Uncontested Bouts
An uncontested bout is any bout that involves an unranked character, or a ranked character who is unable (or chooses not ) to participate in a contested bout. It is simply a direct stunt versus a target, as an opposed roll, with the result applied directly. Most often, this is used to represent straightforward combat: an attacker rolls a Dexterity stunt to shoot a target (for example), who rolls a Dexterity stunt to avoid being shot, and if the attack succeeds, damage is delivered. 

Damage
Far West uses a series of damage conditions, running from fairly minor to serious and life threatening. The damage conditions (in increasing order of severity) are: bruised, hurt, dazed, wounded, staggered, disabled, unconscious, and dying.
Damage is determined by a Constitution save: a roll of the die plus the hero’s Constitution bonus and appropriate modifiers against a Difficulty of 15, modified by the source of the damage: with more damaging attacks more difficult to save against.
The result of the roll determines the damage condition: a successful save means no damage, a failure is a bruised or hurt result, failure by 5 or more a dazed or wounded result, failure by 10 or more a staggered or disabled result, and failure by 15 or more an unconscious or dying result. Variation in failure results depend on whether the attack was non-lethal or lethal in nature. 

Example: Two characters have been fighting in a rickety barn, destroying it as they do so. Each hold up a section of the building while fending off blows and simultaneously trying to bring down the structure on their opponent (making it a Strength bout). When the bout resolves, the winner decides to inflict damage on the loser by having the collapsing building fall on top of him. The winner’s martial arts damage is 2D8 and his final total stunt bonus was +14. He rolls a 7, so the loser rolls a Constitution save against a DC of 21. The loser rolls a 16 — failing by 5. The loser is caught in the collapsed barn, wounded. 

So there’s a quick overview of how combat works in Far West, via bouts. In play, we found that this system really brought across the rapid-fire strike-block-strike-block-grab-flip-strike-block-WHAM! as found in wuxia films, and traditional Spaghetti Western shootouts were emulated perfectly by a Wits bout (staredown), leading to a single gunshot, loaded up with a massive amount of accrued stunt bonus, from the winner of the bout. We’re quite happy with the results.
Next time, we’ll take a look at some more setting material, with sample entries from the Far West Lexicon.

If you like what you’re seeing here, and you missed the Kickstarter for the game, the general-release Retail Edition of the Far West Adventure Game up for pre-order here at our store. The game ships in August.

Great insight into Game Design

Here's Sean Preston's Insight into Game Design, as more like assembly line of vegetables for cooking rather than making sausage:

http://realityblurs.com/wordpress/?p=4018

As both Sean and I are working on some design stuff (I'm ALWAYS working on something, I need to kick my ADD in the butt and finish all my half-finished projects...maybe this will help.)

Gaslight Gathering II: The Expedition

Hey all!

Gaslight Gathering is going on right now.

Unfortunately with my new job and since I came down with a nasty cold, I'm not there right now. (Also the boys will be attending a birthday party on a Game Truck tonight, so...that kind of took precedence.)

Last year gaming up there was pretty fun, we played some Dystopia Wars, and Red Dragon Inn, in addition to playing lots of Munchkin. I'm not sure what's being played right now, but I heard SoCal Malifaux is there running Malifaux demos.

They're holding it at the Town & Country in Hotel Circle. Check out http://www.gaslightgathering.org/ for information!




(Not sure if these prices are pre-reg or at the door prices now, so at the door might be a bit more)
Steerage (Single Day) Boarding Pass
Friday $20
Saturday $30
Sunday $15

Far West Update & pre-orders

Hey all,

Got this in my e-mail the other day, If you've been waiting for the game, or if you haven't a clue, check it out:

Hey there, folks.
We've just posted a new development article up on the FAR WEST website, giving a glimpse of the steps of character creation:
http://intothefarwest.com/2012/05/08/a-glimpse-of-character-creation/Also appearing at the top of that article (and included below with this update) is a selection of three character portraits, more examples of the Kickstarter backer images that Rick has done.   Who are these fine people?    Ah, but that would be telling.

 Also live on the website today is the launch of the pre-order for the non-Kickstarter general-release Retail Edition of the game, which will be appearing in distributor catalogs in the next few weeks, solicited as an August release.   If you've got friends who missed out on the Kickstarter, feel free to point them to the webstore:

http://intothefarwest.com/store/

I'm really excited to get the PDF in my hot little hands next month!!!

Free RPG Design as well

So after posting about Sean's new RPG design venture, I looked at my own post again, and since I've been listening to Caravan Palace a lot lately, decided to go with something Pulpy, something sleek.

The Moderne World of 2039. 


Stay tuned for more information in this thread as replies.

Free RPG, by Epic Sean

So Epic Sean is going to attempt to come up with his own Free RPG.

He's soliciting us for his name ideas:
Quarantine
Reboot the World
Target Acquired
Half Dead Sun
Don't Judge the Dead
Wired to the World
The Naga in Nirvana
Warriors in Time

If you wish to cast a vote, just comment with your vote

Free Comic Book Day reminder

Hey all, don't forget to go to your local Comic book store and get your free comics!!!

