RPGnet : The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Most of the time, as I've said many times before, gaming fiction is bad, really, really, bad. I know, I've written and read my fair share of it. Sometimes there are exceptions. I'm happy to say that, by and large, The Sinful Stars is one of those rare and valuable exceptions.

Fading Suns has always been one of my favorite game lines (or at least since I've known of it when I stumbled across an ad in some gaming magazine and checked out Holistic Design's game booth at GenCon so long ago). I love the game so much because the setting stirs my heart. It is epic and legendary and historic and so often very realistic in many ways. It tugs at my mind and my mind's eye, just like Wraith: the Oblivion or Blue Planet does. Part of this is due to the wonderful writing and thought that Bill Bridges and Andrew Greenberg put into the game when they created it, and the thought that following writers and developers have also invested. The Known Worlds have a long and detailed history that is among the most interesting and intriguing of any game line I have seen. It presents a wonderful juxtaposition of technology and faith amid a stellar empire that would rather be in the Middle Ages. I have always wanted some sort of fiction for Fading Suns to fulfill this vision I have of it. Nearly all the gaming material I read, I read for the story it engenders in my mind. When someone asks me "What is roleplaying?" or "Why do you roleplay?" I almost invariable respond along the lines of "It is like reading a book with an infinite number of stories and characters all at once." Sadly, gaming fiction almost never measures up.

The Sinful Stars starts off with a look at the Fading Suns universe, an overview for those who want to get everything out of the following stories but are unfamiliar with the game itself. It services in that respect, I suppose, although it does not give the depth that game modules themselves do. Then it moves on the stories.

Looking at the table of contents, I noted several names that I recognize immediately; Bill Bridges, James Moore, Andrew Greenberg, Sam Inabet, Jackie Cassada, Brian Campbell. I was glad to see that many of the authors were more than familiar with the setting. Many gaming fiction writers seem to have little more than a passing understanding of the basic book, and the stereotypes and one-dimensional characters that evolves because of that are infuriating. I was also pleased to see names of those whose work I was at least somewhat familiar with and enjoy, like James Moore. Suffice to say, even the contents got me excited about the book.

The first story is Fragments by Bill Bridges. It had been on the web as a sample from the book for a while, so I was familiar with it. I have always thought that this was one of Bridge's best entries in "Alustro's Journal," the writings of the Eskatonic priest that are used to open all Fading Suns books. It was really quite good, the tale of Alustro and his companions trying to find a specific artifact in a half-destroyed museum on a world being fought over by both the Royal House Hazat and the Kurgan Caliphate. In many ways, it manages to illustrate some of the underlying themes in the game, as well as being a good story.

Hidden Martyrs, by Changchuo Riwo, is a paradox of a story. Written in a decidedly Asian "tone" at times, it is about the efforts of one of House Li Halan's secret police. A good story with some very nice elements, as well as a quick peek at the Vorox, it suffers because it leaves so little to be puzzled over while reading it. Much of the story is explained subjectively in the beginning, from the nature of the characters to the real plot behind the events later on. It was not a bad story, for it was very well written none the less and had a nice plot, it was just not as mysterious as it would have seemed. There weren't many questions. I read it, I did not puzzle it out. Either way, I would heartily recommend it to anyone wanting a looking inside the Li Halan, especially if they want some more understanding of the house's claims at Chinese roots.

A Song to End All Songs was another nice story, by Daniel Greenberg. The tale of a Gannock kicked out of New Pasha on the Decados jungle-world of Severus and the Ascorbites he is forced to deal with. The story involves a really nice Philosopher's Stone (re: McGuffin "magical" artifact to those not familiar with Fading Suns), an explanation for an Ascorbite pseudo-hive mind that neither leans on the occult nor leaves a bad taste in my science-loving mouth, and a wildly amusing main character. The story is great fun to read, and doesn't leave you wanting until the end, when what you want is more.

