An excellent adaptation of its source material which, unfortunately, doesn’t offer much to anyone who isn’t already a fan of the comic book.

Review Originally Published December 28th, 2000

Usagi Yojimbo is a truly excellent comic book created by Stan Sakai. The title character is an anthropomorphized version of the historical Miyamoto Musashi. In other words: Usagi Yojimbo is a humanoid rabbit whose fictional exploits draw a sizable portion of their inspiration from the life of a 17th century Japanese samurai.

The Usagi Yojimbo Roleplaying Game, authored by Greg Stolze (a game designer whose past credits – including Unknown Armies – speak for themselves), is an adaptation of Usagi’s world for all of us gaming fanatics.

SYSTEM

The system used for Usagi Yojimbo is a modified version of the generic Fuzion engine – also used in Sengoku (also published by Gold Rush Games), Bubblegum Crisis, Armored Trooper Votoms, and Champions: New Millennium (among others). You can learn more about the basic Fuzion system from the Fuzion Labs website.

There are two significant changes to the basic system in Usagi, both of which are carried out very nicely:

First, the character creation process has been boiled down to a simple, three step process – with each step modifying a set of basic attributes and skills which are given to each character:

1. Pick a Species (bat, cat, rabbit, mole, etc. – anthropomorphic, remember?).

2. Pick a Job (bounty hunter, bodyguard, gambler, retainer, etc.).

3. Divide 10 extra points among skills in order to customize your character.

This Job/Species system could easily be mistaken for a traditional, D&D-style Class/Race system – but you shouldn’t do that. The system in Usagi is not a class system, but rather an archetype system. Unlike the rigid definitions of a class system, an archetype system is loose and open: The goal of a class system is to protect the niche of each character (a wizard has a very different role than a fighter); whereas the goal of an archetype system is nothing more than to simplify the character creation process. Instead of figuring out which skills you need to be an effective messenger, the system designer has done the work for you.

The other major modification to the system is in the combat mechanics. Stolze has designed an elegant combat system designed to convey the feel and spirit of a samurai duel.

As in almost any other combat game you care to name, initiative determines who goes first. This person chooses a target. At this point, though, something a little different happens – because in Usagi Yojimbo it is not just the attacker, but also the defender, who gets to take an action.

It works like this: Both combatants secretly choose one of three strategies – Total Attack, Cautious Attack, or Total Defense. Both combatants then reveal their choice of strategy simultaneously (Stolze suggests using standard playing cards to do this effectively). Now, depending on which strategies were chosen, combat can go one of several ways. For example, if both combatants chose Total Attack, then they both roll their combat roles (Combat + Weapon Skill + roll of dice), but whoever succeeds does double the normal damage.

The only restriction to this is that the person who initiated the attack cannot choose Total Defense as a strategy (since that would mean they weren’t initiating the attack). Other than that, both attacker and defender behave identically – a rather radical change from the normal methodology in combat system design (in which the roles of attacker and defender are very distinct), which provides a unique – and highly worthwhile – dynamic to the system.

There are a few more twists to it, including an optional system for handling unarmed combat which is similarly unique in its approach, but that’s the core of it.

In practice this process really shines – giving a feel to the mechanics which does a very nice job of mirroring the feel of samurai duels in fiction (including, of course, Usagi Yojimbo).

STRENGTHS

The primary strength of Usagi has already been discussed at length: Stolze has adapted the Fuzion engine to give the game an extremely simple, yet also extremely attractive, system. Both character creation and combat are not only dynamic systems, but simple ones. Excellent stuff all around.

A couple of other things are worth mentioning, though: First, a one page system reference chart is included. I love these things, and wish more games had them. This one, in particular, is extremely effective – summarizing every last element of the game system. Far too often you’ll get “reference charts” – usually on GM screens – which reference every knick-knack in the game except the rules you actually use on a regular basis. Usagi avoids this nicely.

