The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Buckle-up and get ready to rock and roll. Golden Comeback, the player's sourcebook for Feng Shui, offers drive schticks, stat schticks, new fu schticks, new transformed animals, new gun schticks, new arcanowave devices, new fighting maneuvers, new character types, and lots more, including a nice index. Golden Comeback is an oriental buffet of new material for Feng Shui with something for every campaign.

Chapter 1 offers a history of the Dragons, their prominent members, and potential allies with material by Geoff Grabowski, Hal Mangold, and Tim Turner. There's lots of material here with character backgrounds and stats. However, much of it reads like an expanded mix of the report on Operation Killdeer from Back for Seconds. The "history" of the Dragons is interesting, but it only covers the preceding generation. The potential allies could be useful in your campaign, but the way they describe people crossing back and forth from the Netherworld, you wonder how the Secret War stays secret.

Chapter 2 is called Being a Better Player. Tim Dedopulous offers an essay on getting in character. It is the usual stuff of motives, pasts, archetypes, and habits. Rob Heinsoo provides an essay on sparking creative stunts to liven-up the butt kicking, including a great section that sketches out six situations and describes how two or more characters might respond differently to each situation. For example, say you are in a descending tram car when yakuza in an ascending car open fire on you. How would an arcano cyborg, a maverick cop, and a martial artist respond? Bruce Baugh offers a method for converting various martial arts for Feng Shui play and on using gun schticks as a swordsman. Nice material, but much more detail and realism than I'm looking for in Feng Shui.

Chapter 3 is on Being a Better Character and is loaded with goodies. The new stat schticks, by Greg Stolze, are available to characters with stats of 11+. There are schticks for each stats and two for Constitution, Kung Fu, Magic, Dexterity, and Speed. Some of the stat schticks are potent, others are of dubious benefit - which they admit in the case of Double or Nothing, the Fortune schtick - particularly given their cost of stat score + current number of stat schticks. Still, these stat schticks can be just the thing to spice up Named NPCs and give players something to aspire to. The new Athlete character type takes advantage of the stat schticks.

The new fu schticks are courtesy of Andy Lucas, and represent advanced steps on various paths. Tim Toner provides transformed animal schticks for mantis, cockroach, dolphin, mallard (can you say Howard the Duck?), boar, bat, and salamander and general schticks that are available to most transformed animals. Then there's more stats for guns, guns, guns. Andy Lucas and Greg Stolze offer-up six new gun schticks to beef up the options for the gun crazies: Cover Fire, 10,000 Bullets, Concealed Weapons, Dismantle Gun, and Shoot Weapon. Andy Lucas returns again (busy guy) with seven new arcanowave devices. Hal Mangold provides rules for Techies and gadgets so that Techies can do their MacGyver-best to put together gadgets in the field, wherever or whenever that may be. This is followed-up with a brief list of classic spy gadgets: garrote watch, bladed boots, mini grenades, etc.

Bruce Baugh instructs us on how to combine sorcery schticks for better results, such as Blast and Revelation to both pound a demon and whip off its disguise, and ways to combine sorcery schticks with fu and gun schticks. New special effects are provided for Blast, Divination, and Movement. John Snead describes new creature schticks, new advanced creature schticks, and how to combine creature schticks. Rob Vaux offers specific non-combat schticks for the gambler, journalist, medic, private investigator, spy, and thief and auxiliary schticks that any character can pick-up. My favorite auxiliary schticks are Awning Magnet (how to always find a soft landing), Permanent Dry Cleaning (looking good no matter what the conditions), and Bar Betting (quick means to pick-up extra cash).

