The Inside Scoop on Gaming

This is the first review I've ever written; I'm not entirely sure exactly how one goes about reviewing an RPG supplement.

This is part of the reason I've chosen to review Century Station instead of some other recent release; There's practically no "rules" info in the book, so I can get right to reviewing the content without spending half my time trying to defend the Heroes Unlimited game system to the decidedly anti-Palladium crowd who are my audience. I can review the book honestly and objectively, without wasting everyone's time analyzing Palladium's "antiquated," class-and-level system, since it seems no matter what I were to say, it wouldn't change anyone's views on it; It's just too "old school" for some. It's been my experience that these are usually the same people who refuse to listen to Led Zeppelin or the Doors, not because they don't like the music, but simply because it's "too old."

But I digress; This is about Century Station, not the global RPG community's anti-Palladium sentiments.

The first thing I noticed about the book was its cover; a brand-new, extremely cool piece from Palladium's regular cover-guy, John Zeleznik. It's an awesome piece, and it (along with the cover of 1998's Skraypers release) serves to further confound me as to why so many Palladium fans still pine for the "good old days" of Kevin Long. It's also a big step up from Zeleznik's last HU cover, a decidedly forgettable piece that graced the equally-lackluster Heroes Unlimited Game Master's Guide. The cover is further enhanced by something that hasn't been seen on a Heroes Unlimited supplement since Villains Unlimited, roughly a decade ago: An actual logo (and a really cool, very distinctive one, at that). It may seem like a minor thing, but when one thinks about it, a logo really enhances a superhero RPG book; It's an attempt to emulate comic books, and every comic out there has a very distinctive and memorable title logo that graces the top of every single issue's cover. Having a real logo on the cover really does a lot to legitimize Century Station, and, to a lesser degree, the Heroes Unlimited system as a whole, as a comic-book simulation. Previously, Palladium has simply taken one of their standard typefaces, and made it really big and prominent on the cover. That works okay for some games (Ninjas & Superspies, for example), but not for a superhero RPG.

And, as long as the subject is the art… The art in this book is GREAT. While most recent superhero RPG's I've been reading (mostly Aberrant) have had art that ranged from "Wow! That's amazing! Why is this guy drawing for an RPG publisher, and not for Marvel or DC?" to "What coloring book did this come out of?," this one manages to go from the afore-mentioned "This guy should be doing something more high-profile than RPG's" to "low points" that basically invoke a response of "Hmmm… not bad." In other words, there's no "bad" art in this book. There's absolutely amazing art (particularly from Ryan Beres and Scott Johnson), and there's "pretty good" art (courtesy of Wayne Breaux and some old Kevin Long stock pieces). My only real issue with the art is that Palladium didn't make use of some of the artists from the HU2 rulebook that made it look so great – Don Hillsman, Jason Baumgartner, Ka Xiong, etc.

As to the content…

The author (Bill Coffin) opens with a quick introduction that proves he's actually a fan of comics. And, unlike the other HU writers out there (Kevin Siembieda, Wayne Breaux, and formerly Kevin Long), it seems he's a fan of every aspect superhero fantasy, not just the campy, "Boy Scout in Spandex and a cape" approach, which has so far permeated HU. Granted, Coffin makes reference to that type of hero, too, but, unlike previous HU writers, he recognizes it as one method of many, as opposed to the end-all and be-all of superhero role-playing. He truly seems to understand the varied and ever-changing tastes and trends in comics and other superhero culture and he accents this with mentions of such notable, more recent releases as The Dark Knight Returns, Sandman, and Marvels.

From there, the book enters a "guided tour" of Century Station, which includes a short, but well-written history, rich with plot hooks, atmosphere, and a general feel for exactly where the city is today. Without going into too much detail (buy the book if you want that), the city was a major industrial port that had fallen on hard times until a mysterious organization called Project Daedalus showed up and made it the site of the world's first cold-fusion reactor, providing clean, practically free energy to the world. Then an alien showed up and announced that the director of the project was himself from outside Earth's solar system, that he had violated several galactic laws (think of Star Trek's "Prime Directive"), and that all alien technology that had been used to build the reactor had to be confiscated. Consequently, the city went to Hell in a handbasket, and supervillains have had a field day ever since. Now, the mayor has instituted "Operation Overlord," a drastic and violent means of ending the rampant crime and poverty in the city one and for all.

Very "comic book," but not so cheesy that it seems from the realm of the Batman TV series from the 60's.

