The Inside Scoop on Gaming

The story behind this review is a bit convoluted. I agreed to do a review for RPGnet in exchange for a free copy, then waited for it to arrive. And waited. The copy that I finally got had passed through a couple of reviewers, and spent a couple of weeks in the mail. By this time, I'd already played in a game run by someone else, and the playtest went less than spectacularly.

Well, pretty badly. The game itself is badly in need of editing. Nearly every page has at least one typographical error, and the rules a player needs to make a character are in a couple of different places. In addition, one of the characters was playing an Avatar of a god of Justice. Sadly, while it's mentioned in one place that gods of Justice are doable in the rules, they aren't. The necessary text was either never written or got cut. How to spend some of the points during character creation isn't explained where you'd think it would be (for the record, after a character gets the ability to use magic spells, he buys the spells as special skills--which also isn't explained very well in the rules).

So half the blame for the bad playtest falls on the GM, who had an incomplete understanding of the rules--on which the other half of the blame falls.

The biggest problem with the rules, as I see it anyway, isn't the mechanics. The mechanics are a bit primitive in places, requiring multiple die types and figuring hit point totals through formulae that require multiplying totals and adding numbers depending on what character type you are playng. But that's bearable. The problem I had with the rules was that characters were limited in ways I didn't like. My character in the playtest, Jack, was the son of Coyote (the Native American trickster spirit) and a mortal. As such, I was entitled to certain special powers based on his Trickster heritage. The options were the ability to shapeshift, lie really well, become invisible, or be a master thief. The ability to craft illusions or cast spells appropriate to the role of a trickster god would have been useful, but they weren't options.

But these are problems with the rules, and to be honest, when I see a game with C. J. Carella's name on it, I don't necessarily expect great rules. I expect a good game world, and Armageddon delivers on that.

In the early part of the 21st Century, the world is under seige by the Church of Revelations (and its military branch, the Army of Revelations). The situation is dire, having devolved into all-out war. In the United States, people usually carry filter masks and atropine injectors when they go outside just in case their city is bombed by CoR forces.

But the war on the physical plane is only half of the story. The CoR worships an alien entity called Leviathan, the substance and powers of which are anathema to our plane. Leviathan is so dangerous, in fact, that the supernatural forces of the world have taken sides. The Hosts of Heaven and the Legions of Hell grudgingly suspended hostilities for the duration, and even the old pagan gods have joined in against the CoR. Few people doubt the existence of the supernatural--when Rome fell, a legion of angels appeared and fought (and died) against AoR jet fighters.

There are two levels of game play, the Heroic and the Legendary. Heroic characters include lower-powered mortal magicians, young supernatural creatures, and even mere humans. Legendary creatures are full-fledged angels, demons, or Avatars of the gods, and *powerful* mages. The level of power a GM and players decide on is a matter of personal preference, but mixing them is a bad idea: Legendary characters are *powerful* compared to Heroic characters to the point of completely overshadowing them.

If you're looking to buy a great game world and willing to put up with mediocre, sometimes badly-organized rules or use a different rule set entirely (I recommended Over the Edge to the GM I played with) Armageddon is worth the purchase price.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Armageddon
Author: C. J. Carella Category: game Company/Publisher: Myrmidon Press Cost: $25.00 US Page count: 254 ISBN: 0-9639550-5-5 Playtest Review by Kevin Mowery on 12/02/97. Genre tags: none	The story behind this review is a bit convoluted. I agreed to do a review for RPGnet in exchange for a free copy, then waited for it to arrive. And waited. The copy that I finally got had passed through a couple of reviewers, and spent a couple of weeks in the mail. By this time, I'd already played in a game run by someone else, and the playtest went less than spectacularly. Well, pretty badly. The game itself is badly in need of editing. Nearly every page has at least one typographical error, and the rules a player needs to make a character are in a couple of different places. In addition, one of the characters was playing an Avatar of a god of Justice. Sadly, while it's mentioned in one place that gods of Justice are doable in the rules, they aren't. The necessary text was either never written or got cut. How to spend some of the points during character creation isn't explained where you'd think it would be (for the record, after a character gets the ability to use magic spells, he buys the spells as special skills--which also isn't explained very well in the rules). So half the blame for the bad playtest falls on the GM, who had an incomplete understanding of the rules--on which the other half of the blame falls. The biggest problem with the rules, as I see it anyway, isn't the mechanics. The mechanics are a bit primitive in places, requiring multiple die types and figuring hit point totals through formulae that require multiplying totals and adding numbers depending on what character type you are playng. But that's bearable. The problem I had with the rules was that characters were limited in ways I didn't like. My character in the playtest, Jack, was the son of Coyote (the Native American trickster spirit) and a mortal. As such, I was entitled to certain special powers based on his Trickster heritage. The options were the ability to shapeshift, lie really well, become invisible, or be a master thief. The ability to craft illusions or cast spells appropriate to the role of a trickster god would have been useful, but they weren't options. But these are problems with the rules, and to be honest, when I see a game with C. J. Carella's name on it, I don't necessarily expect great rules. I expect a good game world, and Armageddon delivers on that. In the early part of the 21st Century, the world is under seige by the Church of Revelations (and its military branch, the Army of Revelations). The situation is dire, having devolved into all-out war. In the United States, people usually carry filter masks and atropine injectors when they go outside just in case their city is bombed by CoR forces. But the war on the physical plane is only half of the story. The CoR worships an alien entity called Leviathan, the substance and powers of which are anathema to our plane. Leviathan is so dangerous, in fact, that the supernatural forces of the world have taken sides. The Hosts of Heaven and the Legions of Hell grudgingly suspended hostilities for the duration, and even the old pagan gods have joined in against the CoR. Few people doubt the existence of the supernatural--when Rome fell, a legion of angels appeared and fought (and died) against AoR jet fighters. There are two levels of game play, the Heroic and the Legendary. Heroic characters include lower-powered mortal magicians, young supernatural creatures, and even mere humans. Legendary creatures are full-fledged angels, demons, or Avatars of the gods, and powerful mages. The level of power a GM and players decide on is a matter of personal preference, but mixing them is a bad idea: Legendary characters are powerful compared to Heroic characters to the point of completely overshadowing them. If you're looking to buy a great game world and willing to put up with mediocre, sometimes badly-organized rules or use a different rule set entirely (I recommended Over the Edge to the GM I played with) Armageddon is worth the purchase price. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty)