The Inside Scoop on Gaming

So, a plain brown envelope arrives in the mail, with only an ink-stamped return address on the back to identify it. "Hogshead Publishing". Ah, yes, that delightful company that puts out "Baron Munchausen". With joyous hands I opened the envelope to find... sheer, utter Violence.

Hogshead kindly had sent a preprint. At least, I think it's a preprint. It's entirely possible that everyone will be buying unbound sheets with printer registration marks in the corners, loosely sorted into an ungaily heap. That wouldn't be entirely unappropriate for the attitude the writer takes; in fact, I think "Designer X" would be pleased.

The identity of the author, in fact, is a deeply held secret. Nevermind that they reveal it in the back, or that we featured a quote from the author a few weeks ago on the front page of RPGnet (including a link to 'Salon', who, not being in on the scene, hadn't realized that his "Violence" authorship was not something he wanted listed in his 'about the author').

Indeed, a cynic might think that the whole 'mystery author' thing is just a cheap shallow ploy by a company out to make a fast buck. Certainly they revealed their base tendencies when they catered to those hordes of wealthy German-fairy-tale-loving throngs with "Baron M", no doubt.

But I'm naive and like to keep my illusions. I like to think that Hogshead genuinely was obeying the author's wishes to remain anonymous with this work. In fact, I was quite certain that Hogshead was producing this as a brilliantly subtle way to bring stronger realism and social awareness into the RPG community, perhaps as a way to raise this entire hobby into the mainstream.

Then I actually read the book. Oh my.

First and foremost, though, I will say that my daughter, Ivy, loved it. She enjoys munching on paper (soy-based newsprint like the "Washington Post" being a favorite, though she has no objections to chowing down on a Black Lotus or Mox). She eagerly began to reach for this manuscript before I'd even gotten a chance to read it. As a result, I believe we can safely say (and Hogshead can quote me), that this game will be much-beloved by very young children everywhere.

Now, generally any good editor would, at this point, beg the reviewer to actually get on with reviewing the book. Technically I'm the editor of RPGnet and, as one knows, one cannot edit one's own works. This leads to an interesting little self-referential paradox, and the only saving grace is that we don't edit any of our reviews.

We're a pass-fail system here, so what you read is always the author's voice, not some editor-polished party-line piece. I bring this up because it's entirely likely that "Violence" was much the same way. It takes the idea of writing 'in the author's voice' to a very strong level. It also heaps abuse at the reader, something that I'll skip in this review because, hey, you're all probably too stupid to get my insults anyway.

So moving right along, to the book. It's brilliant. In a nutshell (an appropriate place for it), it's about doing a standard D&D dungeon crawl, where you go into the creature's lair, slay it, and steal its 'treasure'. Being set in the modern world, though, the setting is therefore instantly accessible to modern players and really makes this a great 'gateway game' to get new players involved, because they will instantly be able to understand the setting, the point of the game, and how to win.

Of course, being modern day, the lairs tend to be occupied by creatures like 'Mom with small children' or 'Illegal immigrants', but hey, it's a little late for you all to start having questions about morality. Admit it, you like swaggering in, being studly lord of the place, and taking what you want. This game will let you do it.

The game is full of useful advice for doing mayhem, and it's the best sort of advice, the "Anarchist's Cookbook" type. Which is to say, it reads really well but it's so poorly researched it will probably kill you if you try it for real. From a liability point of view, this is ideal-- it makes for good game realism, while avoiding liability if a reader pulls a Columbine with this advice. Clever, clever author.

Plus, it just rings true. It's how the world should be, if it wasn't. Perhaps the only disturbing bit is that the setting is, well, like the world is. As a stark text of neo-millennial realism, it's certainly a strong work. In fact, I would highly recommend it to all ivory tower gamers, to inject a dose of necessary empathy into their cold, bitter lives.

At this point you might note that I've mentioned two-- that's Two, as in, more than One-- ways to use "Violence". It's a great system for starting newcomers, and it's useful for veteran gamers who need some sourcebook material for their modern-day campaigns. What a value!

It's also a great read and appeals to everyone. The section on how to roll a die was indispensible for my wargaming friends, while (as a demi-publisher) I enjoyed the analysis of the B&D industry as a potential market. Meanwhile, my roleplaying friends enjoyed the detailed way of "getting into your character's head", while my powergaming friends enjoyed the detailed methods for getting into other character's heads (the footnote on the circular saw alone is almost worth the price.)

Comparisons to parody-games like "Hol" or "Senzar" are no doubt going to arise among all those other, lesser reviewers, but it is my strong belief that this book is like none of those. First off, it's readable and has great style. Second off, there is actually a game within it. And it has great redeeming social commentary, or at least that's what this little blue voice inside my head suggests.

And I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it inordinantely much. In fact, anyone that had as much fun as I did reading it should probably be put under temporary psychiatric evaluation. I mean, I know I've been under a lot of stress lately, but there was something in this book that just resonated with me, you know what I mean? It called to me. It's like the author was saying "I know you, I understand you, I want to be your special friend."

Umm... they tell me I have to go now.

Oh, and there might be those who didn't realize that my 'Summary' line is actually a quote from the text, and not a quote from, say, Gygax. Some might consider this misrepresentation, and they'd be correct... it's getting harder to get people to read reviews these days. Everyone seems to have the attention span of a weasel. "Skim the summary and skip the text", ah, the death of intellectual thought. Hmm... where was I again? Oh, right, the end.