There are short, informative (but not overly-detailed) sections on the underworld's criminal "food chain," on the reactions of normal people to superhumans, both villain and hero (some actually blame the so-called "heroes" for many of the city's problems), and a quick overview of how HU's different power categories (Aliens, Mutants, Psionics, etc.) are treated in the city (Aliens have a tough run of things, but Hardware types are treated pretty well, etc.).

Then comes the city itself, complete with maps galore, detailing each of the city's different sections, from Society Hill (the rich, affluent, still relatively crime-free part of town) to Brisby Flats (think of all the worst things you've heard about Harlem, Compton, Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Beirut, then add the occasional supervillain). Everything is described, from sites of interest to crime rate to how the lad is predominately used (residential, commercial, or industrial, etc..), but not in so much detail that reading about the different boroughs is a chore. In fact, even reading about the city transit grid is somehow made interesting.

Following that section is a look at "Who's Who," featuring not only prominent superbeings, but the mayor, the city council, and various corporations that have remained in the city (or those who moved in when a competitor skipped town). It also includes a look at the police department, the media, and the newly-formed anti-supervillain taskforce, CHIMERA.

Then come the superheroes. Heroes generally fall into two categories: Those who are officially sanctioned by the city, and those who aren't. Either way has its advantages and disadvantages.

I should also note that this is the first HU book I've read that has a mix of characters, both hero and villain, who I can make full use of "out of the box." With previous HU releases, the characters have been, for the most part… well, really, really bad. Even the good stuff in Villains Unlimited had to be "tweaked" so I could use it without embarrassing myself. And the bad stuff… let's just say there were actually characters named "Ping" and "Pong," and Palladium apparently seriously expected GM's to use them in their campaigns and not be laughed at when they announced to the players who was behind the robberies or whatever.

This is NOT a problem with Century Station. Every character contained in the book is at least worth a second look, and most, if not all, are downright usable. My only complaint is that Mr. Coffin used a lot of superhero names that I myself have been using for years. Manticore, Bombshell, Heartbreaker, Avatar, Aegis, Warhead, Gauntlet, Strongarm, Obelisk... I had characters for them all…

But that's a minor nit to be picking, and it really doesn't detract from the book at all. Even the "quirky" villains are cool, from the Victorian (a crimefighter complete with derby, monocle, and thick, flowery stereotypical British accent – never has the phrase "One lump or two?" been so intimidating), to the Schwa (a nutball whose powers are always changing, and who is absolutely convinced that they stem from that odd little upside-down "e" symbol that stands for the "uh" sound), to Kincave the Fighting Parrot (that's right, a parrot commando). There are even two characters named after – of all things -- shades of blue (Cyan and Indigo), who can and should actually be taken entirely seriously.

The book ends with 101 (literally!) adventure hooks for GMs to use if they want; a nice addition, if you ask me. Some are only okay, but most are great, and many can be combined with or spun-off from one another to create some pretty complex plotlines.

Coffin's writing style lends a lot to the book, too, as he seems to know exactly when a bit of comic book or pop-culture humor is appropriate and when it isn't. The occasional thinly-veiled reference to Wizards of the Coast, or the insertion of corny supervillain dialogue into a character description (Actual character description excerpt: Weapons: Bah! The Creator needs no weapons, you fool!) serve to make the book an even more entertaining read.

In terms of power level, let's just say it's "up there." But then, if we didn't want high-powered characters, we wouldn't be playing a superheo game, now would we?

And if you want more low-powered, street-level Watchmen-style charatcers, there's plenty of room for them, too; This setting is designed to encompass just about any kind of superhero campaign you could ever want.

Overall, this is without a doubt the best Heroes Unlimited supplement on the market, and is quite probably the best Palladium release to come down the chute in at least five years. It's also easily adaptable to just about any superhero RPG, so anyone who's into supers role-playing should probably give this one a look (I personally think it would fit great into Champions, too). One or two more books of this caliber could easily serve to not only elevate Heroes Unlimited in the eyes of Palladium's development staff (notorious for their "If it ain't Rifts, it ain't important" attitude), and the elevate Palladium as a whole in the eyes of the role-playing community at large; It's wishful thinking, I know, but maybe this book signals the beginning of the end of anti-Palladium sentiments among "real role-players."

Hopefully, this is just the first in a long string of Heroes Unlimited titles we'll see from Coffin in the next few years; I hear he's already planning the sequel for sometime in 2001...

