The Inside Scoop on Gaming

The first of the RPGs to use the new Fuzion system is also one of the most eagerly awaited releases of this year: Bubblegum Crisis. Based on the anime series of the same name (considered a cyberpunk classic by many), the players find themselves in the world of MegaTokyo which is rebuilding itself after a devastating earthquake and squirming under the thumb of the Genom corporation.

The book is visually stunning, with a series of color inserts in the front with images from the 8 BGC episodes and a brief synopsis of each episode. The book is also a wealth of visual information with multi-view sketches of almost everyone and everything covered in the source material. That, combined with the hordes of source material on the world of MegaTokyo in 2033 make this a must-read for fans of the BGC series--even if they are not role-players.

Bubblegum Crisis is a far-cry from your "standard" cyberpunk game systems. Even though the world is dark, dystopic and full of the us-against-them attitudes pervasive in all cyberpunk-style RPGs, BGC infuses this with a super-heroesque "save-the-world and defend the innocents" theme that is absent from most other dark future games. This idea of a battle between good and evil is emphasized by the inclusion of Genom as THE monolithic megacorporation that everyone else bows to, rather than having a set of megacorps that you can play against one another.

The Fuzion system takes a lot from its predecessor systems: the Interlock system used in Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0 and Champions' Hero system. Fuzion is a nicely integrated system with very straightforward task resolution involving both skill levels and the appropriate statistics, but its two-part combat and damage systems (similar to the Palladium system's SDC/MDC are a little confusing in BGC terms. Fuzion has a separate damage system in both "human" terms and "superhuman" amounts--and BGC falls somewhere in the middle--requiring conversion between the two systems.

Probably one of the nicest sections of the book though is something that most GMs take for granted--a GMs handbook. Not so much on how to GM a particular Bubblegum Crisis game, but the whys and wherefores of running games in general--how to set up the plot, the NPCs, pacing and game hooks.

The only glaring omission in the book however is the fact that they have only included a quarter-page section on designing your own hardsuits (something that every player is going to want to do). Most likely they are going to go into much more detail in a later sourcebook, but in a game based so much on battlesuits, a real creation system should have been included.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Bubblegum Crisis
Author: Benjamin Wright and David Ackerman-Gray Category: game Company/Publisher: R. Talsorian Games, Inc. Capsule Review by David Davenport on 08/19/97. Genre tags: none	The first of the RPGs to use the new Fuzion system is also one of the most eagerly awaited releases of this year: Bubblegum Crisis. Based on the anime series of the same name (considered a cyberpunk classic by many), the players find themselves in the world of MegaTokyo which is rebuilding itself after a devastating earthquake and squirming under the thumb of the Genom corporation. The book is visually stunning, with a series of color inserts in the front with images from the 8 BGC episodes and a brief synopsis of each episode. The book is also a wealth of visual information with multi-view sketches of almost everyone and everything covered in the source material. That, combined with the hordes of source material on the world of MegaTokyo in 2033 make this a must-read for fans of the BGC series--even if they are not role-players. Bubblegum Crisis is a far-cry from your "standard" cyberpunk game systems. Even though the world is dark, dystopic and full of the us-against-them attitudes pervasive in all cyberpunk-style RPGs, BGC infuses this with a super-heroesque "save-the-world and defend the innocents" theme that is absent from most other dark future games. This idea of a battle between good and evil is emphasized by the inclusion of Genom as THE monolithic megacorporation that everyone else bows to, rather than having a set of megacorps that you can play against one another. The Fuzion system takes a lot from its predecessor systems: the Interlock system used in Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0 and Champions' Hero system. Fuzion is a nicely integrated system with very straightforward task resolution involving both skill levels and the appropriate statistics, but its two-part combat and damage systems (similar to the Palladium system's SDC/MDC are a little confusing in BGC terms. Fuzion has a separate damage system in both "human" terms and "superhuman" amounts--and BGC falls somewhere in the middle--requiring conversion between the two systems. Probably one of the nicest sections of the book though is something that most GMs take for granted--a GMs handbook. Not so much on how to GM a particular Bubblegum Crisis game, but the whys and wherefores of running games in general--how to set up the plot, the NPCs, pacing and game hooks. The only glaring omission in the book however is the fact that they have only included a quarter-page section on designing your own hardsuits (something that every player is going to want to do). Most likely they are going to go into much more detail in a later sourcebook, but in a game based so much on battlesuits, a real creation system should have been included. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 4 (Meaty)