The Eyes that Judge, the Hands that Heal by Richard Lee Byers is next, and it is the story of one priest who goes to great lengths to get the "relics" of the healing St. Saxo, hoping that possession of them will give him the faith he lacks. Along the way, he manages to avoid every opportunity to gain that faith on his own. In the end, he learns, and he learns before it is too late. I liked this story for two reasons. First, it was simple. It wasn't trying to be some grand tale, it was a simple and moving story. Second, it had a very nice twist on what the Church calls "relics." It's a twist I did not expect until it arrived either.

Dark Places by James Moore is one of the best stories of the book. A Lovecraftian tale of horror beyond the jumpgates, I couldn't stop reading this one. It is the tale of a pilot who rescues a madman and is eventually driven to follow in the lunatic's footsteps. This is one of the things tales that really drives home to me how much I feel that the same emotion and mood from Lovecraft's Mythos would do well to be added into Fading Suns. Well written, well done, and in the end, very, very creepy, Dark Places was one of the best short stories I've read in a while.

James Etes' Worldsong had its moments. It had an interesting premise and was a great example of the Ghost Wind, Scirocco, of Pentateuch. It was also a superb tale of despair and falling. Unfortunately, however, the final explanation felt somewhat hollow and unfulfilling. I would have preferred no explanation to the one I got. In fact, it seemed to detract from the story, which was less about why the event happened that it was about how people feel about them.

The Lights of Cadiz was Andrew Greenberg's story and it was good enough. The tale of genetic mutant love gone wrong, its strengths lie in some nice characterization and motivation. The story is okay, and has its faults, but it also has its moments.

Sam Inabet wrote Just Plain Folks, a tale about an Avestite looking for some heretical wrong-doing in a small town famous for its amazing hospitality and its ability to produce massive amounts of food. Inabet does a very nice job of hinting at the truth behind the small town while not giving it away. He also manages to have an Avestite who does not want to burn everything in sight, one that actually can back down, and knows when he might be doing more harm than good. I enjoyed this story, although I am not sure that the Avestite, while being well done in some ways, was done enough. His reactions at the end were surprising in many ways.

Transfiguration by Jackie Cassada reads like a chapter of a longer tale, and suffers immensely because of it. There are subplots and hints and actions that are never resolved. As a "short story" is it terrible. It simply does not work well like that at all. As a piece of a larger story, it is quite good, although I would have preferred more mystery myself. The revelation of the villain's plans was disappointing. It is the tale of a young psychic intent on rescuing her fiancé who was kidnapped by a vile Decados nobleman who wants to use him as a spy, controlling him through highly addictive drugs. There is great potential there for a nice, long, and mysterious epic story, it just isn't squeezed into ten pages well.

Bazaar Companions by W. Keith Winkler was an immense disappointment, more than any other story in the book. It started off beautifully, both intricate and jolting, always keeping me guessing as to just what really happened. Then, however, just as it turns down the very interesting Mystery Lane, it also picks up the very poor "Summary of a Gaming Session" feel to it. The motley assemblage of characters have a paper-thin reason to stay together and even less of a reason to get back together. In addition, they read like characters from some game, rambling off their sources and connections like merits on a sheet. Furthermore, the wonderful twist at the end is rendered completely impotent by the fact that the partial truth came completely out of left field and that its prior effects were laid out with neon signs when they happened. Very disappointing. I would like to know who broke Winkler's hand ten pages into the story and took it over.

The Noble Essence by Alan Bryden was a nice little story. Not great, but it had its moments of being a good look at noble psychology. There were nice elements in the plot as well, but I think it would have done better with more room to hint and mislead before the ending. There are a few hints, but not nearly enough. A Hawkwood vassal has a Decados advisor and lover who has a few erratic behaviors and gets more and more suspicious as the story goes on, and the ending, as I said, comes to quickly and is somehow unsatisfying in that it is not really unexpected in some ways. It would have done better to have heavily hinted against the truth before the end.

Edward Carmien manages to have another very nice look into the Avestite priests in his story Hot Ambition. A story the seems to be about a ship full of rogue Avestites trying to "purify" backwater sections of Leagueheim, it turns out to be a story of compassion and faith. It does really nicely in that respect, and Carmien manages to show us both the intolerant Avestites full of hate and the compassionate priests who want to bring the light of the Holy Flame to everyone. The two faces of the Avestite Order must have is something that many people miss.