This post has a bunch of stores, or you can look up additional stores on the free comic book day site. 

Reviews - Interface Zero Zeeks (Savage Worlds)

Zeeks! Psionics in 2088 (Interface Zero - Savage Worlds)
Published by GunMetalGames

Once more I'm reviewing a product from my favorite line of products for Savage Worlds. This one is a must have in reality, well must have if you want to run some psionics, and what Cyberpunk is complete without some mind magic?



WANNA PLAY SOME MIND GAMES?
When Hernando Vasquez walked into the North American Coalition embassy in Madrid and torched everything just by glaring at it, everybody knew: zeeks are among us. Some people hate 'em; some people love 'em. And make no mistake about it, tomo, that means most people either want to shoot them or use them to their own ends. But then I suppose that just makes life more interesting, ne?

HAVE YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES?
Zeeks: Psionics In 2088 gives you an opportunity to explore the subculture of zeeks, either as a GM wanting to incorporate them into your game or a player wishing to play a psychic character. Whether you want to have a full-blown campaign focusing on the tumultuous world of psions, or just know what might be lurking back there in the shadows, we've got your back -everything from the Psi-Hunters who stalk zeeks to the fringe cults that worship them.
IN THIS BOOK YOU'LL FIND:

• Loads of information about psions and how they fit into the world of Interface Zero.
• Rules for creating psionic characters for Interface Zero, including new Edges, Hindrances and Powers.
• A new system for Savage Psionics, without the Power Points - and still Fast, Furious and Fun!
• More occupations for your characters, as well as new goodies from Malmart.
• Two complete Savage Tales and a half-dozen plot hooks to help bring zeeks into your game.
• Stats for new NPC friends and enemies, as well as stats for a few... other things.

This is an expansion for Savage Worlds Interface Zero, and not a stand-alone game.



Format: I'm reviewing the PDF format provided to Epic the RPG Blog for review purposes.

Page thru: Paging through this book you'll find it is full-color, and has lots of art, including several full page pieces. I right away notice new edges and hindrances. I also notice several pieces of gear, everyone needs a little bit of gear in a cyrberpunk game.

Main Review: OK we start out the book with some good story fluff. The very first piece of fiction covers what's going on in the picture on the cover. A picture is worth a thousand words, but then you get the words too. The introduction covers research and origins with a historical reference to the research both the US And USSR did during The Cold War. Love that GMG gets those details into IZ.

Chapter 1: 2088 Through the Eyes of a Zeek
This chapter is told from the perspective of a zeek talking about what it's like to live as a zeek in the world of 2088. What countries it pays to be known and what countries it pays to keep the the shadows. It then drops into a section on 'zeekisms', from psychic vampires to religious stigmas clouding the view of what a seek actually is. Every zeek pretty much believes in Shangri La, a place where zeeks are welcomed with open arms, just not too many can actually agree on where it is. (Leaving that up to the GM...I like it.) That section finishes with Psiders, thought eating monsters that love to prey on zeeks. Who's a zeek? Well typically only humans, sims, androids and AIs aren't psions (though there is a direct contradiction about sims, thinking that was an extra that got missed in editing.) What flavors do zeeks come in, well, there's zeeks, freeks, peeks and tweeks. Zeeks being the catch-all term for psions. Peeks are mind readers, psychometers, and clairvoyants. Tweeks have powers that generally cause destruction, like a pyromancer, or cryomancer or any other mancer you can think of. Freeks being the bastard child of psions, they're the ones who exhibit strange powers; teleportation for example. With all these psions running around, there's going to be those who hate them, those that worship them, and those that hunt them. The final sections of Chapter 1 covers Psi-Division, Cults and orders and Hate groups.

Chapter 2: Building a Better Psychic
Best part of this book, is the new Power (psionics) system, it's very familiar but tweaked enough to really change it without making it something you really have to learn. First power points are not used to fuel powers, but as a bonus modifier to cast them, failed rolls can now inflict Fatigue, so they provide an optional rule for adding another level of Fatigue, to make Zeeks a little more durable in that regard. To have a zeek you must choose the Arcane Background (Psionics) Edge, as well as an additional minor hindrance, which doesn't count as a choice, so you can still have additional hindrances as normal.

Five new Hindrances are presented: Debt (LOVE this one, minor nets you a single purchase of up to 15k, but a 500/month upkeep, while major doubles those numbers...fail to keep your upkeep and you might just be getting a house call from your loan shark.), Shakes (which are pretty brutal unless you pay the 500creds per month for your meds.), Stress Trigger (which can cause psychic powers to go off at the wrong time), Weak Zeek (weaker starting power of 1) and Latent Talent (which requires two advances to buy off and lets the GM select your powers, though any powers you haven't had manifest randomly can still be chosen when you buy it off).

