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I must admit, I'm not a big fan of the Palladium system. I don't much like the character creation or advancement rules. I think the combat tends to favor "munchkins" who want the power to crush anything in their paths. That doesn't change the fact that I could fill a good part of a shelf with Palladium games I've bought, or that I bought Systems Failure and enjoy it.

Even with the clunky, archaic class/level system and combat system that needs pretty much all the same dice that AD&D uses, this is a fun little game. For one thing, the price takes me back to the days when I started seriously collecting RPGs back in the early 1980s. A complete game these days is cheap if its $15 or $20, but Systems Failure weighs in at just under $13! And you get a good amount of material for your money.

The world of Systems Failure is a post-holocaust America, 10 years after the Meltdown of 1999. It's a satire of Y2K, survivalism, and millenial hysteria. Turns out the Y2K problem was worse than anyone imagined: not only did it take down much of the internet, there are Bugs. These Y2K Bugs are genuine alien critters from another dimension that can convert themselves to energy and travel through electrical or phone lines. In the resulting chaos of the Meltdown, they've taken over the world and are stripping it of its energy. The Bugs have also enslaved humanity for reasons no one can figure out, although it might have something to do with revenge for something. Free humans have been forced to rely on older technology, sometimes reverting to hunter/gatherers. Survivalist camps abound in the wilderness, along with petty warlords and the last remnants of the U.S. government.

Players take the role of heroic freedom fighters against the Bugs. There are 11 character classes, covering everything from scientists to survivalists, lunatic Big-fighters to government-created experimental human-Bug hybrids. The rules are the same ones you always get from Palladium, and you either love them or hate them. I think that they're too complex at times, but they work for this genre. Player-characters are meant to be tough, meant to be killing machines . . . even the scientists aren't too wimpy. This is a role-playing game that readers of books like James Axler's Deathlands series should enjoy: it's all about firepower and kicking alien behind. I'm sure it could be played subtly, but where's the fun in that?

Even if you aren't a big fan of Palladium games, give this one a look. Even if you hate the system, it's good source material for your own post-holocaust, alien invasion games.

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

Systems Failure
Author: Bill Coffin Category: game Company/Publisher: Palladium Games Line: Palladium Megaverse Cost: $12.95 USD Page count: 144 ISBN: 1-54757-038-2 SKU: 650 Capsule Review by Kevin Mowery on 08/11/99. Genre tags: Science_fiction Modern_day Horror Post-apocalypse	I must admit, I'm not a big fan of the Palladium system. I don't much like the character creation or advancement rules. I think the combat tends to favor "munchkins" who want the power to crush anything in their paths. That doesn't change the fact that I could fill a good part of a shelf with Palladium games I've bought, or that I bought Systems Failure and enjoy it. Even with the clunky, archaic class/level system and combat system that needs pretty much all the same dice that AD&D uses, this is a fun little game. For one thing, the price takes me back to the days when I started seriously collecting RPGs back in the early 1980s. A complete game these days is cheap if its $15 or $20, but Systems Failure weighs in at just under $13! And you get a good amount of material for your money. The world of Systems Failure is a post-holocaust America, 10 years after the Meltdown of 1999. It's a satire of Y2K, survivalism, and millenial hysteria. Turns out the Y2K problem was worse than anyone imagined: not only did it take down much of the internet, there are Bugs. These Y2K Bugs are genuine alien critters from another dimension that can convert themselves to energy and travel through electrical or phone lines. In the resulting chaos of the Meltdown, they've taken over the world and are stripping it of its energy. The Bugs have also enslaved humanity for reasons no one can figure out, although it might have something to do with revenge for something. Free humans have been forced to rely on older technology, sometimes reverting to hunter/gatherers. Survivalist camps abound in the wilderness, along with petty warlords and the last remnants of the U.S. government. Players take the role of heroic freedom fighters against the Bugs. There are 11 character classes, covering everything from scientists to survivalists, lunatic Big-fighters to government-created experimental human-Bug hybrids. The rules are the same ones you always get from Palladium, and you either love them or hate them. I think that they're too complex at times, but they work for this genre. Player-characters are meant to be tough, meant to be killing machines . . . even the scientists aren't too wimpy. This is a role-playing game that readers of books like James Axler's Deathlands series should enjoy: it's all about firepower and kicking alien behind. I'm sure it could be played subtly, but where's the fun in that? Even if you aren't a big fan of Palladium games, give this one a look. Even if you hate the system, it's good source material for your own post-holocaust, alien invasion games. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)