Author: David Pulver
Category: game
Company/Publisher: Steve Jackson Games
Line: GURPS
Cost: $19.95
Page count: 128
ISBN: 1-55634-359-0
SKU: SJG6087
Playtest Review by Mark Bruno on 08/30/99.
Genre tags: Fantasy Science_fiction Modern_day

Imagine a world where DuPont has developed a flying carpet that the U.S. Army utilizes in the Vietnam war, imagine Oswald assassinating JFK by use of a "Magic Bullet" spell developed by the CIA, or a world where the pope declares the "responsible use of magic acceptable" and where Steven Spielberg produces Seelie, a movie about "an elfin faerie attempting to elude government agents and return to the Otherworld" which becomes a box office smash in 1981.

Welcome to Technomancer.

In this 128-page worldbook, author David Pulver presents us with an alternate history of Earth after the result of the Trinity atomic bomb testing in 1945. This time it resulted in a rip in the fabric of space which, in turn, brought magic back into the word. Sound familiar?

I believe that SJ Games once stated on their web site that Technomancer is not "cyberpunk", but it does, on the surface, resemble FASA's magic-and-tech RPG, Shadowrun. Unlike its peer, however, Technomancer takes place in the 20th century as opposed to 40-50 years into the future. When I first caught a glimpse of Technomancer on SJ Game's web site I was very excited. However, I have come to the conclusion that while there is much to like in this worldbook, there's also an equal amount to dismiss as senseless frivolity.

Much like Shadowrun, Earth in Technomancer is forever transformed by a catastrophic event that releases magic into the world. Okay, you say, but there has to be SOMETHING to affect the normal laws of physics to allow such an event to transpire. But I say, why do these types of genre settings feel the need to fill the world with other blatant fantasy trappings? Shadowrun's explanation for the introduction of "fantasy races" into the world is via the genetic disease UGE and calls them "meta-humans". Technomancer achieves similar results, but these new beings are called "changelings", people born with magical aptitude. Ten percent of these "awakened" individuals become "chimeras" because, while primarily human, they take on certain physical characteristics of animals. So, instead of elves and orcs running around the city streets we now have "snake-" and "cat-people." If I wanted those things I would pull out my AD&D books or purchase a copy of Atlas Games' Furry Pirates.

For those of you who are cringing because I am comparing this product to Shadowrun, I'll reiterate the fact that they are somewhat similar in concept. Technomancer's saving grace, though, is the fact that it takes place in contemporary society and thus might be easier to relate to, make for more interesting campaigns and ultimately provide yet another avenue of adventure for GURPS time/space/dimensional travelers.

The book is mostly background information and there's lots of it too. Even the brief 7-page history lesson provides some solid framework for the rest of the book. This chapter (aptly titled "History") gives background on the science of magic, a detailed timeline, describes a few major world events, and more. The timeline I liked, although at times it ventured off into the realm of pure silliness. Take, for example, the killer penguins that terrorize the Antarctica region in 1985 and again in 1990. They wipe out an entire expedition, eventually learn to use magic and thus begin building igloos. Huh?

The chapter on "Magic" offers a detailed look at magical theory and the ways in which one studies its effects in academic institutions. Apparently, when the Trinity atomic blast (nicknamed in the book as a Hellstorm) opened up a rip in space it acted as a gateway to Earth for oz particles to flow through. These particles are actually "magical energy carriers." Areas that contain a heavy density of these particles raises its mana-level and thus allows wizards to cast their spells. Spell casting in Technomancer follows the old tried-and-true methods found in just about every other fantasy setting: wizards channel mana, or rather, oz particles, and follow a formula that may consist of hand gestures, ritual actions, incantations or a combination thereof and *POOF* the spell takes shape. What really makes this discourse on magic sharp and classy though is the type of spells available to the "mage born."

The books states that GURPS Magic is required and GURPS Grimoire is recommended so there's nothing new there (it seems that just about every GURPS worldbook needs some other companion piece to get the full nine yards). However, you can probably get by without using the Grimoire because most of that book's "technological spells" are included here. These spells do seem to take a more modern approach to practicality and truly model the world in which they're utilized (although I guess that's what you'd expect from a technological spell list). Everything is in here, from elemental spells to weapon enchantments to movement spells. There are some pretty bizarre ones in here as well like Delete Commercials, Magic Switchboard and Transfer Pregnancy. All useful, I'm sure, although many in my group, including myself, dismissed them as fluff.