Rainy Season by Christopher Howard is another very nice story. About the travails of a poor amnesiac on the capital world of Byzantium Secundus, the story is packed to the seams with interesting characters and beautiful descriptions. It was a workable plot that flows well enough, but you do not read it for that, it is those characters that carry it through. The only problem lies in a seemingly unnecessary plot twist that should either have been the focus of the story or been dropped, I think. Since the former would likely have brought down an otherwise good story, I think it was entirely superfluous to explain the amnesiac's real nature.

Less Human than Human by Brian Campbell, like many other stories here, had its moments. About an unrepentant scientist and his heretical experiments gone wrong, it had some very nice elements that brought the near-religious nature of science in Fading Suns to the fore as well as showing why the Church is sometimes right in their claims of technology putting the soul in danger. It was largely a horror story, but the ending I found very disappointing, it felt like it was something that Hollywood would do to get a final scream from the audience. Another "left field" ending, it was a let down.

Steal Your Face by Chris Wiese is obviously something inspired by Edgar Allen Poe. In many ways it works, it is only the identity of the narrator that puzzles me, and I have the feeling that it is a puzzle inherent to the story itself. Leaving the reader hanging like that is never a good thing. The story is otherwise quite good, however, and it is a nice tale of how guilt from a crime of murder and impersonation can eventually drive the perpetrator mad and destroy all he has wrought. In the tradition of The Tell-tale Heart, this was an excellent story about guilt and paranoia.

Blessed Protection by Andrew Greenberg is about a Brother Battle monk who travels through Vau lands to reclaim a lost artifact, St. Vnen's gauntlets, from some deranged cultists. The story is good, it has its exciting bits and is written well. The best parts of it lie in its demonstration, like in The Eyes that Judge, the Hands that Heal, that not all relics are just what the Church thinks them to be and in the appearance and characterization of the alien Vau. Both were quite interestingly and well-done.

The story Valukeydir: Shadow and Times by Rustin Quaide had some very, very nice elements to it. There somehow just seemed something missing at times, however. About a high-ranking priest and the Ur-Okar alien he "adopts" for his own devices, the story unfolds through good character interaction and a plot that is secondary, serving to allow the characters to look at each other and their pasts more than anything else. The book is more about looking into oneself and recognizing your flaws and weakness so that you may combat them than it is about reclaiming Ur artifacts of freeing slave laborers. A good story that I enjoyed read, I just cannot shake the feeling that something else belonged there. It just seems like it should have had a bit more, although I am unable to put my finger onto just what more.

The last story in the book is Alyward Allmen: A Morality Play by Rustin Quiade and Sam Inabet. A rather short play that could have come from the Middle Ages, it was not about plot or about characters or anything so complicated. The fact that it could have come from 12th century Europe is its point in many ways. It is an attempt to show how history is, in many ways, a large circle, and how many of the lessons of the past will remain the lessons of the future, even if that future is millennia away. Aside from noting that about human nature, it also works to show just how the Church gets its meaning across to the people. Morality plays were something that the Middle Ages' Church of Holy Terra or Urth (Earth) used widely. Simple, short plays with obvious and blatant symbolism and meaning. Not meant to spur on thought or get people debating about morality or artistic content, they were meant simply to inform the common man about sin and virtue. Alyward Allmen: A Morality Play does that quite well. An old and simple tale dressed up in high-tech trappings, it was a very fun read. I couldn't stop imagining how it would be to work on a production of it.

The book finishes off with a glossary, a jumpweb, and a list of Fading Suns products. Overall, I am more than glad that I bought this and spent the time to read it. Stories like the creepy Dark Places and the light and fun A Song to End All Songs made this a very enjoyable read. I recommend this to anyone who likes Fading Suns already, or to anyone who is a fan of the "New Middle Ages" genre of science fiction and doesn't mind a touch of the occult here and there. The Sinful Stars made me wish that we had more genre-crossing movie out there. Science fiction can be a great venue for horror or mystery or introspection.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