Chapter 4 is Other Trouble with supplemental fighting rules by Rob Vaux and chase rules by Greg Stolze. The supplemental fighting rules provide rules for holds, throws, strangles, joint breaking, disarming, flying kicks, and instant knockouts. The chase rules provide mechanics for running chases, driving schticks such as Jackrabbit Start, Greased Lightning, and Signature Ride, and stats on vehicles from the Contemporary and 2056 junctures, including the Buro's SPUD-U personal aircraft and grav cars (You've got to give Greg points for style. Stats for the '52 Vincent Black Shadow are included based on its mention in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Personally, I would have chosen the Vincent Black Lightning 1953.).

The chase rules are based on Feng Shui's combat mechanics and offer a simple, fluid system for resolving chases. Vehicles are described by two stats: Pep (acceleration and handling) and Wreck (aka Wound Points and Toughness). Because, after all, it is the driver behind the wheel that really matters. The new Velocity Addict is designed to take advantage of the driving schticks, but driving schticks are also available to Maverick Cops, Spies, and Techies. I'd also allow them to Masked Avengers. Especially since they describe Trigger as the Lone Ranger's Signature Ride, and if the Batmobile isn't a Signature Ride, I do not know what one is.

The each of the additional rules and schticks offered in Golden Comeback could be a welcome addition to your Feng Shui game, but overall, the new material adds much more complexity to the game. Part of Feng Shui's appeal has always been the simplicity of its game system. Golden Comeback unfortunately continues a lengthy tradition of adding more to a system than the game really needs.

Is Golden Comeback worth the price of admission? The chase rules and the vehicle schticks are a definite plus to any game of Feng Shui. Parts of the chapter on being a better player are interesting, but none of it is earthshakingly new. The new transformed animal packages and gun schticks will be useful. The Techie rules help to beef-up those characters. The non-combat and auxiliary schticks offer new ways to round out characters. Like an oriental buffet, you're bound to find something that you like, but there is also a lot of generic stuff that you may want to pass up.