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

Century Station
Author: Bill Coffin Category: game Company/Publisher: Palladium Books Line: Heroes Unlimited Cost: $20.95 Page count: 224 ISBN: 1-57457-040-4 SKU: 517 Capsule Review by Mike Hughey on 03/12/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Science_fiction Modern_day Superhero	This is the first review I've ever written; I'm not entirely sure exactly how one goes about reviewing an RPG supplement. This is part of the reason I've chosen to review Century Station instead of some other recent release; There's practically no "rules" info in the book, so I can get right to reviewing the content without spending half my time trying to defend the Heroes Unlimited game system to the decidedly anti-Palladium crowd who are my audience. I can review the book honestly and objectively, without wasting everyone's time analyzing Palladium's "antiquated," class-and-level system, since it seems no matter what I were to say, it wouldn't change anyone's views on it; It's just too "old school" for some. It's been my experience that these are usually the same people who refuse to listen to Led Zeppelin or the Doors, not because they don't like the music, but simply because it's "too old." But I digress; This is about Century Station, not the global RPG community's anti-Palladium sentiments. The first thing I noticed about the book was its cover; a brand-new, extremely cool piece from Palladium's regular cover-guy, John Zeleznik. It's an awesome piece, and it (along with the cover of 1998's Skraypers release) serves to further confound me as to why so many Palladium fans still pine for the "good old days" of Kevin Long. It's also a big step up from Zeleznik's last HU cover, a decidedly forgettable piece that graced the equally-lackluster Heroes Unlimited Game Master's Guide. The cover is further enhanced by something that hasn't been seen on a Heroes Unlimited supplement since Villains Unlimited, roughly a decade ago: An actual logo (and a really cool, very distinctive one, at that). It may seem like a minor thing, but when one thinks about it, a logo really enhances a superhero RPG book; It's an attempt to emulate comic books, and every comic out there has a very distinctive and memorable title logo that graces the top of every single issue's cover. Having a real logo on the cover really does a lot to legitimize Century Station, and, to a lesser degree, the Heroes Unlimited system as a whole, as a comic-book simulation. Previously, Palladium has simply taken one of their standard typefaces, and made it really big and prominent on the cover. That works okay for some games (Ninjas & Superspies, for example), but not for a superhero RPG. And, as long as the subject is the art… The art in this book is GREAT. While most recent superhero RPG's I've been reading (mostly Aberrant) have had art that ranged from "Wow! That's amazing! Why is this guy drawing for an RPG publisher, and not for Marvel or DC?" to "What coloring book did this come out of?," this one manages to go from the afore-mentioned "This guy should be doing something more high-profile than RPG's" to "low points" that basically invoke a response of "Hmmm… not bad." In other words, there's no "bad" art in this book. There's absolutely amazing art (particularly from Ryan Beres and Scott Johnson), and there's "pretty good" art (courtesy of Wayne Breaux and some old Kevin Long stock pieces). My only real issue with the art is that Palladium didn't make use of some of the artists from the HU2 rulebook that made it look so great – Don Hillsman, Jason Baumgartner, Ka Xiong, etc. As to the content… The author (Bill Coffin) opens with a quick introduction that proves he's actually a fan of comics. And, unlike the other HU writers out there (Kevin Siembieda, Wayne Breaux, and formerly Kevin Long), it seems he's a fan of every aspect superhero fantasy, not just the campy, "Boy Scout in Spandex and a cape" approach, which has so far permeated HU. Granted, Coffin makes reference to that type of hero, too, but, unlike previous HU writers, he recognizes it as one method of many, as opposed to the end-all and be-all of superhero role-playing. He truly seems to understand the varied and ever-changing tastes and trends in comics and other superhero culture and he accents this with mentions of such notable, more recent releases as The Dark Knight Returns, Sandman, and Marvels. From there, the book enters a "guided tour" of Century Station, which includes a short, but well-written history, rich with plot hooks, atmosphere, and a general feel for exactly where the city is today. Without going into too much detail (buy the book if you want that), the city was a major industrial port that had fallen on hard times until a mysterious organization called Project Daedalus showed up and made it the site of the world's first cold-fusion reactor, providing clean, practically free energy to the world. Then an alien showed up and announced that the director of the project was himself from outside Earth's solar system, that he had violated several galactic laws (think of Star Trek's "Prime Directive"), and that all alien technology that had been used to build the reactor had to be confiscated. Consequently, the city went to Hell in a handbasket, and supervillains have had a field day ever since. Now, the mayor has instituted "Operation Overlord," a drastic and violent means of ending the rampant crime and poverty in the city one and for all. Very "comic book," but not so cheesy that it seems from the realm of