The Sinful Stars
Author: Bill Bridges (editor) Category: collection of gaming fiction Company/Publisher: Holistic Design, Inc. Line: Fading Suns Cost: $15.95 Page count: 400 ISBN: 1-888906-14-6 SKU: FS #234 Capsule Review by Derek Guder on 08/09/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Science_fiction Horror Far_Future Space Conspiracy Post-apocalypse	Most of the time, as I've said many times before, gaming fiction is bad, really, really, bad. I know, I've written and read my fair share of it. Sometimes there are exceptions. I'm happy to say that, by and large, The Sinful Stars is one of those rare and valuable exceptions. Fading Suns has always been one of my favorite game lines (or at least since I've known of it when I stumbled across an ad in some gaming magazine and checked out Holistic Design's game booth at GenCon so long ago). I love the game so much because the setting stirs my heart. It is epic and legendary and historic and so often very realistic in many ways. It tugs at my mind and my mind's eye, just like Wraith: the Oblivion or Blue Planet does. Part of this is due to the wonderful writing and thought that Bill Bridges and Andrew Greenberg put into the game when they created it, and the thought that following writers and developers have also invested. The Known Worlds have a long and detailed history that is among the most interesting and intriguing of any game line I have seen. It presents a wonderful juxtaposition of technology and faith amid a stellar empire that would rather be in the Middle Ages. I have always wanted some sort of fiction for Fading Suns to fulfill this vision I have of it. Nearly all the gaming material I read, I read for the story it engenders in my mind. When someone asks me "What is roleplaying?" or "Why do you roleplay?" I almost invariable respond along the lines of "It is like reading a book with an infinite number of stories and characters all at once." Sadly, gaming fiction almost never measures up. The Sinful Stars starts off with a look at the Fading Suns universe, an overview for those who want to get everything out of the following stories but are unfamiliar with the game itself. It services in that respect, I suppose, although it does not give the depth that game modules themselves do. Then it moves on the stories. Looking at the table of contents, I noted several names that I recognize immediately; Bill Bridges, James Moore, Andrew Greenberg, Sam Inabet, Jackie Cassada, Brian Campbell. I was glad to see that many of the authors were more than familiar with the setting. Many gaming fiction writers seem to have little more than a passing understanding of the basic book, and the stereotypes and one-dimensional characters that evolves because of that are infuriating. I was also pleased to see names of those whose work I was at least somewhat familiar with and enjoy, like James Moore. Suffice to say, even the contents got me excited about the book. The first story is Fragments by Bill Bridges. It had been on the web as a sample from the book for a while, so I was familiar with it. I have always thought that this was one of Bridge's best entries in "Alustro's Journal," the writings of the Eskatonic priest that are used to open all Fading Suns books. It was really quite good, the tale of Alustro and his companions trying to find a specific artifact in a half-destroyed museum on a world being fought over by both the Royal House Hazat and the Kurgan Caliphate. In many ways, it manages to illustrate some of the underlying themes in the game, as well as being a good story. Hidden Martyrs, by Changchuo Riwo, is a paradox of a story. Written in a decidedly Asian "tone" at times, it is about the efforts of one of House Li Halan's secret police. A good story with some very nice elements, as well as a quick peek at the Vorox, it suffers because it leaves so little to be puzzled over while reading it. Much of the story is explained subjectively in the beginning, from the nature of the characters to the real plot behind the events later on. It was not a bad story, for it was very well written none the less and had a nice plot, it was just not as mysterious as it would have seemed. There weren't many questions. I read it, I did not puzzle it out. Either way, I would heartily recommend it to anyone wanting a looking inside the Li Halan, especially if they want some more understanding of the house's claims at Chinese roots. A Song to End All Songs was another nice story, by Daniel Greenberg. The tale of a Gannock kicked out of New Pasha on the Decados jungle-world of Severus and the Ascorbites he is forced to deal with. The story involves a really nice Philosopher's Stone (re: McGuffin "magical" artifact to those not familiar with Fading Suns), an explanation for an Ascorbite pseudo-hive mind that neither leans on the occult nor leaves a bad taste in my science-loving mouth, and a wildly amusing main character. The story is great fun to read, and doesn't leave you wanting until the end, when what you want is more. The Eyes that Judge, the Hands that Heal by Richard Lee Byers is next, and it is the story of one priest who goes