An endorsement, but not a rave review.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Golden Comeback: The Feng Shui Player's Sourcebook
Author: Greg Stolze, ed. Category: game Company/Publisher: Atlas Games Line: Feng Shui Cost: $20 Page count: 128 ISBN: 1-887801-80-4 SKU: AG4002 Capsule Review by Jeb Boyt on 04/24/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Science_fiction Modern_day Anime Espionage Conspiracy Asian/Far_East	Buckle-up and get ready to rock and roll. Golden Comeback, the player's sourcebook for Feng Shui, offers drive schticks, stat schticks, new fu schticks, new transformed animals, new gun schticks, new arcanowave devices, new fighting maneuvers, new character types, and lots more, including a nice index. Golden Comeback is an oriental buffet of new material for Feng Shui with something for every campaign. Chapter 1 offers a history of the Dragons, their prominent members, and potential allies with material by Geoff Grabowski, Hal Mangold, and Tim Turner. There's lots of material here with character backgrounds and stats. However, much of it reads like an expanded mix of the report on Operation Killdeer from Back for Seconds. The "history" of the Dragons is interesting, but it only covers the preceding generation. The potential allies could be useful in your campaign, but the way they describe people crossing back and forth from the Netherworld, you wonder how the Secret War stays secret. Chapter 2 is called Being a Better Player. Tim Dedopulous offers an essay on getting in character. It is the usual stuff of motives, pasts, archetypes, and habits. Rob Heinsoo provides an essay on sparking creative stunts to liven-up the butt kicking, including a great section that sketches out six situations and describes how two or more characters might respond differently to each situation. For example, say you are in a descending tram car when yakuza in an ascending car open fire on you. How would an arcano cyborg, a maverick cop, and a martial artist respond? Bruce Baugh offers a method for converting various martial arts for Feng Shui play and on using gun schticks as a swordsman. Nice material, but much more detail and realism than I'm looking for in Feng Shui. Chapter 3 is on Being a Better Character and is loaded with goodies. The new stat schticks, by Greg Stolze, are available to characters with stats of 11+. There are schticks for each stats and two for Constitution, Kung Fu, Magic, Dexterity, and Speed. Some of the stat schticks are potent, others are of dubious benefit - which they admit in the case of Double or Nothing, the Fortune schtick - particularly given their cost of stat score + current number of stat schticks. Still, these stat schticks can be just the thing to spice up Named NPCs and give players something to aspire to. The new Athlete character type takes advantage of the stat schticks. The new fu schticks are courtesy of Andy Lucas, and represent advanced steps on various paths. Tim Toner provides transformed animal schticks for mantis, cockroach, dolphin, mallard (can you say Howard the Duck?), boar, bat, and salamander and general schticks that are available to most transformed animals. Then there's more stats for guns, guns, guns. Andy Lucas and Greg Stolze offer-up six new gun schticks to beef up the options for the gun crazies: Cover Fire, 10,000 Bullets, Concealed Weapons, Dismantle Gun, and Shoot Weapon. Andy Lucas returns again (busy guy) with seven new arcanowave devices. Hal Mangold provides rules for Techies and gadgets so that Techies can do their MacGyver-best to put together gadgets in the field, wherever or whenever that may be. This is followed-up with a brief list of classic spy gadgets: garrote watch, bladed boots, mini grenades, etc. Bruce Baugh instructs us on how to combine sorcery schticks for better results, such as Blast and Revelation to both pound a demon and whip off its disguise, and ways to combine sorcery schticks with fu and gun schticks. New special effects are provided for Blast, Divination, and Movement. John Snead describes new creature schticks, new advanced creature schticks, and how to combine creature schticks. Rob Vaux offers specific non-combat schticks for the gambler, journalist, medic, private investigator, spy, and thief and auxiliary schticks that any character can pick-up. My favorite auxiliary schticks are Awning Magnet (how to always find a soft landing), Permanent Dry Cleaning (looking good no matter what the conditions), and Bar Betting (quick means to pick-up extra cash). Chapter 4 is Other Trouble with supplemental fighting rules by Rob Vaux and chase rules by Greg Stolze. The supplemental fighting rules provide rules for holds, throws, strangles, joint breaking, disarming, flying kicks, and instant knockouts. The chase rules provide mechanics for running chases, driving schticks such as Jackrabbit Start, Greased Lightning, and Signature Ride, and stats on vehicles from the Contemporary and 2056 junctures, including the Buro's SPUD-U personal aircraft and grav cars (You've got to give Greg points for style. Stats for the '52 Vincent Black Shadow are included based on its mention in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Personally, I would have chosen the Vincent Black Lightning 1953.). The chase rules are based on Feng Shui's combat mechanics and offer a simple, fluid system for resolving chases. Vehicles are described by two stats: Pep (acceleration and handling) and Wreck (aka Wound Points and Toughness). Because, after all, it is the driver behind the wheel that really matters. The new Velocity Addict is designed to take advantage of the driving schticks, but driving schticks are also available to Maverick Cops, Spies, and Techies. I'd also allow them to Masked Avengers. Especially since they describe Trigger as the Lone Ranger's Signature Ride, and if the Batmobile isn't a Signature Ride, I do not know what one is. The each of the additional rules and schticks offered in Golden Comeback could be a welcome addition to your Feng Shui game, but overall, the new material adds much more complexity to the game. Part of Feng Shui's appeal has always been the simplicity of its game system. Golden Comeback unfortunately continues a lengthy tradition of adding more to a system than the game really needs. Is Golden Comeback worth the price of admission? The chase rules and the vehicle schticks are a definite plus to any game of Feng Shui. Parts of the chapter on being a better player are interesting, but none of it is earthshakingly new. The new transformed animal packages and gun schticks will be useful. The Techie rules help to beef-up those characters. The non-combat and auxiliary schticks offer new ways to round out characters. Like an oriental buffet, you're bound to find something that you like, but there is also a lot of generic stuff that you may want to pass up. An endorsement, but not a rave review. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 3 (Average)

Golden Comeback: The Feng Shui Player's Sourcebook