The chapter titled "High-Tech Enchantment" provides guidelines for mass producing magical items from Awakened Computers to helmets and vests magically fortified for added protection. The methods for mass producing such items are through Industrial, Quick & Dirty, or Slow and Sure methods. The latter two are explained fully in GURPS Magic. While not every magical item in the world is mass produced in a mage assembly line, there are certain guidelines that govern which items are. This form of mass production really gives magic in Technomancer a mundane, ho-hum feeling to it. Maybe it's because I have been brainwashed by J.R.R. Tolkien, but I have a hard time picturing Gandalf standing in an assembly line working a 13-hour day shift putting together magic wands or weaving flying carpets. Spell casting is definitely not a realm reserved only for those with a scholarly bent. High-tech alchemy is also covered in this chapter and it's not just about turning lead into gold. Large corporate-controlled pharmaceutical firms produce thousands of medical and cosmetic elixirs per year. No longer will men have to suffer from the effects of baldness -- simply down a potion of instant hair growth and you'll have a mane that any 80's glamrock band would admire.

The chapter on character races is where Technomancer capers on the fine line of foolishness. As stated before, Technomancer includes a wide variety of "human chimeras" and while Pulver is to be commended for leaving out the standard fantasy races, his use of human/beast hybrids is mawkish. There are six possible choices for players: Homo Sapiens Arachnae (spider people), Homo Sapiens Canis Latrans (coyote people), Homo Sapiens Felis (cat people), Homo Sapiens Raptor (hawk people), Homo Sapiens Serpens (snake people) and finally Homo Sapiens Vulpes (fox people). These races cost a variety of character points to play (from -9 for fox people all the way up to 81 for spider people). In addition, players can elect to create "halflings". These sub-races are the hybrid offspring of human-chimera matings, but unlike full chimeras, halflings are more human in appearance. These cost less character points with 46 being the maximum.

The advantages and disadvantages for each non-human race are consistent with the theme of the chimera (i.e. hawk people are blessed with Acute Vision and Flight, but suffer from Fragile physiques) and most suffer from having a negative social stigma. The nonsense here is found in some of the chimera's physical characteristics. Hawk people, for instance, have feathered wings instead of arms. Okay, no big deal, but since when did you see a hawk use his wings for walking? Well, apparently, in Technomancer, hawk people can and do. One player in our group grew increasingly frustrated at the fact that his hawk-man couldn't use anything that required the use of fingers or hands much less rub an eye or scratch an itch without clawing his skin off. Spider people are closely related to the physique of a centaur: the head, arms and upper body of a human, but with a six-limbed arachnid body. No big deal, you say? I thought so too until I read on further and discovered that spider people have human genitalia attached to their spider abdomen. What will they think of next?

There are also rules for creating undead characters, although many of these, like the Atomic Liche and Vampire, cost over 200 character points (and probably with good reason as they would surely upset the balance of gameplay). I thought the Atomic Liche, however, was a novel idea and has the potential to be one of the most badass villains your players could ever meet. The backstory of these undead creatures tells of a secret CIA experiment in the 1970s where "artificial mages" were constructed by administering "heavily irradiated alchemical compounds" to test subjects. The results were disastrous as 30 of the original 203 subjects who died suddenly awoke with supernatural abilities. They escaped into the world at large and are currently being hunted by CIA operatives. Atomic Liches are extremely powerful, deadly and down-right frightening.

Other potential PC and NPC races found in this chapter are demons, faeries, gremlins, elementals, and dragons. Some are described in exquisite detail and really spark the imagination, but more often than not many more seem to have no use other than to be used as comic relief. Like the chonchon, for instance: vampiric beings that are essentially deformed human heads with Dumbo-sized ears resting on top of a dangling spinal cord. Or those idiotic killer penguins that stand five feet tall and live in igloos. Give me a break.

Like just about every other GURPS book, Technomancer contains a chapter dedicated solely to character templates and campaign ideas. I counted twenty templates and the choices are about as varied as the fruit at a produce market. Some are rather dry and typical, like the Criminal, Hacker, Entertainer, Investigator, and Law Enforcement officer, but some of them are just downright ingenious! A few in particular really caught my eye. There's the Hellhound, a bounty hunter who seeks out demons and undead nasties. There's also the Technomancer, a researcher who peruses studies in the "synthesis of magic with engineering or physics." My all-time favorite, however, remains the Artist. What's so good about a plain old artist? Well, for one, artists in Technomancer come in four different flavors: Phantasists create 3D images and sounds through magic; Body Stylists actually warp the human body into strange and wonderful new forms; Shapedancers transform themselves into animals; Necrogoths raise undead creatures to model for paintings, television commercials, and some even use them as theater actors. Our group contained a Phantasist, and his spells, which primarily consist of illusions, were a great benefit to the team when discretion was the better part of valor. Many of the artist career spells are very useful in gameplay and not just for entertainment.