Second, the book contains a number of appendices – which, as a general rule, contain extremely useful information: A timeline for the Usagi universe; a character index for the comic; one of the best “gamer’s glossaries” for Japanese I’ve seen (largely helped, no doubt, by the fact it’s based in the Japanese which occasionally crops up in the Usagi comic; and, finally, a FUDGE conversion for the game system.

Finally, the book is rounded out by a short Usagi story by Stan Sakai, “Hebi”. Nice stuff.

WEAKNESSES

Unfortunately, there are two major flaws with the Usagi Yojimbo game – and they both take their toll on what would otherwise be an exceptional game.

First, the layout leaves much to be desired. Although the book’s illustrations are helped greatly in quality by the fact they are drawn from the Usagi comic book, they also come complete with word balloons. The effect, along with some other questionable lay-out choices, give the entire book a cluttered, inaccessible feel – which is, at the same time, scattered in its focus. One of the worst moments of this layout comes in a chart which lays out the major samurai clans in Usagi’s world – which, unfortunately, looks like it was designed to be a butterfly ballot in Florida.

Second, and far more troubling, is the fundamental lack of world reference material to be found in the book. It is essentially constrained to a timeline (which is not generally useful in any sense of the word) and a chapter discussing the major characters which have appeared in the Usagi comic (which is further flawed in that it doesn’t provide coverage of several usual suspects). The GM is basically left on their own when it comes to filling in the actual gaming environment of ancient Japan.

CONCLUSION

The Usagi Yojimbo Roleplaying Game is an excellent adaptation of its source material. Unfortunately, its varied weaknesses mean that it isn’t going to do anything for anyone who isn’t already a fan of the source material. The lack of any serious world reference material is particularly distressing – particularly when contrasted against the wealth of what would be essentially identical material in Gold Rush’s Sengoku game.

In short: Fans of Usagi Yojimbo might want to flip through this one to see if it offers them anything of interest. Anybody else should definitely give it a pass.

Actually, let me modify that conclusion in one way: System nuts might want to check this one out just to take a look at the combat system which Stolze has set up. The strategy system – which gives the system a true claim to fame – is almost a cap-system: It would be easy to pop it off of Fuzion and onto any standard combat system in the industry. If you’re tired of just rolling dice during combat, this might be worth your time.

Style: 4
Substance: 3

Grade: B

Title: Usagi Yojimbo Roleplaying Game
Authors: Greg Stolze
Company: Gold Rush Games
Line: Usagi Yojimbo
Price: $16.00
ISBN: 1-890305-02-2
Production Code: U100
Pages: 96

Originally Posted: 2000/12/28

I’m old enough that when someone says “furry” what I think of is stuff like Usagi Yojimbo and Cerebus. It’s interesting how a fetish-driven fanbase has really driven the whole anthropomorphic genre into a niche of a niche.

Conversely, it’s remarkable the degree to which D&D 3rd Edition rehabilitated the whole concept of class-based RPGs. Used to be everyone who left D&D to play other RPGs would collectively sigh with relief at never needing to play a class-based system with all of its silly limitations again. Now classes clearly rule the roost.

Review: Usagi Yojimbo – Monsters!

For an explanation of where these reviews came from and why you can no longer find them at RPGNet, click here.

An epic adventure anthology which takes some big chances. Extremely impressive. Easily adaptable for a variety of games (D&D, Legend of the 5 Rings, Usagi Yojimbo).

Review Originally Published December 25th, 2000

I was immediately drawn to Shiki for one simple reason: It dares to be epic.

Many generic adventures share a simple problem: They confuse “accessible” with “boring”. They don’t do so in so many words, of course (no one sets out to write a boring adventure, after all) – but they commit an easily understandable mistake: In an effort to make it possible for the GM to slide the adventure into any given campaign structure, they fail to invest the adventure with any stakes that make it important and meaningful for the player characters.