Buy this book-- if for nothing else, in self-defense. Because other gamers will buy it, and then you'll be sorry.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Violence
Author: Designer X Category: game Company/Publisher: Hogshead Publishing Line: New Style Cost: cheap Page count: 32 ISBN: 1-899749-21-7 SKU: HP402 Capsule Review by Sandy Antunes on 07/14/99. Genre tags: Modern_day	So, a plain brown envelope arrives in the mail, with only an ink-stamped return address on the back to identify it. "Hogshead Publishing". Ah, yes, that delightful company that puts out "Baron Munchausen". With joyous hands I opened the envelope to find... sheer, utter Violence. Hogshead kindly had sent a preprint. At least, I think it's a preprint. It's entirely possible that everyone will be buying unbound sheets with printer registration marks in the corners, loosely sorted into an ungaily heap. That wouldn't be entirely unappropriate for the attitude the writer takes; in fact, I think "Designer X" would be pleased. The identity of the author, in fact, is a deeply held secret. Nevermind that they reveal it in the back, or that we featured a quote from the author a few weeks ago on the front page of RPGnet (including a link to 'Salon', who, not being in on the scene, hadn't realized that his "Violence" authorship was not something he wanted listed in his 'about the author'). Indeed, a cynic might think that the whole 'mystery author' thing is just a cheap shallow ploy by a company out to make a fast buck. Certainly they revealed their base tendencies when they catered to those hordes of wealthy German-fairy-tale-loving throngs with "Baron M", no doubt. But I'm naive and like to keep my illusions. I like to think that Hogshead genuinely was obeying the author's wishes to remain anonymous with this work. In fact, I was quite certain that Hogshead was producing this as a brilliantly subtle way to bring stronger realism and social awareness into the RPG community, perhaps as a way to raise this entire hobby into the mainstream. Then I actually read the book. Oh my. First and foremost, though, I will say that my daughter, Ivy, loved it. She enjoys munching on paper (soy-based newsprint like the "Washington Post" being a favorite, though she has no objections to chowing down on a Black Lotus or Mox). She eagerly began to reach for this manuscript before I'd even gotten a chance to read it. As a result, I believe we can safely say (and Hogshead can quote me), that this game will be much-beloved by very young children everywhere. Now, generally any good editor would, at this point, beg the reviewer to actually get on with reviewing the book. Technically I'm the editor of RPGnet and, as one knows, one cannot edit one's own works. This leads to an interesting little self-referential paradox, and the only saving grace is that we don't edit any of our reviews. We're a pass-fail system here, so what you read is always the author's voice, not some editor-polished party-line piece. I bring this up because it's entirely likely that "Violence" was much the same way. It takes the idea of writing 'in the author's voice' to a very strong level. It also heaps abuse at the reader, something that I'll skip in this review because, hey, you're all probably too stupid to get my insults anyway. So moving right along, to the book. It's brilliant. In a nutshell (an appropriate place for it), it's about doing a standard D&D dungeon crawl, where you go into the creature's lair, slay it, and steal its 'treasure'. Being set in the modern world, though, the setting is therefore instantly accessible to modern players and really makes this a great 'gateway game' to get new players involved, because they will instantly be able to understand the setting, the point of the game, and how to win. Of course, being modern day, the lairs tend to be occupied by creatures like 'Mom with small children' or 'Illegal immigrants', but hey, it's a little late for you all to start having questions about morality. Admit it, you like swaggering in, being studly lord of the place, and taking what you want. This game will let you do it. The game is full of useful advice for doing mayhem, and it's the best sort of advice, the "Anarchist's Cookbook" type. Which is to say, it reads really well but it's so poorly researched it will probably kill you if you try it for real. From a liability point of view, this is ideal-- it makes for good game realism, while avoiding liability if a reader pulls a Columbine with this advice. Clever, clever author. Plus, it just rings true. It's how the world should be, if it wasn't. Perhaps the only disturbing bit is that the setting is, well, like the world is. As a stark text of neo-millennial realism, it's certainly a strong work. In fact, I would highly recommend it to all ivory tower gamers, to inject a dose of necessary empathy into their cold, bitter lives. At this point you might note that I've mentioned two-- that's Two, as in, more than One-- ways to use "Violence". It's a great system for starting newcomers, and it's useful for veteran gamers who need some sourcebook material for their modern-day campaigns. What a value! It's also a great read and appeals to everyone. The section on how to roll a die was indispensible for my wargaming friends, while (as a demi-publisher) I enjoyed the analysis of the B&D industry as a potential market. Meanwhile, my roleplaying friends enjoyed the detailed way of "getting into your character's head", while my powergaming friends enjoyed the detailed methods for getting into other character's heads (the footnote on the circular saw alone is almost worth the price.) Comparisons to parody-games like "Hol" or "Senzar" are no doubt going to arise among all those other, lesser reviewers, but it is my strong belief that this book is like none of those. First off, it's readable and has great style. Second off, there is actually a game within it. And it has great redeeming social commentary, or at least that's what this little blue voice inside my head suggests. And I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it inordinantely much. In fact, anyone that had as much fun as I did reading it should probably be put under temporary psychiatric evaluation. I mean, I know I've been under a lot of stress lately, but there was something in this book that just resonated with me, you know what I mean? It called to me. It's like the author was saying "I know you, I understand you, I want to be your special friend." Umm... they tell me I have to go now. Oh, and there might be those who didn't realize that my 'Summary' line is actually a quote from the text, and not a quote from, say, Gygax. Some might consider this misrepresentation, and they'd be correct... it's getting harder to get people to read reviews these days. Everyone seems to have the attention span of a weasel. "Skim the summary and skip the text", ah, the death of intellectual thought. Hmm... where was I again? Oh, right, the end. Buy this book-- if for nothing else, in self-defense. Because other gamers will buy it, and then you'll be sorry. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)