to great lengths to get the "relics" of the healing St. Saxo, hoping that possession of them will give him the faith he lacks. Along the way, he manages to avoid every opportunity to gain that faith on his own. In the end, he learns, and he learns before it is too late. I liked this story for two reasons. First, it was simple. It wasn't trying to be some grand tale, it was a simple and moving story. Second, it had a very nice twist on what the Church calls "relics." It's a twist I did not expect until it arrived either. Dark Places by James Moore is one of the best stories of the book. A Lovecraftian tale of horror beyond the jumpgates, I couldn't stop reading this one. It is the tale of a pilot who rescues a madman and is eventually driven to follow in the lunatic's footsteps. This is one of the things tales that really drives home to me how much I feel that the same emotion and mood from Lovecraft's Mythos would do well to be added into Fading Suns. Well written, well done, and in the end, very, very creepy, Dark Places was one of the best short stories I've read in a while. James Etes' Worldsong had its moments. It had an interesting premise and was a great example of the Ghost Wind, Scirocco, of Pentateuch. It was also a superb tale of despair and falling. Unfortunately, however, the final explanation felt somewhat hollow and unfulfilling. I would have preferred no explanation to the one I got. In fact, it seemed to detract from the story, which was less about why the event happened that it was about how people feel about them. The Lights of Cadiz was Andrew Greenberg's story and it was good enough. The tale of genetic mutant love gone wrong, its strengths lie in some nice characterization and motivation. The story is okay, and has its faults, but it also has its moments. Sam Inabet wrote Just Plain Folks, a tale about an Avestite looking for some heretical wrong-doing in a small town famous for its amazing hospitality and its ability to produce massive amounts of food. Inabet does a very nice job of hinting at the truth behind the small town while not giving it away. He also manages to have an Avestite who does not want to burn everything in sight, one that actually can back down, and knows when he might be doing more harm than good. I enjoyed this story, although I am not sure that the Avestite, while being well done in some ways, was done enough. His reactions at the end were surprising in many ways. Transfiguration by Jackie Cassada reads like a chapter of a longer tale, and suffers immensely because of it. There are subplots and hints and actions that are never resolved. As a "short story" is it terrible. It simply does not work well like that at all. As a piece of a larger story, it is quite good, although I would have preferred more mystery myself. The revelation of the villain's plans was disappointing. It is the tale of a young psychic intent on rescuing her fiancé who was kidnapped by a vile Decados nobleman who wants to use him as a spy, controlling him through highly addictive drugs. There is great potential there for a nice, long, and mysterious epic story, it just isn't squeezed into ten pages well. Bazaar Companions by W. Keith Winkler was an immense disappointment, more than any other story in the book. It started off beautifully, both intricate and jolting, always keeping me guessing as to just what really happened. Then, however, just as it turns down the very interesting Mystery Lane, it also picks up the very poor "Summary of a Gaming Session" feel to it. The motley assemblage of characters have a paper-thin reason to stay together and even less of a reason to get back together. In addition, they read like characters from some game, rambling off their sources and connections like merits on a sheet. Furthermore, the wonderful twist at the end is rendered completely impotent by the fact that the partial truth came completely out of left field and that its prior effects were laid out with neon signs when they happened. Very disappointing. I would like to know who broke Winkler's hand ten pages into the story and took it over. The Noble Essence by Alan Bryden was a nice little story. Not great, but it had its moments of being a good look at noble psychology. There were nice elements in the plot as well, but I think it would have done better with more room to hint and mislead before the ending. There are a few hints, but not nearly enough. A Hawkwood vassal has a Decados advisor and lover who has a few erratic behaviors and gets more and more suspicious as the story goes on, and the ending, as I said, comes to quickly and is somehow unsatisfying in that it is not really unexpected in some ways. It would have done better to have heavily hinted against the truth before the end. Edward Carmien manages to have another very nice look into the Avestite priests in his story Hot Ambition. A story the seems to be about a ship full of rogue Avestites trying to "purify" backwater sections of Leagueheim, it turns out to be a story of compassion and faith. It does really nicely in that respect, and Carmien manages to show us both the intolerant Avestites full of