“A man walks up to you in a bar…”

“You hear rumors of a lost city in the desert…”

“The local lord has heard of your feats and has summoned you before him…”

“You are walking through the woods when you suddenly hear screams…”

What do these all have in common? They are adventure hooks which anyone can use… and no one will give a damn about.

To be an epic adventure means you have to put some real stakes up for grabs. And to pull that off without rendering the adventure inaccessible is a real challenge – a challenge which Shiki accepts and accomplishes.

Shiki consists of four adventures: “Heavier Than a Mountain”, “Shinobi”, “Kori No Namida”, and “Debt of Honor”. Shiki can be inserted into an existing campaign. Shiki can be the basis for starting a new campaign. Shiki can be a whole campaign unto itself. Shiki’s individual adventures can even be split up and played individually or selectively. And all of these options is given support from the author and throughout the text.

PLOT

Warning: This review will contain spoilers for Shiki. Players who may end up playing in this module are encouraged to stop reading now. Proceed at your own risk.

As I’ve already noted, Shiki is anthology of four adventures. These four adventures are arranged chronologically across almost twenty years, thematically by the four seasons, and in plot by the life of Kozo.

Heavier Than a Mountain. In the first adventure it is fall, and the PCs are serving as attendants to Lord Tadano Morihisa and his family in the Suruga province. Lord Tadano’s lands have come under attack by his eastern neighbor – Lord Izu – and things have gone poorly. As the adventure progresses, the PCs find themselves in Lord Tadano’s fortress as it falls – charged to escape with Kozo, the Lord’s heir, and see him safely to Shinano province and Lord Hosokawa’s fief. Unbeknownst to anyone, however, is that Lord Izu’s assault has been aided by the sorceror In’yu. When Izu discovers that Kozo has escaped, he charges In’yu to lay a curse upon the young boy – wherever he may be. This is done, and as Kozo ages this curse will plague both him and the land of his family.

Shinobi. One or two years have passed, and it is now the spring. The PCs find themselves deeply enmeshed in the politics surrounding Lord Hosokawa’s court. They are charged by their lord with protecting Lady Shinobi on a diplomatic mission attempting to convince one of Hosokawa’s neighbors – Lord Onoue — to ally with him against Izu. What the PCs don’t know is that Shinobi is secretly working as a spy, attempting to uncover the treachery of Onoue’s son (who plans to murder his father and pledge his loyalty to Izu).

Kori no Namida. (Tears of Ice) Ten years have passed, and in the dead of winter, Kozo’s curse begins to affect him deeply. The PCs are dispatched to Mt. Fuji in an attempt to capture the tear of ghost, the only cure which Hosokawa’s mystics can ascertain. If they fail, the curse will continue to affect Kozo as time passes. Even if they succeed, however, the scars of the curse will remain Kozo’s soul – hidden deep within his heart.

Debt of Honor. Eighteen years have passed since the PCs saved Kozo’s life, and the time has finally come to return Kozo to his rightful place. Although Kozo’s goals are just, his years of living under the curse have warped his soul. Through the course of an epic campaign, the PCs must work to keep the dark blot on Kozo’s soul from exterminating them all. Of course, everything ends in an epic conclusion.

(It should be noted that the war in the final adventure is handled through an innovative and highly effective roleplaying-based battle resolution system. If you’re looking to include a major war in a campaign – and want to keep the focus on roleplaying, not wargaming – then Shiki might be worth picking up just to take a look at the handful of pages which describe and implement this system . It can be easily adapted to any RPG system without blinking an eye.

WEAKNESSES

While Shiki deserves to have praise heaped upon it, there are a few key flaws which you should keep in mind as you prepare to use these adventures:

First, the boxed text which is presented is stilted and artificial. It neither functions organically, nor does justice to the quality of adventure design which surrounds it. Steer clear.

