The Inside Scoop on Gaming

It came at last! the Western Frontier Protectorate (WFP) Leaguebook, the last of the Terra Novan Leaguebooks, but don't fret, I hear Life on Caprice will be out within a year. It is my opinion that the Heavy Gear Leaguebooks are one of the best parts of the Heavy Gear game, these are the books which have brought Terra Nova to life for me; presenting gamers with a living, breathing, evolving world full of varied and interesting people with their own hopes and dreams, and darker motives, besides "uhh... lets knock heads so the wargamers will have an explanation for their battles".

The WFP is presented as a nation and culture of its own, and cannot be, as a 'Northie' friend once said, painted with the same brush as the rest of the North. The geography, history and culture, as well as more tedious details like economics, are covered to a level of detail most gamers love (those who have made it through The Lord of the Rings may demand more, but they're nuts). Westerners come off as three dimensional characters and not just a collection of tired cliche's, but I'll digress from regurgitating the body of the book.

The WFP Leaguebook follows the same format as the previous six leaguebooks. The introduction consists of a few broad brushstrokes about history, culture and politics, which is then expanded upon considerably in the bulk of the book. Chapters two, three and five are, as always, the most interesting. Chapter two contains the history of the League up to the present, as with most Heavy Gear books the WFP Leaguebook advances the timeline, this time up to the Terra Novan year 1938, two cycles into the interpolar war. Chapter five is a fairly detailed description of the cities and rural regions of the WFP, covering their major industries, interesting places, fads, trends and major concerns of the populace. It is these two chapters which bring a league to life for me, showing best where they have come from and how the 'regular people' live their day-to-day lives. Any description of a league would be sorely lacking without chapter three: Politics. It is in this chapter that the drives and motives and powerful people and groups of the league are described, giving valuable insight not only to the machinations of the government, but often the culture of the league as well, as the description of the Western Clan system does here. The rest of the book: Culture & Society and Gamemaster Resources, is often skimmed over unless one is planning on roleplaying a character from the league. Sections 7.1 and 7.2: "Designing a Western Character" and "Equipment" are obviously useful for players wishing to create a western character, Culture and Society is full of information for shaping your characters tastes, prejudices and views on honour, justice and religion.

Overall this is an interesting, in depth look a the WFP and I would consider it a "must have" for any fan of the Heavy Gear universe. This is Chris Hartford's second leaguebook for DP9, I do not know if he was originally an amateur press hack, a new writer sometimes screams "Warning, Amateur" to me. This has not been the case with Mr. Hartford, while the WFP is not a "page-turning" thriller, his writing is quite professional, with none of the "fan-boy" feel or purple prose some other gaming sourcebooks have had (faint praise from a real amateur like me). Westerners themselves, with their views on honour, conspicuous consumption and religious freedom, come off more like civilised badlanders than typical "Northies" with their obsessions with either religious orthodoxy or material wealth. Although no Northerner can hold a candle to the South when it comes to interesting characters, Byzantine intrigues or wild lifestyles; but perhaps that's just my personal prejudice showing through.

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

Western Frontier Protectorate Leaguebook
Author: Chris Hartford Category: game Company/Publisher: Dream Pod 9 Line: Heavy Gear Cost: $18.95 US, $20.75 CAN Page count: 96 ISBN: 1-896776-53-1 SKU: DP9-052 Capsule Review by Bryan Rombough on 08/18/99. Genre tags: Science_fiction Far_Future Anime	It came at last! the Western Frontier Protectorate (WFP) Leaguebook, the last of the Terra Novan Leaguebooks, but don't fret, I hear Life on Caprice will be out within a year. It is my opinion that the Heavy Gear Leaguebooks are one of the best parts of the Heavy Gear game, these are the books which have brought Terra Nova to life for me; presenting gamers with a living, breathing, evolving world full of varied and interesting people with their own hopes and dreams, and darker motives, besides "uhh... lets knock heads so the wargamers will have an explanation for their battles". The WFP is presented as a nation and culture of its own, and cannot be, as a 'Northie' friend once said, painted with the same brush as the rest of the North. The geography, history and culture, as well as more tedious details like economics, are covered to a level of detail most gamers love (those who have made it through The Lord of the Rings may demand more, but they're nuts). Westerners come off as three dimensional characters and not just a collection of tired cliche's, but I'll digress from regurgitating the body of the book. The WFP Leaguebook follows the same format as the previous six leaguebooks. The introduction consists of a few broad brushstrokes about history, culture and politics, which is then expanded upon considerably in the bulk of the book. Chapters two, three and five are, as always, the most interesting. Chapter two contains the history of the League up to the present, as with most Heavy Gear books the WFP Leaguebook advances the timeline, this time up to the Terra Novan year 1938, two cycles into the interpolar war. Chapter five is a fairly detailed description of the cities and rural regions of the WFP, covering their major industries, interesting places, fads, trends and major concerns of the populace. It is these two chapters which bring a league to life for me, showing best where they have come from and how the 'regular people' live their day-to-day lives. Any description of a league would be sorely lacking without chapter three: Politics. It is in this chapter that the drives and motives and powerful people and groups of the league are described, giving valuable insight not only to the machinations of the government, but often the culture of the league as well, as the description of the Western Clan system does here. The rest of the book: Culture & Society and Gamemaster Resources, is often skimmed over unless one is planning on roleplaying a character from the league. Sections 7.1 and 7.2: "Designing a Western Character" and "Equipment" are obviously useful for players wishing to create a western character, Culture and Society is full of information for shaping your characters tastes, prejudices and views on honour, justice and religion. Overall this is an interesting, in depth look a the WFP and I would consider it a "must have" for any fan of the Heavy Gear universe. This is Chris Hartford's second leaguebook for DP9, I do not know if he was originally an amateur press hack, a new writer sometimes screams "Warning, Amateur" to me. This has not been the case with Mr. Hartford, while the WFP is not a "page-turning" thriller, his writing is quite professional, with none of the "fan-boy" feel or purple prose some other gaming sourcebooks have had (faint praise from a real amateur like me). Westerners themselves, with their views on honour, conspicuous consumption and religious freedom, come off more like civilised badlanders than typical "Northies" with their obsessions with either religious orthodoxy or material wealth. Although no Northerner can hold a candle to the South when it comes to interesting characters, Byzantine intrigues or wild lifestyles; but perhaps that's just my personal prejudice showing through. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Western Frontier Protectorate Leaguebook