Every character template in this book can and does utilize magic so, again, the feeling that arcane powers are simply an everyday facet of life creeps in. It kind of dilutes the power and mystery that is often associated with spell casters in other games. During playtest we found that PCs without any magical aptitude were at a serious disadvantage when compared to NPC adversaries and monsters. Often times they'd be blasted into shriveled corn husks by a team of demonic Hellrakers (although maybe I'm just a tad bit sadistic). Needless to say, we regrouped and concentrated on using magically inclined PCs. What really irked me in this chapter was the abysmal inclusion of equipment that is relegated to the sidebars on pages 78-81. It is very incomplete; there are maybe 6 weapons listed, a smattering of personal gear and a sad collection of Technomancer-specific books, computers and software. The use of GURPS High-Tech is extremely recommended, which consequently, the publisher does not mention on the back cover.

Now, a worldbook cannot be complete without some world and history info and Technomancer devotes three chapters to it. There's one on magic and society which outlines magic's effects on architecture (glass-and-steel skyscrapers have been replaced by buildings created from magical stone -- what the author refers to as "neo-Gothic."), business (cities are now graced with magical-item shops), and building contractors who utilize magic in their construction efforts. There's a brief treatise on fashion, sports, religion and transportation, and detailed sections on law and order, sciences, and industry. Since magic is so pervasive in Technomancer, this chapter only cements that notion further and puts everything into perspective for the GM. Which, by the way, is a good thing considering that THIS magic-and-tech world places more emphasis on magic than it does tech.

There's a lot of great information regarding the movers-and-shakers of Technomancer in the chapter on "Organizations." Everything from the CDC to the CIA to FBI is moderately detailed here. Some of the law enforcement organizations that we're so familiar with have had to re-organize and re-structure in accordance with the "awakened world." What was once the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) now has to enforce regulations on destructive magical items (called tactical talismans). The DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) has now become the DAEA or, Drug and Alchemy Enforcement Agency. Not only do they have to track drug cartels, but alchemical ones as well. A few corporations are outlined like the fast-food enterprise, Chili Wizard; a financial and investment corporation called Leviathan Investment Group which specializes in the new technomagic industry. In addition, criminal organizations, religious cults and unions are presented. Many of these organizations can be ported over to other games (like pretty much the rest of this book), but it will undoubtedly supply GM's with a wealth of campaign and adventure ideas for use in Technomancer.

A measly, six pages has been allocated for area-specific world information. Basically, only North America is presented here (there's inadequate sections on Argentina, Vietnam, Antarctica, and Surinam, but that's the extent of world background) and even then there's a lot left to the imagination. This is Technomancer's biggest fault. GM's are fundamentally on their own while developing a place for the players to adventure in. Two cities are supplied, Albuquerque and the El Paso-Juarez Metropolis (I dunno, but I can think of a million other cities to profile) and they're only detailed in 3 paragraph-long sections and utterly useless. I managed by using books from other games, most notably Shadowrun (Bug City is a great source of info -- insect spirits fit in nicely with Technomancer's mythos) and Cyberpunk 2020, to develop a living, persistent world for my players to explore.

Thankfully, SJ Games plans on further developing this line. Slated on their "wish list" is an El Paso-Juarez Metropolis sourcebook, a guidebook for running campaigns during the 50s, 60s and 70s called Life After Trinity, a technomagical catalog, and a world atlas. There have been no authors assigned to these books yet (at least not that I'm aware of) so it's unlikely that you'll be seeing these supplements any time soon.

Layout and design in Technomancer pretty much follows the standard fare of current GURPS books. The "main areas" of the page contain the important information while side bars are used to enhance the principal text. Each chapter, however, begins with a short (3-4 paragraph) fictional story that not only offers readers a glimpse into it's contents, but also of the world where Technomancer is based. They're great reading, but not entirely useful in the sense of game mechanics. An index is provided and really helped me to GM the game. I found it very easy to find information without having to waste time flipping through the pages. The interior illustrations, done by Dan Smith, Kurt Brugel, and Ray Lunceford are stellar black-and-white interpretations of people/creatures/events in this alternate Earth setting. Smith's drawings are exceptionally sexy and usually accompany the fictional chapter introductions. Brugel has a wonderful depiction of a succubus in a space suit complete with small wings, horns, and...ahem...a very conspicuous protruding bustline. To quote Blade Runner: Talk about Beauty and the Beast. She's both.

As I mentioned before, there's a lot to like in Technomancer, but often times it takes a turn for the worse and presents 20th century society in such a fatuous way even if it is an alternate Earth setting. It would be the perfect thing, however, if your group needs a little comic respite from a more serious-inclined campaign, but I think that Technomancer is best suited as a potpourri of ideas for other game systems.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 3 (Average)