Second, throughout the text there is a design choice which seems to emphasize the use of dice rolling as a surrogate to actual roleplaying. This is relatively easy to ignore, and its nice to see the support there for those who want to use it, but I would have preferred the emphasis to be placed differently.

Finally, and far more troubling, are some key narrative problems within the core structure of Shiki: First, the “Shinobi” adventure, as written, doesn’t have much of a connection to the Kozo narrative. Something as simple as opening the adventure with an assassination attempt on Kozo (several have been attempted in the year since the previous adventure anyway, according to the adventure background), while perhaps increasing the level of direct political involvement on the part of the PCs, would serve to keep the adventure more firmly connected.

Second, the third adventure has a fair number of illogical plot jumps that need some serious work (its the classic case of the players needing to read the author’s mind in order to figure out that they need to go A, B, and C).

ONE LAST STRENGTH: ADAPTABILITY

One last strength of Shiki should be mentioned: I found it to be extremely adaptable to other game settings and systems, and the quality of material to be found within easily justifies the effort you might need to take. Conversion notes are provided in the book for Gold Rush Game’s Usagi Yojimbo, but players of Legends of the Five Rings, Bushido, or any other historical eastern game would find Shiki a worthwhile purchase.

I also consider Shiki to be highly adaptable to a couple of other unusual suspects: First, Dungeons & Dragons — not just oriental fantasy settings, but (with some serious – but still worthwhile – revision) the traditional venues as well. Second, Empire of the Petal Throne (with a good deal less work). The material is strong enough, and supported enough, to make these efforts worthwhile, in my opinion.

CONCLUSION

Epic adventure. Usable by just about anybody. Well done. Well supported. Excellent stuff.

What more do I need to say?

Style: 4
Substance: 4

Grade: B+

Title: Sengoku: Shiki
Author: Michael Montesa
Company: Gold Rush Games
Line: Sengoku
Price: $16.00
ISBN: 1-890305-19-7
Production Code: S103
Pages: 96

Originally Posted: 2000/12/25

Although I haven’t revisited it since writing this review, Michael Montesa’s Shiki remains one of my favorite modules and doing a proper run of it remains on my bucket list.

One of the reasons I didn’t run it back in the day is because I never got Sengoku to the table. I thought I’d bring it to my gaming group of the time after we finished the D&D campaign I was running for them, but the group broke up before that could happen. (This is also why I never ended up writing a review of the Sengoku game itself; I’d been waiting until I’d actually played it.)

For an explanation of where these reviews came from and why you can no longer find them at RPGNet, click here.

Atlas Games’ Penumbra line of D20 products continues to lead the field in D&D supplements.

Review Originally Published December 15th, 2000

There are two primary functions that a review serves: First, it lets people know about a product they might otherwise have been unaware of. Second, it tells them enough about it to let them know whether or not its a product they should buy.

The Black Amulet is a free promo offering for Atlas Games’ Penumbra line of D20 support products (which, as pretty much everyone reading this probably already knows, means that they’re compatible with the third edition of D&D). It’s a single magic item described in two pages – so why am I bothering to review something it’s going to take you less than five minutes to read for yourself?

Just to give you a quick head’s up that it exists.

The amulet is a unique magic item, which possesses a couple of unique twists to confound the unwitting players you let have it. In addition to the basic routine of stats and a description of its powers, Nephew has also taken the time to include a detailed history for the item – not only giving some depth to what would otherwise be yet another magical knick-knack, but also unleashing some good adventure seeds and roleplaying fodder.

That makes the Black Amulet yet another Penumbra product that takes the extra step necessary to take something typical and make it something noteworthy. This consistent ability to give you more than you bargained for, coupled with strong production values and an extremely competitive price point, helps Penumbra – in my estimation – lead the field when it comes to D&D supplements. The only company who’s even coming close at this point is Wizards of the Coast itself.

You can check The Black Amulet out (and keep an eye out for future promo material) here.