hate and the compassionate priests who want to bring the light of the Holy Flame to everyone. The two faces of the Avestite Order must have is something that many people miss. Rainy Season by Christopher Howard is another very nice story. About the travails of a poor amnesiac on the capital world of Byzantium Secundus, the story is packed to the seams with interesting characters and beautiful descriptions. It was a workable plot that flows well enough, but you do not read it for that, it is those characters that carry it through. The only problem lies in a seemingly unnecessary plot twist that should either have been the focus of the story or been dropped, I think. Since the former would likely have brought down an otherwise good story, I think it was entirely superfluous to explain the amnesiac's real nature. Less Human than Human by Brian Campbell, like many other stories here, had its moments. About an unrepentant scientist and his heretical experiments gone wrong, it had some very nice elements that brought the near-religious nature of science in Fading Suns to the fore as well as showing why the Church is sometimes right in their claims of technology putting the soul in danger. It was largely a horror story, but the ending I found very disappointing, it felt like it was something that Hollywood would do to get a final scream from the audience. Another "left field" ending, it was a let down. Steal Your Face by Chris Wiese is obviously something inspired by Edgar Allen Poe. In many ways it works, it is only the identity of the narrator that puzzles me, and I have the feeling that it is a puzzle inherent to the story itself. Leaving the reader hanging like that is never a good thing. The story is otherwise quite good, however, and it is a nice tale of how guilt from a crime of murder and impersonation can eventually drive the perpetrator mad and destroy all he has wrought. In the tradition of The Tell-tale Heart, this was an excellent story about guilt and paranoia. Blessed Protection by Andrew Greenberg is about a Brother Battle monk who travels through Vau lands to reclaim a lost artifact, St. Vnen's gauntlets, from some deranged cultists. The story is good, it has its exciting bits and is written well. The best parts of it lie in its demonstration, like in The Eyes that Judge, the Hands that Heal, that not all relics are just what the Church thinks them to be and in the appearance and characterization of the alien Vau. Both were quite interestingly and well-done. The story Valukeydir: Shadow and Times by Rustin Quaide had some very, very nice elements to it. There somehow just seemed something missing at times, however. About a high-ranking priest and the Ur-Okar alien he "adopts" for his own devices, the story unfolds through good character interaction and a plot that is secondary, serving to allow the characters to look at each other and their pasts more than anything else. The book is more about looking into oneself and recognizing your flaws and weakness so that you may combat them than it is about reclaiming Ur artifacts of freeing slave laborers. A good story that I enjoyed read, I just cannot shake the feeling that something else belonged there. It just seems like it should have had a bit more, although I am unable to put my finger onto just what more. The last story in the book is Alyward Allmen: A Morality Play by Rustin Quiade and Sam Inabet. A rather short play that could have come from the Middle Ages, it was not about plot or about characters or anything so complicated. The fact that it could have come from 12th century Europe is its point in many ways. It is an attempt to show how history is, in many ways, a large circle, and how many of the lessons of the past will remain the lessons of the future, even if that future is millennia away. Aside from noting that about human nature, it also works to show just how the Church gets its meaning across to the people. Morality plays were something that the Middle Ages' Church of Holy Terra or Urth (Earth) used widely. Simple, short plays with obvious and blatant symbolism and meaning. Not meant to spur on thought or get people debating about morality or artistic content, they were meant simply to inform the common man about sin and virtue. Alyward Allmen: A Morality Play does that quite well. An old and simple tale dressed up in high-tech trappings, it was a very fun read. I couldn't stop imagining how it would be to work on a production of it. The book finishes off with a glossary, a jumpweb, and a list of Fading Suns products. Overall, I am more than glad that I bought this and spent the time to read it. Stories like the creepy Dark Places and the light and fun A Song to End All Songs made this a very enjoyable read. I recommend this to anyone who likes Fading Suns already, or to anyone who is a fan of the "New Middle Ages" genre of science fiction and doesn't mind a touch of the occult here and there. The Sinful Stars made me wish that we had more genre-crossing movie out there. Science fiction can be a great venue for horror or mystery or introspection. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)