Eight new edges are presented in the Edges section, and also points out the ones that do not fit Interface Zero. It overhauls the other Powers Edges to fit the system. Freek, Peek and Tweek give you bonuses when using related powers. If you don't want to be a full blown zeek, Wild Talent gives you a single minor power. Psychic Leech is particularly nasty, causing other people within range to suffer the fatigue when the Zeek uses their powers (it's a contested roll, not automatic). Enhanced Ability allows a zeek to take a power from a higher power level, so a seasoned zeek could take a legendary power, failure costs double fatigue however. Mind over Matter lets the zeek soak fatigue with a successful spirit roll, pretty handy in a drawn out combat. Finally, PSI-Hunter grants bonuses for locating zeeks.

Seven new occupations are presented, from the Fortune Teller to the Waitress. However unlike the occupations presented in the Core rulebook, these have a bit more info included, like suggested pre-reqs. Now I'll have to go back and create the same for the other occupations, however this gives me lots of ideas for my Savage Rifts conversion work.

Some good additional information in this chapter is the Fatigue Results chart and the Oops factor table. Eight additional powers are also presented in this chapter, including such classics as astral projection, and telepathic link. Filling in some needed gaps in powers to bring that classic psion feel to Savage Worlds.

Chapter 3: Malmart 2088 Fall Update
I do love gear, I'm really looking forward to the Malmart book when its coming out, so I enjoy every bit of gear I can read in these books. N-Vogue programmable clothes are pretty epic, and I actually wonder how many years it will be before these are reality. The Lone Rider .30cal rifle is good in either single shot or burst mode. The I-Spex and disposable I-Spex are perfect for those who don't have a TAP, allowing visual interface with the Hyper-reality of 2088. Kilner Specs, Kirilian Damper, Psi Enhancer and Psi-kick fill out the rest of the Malmart update.

Chapter 4: Savage Tales...Zeek Style
Two fleshed out tales are presented in this section as well as seven short plot hooks. Lots of quick to run adventure ideas in here, should help out any game master.

Chapter 5: Friends and Foes
A couple of major players are presented first, they could have used up some additional text space to expand them. Generic Zeek, Psi Division Analyst, Psi Division Soldier, Psider, Psychic Vampire, Zeek Ganger (urban), and Zeek Ganger (wastelander) round out the 'Other Threats' in this section. 



Artwork: GunMetal makes sure great artwork is used in their book, full color with lots of setting specific flavor. There are an awful lot of full page pieces for such a small book. There are 5 full color pages, which are gorgeous pieces, very good quality, but lots of realty space.

Rating: 

of 20


Cost: $8.99 for the PDF at Drive-thru RPG. You can also purchase the print/pdf bundle from Cubicle 7 for $14.99.

Value: If you're wanting to run Psions in Interface Zero, this is not a must have as you can use the normal Arcane Power for it, but it is well worth it for a well-crafted rule addition.

FATE System

I'm quickly becoming a FATE fanatic, The skill based game system combined with aspects are really winning me over to this system and it's becoming my go-to system for any game.

I enjoy Pathfinder, but it does still have the same old D&D issues that I've quit D&D for at least twice. While Pathfinder is an improvement over 3.5, and has some of the best writers in the industry, it still has issues with high level play. I personally don't want to spend 3 hours running a single combat. Take Golarion and put it in a FATE based game, might be interesting.

I love Savage Worlds as well and Earthdawn, but they're beginning to falter as my top choices.

After playing the Atomic Robo playtest, I didn't want to stop, I wanted to continue that game. I have been reading my Legends of Anglerre book again, and working on an Earthdawn Hack.

Check out these FATE system titles:
Spirit of the Century
Dresden Files
Diaspora
Kerberos Club
Legends of Anglerre
Starblazer Adventures

Also check out the d20 to FATE conversion document

Adventureaweek

I'm going to be checking out www.Adventureaweek.com, Already from looking at it, there are 9 adventures.

So the goal is to present a new adventure every week, so far it seems they've maintained that goal, I'll have a look at the adventures that are up, check out the built in campaign setting and report back.

This is from their home page:


Welcome to Adventureaweek!
Getting started:

• The most important links you will use are conveniently located in the sidebar on the right hand side of the page.  We also feature a drop down menu with faster access once you become comfortable with the site.
• A new adventure will be presented each week and remain on the site indefinitely.
• You are encouraged to utilize our campaign setting, but it is not required to run these adventures.
• Please take the time to introduce yourself on the forum.  Our forum is a very open place where Game Masters may share their ideas freely and brainstorm with other GMs.

Here's a list of some of the modules for 2012!

A1 Crypt of the Sun Lord - 3/1 

A2 Devil of Dark Wood - 3/8
A3 Champion’s Rest – 3/15
A4 Forest for the Trees – 3/22
A5 Winterflower – 3/29
A6 Bear Trouble – 4/5
A7 Alchemist’s Errand – 4/12
A8 Search for the Tri-Stone – 4/19
A9 Rogue Wizard – 4/26
A10 Icecrag Monastery – 5/3
A11 Wild Thing – 5/10
B1 Under His Skin – 5/17
A12 Threat of the Drow – 5/24
A13 Rise of the Drow – 5/31
A14 Matron of the Drow – 6/7
A15-A20 Adventures in new lands!