Title: The Black Amulet
Authors: John Nephew
Company: Atlas Games
Line: Penumbra
Price: Free!
Pages: 2

Style: 5
Substance: 4

Originally Posted: 2000/12/15

If I recall correctly, part of my motivation for reviewing free PDFs like The Wizard’s Amulet and The Black Amulet was because I was a poor college kid, and so just literally affording new RPG books to review was tough. I was trying to use my newfound reputation as a reviewer to get review copies, but I never really got those to flow at a rate that would support my ravenous desire for both reading RPG books and reviewing them.

John Nephew at Atlas Games, it should be noted, has always been a savvy fellow: Produce third party D&D supplements using the OGL? He was one of the few who saw the opportunity. Using free PDFs to promote your third party D&D supplements? Smart. Let’s do that, too. I also remember reading a post he made on RPGNet that broke down the reality that RPG publishers need to swap from softcover books to hardcover if they wanted to stay profitable. Atlas made the leap immediately; the rest of the industry followed.

It also says something about Atlas Games and its values that the link for downloading The Black Amulet has never changed.

For an explanation of where these reviews came from and why you can no longer find them at RPGNet, click here.

Third Edition Rules, First Edition Feel. Although not a full product in and of itself, The Wizard’s Amulet (W0) provides an excellent preview of what Necromancer Games is bringing to the table with their D20/D&D releases.

Review Originally Published November 15th, 2000

“Third Edition Rules, First Edition Feel.”

That’s the tagline that Necromancer Games is using for their line of D&D supplements (developed under the Open Gaming License), and it highlights one of the real strengths of the open gaming philosophy that Ryan Dancey (one of the VPs at WotC) has been championing over the past few months: If you feel there is a segment of the roleplaying fan base which is not having its needs addressed by the current roleplaying industry, there’s no need to go out and publish your own game to remedy the situation.

For example, if what you think is missing in the gaming marketplace are modules that feel and play like those produced for the first edition of AD&D, then publishing an entire roleplaying game so that you have something to supplement is entirely superfluous. And a licensing deal still, ultimately, leaves it up to someone else to determine what is and is not seen on the market.

The Wizard’s Amulet is was a free sample available from the Necromancer Games website.

THE PLOT

Warning: This review will contain spoilers for The Wizard’s Amulet. Players who may end up playing in this module are encouraged to stop reading now. Proceed at your own risk.

Lest there be any confusion, The Wizard’s Amulet is clearly designed to function as a prequel to Necromancer Games’ first series of modules. Taken by itself it feels bit like putting cream cheese on your bagel – it’s an accomplishment, but you haven’t actually eaten anything yet.

Basically the plot plays out like this: Corian, a sorceror fresh out of his apprenticeship, has stumbled across an amulet which once belonged to the wizard Eralion. Corian believes that Eralion attempted to become a lich and failed – and that his keep, to which the amulet will grant access, stands unguarded. So Corian gathers together a group of adventurers (the PCs) to go the keep and unlock its secrets and magical wonders.

Things become complicated, however, because Corian’s fellow student – Vortigern – wants the amulet (and Eralion’s secrets) for himself. Vortigern sets out after the PCs, along with his demonic familiar and a couple of hired thugs.

The Wizard’s Amulet comes to an end after a short, and somewhat indecisive, conflict with Vortigern. It is then directly continued in the first commercial adventure available from Necromancer Games, The Crucible of Freya.

HIGH POINTS & LOW POINTS

I think The Wizard’s Amulet is something D&D players should take a look at. Not so much because its actually playable in and of itself (because it really isn’t), but because it is a good sample of what Necromancer Games is capable of putting out. A number of good features are to be found here:

First, the module aims to introduce new players to roleplaying – and it does this very well. A clear-cut act/scene structure provides the same simplicity as an event-by-location guide, but with a greater emphasis on the narrative. Each scene is carefully handled and presented in a way which makes it easy for newbie DMs to use it with newbie players – good advice, combined with lots of options, makes the whole thing very accessible.