the Batman TV series from the 60's. There are short, informative (but not overly-detailed) sections on the underworld's criminal "food chain," on the reactions of normal people to superhumans, both villain and hero (some actually blame the so-called "heroes" for many of the city's problems), and a quick overview of how HU's different power categories (Aliens, Mutants, Psionics, etc.) are treated in the city (Aliens have a tough run of things, but Hardware types are treated pretty well, etc.). Then comes the city itself, complete with maps galore, detailing each of the city's different sections, from Society Hill (the rich, affluent, still relatively crime-free part of town) to Brisby Flats (think of all the worst things you've heard about Harlem, Compton, Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Beirut, then add the occasional supervillain). Everything is described, from sites of interest to crime rate to how the lad is predominately used (residential, commercial, or industrial, etc..), but not in so much detail that reading about the different boroughs is a chore. In fact, even reading about the city transit grid is somehow made interesting. Following that section is a look at "Who's Who," featuring not only prominent superbeings, but the mayor, the city council, and various corporations that have remained in the city (or those who moved in when a competitor skipped town). It also includes a look at the police department, the media, and the newly-formed anti-supervillain taskforce, CHIMERA. Then come the superheroes. Heroes generally fall into two categories: Those who are officially sanctioned by the city, and those who aren't. Either way has its advantages and disadvantages. I should also note that this is the first HU book I've read that has a mix of characters, both hero and villain, who I can make full use of "out of the box." With previous HU releases, the characters have been, for the most part… well, really, really bad. Even the good stuff in Villains Unlimited had to be "tweaked" so I could use it without embarrassing myself. And the bad stuff… let's just say there were actually characters named "Ping" and "Pong," and Palladium apparently seriously expected GM's to use them in their campaigns and not be laughed at when they announced to the players who was behind the robberies or whatever. This is NOT a problem with Century Station. Every character contained in the book is at least worth a second look, and most, if not all, are downright usable. My only complaint is that Mr. Coffin used a lot of superhero names that I myself have been using for years. Manticore, Bombshell, Heartbreaker, Avatar, Aegis, Warhead, Gauntlet, Strongarm, Obelisk... I had characters for them all… But that's a minor nit to be picking, and it really doesn't detract from the book at all. Even the "quirky" villains are cool, from the Victorian (a crimefighter complete with derby, monocle, and thick, flowery stereotypical British accent – never has the phrase "One lump or two?" been so intimidating), to the Schwa (a nutball whose powers are always changing, and who is absolutely convinced that they stem from that odd little upside-down "e" symbol that stands for the "uh" sound), to Kincave the Fighting Parrot (that's right, a parrot commando). There are even two characters named after – of all things -- shades of blue (Cyan and Indigo), who can and should actually be taken entirely seriously. The book ends with 101 (literally!) adventure hooks for GMs to use if they want; a nice addition, if you ask me. Some are only okay, but most are great, and many can be combined with or spun-off from one another to create some pretty complex plotlines. Coffin's writing style lends a lot to the book, too, as he seems to know exactly when a bit of comic book or pop-culture humor is appropriate and when it isn't. The occasional thinly-veiled reference to Wizards of the Coast, or the insertion of corny supervillain dialogue into a character description (Actual character description excerpt: Weapons: Bah! The Creator needs no weapons, you fool!) serve to make the book an even more entertaining read. In terms of power level, let's just say it's "up there." But then, if we didn't want high-powered characters, we wouldn't be playing a superheo game, now would we? And if you want more low-powered, street-level Watchmen-style charatcers, there's plenty of room for them, too; This setting is designed to encompass just about any kind of superhero campaign you could ever want. Overall, this is without a doubt the best Heroes Unlimited supplement on the market, and is quite probably the best Palladium release to come down the chute in at least five years. It's also easily adaptable to just about any superhero RPG, so anyone who's into supers role-playing should probably give this one a look (I personally think it would fit great into Champions, too). One or two more books of this caliber could easily serve to not only elevate Heroes Unlimited in the eyes of Palladium's development staff (notorious for their "If it ain't Rifts, it ain't important" attitude), and the elevate Palladium as a whole in the eyes of the role-playing community at large; It's wishful thinking, I know, but maybe this book signals the beginning of the end of anti-Palladium sentiments among "real role-players." Hopefully, this is just the first in a long string of Heroes Unlimited titles we'll see from Coffin in the next few years; I hear he's already planning the sequel for sometime in 2001... Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)