First off the positives:
This is an amazing book, background and info briming on every page.
It presents one of the best backdrops for a game I've come across.
Black and white illustrations sdd to the noir feeling of the setting, flavour text is cool.
I could write chapters prasing the character generations, the setting, the anomolies, artifacts, etc... It is an amazing and open back drop for an rpg.
Then on to the negative (singular):
The only thing that lets it down for me (and I emphasis for me) is the game system itself- which a very small part of the book.
The resolution of events left me as GM feeling uncomfortably exposed. The number crunching, derived from skills and situation/task, although not complicated still felt that as GM I was still making arbritary discisions regarding the players ideas and roleplaying. ( ok I got burned a couple of times by my players... and these weren't my hardened Monday night crew either.)
Which is a shame because the character generation is pretty awesome.
If your players are meek and willing to accept you descisions at face value then the system will probably not pose a problem.
Myself, I'm playing arround with die resolution system I can bolt on without wrecking the chargen.
That aside the modest Mr Burger has done an a really excellent job of recreating the Story setting of a 'Road-Side Picnic' for as RPG, even if he does say so himself :)
Rating: [4 of 5 Stars!] |