Second, they do a nice job of handling challenge options – addressing not only how two encounters which are identical in terms of challenge can be harder or easier to run during gameplay, but also addressing how to adjust endgame encounters based on the current status of the PCs. This is something which the structure of 3rd Edition makes very easy to do, and the authors have taken advantage of it.

Finally, the overall lay-out of the module is utilitarian without being ugly – a package which is not only pretty, but usable.

I would’ve liked to see a standard Challenge Rating/Encounter Level summary, though. Taking us through the steps for each encounter is fine, but it would have been even easier to modify the adventure if they had given us a clearer peek behind the curtain. I also think The Wizard’s Amulet would have better fulfilled its purpose (as a promo for the game line) if it had actually been a complete adventure (instead of an unfinished prequel) – it could have still led directly into the published adventure, but I would have liked to have seen a fully developed plot here, with a distinct beginning, middle, and end.

All that being said, I do think that you should take a look at this. It’s a solid package.

Style: 4
Substance: 3

Grade: B

Authors: Clark Peterson and Bill Webb
Company: Necromancer Games
Line: D20
Price: Free!
Page Count: 21
ISBN: n/a
Production Code: NCG1000

Originally Posted: 2000/11/15

From a quarter century later, it can be a little difficult to grok just how exciting and novel and strange the fall of 2000 was. The OGL was transforming D&D, the RPG industry, and our gaming tables in ways that were as clearly monumental as they were also uncertain. With Three Days to Kill, Death in Freeport, and the Creature Collection leading the way, by November, when I wrote this review, it was clear a gold rush was under way.

Less noticed at the time was that PDF e-books were ALSO beginning to transform the industry. It started in the mid-’90, when the internet and faster download speeds allowed every GM with a home system to share it online. (By 2000, I had likely downloaded literally hundreds of these.) The idea of “real” RPG publishers releasing books in the format was novel enough that The Wizard’s Amulet actually prompted a lot of discussion upon its release. Would we see more publishers release e-book adventures as free samples or promos? (Yes. And, of course, much more than that.)

Now, of course, every GM with a home system uploads it on DriveThruRPG, e-book releases vastly outnumber physical releases, and PDFs have even down yeoman’s work in unlocking the once out of print and inaccessible history of RPGs. This review is a little peek back at the cusp of a new world.

The Wizard’s Amulet, Crucible of Freya, and The Tomb of Abysthor are currently available in The Lost Lands: Stoneheart Valley, a collection published by Frog God Games.

For an explanation of where these reviews came from and why you can no longer find them at RPGNet, click here.

Go to Part 1

PIECE BY PIECE

In the Daedalus Robotics Lab, a haunted screwdriver curses anyone touching it to begin disassembling the world… starting with people.

Writing out the premise of Piece by Piece in such plain terms might make it sound a little goofy, but in practice this adventure works really well. The Daedalus Lab is a well-structured location crawl stocked with clues that can unravel a decade-old mystery. A well-rounded cast of NPCs fleshes the whole thing out with some nice character moments and emotional stakes (and gives you some raw meat to target when the shit hits the fan).

The only real weakpoint here is the scenario hook, which looks like this:

The Daedalus Robotics Lab is in lockdown after personnel were fatally compromised in a random incident. Reports are linking the events to a work tool found at the scene, now classified as Artifact 21. Further details are undisclosed.

Daedalus Robotics Lab’s parent company, Jensen-Hung, is excited to offer an attractive opportunity to any self-motivated freelancers in the sector! Taking on the important role of Temporary Maintenance Crew, contractees are tasked with retrieving Artifact 21 for analysis. Caution is advised; discretion is enforced.

Your crew must investigate the lab, identify ARTIFACT 21 and retrieve it.

At first glance, this all seems fine. Unfortunately, that’s part of the problem because it will lure you into a false sense of security. In reality, there are multiple layers of problems here:

• Given the facts presented in the rest of the module, Jensen-Hung should know that “Artifact 21” is the screwdriver. So why are they asking the PCs to identify it?
• If Jensen-Hung owns Daedalus, why are the PCs being sent in undercover as a maintenance crew?
• The hook suggests that Jensen-Hung was notified of what happened (by an android named Curtis), resolved to retrieve “Artifact 21,” put up a job posting, waited for the PCs to respond to it, hired the PCs, and then sent the PCs to the lab. But both the current situation at Daedalus Robotics Lab and the timeline of events provided by the adventure makes it clear that Curtis’ call to Jensen-Hung actually happened maybe fifteen minutes ago.

These issues — particularly with the timeline — caused a lot of headaches for me the first time I ran the adventure. The players really struggled to figure out the timeline (and, therefore, the mysteries connected to that timeline) because they immediately realized that it didn’t make any sense.

As written, I give Piece by Piece a C+ (okay, with some nice bits). But it’s a B (recommended) or B+ experience if you make a couple simple tweaks:

• I would avoid telling the PCs that an item is responsible for the incident. It really weakens the sense of enigma about what’s happening onsite. (It will also likely cheapen the ending.)
• The timeline is weird because there’s no meaningful gap between Curtis calling Jensen-Hung and the events that are happening when the PCs show up; but obviously there must be a gap of time in which Jensen-Hung contacts the PCs and hires them. Shorten the latter by having Jensen-Hung reach out to the PCs (instead of posting an open ad). Lean into the former by creating a gap: Curtis called Jensen-Hung and was instructed to download all the research data and then wait for extraction. So he did that and then, as described in the adventure, went to the Lobby and met with Dr. Ojo, who is now repairing the minor injury he received. (I would also skip the bit where Curtis supposedly told Ojo that Martina was brutally murdered, but then Ojo just doesn’t do anything about that… because that’s also weird.)

And that should get you sorted.

It might also be useful to note that, if the PCs realize that the screwdriver is responsible, then the finale of the adventure will likely resolve very easily as they all make a point of not touching it. This works well if it’s earned; less so if that knowledge is just handed to them. You really want the finale to be various people getting possessed by the screwdriver and creating chaos, and it’s even better if that includes the PCs.

(Along these same lines, I encourage you to have a PC who gets stabbed by the screwdriver have it get stuck in their shoulder. This will create a natural vector for someone to grab it and pull it out.)

But I digress!

As noted, I recommend this adventure, particularly with the tweaked hook. DG Chapman provides a very satisfying experience at the table.

GRADE: B-

TERMINAL DELAYS AT ANARENE’S FOLLY

The centerpiece of Terminal Delays at Anarene’s Folly is the Creation Device — a cheap knockoff loving homage to the Genesis Device from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, capable of rapidly terraforming an entire planet. (Which is, if you think about it, quite horrific from a certain point of view.)

Unbeknownst to the PCs, the Creation Device is currently in their ship’s hold, concealed in the false bottom of a crate of hydroponics equipment that they’ve been hired to deliver. When they arrive at the space station Anarene’s Folly to refuel, however, the station personnel either know or discover that they have the Creation Device and mount an operation to steal it. It’s time for a reverse heist!

I’ve actually found this to be a tough adventure to review. I like the concept, and Ian Yusem’s execution includes a lot of realty nice material. But for some reason, I just can’t seem to get the whole thing to gel.

Here’s an example of what I mean: The core structure of Anarene’s Folly is the Station Escalation Timeline. This consists of seven numbered steps, and the idea is that you trigger one step for every twenty minutes of real time at the table. But the first two steps are:

1. The PCs are hailed by dock control and told there’s a wait time before they can dock.
2. The PCs are asked to transfer control of their ship to the station AI. (And then the AI begins hacking the ship’s computer, initiating the complementary Systems Hack Timeline.)

On the one hand, this makes sense. On the other hand, what actually happens in the twenty minutes between Step 1 and Step 2?

Anarene’s Folly does give you a roleplaying profile for Simon Wainwright, the Space Traffic Controller, and a Small Talk Table to provide raw fodder for that conversation. I’m looking at that and it just seems interminable.

And it feels like the Station Escalation Timeline, the Systems Hack Timeline, the Gaslighting Table, and the Marine Kill Team Tactical Plan are all modeled as independent, modular components so that they can interface dynamically in actual play…

… but it doesn’t seem like they actually do? The central Station Escalation Timeline is a long slow burn, triggering the Systems Hack Timeline, which has a slow burn of its own until the station AI gets to the point where it can start triggering the Gaslighting Table, which consists of various fake malfunctions and false alarms. These aren’t really independent variables; they’re all linked in chain (although each can be hypothetically disrupted separately).

So you’ve got the PCs running around doing random chores, and maybe at some point they get suspicious and maybe that’s meant to mix things up? But then you start looking at the “flexible” tools that you can use to respond to the PCs, and it seems like they aren’t actually that flexible. If they’re disrupted, the timelines mostly just break. Plus, the PCs don’t seem to have any real options because there’s no clear vector by which they can figure out that the Creation Device is in their hold, plus you’re supposed to kinda railroad them into Anarene’s Folly without enough fuel to reach another station. And then there’s some weird and unexplained stuff. (At one point, for example, Anarene’s Folly abruptly evacuates all nonessential personnel from the station for no discernible reason.)

So, as I say, it feels like Anarene’s Folly is well-stocked with cool tools for running a flexible adventure that responds dynamically to the PCs’ actions. Maybe it is and I’m just missing something. But I just can’t quite seem to grok this one.

GRADE: C

THE HAUNTING OF YPSILON 14

The Haunting of Ypsilon 14 is set on an asteroid where miners have accidentally woken up an alien who was resting in suspended animation. The alien is hostile (of course!) and mayhem ensues!

The first thing you’ll note about the adventure is that it presents the mining base as a flowchart, unifying key and map together rather than a more literal depiction. This largely works, although some unkeyed map symbols may leave you scratching your head.

DG Chapman does several things that elevate this above a simple evening of “there’s an invisible alien eating people” affair.

First, the design of the station is very satisfying. There’s a variety of environments and the areas have been spiked with lots of little fun easter eggs and clues that reward exploration.

Second, Chapman has again included a robust supporting cast. Their details can be a little sketchy, but in practice they develop well in actual play.

Third, in addition to the alien monster, there’s also the Yellow Goo: A medical nanotechnology that heals aliens, but interprets human bodies as being very, very sick and in need of “curing.” This adds a second vector to the scenario’s horror, helping to mix things up and keep it fresh.

Once again, the weak point here is the scenario hook, which is a little shallow and can cause PCs to kind of skim off the surface of the adventure instead of really diving in. (I’ve written a separate article on How to Prep: The Haunting of Ypsilon 14 that you may find useful here.) This is balanced, however, by the supreme ease with which this module can be slid into any Mothership campaign or framed up as the perfect introductory module.

A lot of Mothership GMs will tell you they got started by running The Haunting of Ypsilon 14, and there’s a good reason for that: This is just a rock solid adventure. Easy to run. Easy to enjoy.

GRADE: B

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

These trifold adventures are Mothership’s secret weapon, and in large part their strength is collective: None of them are the greatest adventure you’ve ever seen, but they are consistently good. They also do a good job of showcasing the breadth of what Mothership is capable of.

Individually, therefore, each is pretty good and I recommend all but one of them. As a collection, on the other hand, I find that they demand my attention and insist that I run them as part of a Mothership campaign as soon as possible.

Which I will be more than happy to do.

A guide to grades at the Alexandrian.